Which Christian church can trace their origins back to Jesus Christ?

Question

If you are a Lutheran, Martin Luther, an apostate of the Roman Catholic Church, founded your religion in Germany, in the year 1517.

If you are a Mennonite, your church began in Switzerland with Grebel, Mantz, and Blaurock, in the year 1525.

If you belong to the Church of England, also know as Anglican, your religion began with King Henry VIII in 1534, who established his own church because the Pope could not grant him a divorce with the right to remarry.

If you are a Presbyterian, your religion was founded by John Knox, in Scotland, in the year 1560.

If you are a Congregationalist, your religion was founded by Robert Brown, in Holland, in 1583.

If you are a Baptist, you owe the tenets of your religion to John Smyth, who launched it in Amsterdam, in 1606.

If you are a Unitarian, John Biddle in London founded your religion in 1645.

If you are an Episcopalian, your religion was an offshoot of the Church of England, founded by Samuel Seabury in the American Colonies in the 17th century.

If you are a Quaker, your religion was founded by George Fox, in England, in 1647.

If you are a Methodist, your religion was founded by John and Charles Wesley, in England, in 1739.

If you are a Universalist, John Murray founded your religion in New Jersey, in 1770.

If you are an Evangelical, you owe the founding of your religion to Jacob Albright, in Pennsylvania, in 1803.

If you are a Mormon (a "Latter Day Saint"), then Joseph Smith started your religion in Palmyra, New York, in 1829.

If you are a Seventh Day Adventist, your religion originated in New York, by William Miller, in 1831.

If you worship with the Salvation Army sect, then you acknowledge William Booth in London as your originator, in 1865.

If you are a Jehovah Witness, then your church was founded by Charles Taze Russell, in 1872, and renamed in 1931 by Judge Rutherford, his successor.

If you are a Christian Scientist, then Mary Baker Eddy founded your religion in Massachusetts, in 1879.

If you belong to the Assembly of God religion, then a General Assembly in Arkansas started it in 1914.

If you claim the Church of the Nazarene as your religion, then Union at General Assembly launched it in 1919.

If you are an Evangelical Reformed, then Union at General Assembly created it in 1934.

If you belong to "Pentecostal Gospel," your religion is one of the hundreds of new sects founded by men in the last 100 years.

If you are a Roman Catholic, you know that your religion was founded in the year 33 by Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Answer 1

NONE!



The bible is what is called "Faction" A fictional story set in a factual time and place. Thus the time, place and real historical characters are all correct but the fictional characters and stories are not!



There is not one single mention of Jesus in the entire Roman record - that is right - not one! At the same time as he was supposed to have been around there were a number of Jews claiming to be the messiah - all of whom are well recorded!



There is not a single contemporary record from any source and even the bible mentions of him like all other references were not written until many years after his supposed death!



He was supposed to have been a huge problem to the Romans and produced wonderful miracles but still not one contemporary record?



Even the bible mentions of him like all other references were not written until many years after his supposed death!



Pilate is recorded in the Roman record as a somewhat lack luster man but no mention of a Jesus, a trial or crucifixion that would surely have been used to make him look brighter!



At best he was an amalgam of those others but almost certainly never existed!

Answer 2

It is the true historical church, and can be traced to the early church fathers -- many of which were bishops, but not all were bishops. People such as Clement of Rome, Mathetes, Polycarp, Ignatius, Barnabas, Papias, Justin Martyr, and Irenaeus were all associated to some degree or another with the beginnings of the Catholic church at various cities that we read about in the New Testament such as Ephesus, Jerusalem, and Rome; some were actual followers of the Apostles (Ignatius was from Peter, and Polycarp was a disciple of John) But the Eastern Orthodox church had the exact same beginnings, but there was always some disagreements between Rome and Constantinople. Rome and Constantinople began to split where they had originally been the exact same church before(sorry I can't give you an exact date I'm away from my books, but it was quite a while before the first Pope my guess is around 650) The split became permanent after the crusades (the 4th from 1202-1204). This can be taken a step further though in saying that all Christian church's that you see today can be traced back to the Catholic church. This movement really began to move in the 1400's-1500's with various leaders such as Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, John Calvin and many others. Is the Catholic Church the true Christian church? I personally believe that there are some things that disqualify it from being the true Christian Church, but I believe that nobody has it down perfect. I disagree with the infallibility of the Pope. According to the Catholic chuch I am going to hell because I do not attend that church, but it's not thier place to judge -- God will do this. But there are some good things about the Catholic church as well. Try some research on Desiderius Erasmus from the 1500's for a biased view of the Catholic church from the inside, he was a Priest and refused to seperate himself from the Catholic church. The best way to answer this question though is to read the New Testament, it's the only thing that will tell you about Jesus' church, specifically from Acts on.

Answer 3

As a Pentecostal, I can trace my religion back to the day of Pentecost. (You cannot)





The New Catholic Encyclopedia, after discussing the "doctrinal evolution

and theological elaboration of the mystery of the Trinity," says:



"There is the recognition of the part of exegetes and biblical

theologians, including a constantly growing number of Roman Catholics,

that one should not speak of Trinitarianism in the New Testament without

serious qualification. There is also the closely parallel recognition on

the part of historians of dogma and systematic theologians that when one

does speak of an unqualified Trinitarianism, one has moved from the period

of Christian origins, to say, the last quadrant of the fourth century. It

was only then that what might be called the definitive Trinitarian dogma

"One God in three Persons" became thoroughly assimilated into Christian

life and thought.



Herein lies the difficulty. On the one hand, it was the dogmatic

formula "one God in three Persons" that would henceforth for more than

fifteen centuries structure and guide the Theological essence of the

Christian message, both in the profession of faith and in theological

dialectic. On the other hand, the formula itself does not reflect the

immediate consciousness of the period of origins; it was the product of

three centuries of doctrinal development.



... Among the Apostolic Fathers, there had been nothing even remotely

approaching such a mentality or perspective; among the second century

Apologists, little more than a focussing on the problem as that of

plurality within the unique Godhead."

Answer 4

Sorry, but your history is off. Despite its own teachings, the Roman Catholic Church does not predate the fourth century. The first century church was headquartered in Jerusalem, not Rome. The people were called Christian, not Catholic (Acts 11:26)



You cannot judge the age of a church by the year they first organized legally. A far more accurate measure is by when and where their teachings began. And by that criterion, the only churches that can claim to date back to the Apostles are those that teach the original Apostolic, Christian doctrines. That completely rules out the Roman Catholic Church (since the majority of their doctrines are based on their own traditions), as well as the Orthodox and Protestant churches.



It's very easy to narrow down: On the day the first church began, Pentecost, a crowd of thousands asked Peter what they needed to do. (Acts 2:37) Peter gave an answer which contained the plan of salvation taught throughout the book of Acts (the history book of the first century church). To determine which churches today are direct successors to that first church, just look for the only ones still teaching that original message. That narrows it down completely: the only churches today who still preach the same message Peter gave in Acts 2:38 are the Apostolic churches, known as Apostolic Pentecostals or Oneness Pentecostals.



Ask Catholics, Orthodox and some higher Protestant churches what is required for salvation, and you'll get a primer on the sacraments, Eucharist, etc. They'll sprinkle water on an infant while reciting the titles Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Ask much of the rest of Christianity what is required, and you'll get answers such as "accept Jesus as Savior," "Just believe in Jesus," or the ubiquitous "Repeat after me: Dear Jesus, I know I am a sinner..." (Sinner's prayer). If they bother to baptize at all, they will usually get the form correct, immersion, but use the Catholic tradition of baptizing in the titles.



But ask an Apostolic Pentecostal how to be saved, and the answer you get will be exactly the same as the answer Peter gave in Acts 2:38. Following belief, a person must

1. Repent (turn from sin)

2. Be baptized (immersed in water) in the name of Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins

3. Receive the Holy Ghost (as seen in Acts 2, Acts 10 and Acts 19)



People can twist it all they like, but that was the Gospel message of the first century church, which no one had authority to change (Gal. 1:8-9), and is still the message preached by the true churches today. All through history, there have been people preaching this truth: Bishop Sabellius, the Abyssinian church, Michael Servetus, etc., and the powerful Roman church, and later the Protestants, would call them heretics and persecute and kill them. But God doesn't leave himself without a witness. So while the modern Apostolic churches only began to organize legally in 1912, our history, as those teaching the original message untainted by tradition, goes back to the first century.

Answer 5

Actually the Roman Catholic Church (RC) was NOT founded in the year 33 by Jesus the Christ.

Our savior Christ founded no church. The word "Christianity" is not even found in the Bible. The first use of the term "Christian" (or little Christ) was in the first part of the second century by Ignatius. As good and faithful Jews, the early followers of Jesus, went to the temple on Saturday to pray and then met on Sunday (the first day of the week) in the homes of other believers for services and taking part in the Eucharist. First the disciples then Paul went out to preach to others, both Jew and Gentile, and they established many home churches. By tradition the first actual church building was built by Joseph of Arimathea in England at Glastonbury. From history we know that prior to 37 AD the beliefs of Christ were active in the British Islands. The early church had no "pope" or "priests" or a Roman organized hierarchy.

Answer 6

The church that can trace itself beck to Jesus Christ is the one that practices, and teaches the same things as the church described in the Bible. The original church today is the one that is organized the same way and worships the same way as the church described in the Bible.



A church is not traced to the original by time.



In 1 Timothy 4:1, Paul said, "some will depart from the faith..."



Those who have departed from "the faith" would be able to trace themselves back through time to a point before the departure, but an examination of their doctrine, worship, teaching, practices, name, and love would show they were no longer a part of the same faith.



Those who have departed could, however, repent and do and teach what the church did at first and return to the faith. (Revelation 2:5)



This is the goal and plea of those who meet today in the continuing movement I am a part of. We generally meet under the name "church of Christ". We strive to return to the first church and believe, practice and become only what they were.



For more information about this movement, please see the links below.

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Answer 7

The church that belongs to Christ Jesus was not formed until after his death, when the Holy Spirit came upon his disciples and followers at Pentecost. The year is not significant, because we do not know (for a fact) the year in which Jesus was born although we can be certain it was NOT on 25 December. As someone has astutely pointed out, the Roman Catholic church did not exist at the time of Pentecost.



Christ Jesus is the foundation, he is the head, and all who would claim to follow him submit to his authority, not that of any man. Christ Jesus said that the Gates of Hades would never overcome his church and this has proved true over the past 2,000 years. That's because religion does not save. Denominations do not save. Only Christ Jesus saves.



You can identify his true followers because they have been born-again and are indwelt by the Holy Spirit. They are recognised by the fruit they bear - the fruit of the Spirit. They have been adopted into God's family and by the Holy Spirit they cry out "Abba, Father."



Any person who thinks that the church established by Christ Jesus is a specific religious denomination is deluded and the truth is not in them. They preach another gospel. Your salvation and my salvation does not come from belonging to a religious organisation - it come entirely from God. I would humbly submit that only those persons who recognise that within the One Being of God subsist the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, who have repented, been forgiven and are born-again by the Holy Spirit, can claim to be Christians. Evidence of this will be a transformed life.

Answer 8

The only Church that could do that would the one that can document a direct link from the Antioch believers who met in Antioch, mentioned in the Book of the Acts of the Apostles, most commonly called The Book of Acts. Some claim direct connection, none have proved it. Still, those are only the connection to the first Christians which is not the direct connection to the first disciples and apostles of Jesus. They were not known as Christians as Christians were non-Jewish Believers (first named that in Antioch).

Answer 9

If you are Roman Catholic, your religion goes back to about 321 AD, for before that time, the Church at Rome was a satellite church of the Eastern Orthodox out of Constantinople.



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Answer 10

The Roman Catholics were founded by Emperor Constantine in Nicea in 325 or so.

You might want to make a distiction between "founded" and "reformed".

Answer 11

Actually, the Bible doesn't mention popes or universal churches. The church in the Bible had twelve apostles. The Mormon church was established by Christ, not Joseph Smith. It too has twelve apostles, called of God by revelation. The Catholic church once had the authority of a bishop, but no one would argue that a bishop had authority equal to an apostle. They lost what little authority that they had through wickedness. Remember the dark ages?

Answer 12

You have all correct, except "If you are a Roman Catholic, you know that your religion was founded in the year 33 by Our Lord Jesus Christ."

Answer 13

It doesn't matter where or when your church started. What matters is whether your church teaches Bible truth or not.



Does the Roman Catholic Church teach Bible truth? Sorry my friend, they couldn't be further from Bible truth if they tried.



By the way, the Roman Catholic Church wasn't founded in 33AD. It was founded at the tower of Babel, and is called Babylon. http://www.the-bible-antichrist.com/babylon-the-great.html

Answer 14

Apostolic Pentecostals STILL teach what the Apostles taught. :)





We believe there is only One God who has manifested Himself to the world in various forms throughout the ages, and that He has especially revealed Himself as Father in the creation of the universe, as Son in the redemption of human kind, and as Holy Spirit dwelling in the hearts of the believers. This God is the creator of all that which exists, be it visible or invisible, He is eternal, infinite in His power, holy in His nature, attributes and purpose, and He possesses an absolute and indivisible divinity. He is infinite in His greatness, His nature is inconceivable and His essence is indescribable. He is known completely only to Himself, because such an infinite mind can only be understood by itself alone. He has no body or parts, and therefore is free of all limitations.



"The first of all commandments is, Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD" (Mark 12:29; Deuteronomy 6:4). "But to us there is but one God...(1st Corinthians 8:6)





We believe in water baptism by immersion in the Name of Jesus Christ. Baptism should be by immersion because it is representing the death of man unto sin which is like unto the death of Christ (Romans 6:1-5). It should be in the Name of Jesus Christ, since this was the practice of the Apostles and ministers who baptized during the early period of the Church according to the Holy scriptures (Acts 2:38; 8:16; 10:48; 19:6; 22:16.)





We believe in the baptism of the Holy Spirit promised by God in the Old Testament and which poured fourth after the glorification of Jesus Christ (Joel 2:28,29; John 7:37-39; 14:16-26; Acts 2:1-4; 1:16-18).



Furthermore, we believe that a person demonstrates baptism in the Holy Spirit by speaking in new tongues or languages, and that this sign is also for our time.





We believe all members of the body of Christ should be holy, that is, separated from sin and consecrated to the service of the Lord. For that reason they should abstain from all worldly practices, diversions and filthiness of the flesh and Spirit (Leviticus 19:2; 2 Corinthians 7:1; Ephesians 5:26,27; 1 Thessalonians 4:3,4; 2 Timothy 2:21; Hebrews 12:14; 1 Peter 1:16).







P.S. WHY DON'T YOU CATHOLICS BAPTIZE IN JESUS' NAME ?!??

Answer 15

The Mormons trace their church to Jesus, as do the Catholics. All other churches have no authority, and are false religions.



The Catholics consider Peter to be their first Pope, and Peter received his authority from Jesus. The line of Popes has continued since then.



The Mormons believe that the Catholic church lost the priesthood authority when Peter and the rest of the apostles died, and the said authority was restored by Jesus to the current line of Prophets.

Answer 16

Labels are made up by men, and its men who love labels that follow after them. Follow Jesus Christ. The one in the bible. He's all anyone needs. Jesus is Lord.

Answer 17

Which Christian church traces their origins back to the time of Christ; None of the above. At the time of Jesus Christ their was no church other than 'Christ's' followers meeting and worshipping and that means there was [No Roman Catholics Either] as much as they hate to admit it and Peter wasn't the first Pope. As to the Protestant churches and Community churches, etc. This movement didn't occur until 'after' the Reformation. Actually it's to bad that there isn't just one Universal Christian Church, but you could never get everyone to agree on every point of Doctrine. But I would say that any Christian that can subscribe to the Apostles Creed as a declaration of their faith, that would be good enough. By the way as long as I'm on a role; Rev.P.F.Bresee founded the Nazarene church in 1895, it began with only a little over a 100 members. As of 1973 we had over a half a million members. [Nazarene]

Answer 18

THE Church Of JESUS CHRIST Of Latter Day Saints was started by Jesus Christ.



Joseph Smith was a Prophet Of God like the Prophets in the Old Testament, or like Paul in the New Testament, who also saw Jesus Christ after Jesus Christ was resurrected.



Jesus Christ started the original Christian Church. Jesus Christ restored His Church in these the Latter Days. Joseph Smith was merely God's servant the same as Moses in the Old Testament and Paul in the New Testament were God's servants.



To find out the truth of this, read The Book Of Mormon Another Witness Of Jesus Christ, and then pray about it, asking God if it is a true record and if THE Church Of JESUS CHRIST Of Latter Day Saints is God's restored Church here on Earth in this day and age, and God will bless you by telling you the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth.



And the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth is that THE Church Of JESUS CHRIST Of Latter Day Saints is Jesus Christ's true and righteous and holy Church, restored to Earth in these the latter days.



Simple as that.



http://www.Mormon.org Chat. Learn. Gain enlightenment.





God bless.

Answer 19

FYI: I know Mormons who claim that they can trace their geneology back to Adam and Eve.

Answer 20

i would claim to be a member of the laodicean church, luke warm, but has overcomers. said by jesus to be a true church, with it's own lampstand and its own angel, with jesus in the midst.



you must be catholic. at least 3 true churches wore the name catholic.

Answer 21

Well I see your point except Saint Peter founded the Roman Catholic Church, not Jesus.





Okay don't know why I'm getting thumbs down. It's an undisputed fact that Saint Peter founded the Roman Catholic Church, jackasses.

Answer 22

As a Roman Catholic, I know that my religion was founded in the year 33 by Our Lord Jesus Christ.



All other denominations know of Jesus Christ, but they do not believe in His Words.

Answer 23

Since Jesus only promised to build one church (Matthew 16:18), we should be looking for the definition of the church in the Bible. The church is not a building. It is a living organism, and in the Greek is called the "ekklesia" or those called out of the world of sin and works of darkness. We must be covered by the blood of Jesus and added to his Body in order to be forgiven of our sins and become members of the church, the called out, the elect, the Body of Christ. Being added to the church is simultaneous with becoming a christian, with having sins forgiven, and with being added to the Body of Christ. It requires us to submit to Christ as Lord, to confess him before men, to be baptized in the name of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit for the remission of our sins (Acts 2:38), and to be faithful unto death (Rev. 2:10,11). God commands every man everywhere to repent (Acts 19:29-31). Hear Jesus: "Not every one that saith unto Lord, Lord shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me ye that work iniquity." (Matthew 7:21-23). But, he also promised the gates of hell would not prevail against it. He's coming to collect a holy, sanctified church that has survived more than 2,000 years. This discussion isn't about "you're wrong and we're right." It's about eternal truths that can't be denied or changed. The church is to be holy, well behaved and to stand for the truth. "But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. (1 Timothy 3:15). If it's to be a pillar and ground of the truth, there isn't room for beliefs and doctrines which are not in harmony with the Bible. We can't afford to allow our pride, our traditions and our preconceived beliefs to get in the way of becoming totally submissive and obedient to God's will. "Today is the day of salvation..." (2 Corinthinas 6:2). See also Hebrews 12: 3-11). Christ could return today, tomorrow or 100 years from now. No one knows the day or hour but God. But each of us will give answer for what we did with the knowledge that is given us through his eternal word. If we die tonight, there are no second chances seek out and obtain God's mercy, forgiveness and life abundant in Him. Since only the faithful who endure to the end are the ones who will receive the promise, we can be sure that only those who remained faithful in the church to the end will be those whom he will call to join him in the air (whether we are dead or alive at his coming) (2 Thessalonians 1:7-10). The church is not a denomination. There are no plural churches with differing beliefs which make up the church. If that were so, then everyone would be free to believe and do as they please and still be found spiritually acceptable to the Father. It would also mean that God would be content to let man dictate the terms of his eternal gospel and his plan to save man from his sins. But Jesus said only those who "worship in spirit and truth" are being sought and called (John 4:21-23). Our worship is to be offered to a Holy God, a Soverign God who alone determines whether our worship is acceptable or not. He's laid out the blueprint for becoming a member of his church, and for its practices, worship and the way to eternal life with him in heaven. Jesus said, "Enter ye in at the strait gate for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." (Matthew 7:13-14). Jesus said we should examine ourselves to see if we are in THE faith. We are the only ones who can say "yes" or "no" to the Savior's invitation. There is only one faith, one body (church), ONE Head of the church (the Christ), and Christians are to earnestly contend for that one faith (Jude 3). Note who will and will not enter heaven: "And behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and end, the first and the last. Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers and idolaters and whosoever love and maketh a lie." (Rev. 22:12-15). God is holy and pure and expects those who want entrance into his kingdom to do that which is holy, uncontaminated, and wholly pure. Are you a member of the church that Christ purchased with his blood? Only your submission to God's word will determine whether that is so.

Answer 24

No reliable evidence that Christ existed. Even Bible originals don't exist. Jesus based on Egyptian archetype of Horus/Osiris.

Answer 25

Scientology

Answer 26

All of them.

Answer 27

None of them