{"id":4960,"date":"2009-06-01T06:08:07","date_gmt":"2009-06-01T06:08:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/jesuscreed\/2009\/06\/20k-churches-and-counting.html"},"modified":"2009-06-01T06:08:07","modified_gmt":"2009-06-01T06:08:07","slug":"20k-churches-and-counting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/jesuscreed\/2009\/06\/20k-churches-and-counting.html","title":{"rendered":"20K+ Churches and Counting"},"content":{"rendered":"

A letter from a reader, used with permission, and I’m wondering how you would respond….<\/p>\n

<\/i>Dear Scot,
I have a hard time reconciling in my mind that if God is an author
of peace and not confusion that he would allow 20k different faiths to
be preached in his church. I live in the Midwest in a city where we have a church on
every street corner each proclaiming a different doctrine. It is
maddening. <\/p>\n

So who is correct? Calvinist, Arminians, Non-denominational,
Charismatics, Pentecostals? It is crazy. I believe what Christ said,
there is one faith, one baptism etc. I am just trying to find it. I have
a hard time believing that Christ would want all of these different
theologies each with a different spin out there in the world.
    
I can read the Bible and you can read the Bible and it says
something different to each of us. Human nature being what it is is
going to lead us down the easier softer way. I believe what Christ said,
“enter through the narrow gate.”
   
Only in America do we have 20k different protestant denominations.
There is no unity of faith in America we all do what we want to do and
or believe what we want to believe.             <\/p>\n

And Scot, the crazy thing is that we all base our belief system on ONE BIBLE.

<\/i> <\/p>\n

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A letter from a reader, used with permission, and I’m wondering how you would respond…. Dear Scot,I have a hard time reconciling in my mind that if God is an authorof peace and not confusion that he would allow 20k different faiths tobe preached in his church. 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