Why are there so many churches?

Eli: Four churches on one street, all following Jesus. How does that happen?

Eli: I get it. If they can't agree, why trust any?

Eli: Divisions often involve authority and doctrine, including how to read the Bible.

Eli: In the 1500s, Reformers left the Catholic Church, believing some teachings contradicted the Bible.

Eli: It isn't tidy, and some say only they're the true church.

Eli: But the Nicene Creed, first adopted in 325, affirms Jesus as divine, "begotten of the Father."

Eli: Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, Baptist: many major traditions use it.

Eli: The letter to the Ephesians puts it simply.

Eli: There is one body, and one Spirit, even as you also were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism,

Eli: The disagreements are real. For many, the shared center is Jesus.

Eli: Try reading one Gospel, a story of Jesus, or ask a Christian friend.