Causes and Effects of Division of Pentecostal-Evangelical Christian Churches

Abstract

A Church is an important social institution. Historically, its significance in society has also been a face of controversies such as numerical and conceptual divisions. The Sociological Perspectives of a Religion (such as of Emile Durkheim, Max Weber, and Karl Marx) pointed out how religion, as a social institution, is very crucial in its role in the society as it gives meaning and purpose to life, reinforces and promotes social inequality, and focuses on ways individuals interpret religious experiences. Using the case study design, the study aims to determine and analyze the causes and effects of Pentecostal Churches in the Philippines specifically in Luna, Apayao. Participants in the study were chosen purposively using the unique selected sampling technique. The interview, documentation, and documentary materials were the primary tools used in gathering the needed data. Results revealed that the causes of divisions in Pentecostal-Evangelical Churches were due to financial, spiritual (doctrine), and personal matters. It was also found out, as the effect of these divisions, that society perceived it in two ways: generally good for the spread of churches and generally bad for the disunity it brought in the society. Church leaders and followers generally described this social situation as challenging to all social institutions. Results of this study could serve as a basis for developing relations between churches themselves and other social institutions in which it is to address church divisions for the sake of our society.