06/19/2011 - by Chuck Monan, Preaching Minister

The tangled web of denominationalism has long been a hindrance to people coming to Christ.  Looking for answers, men and women are instead confused by a staggering number of churches teaching disparate doctrines that have calcified the lines of division.  With many rejecting this religious status quo, some denominations are trying to change their stripes.  Over a decade ago, four major denominations -- the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Presbyterian Church (USA), the United Church of Christ, and the Reformed Church of America -- approved a unity pact that allows the denominations to share clergy and permits members of each group to take communion in each other’s churches.  The decision was hailed by leaders of these groups as a watershed moment: “Today is an occasion for profound gratitude to God for persistently calling us to overcome divisions that have separated Lutheran and Reformed Christians in North America.”  This very statement, though, underscores the main problem with all of this.

It was never God’s plan to have any kind of “hyphenated” Christians.  When we read the New Testament we do not see any examples of people calling themselves Catholic-Christian, Baptist-Christian, Lutheran-Christian, Presbyterian-Christian, or any other hyphenated name ... including Church of Christ-Christians, for that matter.  They were content to be Christians only.  To have as their only standard of doctrine the Bible.   To strive to keep “the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:3).  We should never be haughty, condescending or sectarian in our thoughts or dealings with others.  There are plenty of areas where we are deficient, and we need to humbly seek God’s guidance.  Yet we must not give up the Restoration Plea to go back to the biblical essentials so unity can exist.

The problem with denominations attempting to forge unity is that they are building on a flawed foundation.  Years ago, Raymond Kelcy wrote:

We do not read of any person in New Testament times joining a denomination.  Denominationalism is something unknown to New Testament writers.  If we practice Christianity today as it was practiced then, we must be Christians, members of the New Testament church and not join any denomination.  This means Christianity is undenominational.  Some think they have the idea of undenominational Christianity, when really, what they have in mind is interdenominational Christendom.  They have an idea that the church is an institution made up of all the denominations.  But the church must be separate and apart from denominationalism.  It is not inter-denominational, but is undenominational. And that means that members of the church should stay out of all denominations.  This is the plea being made by churches of Christ everywhere today.

May this be our plea today as we seek to spread the borders of God’s kingdom.