How many kinds of Baptist Churches are there?

De Maria | 02/21/2016

Photo By: Flickr/Fr Lawrence Lew, O.P.-St Luke's Ordinariate Parish in Washington DC.

About twenty years ago, my daughter was having a ballet recital at a Baptist Church. They usually practiced at a gym near my house. And I knew where that was. But the only thing I knew about the show location was what my wife had told me, that it was at the Baptist Church near our house.

Well, I wasn’t worried. On my commute home, I drove by a Baptist Church, three blocks from the house, everyday. I knew exactly where the Baptist Church near our house, was. Or so I thought. I drove home, I changed, I drove to the Baptist Church. No one was there. Huh? Now I was worried. I couldn’t possibly be that early. Besides, where was my family? They hadn’t been at home.

Aha! I had an idea, I’d look it up in the phone book. So, I rushed home and looked up “Baptist Church”, in the phone book. Up to that point, I had never thought about the bewildering number of Protestant churches, of which the Baptists are just one. There seemed to be hundreds. Regular Baptists, Primitive Baptists, United Baptists, Free Will Baptists, Separate Baptists, Duck River Baptists, Two Seed-in-the-Spirit Predestinarian Baptists, Independent Baptists, Seventh Day Baptists, and the list goes on and on.

Bad idea.

Thank God, my wife borrowed someone’s cell phone and caught me at home and gave me turn by turn directions to the Baptist Church near our house and I made it on time to the recital. Whew!

The point

Baptists aren’t the only Protestants that separate and divide. I don’t know of any Protestant denomination that has not undergone the same process. Apparently, if they don't like a Pastor, they get their Bible and start another Church.

But, that is not what Jesus wants

Catholics would never think of doing that, we are satisfied with the Church which Jesus started. We're satisfied with obeying Jesus and doing what He wants.

Scripture says:

John 10:16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

Romans 12:5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.

The Catholic Church

Only the Catholic Church has ever been and remains, One Body in Christ.

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About the Author

De Maria

website

My name is not, De Maria. But De Maria is who I am. About 30 years ago, the internet was new. And many of us, including my wife and I, considered it the Beast of Revelations. Therefore, we stayed off of it. But, one day, after experiencing a very powerful conversion back to the Catholic Church and the Spirit, being strong within me, made me yearn to teach the Faith. Little did I know, how little I knew about the Faith I practiced.

Becoming a Catechism teacher took me back to the days when I was young and hungry for knowledge. But in those days, no one wanted to be bothered answering my questions. And I believe that is one of the reasons why I fell away. No one could explain the Faith to me in a manner that was satisfactory. I didn't want to be that type of Catechist. I wanted to understand so that I could pass on my understanding. But it soon became obvious to me, that I didn't understand very much at all.

Then, one day, someone said, "why don't you ask for explanations on the Internet? There are lots of knowledgeable people there." So, I investigated. And, thanks be to God, I found a now defunct website for Catechists. I learned so much from them. I can't ever repay them.

But, back to my pen name, De Maria. Back then, most of us distrusted the Internet. And this forum for Catechists did not permit us to use our real names. They required pen names. So, since I love Our Lady, I took her name. (I am a guy, by the way.) In the grand tradition of male Saints who have adopted Our Lady's name, for instance, St. Louis "Marie" de Montfort and St. Alphonsus "Marie" de Liquori. And that's who I am. I believe that I belong to Mary and that I am sent by her to preach about her Son.

Besides this website, I have two more. Washed, justified and sanctified in the Sacraments of the Catholic Church and CatholicBibleTalk.