Different movements (?) inside Christianity

[Yamyam]

I just turned Christian and now I'm looking for a church where I feel at home. Only I get very dissapointed, disillusionated by the amount of different kind of churches and Christians.

Can somebody explain to me, clearly, specific and comprehensive but clearly set out, (all) the different kinds of views and churches in Christianity plus the kind of people in it so I can find one for myself more easily and also gain more knowledge about it?

(I also ask for the Holy Ghost to lead me, and I'm sure it helps, but a little human help would be nice too.)

[rmwilliamsjr]

see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_denomination

get an idea of the major divisions and the theology behind them.
then go look for the ones that interest and appeal to you.
it is not a case of one size fits all.


...

[commonman]

I just turned Christian and now I'm looking for a church where I feel at home. Only I get very dissapointed, disillusionated by the amount of different kind of churches and Christians.

Can somebody explain to me, clearly, specific and comprehensive but clearly set out, (all) the different kinds of views and churches in Christianity plus the kind of people in it so I can find one for myself more easily and also gain more knowledge about it?

(I also ask for the Holy Ghost to lead me, and I'm sure it helps, but a little human help would be nice too.)

I wish I could say it is an easy process. According to one source there are 89,846 denominations and sects of Christianity worldwide. It is a daunting task to find one church in all this diversity.

That being said, there are major denominations that are broad enough in their doctrinal positions to allow you to explore different ideas and theologies within Christianity. I can only attest to the denominations I've explored, but the most open and accepting of people exploring their faith is the United Methodist (I've attended Catholic, non-denominational, Southern Baptist, Methodist, Assembly of God, and Anabaptist services and educational progams). Individual congregations may not be that way, and a lot of criticism is hurled at the UMs because of this openness, including from me. Just be cautious of any church denomination or sect that claims to be the only true church.

[Jin-Roh]

IMO, most of the major divisions will only really effect once you've been a Christian for some time.

For instance, when I saved at 16, the only real denominational difference that effected me was between Catholicism and Protestantism, but I think that's because I was raised catholic. I went to an Assemblies of God church, but I could've easily have been part of Baptist, Methodist church or anything else.

Now, at 24, Denominations effect me a little bit more, but that's because I'm a Theology student and many of the things I investigate now do not cross denomational lines as easily as say "We are saved by Grace" or "Christ was crucified and resurrected on the third day" which are some of the first things you learn and accept as a new Christian.

I don't know if that helped, but those are my thoughts.

[furay]

Here's my advice YamYam: invest in a history book. Take that history book and look at which churches have been around for 2,000 years. Next, look up the scripture where Christ promises that the gates of hell will not prevail against His Church. See which churches the gates of hell have prevailed against... and one will remain. Join that Church. God Bless.

[docjam]

In my opinion, I don't think it's possible to explain all the different kinds of views and different kinds of churches in Christianity. Even within just one church I don't think it's possible to explain all the different views. There are a few grey areas in the Bible, that which is not 100% clearly explained one way or the other. Because of this, there's a lot that's open for interpretation. You could take just about any biblical stance on just about any subject and argue it with some validity or to some extend with someone who has a completely oppostie view. Our very own Kelly Powers and Theonomy argued very well the sides of eternalism vs. annihalation as a means of life after death for the non-christian. Whose right? I'm not the one to answer that, that's for sure. As a new Christian, don't go looking for all the exact answers, not just right away at least, because there are some things that just don't have an exact answer, not by earthly terms at least. Don't let me discourage you from continuing to seek truth because it's there. Just don't trust what others have to say about christianity to always be regarded as true. The bible talks about false prophets and people who will claim to even be Jesus himself. They may be convincing, but they're not the real thing. Like said in a prior respone, there's almost 90,000 sects of christianity. To be able to clearly set out all the different views of each would be unrealistic. Visit the site though that was listed and that will get you started. I guess I'm not sure where I am going, I've got about 45-hundred thoughts and can only write about one of them at a time so sorry if this seems disorganized. Just like there are false Jesus's out there, there are false Christian "churches" out there. You're right, there are many many different kinds of churches and many different kinds of christians. Keep praying for the holy spirit, or holy ghost as some prefer, to lead you and I can guarantee that He will. Even within one single church, there are many different views on subjects so to be able to go through all the different types of churches would be insane. My suggestion to start to you is this...I would look into the main differences between the main christian churches. There's baptists, methodist, catholic, pentecostal, non-denominational, lutheran and more. They're all christian. They all believe different things. I would start taking a look at some doctrinal things and start praying for God to reveal where He wants you to be. If you ask, He'll answer. You're right in asking for guidance from the holy spirit, but you're also right in asking for help from fellow Christians. While they can't give you all the answers, they can help point you in the right direction. Ask an old man whose been a Christian for 50 years to point out all the differences in different forms of Christianity, and they won't be able to tell you either, there's simply just too many differences of views. John 8:32 (I think) says You will know the Truth and the truth will set you free. here's a thought that may blow ya away, but knowing the truth doesn't always mean knowing all the answers. Knowing the Truth means knowing God and His son Jesus, which I believe you do know. As long as you know the Truth of God, then keep searching for the answers. I believe He will show some of them to you and some He will not fully reveal until your time with Him comes. I know this really doesn't expalin much, I just want you to know that those of us who've been Chrsitians for years don't even know all the differences in all the Christian sects. Keep relying on the Holy Ghost, and you'll be ok...

[James Peter]

A better approach is to find a list of churches in your area and then look through all of their websites (its amazing what you can learn just by looking at a webpage in a few minutes) and then, most importantly, trying 2 or 3 at least before settling into one. Generally I'd suggest that you want somewhere that balances between being very liberal and 'we do it right and everyone else is wrong'. The only further piece of advice I'd offer is to not let yourself be too indoctrinated into a particular denomination. Naturally most churches (particularly in the US, the problem seems less extreme in the UK) teach that what they believe is definately, 100% the right stance on an issue but as you grow make sure you read the arguments for the opposing views so that you can make up your own mind on those issues - because if you don't then your choice of church will shape you hugely.