How Christianity Became Divided

The Origins of Christian Denominations

A Historical Examination of How Differences Began and Why They Continue

Christianity began with one central figure: Jesus Christ. Yet nearly two thousand years later, the Christian world includes Catholics, Orthodox Christians, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Baptists, Methodists, Pentecostals, Anglicans, and countless independent congregations, each possessing its own traditions, interpretations, and understanding of religious authority.

How did one religious movement develop into so many different churches, and why have those divisions endured?

In The Origins of Christian Denominations, author Bill Riggs examines the historical events, theological controversies, political influences, and cultural developments that shaped Christianity’s denominational landscape. Beginning with the earliest Christian communities, he traces the transformation of Christianity from a persecuted movement into an established institution, the separation of Eastern and Western Christianity, the Protestant Reformation, and the religious movements that subsequently reshaped Europe and America.

The book explores the origins of major Christian traditions, including the Puritans, Congregationalists, Baptists, Quakers, Methodists, Adventists, and Pentecostals. It also examines the Restoration Movement, the emergence of evangelical and fundamentalist identities, the development of Southern Baptist Christianity, and the growing influence of nondenominational churches.

Beyond identifying when denominations began, Riggs considers the deeper forces that sustain their differences. Religious identity, family traditions, human psychology, church government, financial interests, and institutional loyalty all influence how beliefs are preserved and defended across generations.

Written from a historically grounded, nonsectarian perspective, this book does not attempt to declare one denomination correct or dismiss the sincere convictions of another. Instead, it encourages readers to understand how interpretations developed, why disagreements became institutional divisions, and which differences concern foundational doctrines rather than inherited practices.

The Origins of Christian Denominations is for Christians seeking a deeper understanding of their religious heritage, readers questioning inherited traditions, and anyone interested in the history of organized Christianity.

One Christ. Many interpretations. Nearly two thousand years of history explaining how we arrived here.