It's not about being clever. My understanding of Church history is that the Armenians have best claim to being the oldest, continuous, uninterrupted Church in existance.
That the fellowship I was raised only has a direct history that dates back to 1801 does not really bother me, because I still see myself as part of the Church universal. I truly believe that God can work through even the most fragmented of human institutions - as the writer of Hebrews put it, "the word of God is living and active" and the Psalmist said, "the steadfast love the Lord never ceases."
However, I find that I agree with Rodney Stark in labeling the result of the Emperor's meddling in the affairs of the Church in Rome as the "Curse of Constantine".
Re: No desire to be offensive, but . . .
That the fellowship I was raised only has a direct history that dates back to 1801 does not really bother me, because I still see myself as part of the Church universal. I truly believe that God can work through even the most fragmented of human institutions - as the writer of Hebrews put it, "the word of God is living and active" and the Psalmist said, "the steadfast love the Lord never ceases."
However, I find that I agree with Rodney Stark in labeling the result of the Emperor's meddling in the affairs of the Church in Rome as the "Curse of Constantine".