---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Far more serious still is the division…"
description: "\"“Far more serious still is the division between the Church of Rome and evangelical Protestantism in all its forms. Yet how great is the common heritage..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db6/j-gresham-machen-22117_body-of-christ_far-more-serious-still-is-the-division-b_2094444.jpg"
---

#  Far more serious still is the division between the Church…

![“Far more serious still is the division between the Church of Rome and evangelical Protestantism in all its forms. Yet how great is the common heritage which unites the Roman Catholic Church, with its maintenance of the authority of Holy Scripture and with its acceptance of the great early creeds…” quote by J. Gresham Machen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db6/j-gresham-machen-22117_body-of-christ_far-more-serious-still-is-the-division-b_2094444.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db6/j-gresham-machen-22117_body-of-christ_far-more-serious-still-is-the-division-b_2094444.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db6/j-gresham-machen-22117_body-of-christ_far-more-serious-still-is-the-division-b_2094444.jpg)

> ““Far more serious still is the division between the Church of Rome and evangelical Protestantism in all its forms. Yet how great is the common heritage which unites the Roman Catholic Church, with its maintenance of the authority of Holy Scripture and with its acceptance of the great early creeds, to devout Protestants today! We would not indeed obscure the difference which divides us from Rome. The gulf is indeed profound. But profound as it is, it seems almost trifling compared to the abyss which stands between us and many ministers of our own Church. The Church of Rome may represent a perversion of the Christian religion; but naturalistic liberalism is not Christianity at all.””

[J. Gresham Machen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-gresham-machen/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The split between Catholicism and Protestantism is deep, yet the larger divide lies between mainstream Christianity and liberal secularism, which lacks true Christian foundations.

**In simple terms:** The biggest religious divide is between Christianity and liberal secularism.

Key Takeaway

Recognize deeper spiritual divides beyond denominational differences.

Themes

religion division theology

Mood

critical reflective

Type

theological philosophical

When to use this quote

- church debates
- interfaith dialogues
- cultural criticism

Key Concepts

Christian doctrine secular liberalism ecumenism

Questions to Reflect On

- How can Christians address the rise of secular liberalism?
- What common ground exists between denominations?

A Different Perspective

Liberalism may claim moral values but lacks Christian grounding.

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[Body of christ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body-of-christ/) [Christian religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christian-religion/) [Church-unity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church-unity-32542/) [Evangelical Protestantism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evangelical-protestantism-4154708/) [Liberalism Christianity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberalism-christianity-306243/) [Naturalistic Liberalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/naturalistic-liberalism-4154709/) [Protestantism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protestantism/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Roman catholic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/roman-catholic/) [Roman catholic church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/roman-catholic-church/) [Rome Evangelical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rome-evangelical-4154707/)

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