Which is the Best Christian Denomination?

A church denomination is a company of believers that identify themselves by a certain belief system within the Christian Faith. They usually have their unique way of practising Christianity that is upheld by every local assembly which bears the name of that group and passed down from generation to generation. Anglican, Methodist, Pentecostal, ZCC, Catholic, Presbyterian etc. are all examples of denominations. Do you know that there are over 41,000 church denominations that own the Christian title? That, without counting all the ones that are being formed as we speak. And I have also excluded the obvious cults. All these denominations, mind you, claim to be right in terms of upholding the purity of the Christian doctrine. Even more shocking is the fact that they all don't agree with one another. Actually, there is so much hostility that a believer would demand to know the denomination you belong to before they can decide to associate with your spiritual self. In some places, you can be severely judged, at worst, rejected as an outsider in the Faith based on the identity of your Christian organization. You know, sometimes I have caught myself relating to the critics of Christianity who are quick to point out that ours is the most confused religion of them all. We will answer the ‘why so many divisions?’ question one day. Today, my goal is to talk about that Christian group, which I believe is correct and the truest representation of the Gospel of Jesus.

So, which is the right one? Certainly, they cannot all be right, or can they? Remember, when we talk about the ‘best’, we are not talking about which one is perfect. Because as long as there is sin among us, there cannot be any perfect church system. Having said that, I believe there are fairly good denominations, that is, if we are using the Bible as the standard. Which, then, is the true representation of it?

I personally have my own favourite, the one that I can be proud to be part of. But, before you hear my low opinion on the one I recommend, let me disclose that I am presently serving under the Pentecostal denomination, which is now known as the Charismatic Church.

Now, the core doctrine of the Pentecostal gathering makes much of the gifts of the Spirit, especially speaking in tongues and prophesying. In fact, they argue that speaking in tongues is a strict requirement for all born again believers. It is the evidence of being baptized with the Spirit.

 

Now be shocked by this: as much as I have spent my whole Christian lifetime as a Pentecostal by belonging, I am not one by theology. That is, my belief system is not Pentecostal. Not at all. Which then means that I don't rate the Pentecostals as the crowd that correctly represents Christianity. Lest you misunderstood me, I am certainly not condemning that congregation. In reality, I have met some of the best Christ Brethren in the Pentecostal community throughout all these years. The reason I think they are not closest to the Bible is because the Pentecostal itself, as a denomination, is not as Bible dependant as it is experience driven. In all honesty, I believe it is one of the most disorderly of them all because its appeal to personal dreams, visions & private revelations means there is no clear doctrinal stance that is upheld universally. To the demise of that denomination.

Now the best denomination, according to my mindset, is none other than the Baptist denomination; the only church body that I envy and can only dream to belong. Indeed, there are a lot of other groups under the Baptist umbrella; we can save that discussion for another day. Nonetheless, I just wanted to hint at what Baptists generally believe. Their “baptist” name is derived from the belief that only adult professing believers must be baptized, as opposed to the baptism of babies that is practised by other groups, such as the Roman Catholic Church. Baptists are also confessional, which means they hold to what is called the “confessions of the faith”, a set of historical documents that summarise the Christian doctrine. They are also very formal and quite orderly in their worship services - something that deeply resonates with my spirituality. One other thing I love about the Baptist bunch is their strong stance on the Bible. They do not believe in visions, dreams, e.tc. They stand and fall on Chapter & Verse. I believe they are also very balanced in most of their teachings. I have also considered the faithful missionaries who have, throughout history, trodden on untouched lands with the Gospel of Jesus, most of whom were sent by Baptist congregations. I will not say much about solid Bible material that we utilize today, such as study Bibles, commentaries, translations, theology books…you name it, mostly a product of the Baptist batch. In fact, there is no Christian association, in my opinion, that preaches the whole counsel of God and is able to defend, clearly and unapologetically, the Christian doctrine better than Baptist theologians

 

Therefore, I can proudly say that my theology; what I believe and teach is based on the doctrine of the Baptist denomination. Allow me to confess that there was one time in the past when I took ownership of the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith. That is just me. Now over to you: which is the best denomination that correctly represents Christianity as far as you are concerned? And why?

Sinothi Ncube

Related Content...

My Problem with the Roman Catholic

My Issue with the SDA Church

Is Christianity Different from Other Religions?