Everything to fight for: a brief history of Christianity and sectarian violence

Abstract

This article recounts Christianity’s long history of
sectarian strife and division. The article discusses Christianity’s
diverse and global presence, describes the sectarian strife of its
early years, narrates a short history of Christian sectarianism up
to the present, and concludes with a reflection on reasons why
sectarian tensions persist within the religion. The article endeavors
to assess why Christianity has struggled with sectarian tension, and
posits that many of these tensions have arisen out of distinctions
and differences within language and culture. Christianity’s vast
geography helps to explain how a faith that was once rather
ethnocentric blossomed to become the largest religion in the world,
thus creating deep tensions linked to geographical and therefore
cultural complexity. The Protestant Reformation brought about
many sectarian tensions that persist to the present. The modern
ecumenical movement has provided hope for a way forward,
although no clear resolution is in sight. The article concludes with
a discussion of various global examples where ecumenical activity
and greater fellowship is emerging amongst sects once firmly
divided. Christian sectarian tension has cooled in Western Europe
largely due to secularization tendencies, leaving Christians with
little to fight for when it comes to religious belief.