The One True Church?

Several churches claim to be the one true church on earth. These churches include the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the True Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox churches, and the Assyrian Church of the East. The list continues with early Quaker churches, Landmark Baptists, and independent Pentecostal churches. Some even state that there is no salvation outside their church. For example, in 1215 the Fourth Lateran Council of the Roman Catholic Church states, “There is one universal Church of the faithful, outside of which there is absolutely no salvation.” Keep in mind the Eastern Orthodox Church was alive and well in the thirteenth century. But Vatican II (1962-1965) softened these claims considerably:

For men who believe in Christ and have been truly baptized are in communion with the Catholic Church even though this communion is imperfect.

It follows that the separated Churches and Communities as such, though we believe them to be deficient in some respects, have been by no means deprived of significance and importance in the mystery of salvation. For the Spirit of Christ has not refrained from using them as means of salvation which derive their efficacy from the very fullness of grace and truth entrusted to the Church. (Unitas Redintegratio)

Notice, however, that the Roman Catholic Church still claims to have “the very fullness of grace and truth.”

Analysis

What can we conclude from these competing voices?

There are only two possibilities: one of these churches is correct or they are all wrong. If one is correct, which one is it?

Granted, in places and times where there was only one church, it was easy for churches to assert that they alone had the message of salvation. But things are different now. The Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Church split in 1054. And Martin Luther was excommunicated in 1521. Now where can we find the one true church?

Roman Catholics claim that Eastern Orthodox believers departed from the true faith. The Eastern Orthodox Church says the same thing about Roman Catholics. Roman Catholics assert that Luther left the true church. Protestants say Luther didn’t have a choice—he was excommunicated. And they add since Luther’s complaints were justified, he was wrongfully expelled. As in many divorces where both parties are at fault, there are often no innocent parties in church splits and Vatican II acknowledges this point:

Even in the beginnings of this one and only Church of God there arose certain rifts, which the Apostle strongly condemned. But in subsequent centuries much more serious dissensions made their appearance and quite large communities came to be separated from full communion with the Catholic Church – for which, often enough, men of both sides were to blame. The children who are born into these Communities and who grow up believing in Christ cannot be accused of the sin involved in the separation, and the Catholic Church embraces upon them as brothers, with respect and affection. (Unitas Redintegratio)

Now that the fracture lines have been set, where is the one true church?

State Churches

Things get more complicated when we consider state support. The connection between church and state was established in 313 when the Edict of Milan made Christianity a legal religion in the Roman Empire. Almost seventy years later, Emperor Theodosius made Christianity the imperial religion. Hence, the official state-sponsored church was the Roman Catholic Church; other religions were illegal. When the Western Roman Empire fell in 476, power shifted to the Eastern Roman Empire or the Byzantine Empire, until it fell in 1453. In sum, both the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church have a deep historical connection to state power. That doesn’t make them wrong, but it gives perspective on their claims.

While Protestants never enjoyed imperial power, originally Protestant churches were state churches in Europe. Separation of church and state or disestablishment didn’t happen until after the American Revolution (1775-1783), obviously on American soil only. To this day, some countries continue to have state-sponsored churches. For example,

• Denmark – Evangelical Lutheran Church
• England – Church of England (Anglican)
• Finland – Evangelical Lutheran Church and Finnish Orthodox Church

I have written all this to say that when churches are backed by political power things get more complicated and new levels of corruption set in. In his book Uncommon Unity, Richard Lints writes:

Rodney Stark has argued again and again that the cultural and political establishment of the church historically led to its decline, even if it also manifested organizational unity on the surface. The environment in which the church thrives is always the missionary context where the claims of Christianity engage the claims of diverse religions or diverse cultural settings unprotected by political authority. Whenever the church was given a noncompete clause, so to speak, it lost its vitality. (157-58)

Personal Opinion

In my humble opinion, I think all churches who currently claim to be the one and only true church are mistaken. Too much has happened historically and politically for this claim to hold water. They have identified the Christian faith with a particular institution and perhaps with an empire or a state. They have overlooked their own blame in schisms. They have tried to squeeze an infinite Person into one historical tradition. In the words of E. Stanley Jones (1884-1973):

Christianity uses ritual, but it is not ritual; it has beliefs, but it is not a belief; it has institutions, but it is not an institution. In its deepest meaning it is person giving itself to Person, life to Life. (The Christ of the Indian Road, 198)

Christianity must be defined as Christ, not the Old Testament, not Western civilization, not even the system built around him in the West, but Christ himself and to be a Christian is to follow him. (21)

These are only my thoughts on one specific claim. I am not trying to steer you toward or away from any of the churches mentioned. If you are searching for a church, you must decide if you think there is only one true church. If so, you should attend that church. If not, you must consider other factors, such as what elements are essential to church.