06/04/2026
Today there are thousands of Christian denominations, each with its own interpretations, traditions and teachings.
But was this what Christ intended?
Before His Crucifixion, Christ prayed to the Father for His followers, saying “That they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us.” (John 17:21)
Notice that Christ did not pray for division, He prayed for unity. The Apostles carried this same teaching into the early Church. Saint Paul wrote: “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism.” (Ephesians 4:4–5)
From the beginning, Christianity understood itself as one Church united in faith, worship, doctrine and the sacraments. When disputes arose, the Church gathered in councils to preserve the faith that had been handed down from the Apostles. This does not mean Christians have never disagreed. Human weakness, pride, politics and history have all contributed to divisions over the centuries. But division itself was never presented as an ideal.
The question Christians must ask is not simply, “Which church do I prefer?” but rather, “What did Christ establish and where is the faith of the Apostles preserved?”
As Saint Ignatius of Antioch wrote in the first century, Christians were called to remain united with the Church just as Christ is united with the Father. For Orthodox Christians, the goal is not to create a new Christianity for every generation. It’s to faithfully preserve the faith that was received: The faith preached by the Apostles. The faith defended by the Fathers. The faith lived by the saints.
Christians are called to stand united in the truth, defending the faith against heresy, false teachings and anything that would lead people away from Christ. Throughout history, the Church gathered in councils, not to create new doctrines, but to preserve the faith that had been handed down from the Apostles and protect it from error.
“Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you.” (1 Corinthians 1:10)
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