Why are there Christian sects?

Answer

First, we should define what is meant by a Christian sect. The term “sect” is quite broad and can refer to anything from a “religious denomination” to a “destructive cult.” In this article, we will define a Christian sect as “a small faction of a church that has separated from a larger group to follow a specific practice or interpretation of the Bible.” Typically, a Christian sect is united by a single teacher who advocates for a unique doctrine. Therefore, this article will differentiate a sect from a denomination (“a large group of churches sharing common beliefs”) and a cult (“a heretical group deviating from orthodox Christian teachings”).

For instance, in 17th-century England, the Baptist denomination had two main branches: the General Baptists (Arminian) and the Particular Baptists (Calvinistic). However, there was a smaller faction that had broken away, known as the Seventh Day Baptists (who observed worship on Saturdays). Another example is from Prussia in 1817, where a Lutheran deacon named John Scheibel established a sect called the Old Lutherans in protest against the Lutheran Church’s recent merger with the Reformed Church. These Baptist and Lutheran factions serve as illustrations of Christian sects.

There are various reasons for the emergence of Christian sects. Breakaways from Christian denominations can originate from a doctrinal standpoint (e.g., predestination), a specific practice (e.g., foot-washing), a social justice issue (e.g., slavery in the 1800s), church governance (e.g., payment of pastors), biblical interpretation (e.g., abstinence from alcohol), evangelism (e.g., the importance of missionary work), music (e.g., use of musical instruments), prophetic interpretation (e.g., pre-wrath doctrine), personal experiences (e.g., continuationism)—and the list goes on.

The presence of Christian sects highlights the diversity and breadth (and at times, the divisiveness) among followers of Christ. As long as a splinter group does not deviate from orthodox Christian teachings, it can contribute to the richness of theological discourse and practice within Christianity.To heresy, and as long as there is no animosity or spiritual pride involved in the separation, the establishment of a Christian sect is not necessarily negative.

It is possible to be divided into factions without being excessively sectarian. One day, John approached Jesus and said, “Master . . . we saw someone casting out demons in your name and we tried to prevent him because he is not one of us.” Jesus’ response allows for disciples of Christ to be part of different groups and still be instruments of God: “Do not hinder him . . . for whoever is not against you is for you” (Luke 9:49-50).