Skip to main content

Some Stats Every Christian Should Ponder

Ponder is defined as “to consider something deeply and thoroughly; weigh carefully in the mind; consider thoughtfully.”[1] Something I have done a lot of pondering about began when I became aware of the stats below.

(1) Christians trace the beginning of their religion to Jesus, the founder of a small Jewish sect in Palestine in 30 CE.

(2) In 1970, there were 1,130,000,000 affiliated Christians who belonged to 1,449,600 congregations/churches of 18,630 denominations / paradenominations.[2] Paradenominations have existed since the 19th century, operating alongside denominations, crossing boundaries and enabling joint efforts between various groups.[3]

(3) In 2000, there were 1,888,000.000 affiliated Christians who belonged to 3,447,900 congregations/churches of 33,820 denominations / paradenominations.[4]

(4) In 2000 there were 322 Baptist denominations alone.[5]

Some things to ponder:

(1) How did a single exclusively Jewish sect in Palestine become 33,820 denominations / paradenominations with members from around the globe?

(2) Why do 33,820 denominations / paradenominations exist?

(3) What beliefs do the 33,820 denominations / paradenominations share?

(4) What beliefs separate the 33,820 denominations / paradenominations?

(5) Does the existence of 33,820 denominations / paradenominations strengthen or weaken Christianity?

(6) Is this the vision Jesus had for his group?

If you would like to share your ponderings, post them on this blog or email them to me (click here).

If you found this information useful, please let us know by going to The Real Yeshua Facebook page by CLICKING HERE and “Like it.”

Shalom,
Jim Myers

[2] World Christian Trends AD 30 – AD 2200 By David B. Barrett & Todd M. Johnson, © 2001 by David B. Barrett;  William Carey Library, Pasadena, CA; p. 33.
[4] World Christian Trends AD 30 – AD 2200; p. 33.
[5] World Christian Trends AD 30 – AD 2200; p. 390.




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

It’s a Yod -- NOT a Jot and Tittle!

Not only did Yeshua read and speak Hebrew, so did his followers and disciples! Two very well known, but not accurately understood words in the Gospel of Matthew prove it – jot and tittle . For some reason jot and tittle stick in the minds of Christian Bible readers. But when you ask them what jot or tittle mean, you get a lot of conflicting and some really weird answers. Today, you are going to get the facts about what Yeshua originally said and how they ended up in English translations of the Bible as jot and tittle . Let’s begin by reading Matthew 5:18 from the King James translation: For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. If you have not read the article “ From Yeshua to Jesus ” in Yeshua’s Kingdom Handbook please take a moment to read it online by clicking here before you continue. In it you will see how we began with the name “ Jesus ” and traced it through Lati...
Post a Comment
Read more

Do Not Say RAQA! - Yeshua on Anger (Part 2)

In the last blog, we covered the first part of Yeshua’s lesson on Anger -- An Angry Person Should be Tried in Court like a Murderer – keep in mind that “anger” is the focus of Yeshua’s lesson. “Whoever says to a brother, ‘ RAKA ,’ shall be answerable to the Sanhedrin.” [i] Yeshua reveals that the seriousness of the offense has become greater by elevating the crime to the next highest court – the Sanhedrin . It is the highest court in the nation and would be the equivalent of our Supreme Court. What makes this offense more serious than murder, to keep things in the context established by Yeshua? It is because of what the angry person said out of anger – “ RAKA !” RAKA is the English transliteration of the Greek word found in the ancient manuscripts of Matthew. Interestingly, the Greek word is also a transliteration of a Hebrew word into Greek. Keep in mind that when a translator working on a translation of a Greek manuscript transliterates a Greek word, he only finds ...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Prayer Yeshua Prayed Twice Every Day

One of Jesus’s earliest memories was no doubt watching and listening to his family when they gathered to pray the Shema at sunrise before the day’s work began and after the working work day was over at sunset . He also heard and participated in praying the Shema at their synagogue. He was surrounded by neighbors who also prayed the same prayer in their homes every day. The Hebrew word for prayer is tefilah . It is derived from the root Pe-Lamed-Lamed and the word l'hitpalel, meaning “ to judge oneself .” This surprising word origin provides insight into the purpose of Jewish prayer. The most important part of any Jewish prayer, whether it be a prayer of petition, of thanksgiving, of praise of God, or of confession, is the introspection it provides, the moment that we spend looking inside ourselves, seeing our role in the universe and our relationship to God. [1] Most of Jewish prayers are expressed in the first person plural, "us" instead of "me," an...
Post a Comment
Read more