Churches have been around for a very long time, and they can be found worldwide. However, there are many different types of churches with distinctive histories that vary from church to church. This blog post will cover the history of churches and how they came about.
The history
- Christians who were being persecuted in the Roman Empire would meet secretly to worship, which was against Roman law at the time.
- In 313 AD, Emperor Constantine legalized Christianity throughout the Roman empire and then built a church on Vatican Hill known as St Peter’s Basilica.
- The Catholic Church became very powerful during this period and eventually split into two factions: the Catholics and Greek Orthodox Christians. However, it wasn’t until 1517 when Martin Luther started protesting many Catholicism practices, such as selling indulgences or praying for money instead of helping people.
- The Catholic Church was eventually reformed into the Roman Catholic Church after Vatican II in 1962.
- The Baptist church was formed in 1609 when a group of English separatists were looking to practice their worship. They eventually settled on the Baptist denomination, spreading from there to other countries such as America.
- The Methodist church was founded in 1738 by John Wesley and has continued to be a very popular church ever since.
- The Quakers were a radical sect of Protestantism that started as pacifists during the English Civil War. They still practice today and have many followers in America.
- The Salvation Army began in 1865 and is still an active Christian denomination today.
- The Evangelical Church is not one of the more popular denominations in America, but it covers many people. It was founded sometime between 1815 and 1830 by German immigrants who came to Pennsylvania.
- The Lutheran church started in Germany during the 16th century when Martin Luther exposed his beliefs about Catholicism and formed its denomination that followed Protestant teachings.
- In 1521, John Calvin began teaching Reformation theology which led to this Christian branch being born even though he never intended it to be considered a new religion or sect.
The future
As time goes on, many churches will continue to form while others cease. There are so many different types of religions that have been created throughout history that each has its own unique story to tell about how they came into being.
Conclusion
Churches are found worldwide with their unique practices, beliefs, doctrines, histories, and denominations. Events from its past have influenced each denomination to help mould it into what it is today.
