Latest / Off The Kirb Ministries / The Truth is Coming Out About Christian Denominations
Transcript
- 0:00This is every Christian denomination on a map, starting
- 0:05with Roman Catholics. You don't need me to tell you
- 0:08that the smallest country in the world is the Vatican City, and
- 0:12this is the headquarters of the largest Christian denomination.
- 0:16But did you know that 16% of the world's entire population follow
- 0:21the Pope's teachings, With Brazil, Mexico and the
- 0:24Philippines containing the most Catholics globally?
- 0:27Catholics see the Pope as Christ representative on earth.
- 0:31Have you heard of one of Jesus disciples called Peter?
- 0:34Well, Catholics say that he was the very first Pope.
- 0:38So who's in charge now? Well, it's still the Pope based
- 0:40in the Vatican City, but his influence stretches to Latin
- 0:44America, Ireland, Poland, Italy, huge parts of Africa, and even
- 0:48Rhode Island in the US. OK, but I need you to know the
- 0:52main difference between Catholics and Protestants and
- 0:56it's this. Catholics pray to Saints and use
- 0:59rose rosary to meditate on Jesus life.
- 1:02They also honour Mary with special titles.
- 1:05They confess their sins to priests and they believe that
- 1:07the bread and wine in communion truly becomes Christ in that
- 1:11very moment. Now Protestants on the other
- 1:14hand, they pray to God directly. They don't use rosary, they
- 1:18respect but don't put Mary on a pedestal.
- 1:21And they also confess their sins straight to God.
- 1:25And they see communion as symbolic.
- 1:28You might be wondering what do not, am I?
- 1:31Well, since I've never shared this publicly in all the 10
- 1:35years that I've been making videos on YouTube, I thought
- 1:38maybe today is the day. So let's see if you can figure
- 1:41out which denomination I'm part of before I spill the beans a
- 1:45little bit later in the video. I am going to get a lot of hate
- 1:49for saying this, but Jesus did tip us off to watch out for
- 1:54wolves in sheep's clothing. And not everyone who says they
- 1:58are Christian are Christian. So Please remember that some of
- 2:02the denominations in this video have very unbiblical beliefs and
- 2:06one such Christian denomination that you should avoid.
- 2:09And by the way, I'm not saying that everyone in this
- 2:10denomination is unsaved, but if someone says that they are part
- 2:14of the Word of Faith movement, question marks should arise on
- 2:18the screen. So where in the world are you
- 2:21most likely to bump into one of these Christians?
- 2:24You might not be expecting this but actually in the Deep South
- 2:28USA and especially Alice Fort Worth TX where arguably the very
- 2:33leader of the prosperity Gospel runs his empire, Kenneth
- 2:37Copeland. Whilst not far behind is this
- 2:41country Nigeria where the Word of Faith movement also thrives
- 2:45through preachers like Bishop David or Yetipo from Winner's
- 2:49Chapel. But let me answer the question
- 2:51you've already been thinking, why is the Word of Faith or the
- 2:54Prosperity Gospel a problem or why is it not very Christian?
- 2:58Well, I'll tell you why. These kinds of churches teach
- 3:01that faith can unlock blessings, wealth, and health.
- 3:05This has famously been nicknamed Name it and claim it theology.
- 3:09Speak positively, give generously, and expect divine
- 3:12rewards. Even if you don't read the Bible
- 3:15often, you probably know that it didn't end well for early
- 3:18Christians who follow Jesus And even the Savior himself didn't
- 3:22exactly live his best life. Now.
- 3:24Christ even said if anyone would come after me, let him deny
- 3:28himself and take up his cross and follow me.
- 3:31So come on now, be honest with me.
- 3:33It is pretty difficult to preach from that passage after you've
- 3:37just climbed off your private jet with your 60 grand veneers.
- 3:40I'm not going to lie, I cannot believe how many people have
- 3:43recently been converting to this Christian denomination and it's
- 3:47the Orthodox tradition. Do you recognize this guy from
- 3:50social media or what about this one?
- 3:53One of the greatest heavyweight boxers in history, even the
- 3:56world's greatest inventor, was in the Orthodox Christian Club.
- 4:00Now please, please don't misunderstand me.
- 4:03I'm going to use the word Orthodox very loosely here
- 4:06because there are so many branches to this tree, and
- 4:09they're all over the world. You've got the Eastern Orthodox
- 4:12Church, with its majestic cathedrals, Mystic chants, and
- 4:16ancient roots stretching through Greece, Russia, Serbia, Romania,
- 4:20and Ukraine. Then there's the Oriental
- 4:22Orthodox Church, which split off even earlier, including groups
- 4:26like the Coptics in Egypt, The Ethiopians, the Armenians, and
- 4:30the Syriacs. What all Orthodoxes have in
- 4:33common is their belief in how they think Christianity was
- 4:37originally practiced. They believe, like Catholics,
- 4:40that the bread and wine in communion really do become
- 4:43Jesus, and they take their worship very seriously, full of
- 4:46mystery and full of meaning. But here is the big difference
- 4:51from Catholics. Orthodox churches don't follow
- 4:54the Pope. Instead, they have a group of
- 4:56leaders called patriarchs who work together to guide their
- 5:00churches. This was the major reason why
- 5:03the Orthodox and Catholic churches split all the way back
- 5:06in 1054, which was called the Great Schism.
- 5:09So even though they share a lot with Catholics, Orthodox
- 5:13Christians have their own style and way of doing things that
- 5:16they claim goes all the way back to the earliest days of the
- 5:19church. I do wonder if you think because
- 5:22of my accent, this next Christian denomination that
- 5:25we're going to look at is the one that I am a member of.
- 5:28Well, let's see, if you ever visit England, you won't have to
- 5:32drive far without passing an Anglican church.
- 5:34I even went to a Church of England school where all the
- 5:37teachers pretend that they believe in God just so that they
- 5:40get the job. But when they have their own
- 5:42lessons, they tell the students that the Bible is full of fairy
- 5:46tales. But what even is an Anglican?
- 5:48If you're from the USA, it's known as Episcopal, and
- 5:51Anglicanism has spread to Nigeria, Canada and even
- 5:55Australia. You're still confused, aren't
- 5:57you? Well allow me to introduce you
- 5:58to the guy who started it, King Henry the Eighth.
- 6:01In a nutshell. He had a rather dramatic exit
- 6:04from Catholicism because he wanted to marry another lady
- 6:07called Anne Boleyn and the Pope said no.
- 6:10So what did Henry do? He basically said fine, I'm
- 6:13going to make my own church. And just like that the Church of
- 6:16England was born. I didn't realise how broad the
- 6:20Anglican Church was until I started visiting them.
- 6:23I've been to huge incense filled cathedrals with robed choirs and
- 6:26ancient liturgies, and I've also been to laid back urban churches
- 6:31where someone in jeans plays guitar.
- 6:33Some Anglicans sound almost Catholic and others are
- 6:35basically evangelical. It's like a spiritual buffet and
- 6:39you just don't know what's on the menu until you arrive.
- 6:43Hey now, we're trekking over to Germany, Scandinavia, and
- 6:47Minnesota because we are on the lookout for Lutheran.
- 6:50I'm embarrassed to admit to this, but I've never knowingly
- 6:53met a Lutheran, even though I'm a big fan of their CEO, Martin
- 6:57Luther. In 1517, he took a hammer, a
- 7:00piece of paper, and frustration and nailed his 95 thesises to
- 7:05the door of a church in Wittenberg.
- 7:07That act was basically the medieval version of going viral,
- 7:11and it lit the refuse for the Protestant Reformation.
- 7:14He literally shook Europe theologically and reshaped
- 7:17Christianity forever. Today, Lutherans are all about
- 7:21salvation by grace through faith.
- 7:24They stand on the authority of scripture, they love singing old
- 7:27hymns, and they still avoid the Pope and the bells and smells
- 7:31from Rome. Here's a denomination that's
- 7:33seen a recent revival. Let's fly over to Scotland, then
- 7:36to South Korea, and then over to the USA, to states like
- 7:40Kentucky, North and South Carolina, and Pittsburgh in
- 7:43Pennsylvania because we've arrived on Presbyterian turf.
- 7:47Presbyterianism is rooted in the teachings of John Calvin, and it
- 7:51really took off in Scotland. For instance, when I go for my
- 7:54annual vacation to the Isle of Lewis, 98% of the many churches
- 7:59that are there are Presbyterian, and they adore something called
- 8:02covenant theology, which essentially is the belief that
- 8:05God relates to His people through a series of covenants
- 8:08that reveal His plan of salvation through the Bible.
- 8:12This means they baptize their children, they treat Sunday as a
- 8:15day of rest, and they live with a strong sense of God's covenant
- 8:19faithfulness in family and community life.
- 8:22OK guys, where we're going next is insanely different to our
- 8:26Presbyterian friends. Jump back to Nigeria with me,
- 8:29then over to Ghana, Brazil, and the good old Bible Belts.
- 8:33Welcome to the Pentecostal denomination.
- 8:37Let's just say Pentecostals are the lively ones in Christianity.
- 8:41If the church was a concert, they'd be on the front row,
- 8:44hands up, shouting Hallelujah with no volume limits.
- 8:47And that's why we call them the Charismatics.
- 8:50From Lagos to Rio to downtown LA, Pentecostalism has
- 8:54absolutely taken off. So what do Penties actually
- 8:58believe? Well, for them, it's all about
- 9:00the Holy Spirit. They expect miracles, they speak
- 9:04in tongues, they pray for healing, and they believe that
- 9:06God still moves. Like the book of Acts.
- 9:09They desire revival, not routine.
- 9:12I've often wondered what it's like to live in Lancaster
- 9:15Country, Pennsylvania, or even Ohio or Indiana.
- 9:18Why? Because it's here you will find
- 9:20a unique glimpse into a world that seems frozen in time.
- 9:25Imagine a place where horse drawn buggies share the road
- 9:28with modern cars, where every man has a neckbeard and the
- 9:32women still wear bonnets. A place where electricity is
- 9:35avoided and technology is seen to be ungodly.
- 9:39What community do you think I'm describing?
- 9:42It's the Amish. Come on guys, we've all seen
- 9:44these fascinating people on TV. But what denomination are the
- 9:48Amish? They're part of the Anabaptist
- 9:51tradition. Which means they believe baptism
- 9:54is a choice made when you're grown up, not when you're a
- 9:56baby. They focus on simple living
- 9:59gentleness and strong community ties.
- 10:02Their faith shapes everything from plain dress to horse drawn
- 10:06buggies. And they live out their beliefs
- 10:07in a way that sets them apart from the modern world.
- 10:11All right, this next denomination is the one people
- 10:14always suspect I'm part of. But are they correct?
- 10:18Whether you like it or not, we're going to meet some more
- 10:21friends of John Calvin, and according to them, you were
- 10:24predestined to watch this video. So let's go over to the
- 10:27Netherlands, South Africa, and Switzerland because we are in
- 10:31Reformed country. Now.
- 10:33The Reformed Baptist and the Congregationalist tradition is a
- 10:36little different to Presbyterianism in that they
- 10:39believe in believers. Baptism, meaning baptism is for
- 10:43those who have personally professed faith in Jesus rather
- 10:46than baptizing infants. The fact is this, Calvinists are
- 10:50everywhere, especially on the Internet, and they major on
- 10:54God's sovereignty over everything.
- 10:56In other words, everything is already laid out for us and the
- 10:59only two men who had true free will was Adam and Jesus.
- 11:04As I mentioned, Calvinism is super popular these days, with
- 11:08some of the world's most famous preachers all having a flower
- 11:10bed full of tulips. I'm confident that every person
- 11:14watching this video has at some point come across a Mormon.
- 11:18So throw away your Starbucks gift card and let's hop over to
- 11:20Utah where about 60 percent of the population are members of
- 11:25the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
- 11:28I absolutely love talking to Mormons because they are some of
- 11:32the friendliest people around, but they have some very
- 11:35different beliefs about Jesus compared to traditional
- 11:38Christianity. So next time you meet 19 year
- 11:40old elder last name Berry, here's a Quick guide to
- 11:43understanding what he believes. Mormons believe Jesus is God's
- 11:47son and the Savior, but they see him as separate from God the
- 11:51Father and teach that people can become gods one day.
- 11:54They all started because a guy called Joseph Smith arrived on
- 11:57the scene in 1830 and he claimed that he had been visited by an
- 12:02Angel who showed him some ancient golden plates containing
- 12:06a new scripture, the Book of Mormon.
- 12:08Joseph Smith then said he translated this and this is what
- 12:11he used to found, a whole new church.
- 12:14One thing you're probably thinking is Mormons are not
- 12:16confined to only Utah. They are everywhere and you are
- 12:19absolutely correct, but I would argue that our next non Terian
- 12:22denomination is even more widespread despite their global
- 12:26presence. It's not easy to figure out just
- 12:29how many Jehovah's Witnesses there are in the world, but if I
- 12:32had to hedge a bet, I'd say 144,000.
- 12:36All jokes aside, JW's have millions of members and are
- 12:40especially visible in the United States, Latin America, parts of
- 12:43Africa, Europe, and the Philippines.
- 12:46This organization started in the US in the 19th century and they
- 12:50are well known for their door to door evangelism and their
- 12:53extensive Watchtower literature. They do not believe in the
- 12:56Trinity, seeing Jehovah as the one true God and Jesus as the
- 13:00first of his creation, not equal to God.
- 13:04They also don't celebrate birthdays or Christmas, viewing
- 13:07these as having Pagan origins. Jehovah's Witnesses believe that
- 13:10only 144,000 faithful Christians will go to heaven to reign with
- 13:15Christ, hence my bad joke earlier.
- 13:18And the rest of the faithful will.
- 13:19They hope to live forever on a restored paradise on Earth.
- 13:23Sadly, Jehovah's Witnesses aren't always easy to have a
- 13:26conversation with because they're generally not allowed to
- 13:29accept literature from born again Christians and they are
- 13:31told to stick closely to only what the Watchtower teaches.
- 13:35Strap on your seat belt because we are cruising over from
- 13:38Michigan to the healthiest group from our list in Loma Linda
- 13:42because it's time to find some 7th Day Adventists.
- 13:45By the way, SDA's are also a worldwide denomination with many
- 13:50living in Zambia, Peru, and even the islands of Papua New Guinea.
- 13:54My best friend at school was actually a 7th day Adventist and
- 13:57I always remember he was never free to play on Saturdays
- 14:00because he was at church and pork was also a no no if he came
- 14:03over to our house for dinner. But there's a lot more to SDA
- 14:07beliefs than just Sabbath and diet.
- 14:09They believe Jesus is coming back soon, they take the Bible
- 14:13seriously from Genesis to Revelation, and they see
- 14:16Saturday as the true day of worship based on the 10
- 14:19commandments. Health, education and mission
- 14:22work are all so huge parts of their faith.
- 14:24It's a whole lifestyle built around living well and staying
- 14:27ready for Jesus return. In a moment I want to tell you
- 14:31which Christian denomination I am.
- 14:34But first let's run through a few more Christian
- 14:37denominations. Super quick right?
- 14:39Firstly, Plymouth Brethren, these guys started in the UK in
- 14:42the 1800s. They keep church super simple,
- 14:45no paid pastors, no big flashy stages, just Bible prayer and a
- 14:49whole lot of structure. You'll mostly find them in the
- 14:51UK because, as the name suggests, they began in
- 14:54Plymouth, but Australia and other parts of North America
- 14:57also have many brethren there. Then there's the Quakers or the
- 15:01Religious Society of Friends. They're all about silence,
- 15:04stillness, and listening for the inner light of God inside you.
- 15:07No rituals, no pastors, and no pressure.
- 15:10They've got a strong history of standing up for peace and
- 15:13justice, and they're found especially in the US, the UK,
- 15:17and Kenya. The Moravians are next.
- 15:19Get this, they are even older than The Who came from Martin
- 15:24Luther. Begin to music, unity and a
- 15:27simple love for Jesus. You'll find them in Germany,
- 15:30parts of the US and even the Caribbean now.
- 15:33Christadelphian probably 1 you haven't heard much about.
- 15:37They don't believe in the Trinity and they see Jesus as
- 15:40God's son but not God himself. No hell, no heaven forever.
- 15:44They believe Jesus coming back to rule the earth.
- 15:47They're mostly in the UK, Australia and the USA.
- 15:51I'll be honest with you, I'm not a fan of the Christadelphians,
- 15:54but I am a fan of this next denomination, the Methodists.
- 15:57Founded by John Wesley in the 1700s.
- 16:00They're all about grace, doing good and growing in holiness.
- 16:04You'll find big Methodist churches in the USA, in Africa,
- 16:07especially Nigeria and Kenya, and there's also plenty in the
- 16:10UK. But sadly, the Methodist Church
- 16:12in the UK has fallen off and it's hard to find decent ones
- 16:16these days. They've got hymns, heart and a
- 16:19strong community vibe. And finally, there's progressive
- 16:23Christians. They're not exactly a
- 16:25denomination, but more a movement found mostly in the US,
- 16:29the UK, Canada, and parts of Europe.
- 16:31I personally have big problems with this group as many
- 16:35progressive tend to interpret the Bible more like a suggestion
- 16:38than God's absolute truth, which leads them to rethink
- 16:42traditional beliefs about Jesus, sin, and how we're meant to live
- 16:45as Bible believing Christians. All right, have you got all of
- 16:49that? Because now you've waited long
- 16:51enough and it's about time I shared with you which
- 16:54denomination I am. OK, so it's no secret that I
- 16:58take a more literal view of Revelation, which is called
- 17:02futurism. Meaning I believe many end time
- 17:04events are still to come. It's no secret that I major on
- 17:08salvation is by grace alone through Christ alone and good
- 17:12works can never earn as a place in heaven.
- 17:15It's all about Jesus finished work on the cross.
- 17:18It's no secret that I believe strongly in man's personal
- 17:21responsibility, and I believe the Bible clearly teaches that
- 17:25Christ died for all sinners, but that doesn't mean that all men
- 17:29will be saved because God has given us free will to choose
- 17:33either to repent and believe the gospel or we have free will to
- 17:36reject him and his Son Jesus Christ.
- 17:40And lastly, it's no secret that I actually prefer a more basic
- 17:44worship setting and style. But this is just my opinion, and
- 17:47of course it's nothing we should be falling out over as
- 17:49Christians. It's just a minor preference to
- 17:52come on now, talk to me. What denomination do you think
- 17:55that puts me in? Well, I can hear what you're
- 17:57saying when you put it like that, Joe, I'm not sure that any
- 18:01such denomination exists. And I'll be honest, you'd be
- 18:04totally right, guys. I don't think there is one that
- 18:07would cater for all of my beliefs.
- 18:09But does that mean that I don't attend a church?
- 18:12Of course not. Even though going to church
- 18:14doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage
- 18:17makes you a car, I believe it is crucial for our faith to be in
- 18:21regular fellowship with other Christians and that's why I have
- 18:25always attended evangelical churches or churches that hold
- 18:29to believers baptism. So if you really press me and
- 18:32you really ask me what denomination are you, Joe Kirby?
- 18:36I'd say I'm Baptist with a few quirky edges.
- 18:39But if you remember one thing from this video, remember this.
- 18:42There is only one denomination in heaven, and it's called the
- 18:45the Forgiven. Not the Baptists, not the
- 18:48Methodists, not the Pentecostals, not the Anglicans,
- 18:51not the theologically sound or the most spiritual.
- 18:54Just the Forgiven. Just sinners who've thrown
- 18:57themselves on the mercy of Jesus Christ.
- 18:59Because at the end of the day, Christianity isn't about
- 19:02climbing your way up to God through rituals and perfect
- 19:05theology. It's about a God who came down
- 19:08to us, who wrapped himself up in a human skin, walked in our
- 19:12shoes, and died in our place. Jesus didn't come to start a
- 19:16religion, He came to rescue the lost, and that includes me and
- 19:20that includes you. The Bible says all have sinned
- 19:24and fall short of the glory of God, and the wages of sin is
- 19:28death. But here, here is the good news.
- 19:30The free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
- 19:35Forgiveness isn't earned, it's received, and it's available to
- 19:40anyone. No matter what your past is, no
- 19:42matter what your denomination is, no matter how far you've
- 19:45run, Jesus Christ is always there with his arms wide open,
- 19:49waiting to wrap those arms around anyone.
- 19:52He'll come to him and cry out to him for forgiveness.
- 19:54So if you've never made that decision, I'd encourage you
- 19:58today, don't settle for religion.
- 19:59Come to Jesus Christ this very moment, right now.
- 20:03Confess your sin, ask Jesus Christ to be your Lord and
- 20:06Savior, and let the one who rose from the grave make you new
- 20:10right now. Because in the end, heaven won't
- 20:12be divided by labels or traditions.
- 20:15They'll. Only be one simple question.
- 20:18Were you forgiven? And the beautiful part is this,
- 20:21you can be right now. You can be forgiven this very
- 20:24moment. Call out to him.
- 20:26I am sad about one thing though. We've talked an absolute heap
- 20:30about church, but we've not talked much about the one person
- 20:34who it's all about Jesus Christ. If you still doubt the existence
- 20:38of Christ or you want some solid historical evidence of the most
- 20:41famous man whoever lived, you should probably check out this
- 20:44video right now.