Separation and Unity?

This past Sunday, I preached from Philippians 2:1-2. In these verses, Paul emphasizes the need for unity within the Church. Unity is very elusive within the context of Church history. From the Great Schism in 1054 (the division within the Catholic Church that led to the formation of the Roman and Eastern Churches) to the Protestant Reformation, many point to disagreement as a cause of disunity.

Does disagreement have to cause disunity? If not, how do we define unity in the Church? Why do we have so many denominations if we are to be unified? These are some of the questions I will attempt to answer in today’s blog.

Disagreements on theology and the application of our beliefs have always been present in the Church. Peter and Paul disagreed with each other concerning the necessity of circumcision for gentile believers (Acts 15). Paul writes more extensively than any other biblical author about unity in the body of Christ. Yet, he was willing to stand up when he disagreed with another believer. Is that unity? In a broad sense, unity is about our common purpose more than every detail of theology that may get us to that end.

Indeed, the early church recognized the need for standards of faith and practice. Those are outlined in the creeds developed through church councils. Each creed is a response to a heretical ideal that arose mainly in the first 1,000 years of Church History. Please read my last four blogs for details on some of these heresies. Often, disagreements in the Church brought about a return to our foundational doctrines (Orthodoxy).

Author Bruce Shelly, “Church History in Plain Language,” writes about the formation of denominations throughout his book. He writes in the opening words of chapter 32, “For decades critics have called them “a scandal,” “a blight,” and “a factionalism,” but denominations remain the institutional hallmark of modern Christianity.” To fully understand denominationalism, we must look to history.

First, denominations developed due to a lack of proximity. Let me explain using my theological tradition. The Pentecostal church developed from the Azusa Street Revival in Los Angeles in 1906. As people from across the US came to Azusa, they took the Pentecostal witness back with them. Over the next few years, Pentecostal denominations experienced significant growth. Here is a brief outline: The Assemblies of God developed in Arkansas and Missouri, The Church of God in Eastern Tennessee and North Georgia, The Church of the Foursquare in Southern California, and the Church of God in Christ, an established denomination in Memphis, TN, embraced Pentecostalism.

These groups did not emerge from disagreements in theology; more than 100 years later, we all essentially still hold the same core doctrines.

Second, denominations grew around shared beliefs. Calvinism led to the formation of the Presbyterian church in Scotland, and Lutheranism formed around a strong Orthodoxy and remains close in practice to Catholicism, without some of the Roman Catholic theology, such as the veneration of Mary. The Anglican Church grew out of King Henry VIII’s desire to divorce. Rome said no. Henry said, Fine, I will be the head of a new Church of England. They, too, adhere closely to the theology of the Roman Catholic Church, while, like Lutheranism, abandoning some of the practices they deemed unnecessary or unbiblical.

Third, churches developed around a structure. There remain two main structures within the Protestant churches. They are Episcopal (using the title of Bishops) and Presbyterial (using the title Presbyter). The Assemblies of God uses presbyters, while the Church of God uses bishops.

Do these differences cause us to be disunified? My answer has always been no. I believe separation brings unity. We do not sit around and argue with our counterparts. Instead, with our differences in approach, structure, and nuances in theology, we work toward the same ultimate goal—the glorification of Jesus Christ in our world and the propagation of the Gospel. This is the very foundation of being Ecumenical.

Yes, we have differences, but we all believe the words of the Apostolic Creed, and we all want to see people’s lives changed by Jesus Christ. Shelley later writes in that same chapter a key to this understanding.

Denominationalism, as originally designed, is the opposite of sectarianism. A sect claims the authority of Christ for itself alone. It believes that it is the only true body of Christ; all truth belongs to it and to no other religion. So by definition, a sect is exclusive. The word denomination by contrast was an inclusive term. It implied that the Christian group called or “denominated” by a particular name was but one member of a larger group -the church- to which all denominations belong.

I have great friends who I love dearly who serve or attend a myriad of denominations. We are united in our pursuit of Jesus Christ and the reaching of the world. How we go about it may look a little different, but in the end, we are unified in worship and purpose. Can separation bring unity? It seems that it can. I applaud your work. I desire your fellowship. I honor your faithfulness to our Lord, no matter what denomination you are a part of.

“I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.” (Apostolic Creed)