Bodie
Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI
Biblical Authority Ministries, August 29, 2025 (Donate)
When
studying doctrine, one quickly realizes that different denominations and
churches often disagree on various theological points. In fact, asking
questions about what some churches believe might land you in a heated debate!
With
that in mind, it is helpful to understand the history of church splits and the
origins of today’s denominations.
Christianity
is the largest and fastest-growing religion in the world (by conversions).
Interestingly, most Christians worldwide agree on fundamental beliefs. While it
may seem surprising, Christians generally share a consensus on core doctrines,
including the existence of one God, the Trinity, the authority of Scripture,
and historical biblical figures and events.
Yes,
Christians likely agree on about 95% of Scripture. However, the 5% of disagreements
have caused significant divisions. And these divisions have, at times, been
substantial.
As
a result, churches have historically split into different factions, with three
major historical schisms. After the third significant split, unity diminished
considerably, leading to a vast number of denominations. What many fail to
recognize is that we are currently witnessing yet another major divide even
within an already-divided protestant church—a fourth split.
Major Church Divisions
How
did the Church split after the New Testament? From an overview, here are the
major Christian schisms, along with their approximate dates:
- Oriental
Schism – AD 451
- East-West
Schism – AD 1054
- Reformation – AD 1517
- Creation
Reformation – AD 1961
Early
Church Development
After
the apostles established churches across the Roman Empire (and beyond) in the
first century, several churches rose to prominence. These churches exercised
influence over their local areas and smaller congregations. The most notable of
these were in Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria (a Greek city in Egypt), Rome, and
Constantinople.
The Oriental Church Split
Around
AD 450, a division occurred between the Church in Alexandria and other leading
churches. The churches that broke away became known as the Oriental churches,
which spread throughout the Middle East, Egypt, Arabia, India, and beyond.
Ancient
Japanese records even suggest that adherents of the Oriental Church reached as
far as Japan as early as the first and second centuries. This schism arose
primarily due to disagreements over definitions established at the Council of
Chalcedon in AD 451.
The East-West Schism
The
next major church split occurred approximately 1,000 years ago and is known as
the Great Schism. This division separated the Church of Rome from the Eastern
churches, which were led by the Patriarchs of Jerusalem, Antioch, and
Constantinople. The Pope of Rome at the time, Leo IX, clashed with Patriarch
Michael Cerularius in the Eastern Orthodox Churches.
Although
tensions had been building for centuries, the final breaking point was a
dispute over the Filioque clause—whether the Holy Spirit proceeds
"from the Father" alone or "from the Father and the Son."
This theological contention resulted in a permanent division.
In
the Western Church, Rome consolidated its power under the Pope. Meanwhile, the
Eastern Orthodox churches maintained their own leadership structure, with
Patriarchs serving as the highest authorities. The Eastern Orthodox Church
extended across Greece, Turkey, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and into
Russia.
The Reformation
By
the early 1500s, tensions were again leading to another significant church
split in the West. With unchecked power, the Roman Church had introduced
practices such as indulgences and had elevated itself beyond scriptural
authority.
Martin
Luther and other Reformers argued that theology and practice should be based
solely on God's Word. This conviction ignited the Protestant Reformation,
as Reformers sought to return to biblical authority.
Five
key doctrines emerged from the Reformation, known as the Five Solas
(from the Latin word sola, meaning “only” or “alone”):
- Sola
Scriptura – by
Scripture alone
- Sola Gratia – by grace alone
- Sola Fide – by faith alone
- Solus
Christus – through
Christ alone
- Soli Deo
Gloria – glory to
God alone
For
example, Sola Scriptura asserts that Scripture alone is our ultimate
authority. Later in this book, these doctrines will be explored in greater
depth.
The
Reformation gave rise to Protestantism, so named because Protestants protested
against Roman authority and upheld God’s authority over the Pope. Protestants
rejected many of Rome’s doctrinal errors, including salvation by works,
indulgences, the Pope’s claim to be God’s representative on earth, and the
belief that salvation could be found only in the Roman Church.
Since
the Reformation was not uniformly applied across Europe, various denominations
emerged.
The Creation Reformation
Today,
we are living in an era of another major theological crisis. Secular humanism
has been dominant in the Western world since the days leading up to and
including Charles Darwin. As society abandoned biblical teachings, it was
replaced with secular philosophies such as atheism, agnosticism, secularism,
naturalism, and materialism.
Tragically,
many churches—both Protestant (and even Roman Catholic)—have embraced some of these
non-Christian ideologies and mix them with their Christianity. When they do so,
they attempt to blend Christianity with secularism, often resulting in the
compromise of biblical truth.
This
syncretism is especially evident in attempts to reinterpret Genesis to fit
evolutionary beliefs, the Big Bang, and millions of years. Additionally, some
churches have compromised on other biblical doctrines, even rejecting the
triune nature of God or adopting unbiblical cultural ideologies such as LGBT
and racial philosophies.
A
new theological split is occurring as faithful churches return to the Bible as
the supreme authority on all matters, including creation, human identity, and
morality. These churches are upholding the principles of the Reformation by
reaffirming the authority of Scripture.
The
Creation Reformation is closely associated with the publication of the
influential book The
Genesis Flood by Drs. Henry Morris and John Whitcomb. This work served
as a rallying call to restore the church’s commitment to biblical authority.
Churches that disregard biblical truth are drifting further from Christ. One might even question whether they have denied the Master who redeemed them. Consider this sobering warning:
But false prophets also arose among the
people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring
in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon
themselves swift destruction. (2 Peter 2:1, NKJV)
□
Bodie Hodge, Ken Ham's son in law, has been an apologist
since 1998 helping out in various churches and running an apologetics website.
He spent 21 years working at Answers in Genesis as a speaker,
writer, and researcher as well as a founding news anchor for Answers
News. He was also head of the Oversight Council.
Bodie launched Biblical Authority Ministries in
2015 as a personal website and it was organized officially in 2025 as a
501(c)(3). He has spoken on multiple continents and hosts of US states in
churches, colleges, and universities. He is married with four children.
