[muawiyah]

Uh, the Cathers did. The Menonites do. The Armenian church does as well as the ancient Christian church in India.

Claiming descent from an apostle is a common element in the older model Christian churches. The newer models dispense with finding it a necessity ~ particularly those who claim the special guidance of the Holy Spirit.

[Biggirl]

Is there a special way to do a tracing back to an apostle when looking into the histories of church communites?

[mike182d]

Uh, the Cathers did. The Menonites do. The Armenian church does as well as the ancient Christian church in India. Claiming descent from an apostle is a common element in the older model Christian churches. The newer models dispense with finding it a necessity ~ particularly those who claim the special guidance of the Holy Spirit.

It is not mere descent that is being lauded, but the lineage in union with the teaching. Despite being a Bishop and successor of one of the Apostles, no one would claim that Arius and his followers were a legitimate branch of Christianity because there teachings diverged from what had been believed since the beginning.