Of Denominations & Divisions

“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” – Acts 2:42-47

Imagine, if you will, a time-traveler – a Christian time-traveler, but a time-traveler nonetheless. Imagine that he is going about his daily business, still bearing a glow from his recent encounter with the Holy Spirit, walking alongside those who had actually broken bread with Jesus – perhaps this time-traveler even knew Jesus, personally – perhaps he had even grown up with Him. He has felt the joy of His physical presence, he has felt the evisceration of His death – against all odds, this time-traveler has experienced the unfathomable exhilaration of Christ’s glorious resurrection from a barbaric and seemingly final death. It was from the depths of these shared experiences that the early church was birthed – in the context of these deep waters, the early Believer devoted him or herself to the apostles’ teachings, joined together with others who’d also plunged into these deep waters, daily, and just plain did life together.

Now, imagine that same time-traveler, suddenly sent hurtling through time and space, and plopped unceremoniously into the city center of your favorite Southern U.S. metropolis, circa 2021. He gathers his wits for a moment, and although understandably befuddled, begins to take stock of his surroundings, sidesteps a bicycle messenger, dodges a mob of hurried pedestrians, and walks toward the only familiar thing he can find – an interpretable, but he believes ‘inaccurate’ stained glass representation of the Jesus he knows, still hanging from an intricately designed cross. Since you’ve suspended disbelief long enough by this point to have allowed for the possibility of a time-traveler, I’ll ask you to suspend just a bit longer and ignore the fact that our hero has suddenly gained the ability to understand a language that was nowhere near development during the Pentecost. He steps into the church on a Sunday, mid-service, listens to the music, stays for the sermon, peruses their coffee bar, and steps out, wondering what in the world just happened. Our time-traveling friend looks up and down the bustling street and discovers no fewer than seven additional churches. His curiosity piqued, he decides to sample each of them and finds slightly different symbols, a few different songs, and in each of them, completely unfamiliar concepts and terminology. Upon completion of his tour, our intrepid traveler is left with one burning question? How did we get here? His concerns are not about the improbability of traversing the space-time continuum, but these – how exactly did we, as Christians, go from swimming in the same deep waters together – a faithful fellowship blessed by the Lord with daily multiplication – to a place of such division and ineffectiveness? How is it possible to have 2,000 professing Christ-followers on this one street, and yet have none of them know anything about the others? How can we have this kind of ‘saturation’ and not have turned this whole city on its head for Christ?

These are all amazing questions, and for the past several years, these very questions have plagued my thoughts as well. How is it possible that as of 2006, 8% of the United States’ population professed to be born again, evangelical followers of Christ – nearly 24 million people at that point in time – and yet our schools, our neighborhoods, our towns, and yes, even our churches, look less and less like anything remotely honoring to Jesus? How is it possible that so significant a percentage of this nation’s population, with such incomparably strong foundational beliefs, has been rendered ineffective?

If you’ve read this far, you’re likely of a nature to have developed at least a couple strong opinions or thoughts on the subject, but allow me to add a thought to what I believe to be many contributing factors – denominationalism. Now, let me begin by stating this very clearly – there are matters of eternal significance that have led to warranted divisions and reformations throughout the years. There are matters where the sufficiency and authority of Scripture have been compromised within the church. Matters such as these are of so great a significance that, without course correction, they would result in propagation of damaging heretical ideologies with potential to lead people toward damnation, rather than toward Jesus – this essay is not about those matters. There are, however, matters of far less eternal significance that have caused splits, which lead to new churches, which lead to new denominations, which lead to new walls between us – these are precisely the targets of this essay. Whatever remnant I’ve held to this point, you’re likely beginning to squirm and possibly beginning to form a defense of your denomination of choice, but if you’ll bear with me for just a moment longer, I believe you’ll see my point.

One distinct advantage enjoyed by our fictitious time-traveler prior to his departure from the church in Acts 2, is his proximity to the source. He and the members of his life-group would have been close enough to the events and participants to have been blessed with first-hand accounts as well as the ability to have exchanges and interactions with early church leaders. They would also have a naturally superior understanding of cultural and historical context without ever having stepped foot into a seminary. All that said, God’s Word is timeless, and the Lord knew that we would be called to faith in a much different time and place than our church ancestors (John 20:29) – this did not come as a surprise to Him; in fact, it was always a part of the plan. Is it in keeping with His perfect design for His flock, however, that the varieties of sheep within His pasture scatter themselves to congregate with sheep whose palates most closely resemble their own? I would contend that it is not.

If we are to agree on the infallibility of God’s Word, then He has certainly called us to unity, but He has also called us to exercise our giftings within the fellowship of a unified body in order that we might sharpen one another:

“There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” – Ephesians 4:4-6, 11-13 NIV

Where then do all of our ‘-isms’, ‘-ists’, and ‘-ologies’ fit in? Are we excused from the mandate of unity when our non-salvific preferences don’t align perfectly with those of a fellow Believer? How do we so easily feel justified in distancing ourselves from throngs of Christ-followers who gather under the banner of a more comfortably prioritized gifting? I would suggest that we are by no means excused from this mandate of unity. Are we able to agree on the timeless infallibility and sufficiency of Scripture? Are we able to agree on Jesus? His identity, His purpose, and His significance? Can we agree that He is God in the flesh, sent to take away the sins of the world through His literal death, burial, and resurrection – that He is the only name under Heaven by which mankind can receive eternal life? There are other issues implied in the answers to these questions, for sure, but my point is this – if we are indeed intended to be a united people of “…one body and one Spirit… one hope… one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all,” then are we not also designed to grow in community with one another? To do battle alongside one another?

What would be the point? To win back our culture? No, as saddened as I’ve become about the state of our culture, our goal as a united body of Believers cannot be so short-sighted as to settle for a temporary win – besides, if you ascribe to even the short list of commonalities I’ve offered thus far, you’ll provide a heart-felt ‘Amen’ to a restatement of the fact that Jesus has already accomplished victory on our behalves. The point is this – our world is in a rapid state of decline and is becoming an increasingly hostile place for those who both profess the name of Jesus, and stand firm on the authority of the Word of God. As the furnace is stoked, and the intensity rises, the number of those who will stand firm will surely take a hit. If we, as Believers, are to be known as followers of Christ by our love for one another, and if the light of this witness is to serve as a lighthouse in a dark and deteriorating world, then the point would be to allow our intended unity to produce as much fruit for His kingdom as possible during these final days – it’s not about us, it’s not about our preferences or opinions, it is about bringing glory to God.

Lastly, stand firm on the truth of His Word – this is no call to compromise truth, but let’s take a look around. Now might be a good time to start building bridges to our fellow evangelical Believers rather than shoring up our walls. Can it work? Certainly. I’ve been blessed to serve in a multi-denominational ministry alongside Brothers and Sisters from all denominations over the past several years, and I’ve seen God bless this work immeasurably. Are the seas always perfectly calm? Not at all, but it works in spite of our individual short-comings because Christ is in it. This can work, but it requires an intentional focus on eternal matters, and more importantly, it requires eyes collectively fixed on Him, rather than on the latest political and social trends. If we’ll begin to filter our thoughts, beliefs, and societal interpretations through His Word, rather than filtering His Word through the media and through our feelings, then I firmly believe we’ll begin to draw toward one another naturally. God is immutable, His Word is timeless, and He is the only stable fixture in an otherwise tumultuous sea of indecision and human frailty.

Will there be tension? Yes. Will we be forced into uncomfortable conversations? Yes. Is the resultant discomfort a worthwhile price to pay for the fulfillment of our mandate? ….Absolutely.

“Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” –Philippians 2:1-4

#MultiDenominationalMinistry #Unity #CommonPurpose