Christianity is not a monolith

Nearly a third of the world identifies as Christian. Sub-sects within the faith, known as branches or denominations, have distinct trends and beliefs that impact their practice. Even here in North Carolina, a state within the conservative “Bible belt” region, there is significant variety between churches. The diversity of Christianity is often harmfully ignored through stereotypical conception of uniformity.

In discussions of controversial religious topics, I usually encounter criticism of Christianity as a whole. In response, Christians may assert that conservative stances on race, LGBTQ+ rights and abortion have biblical ties, but some believers have different interpretations.

Neither progress the conversation. The issue isn’t whether certain discriminatory stances and views pertain to “all Christians.” Instead of lambasting the religion as a whole, people need to take the time to understand distinctions within the faith.

While Christians have commonalities through the Bible and Jesus Christ, approaches to practice have diverged significantly since the religion began. Instances of war, homophobia and slavery have been practiced by some Christians and clearly condemned by others.

Differences within the faith became evident nearly 1,000 years ago when the “Great Schism” split the church into Catholic and Orthodox. Then, the Protestant Reformation of the 1500s led to another branch of the Roman Catholic Church. Christianity only began 2,000 years ago, yet the Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox branches have been divided for centuries.

Diverging views are exemplified in the over 45,000 Christian denominations currently recognized. Within Protestantism, there are modern assumptions regarding many of these groups. Stereotypes have labeled Lutherans “old people," Presbyterians "robotic,” Methodists “hippies” and Baptists “hat[ers of] all fun.”

I was raised under a Protestant denomination as a Methodist. I genuinely don’t know anything about the practice of Catholicism or Orthodox Christianity that isn’t from television or movie depictions. Honestly, I don’t have much experience with Protestants either, aside from denominations popular in my community. I can only comfortably discuss two churches, Methodist and Baptist.

Despite conservative tendencies, the Bible belt shows clear differences between major branches of Protestantism. Baptist and Methodist denominations have opposing stances on faith practice. This separation ranges from important traditions, like baptism, to the concept of Christian salvation and interpretation of the Bible itself.

Baptists believe that the ritual of baptism is a significant profession of faith that publicly declares oneself as a believer. This ceremony shows a commitment to following the Bible, which is seen as divine scripture guiding the Christian faith.

Most Methodists disagree in all of these respects. Individuals become members through a ritual known as “confirmation,” where they choose to publicly profess their faith after their baptism — a ceremony that can occur for Methodist infants. This view also asserts that those who proclaim themselves Christian need to continuously act according to the faith to achieve salvation. Methodists also believe that because the Bible was written by humans, who are imperfect, the scripture can have flexible interpretations. This diverges from the Baptist approach of understanding the scripture literally.

The two practices also disagree on war, alcohol, divorce and the concept of congregation. The divisions continued; each denomination experienced conservative and liberal views on slavery and LGBTQ+ issues, leading to major splits.

The United Methodist Church has nearly 10 million members worldwide. It is considered one of the most “liberal” Christian denominations, even in Southern congregations. In May 2024, the UMC General Conference voted to remove all bans preventing LGBTQ+ individuals from being ordained or appointed within a United Methodist Church.

However, not all modern Methodist churches have the same progressive stances. Conservative views have led to a quarter of congregations leaving the UMC, primarily due to its LGBTQ+ tolerance. The more conservative Global Methodist Church was formed as an alternative for these groups in 2022.

Baptists became notably divided into the Northern and Southern Baptist churches during the 19th century due to disagreements on slavery and race. The Southern Baptist church did not publicly denounce its previous defense of slavery, opposition to the Civil Rights Movement and lingering racism until 1995.

There are over 15 million Baptists in the United States, the largest of any Protestant denomination. Assumptions that all Baptist congregations supported the past actions of the Southern Baptist church vastly misrepresent the divided community’s actual historical values.

If someone has a bone to pick with Christians, I get it. The dangerous practice of gay conversion therapy, the excessive violence of the Crusades and the church’s racist history can make Christ’s followers as a whole difficult to embrace. Regardless, it’s not individual Christians that diverge from religious norms on controversial issues; standard views vary drastically within the faith itself. In order to effectively support progress and accountability, we need to understand distinctions within Christianity.

Original article published via Technician, found here.