Last month I posted an article about the problem of denominationalism. Yet there seems to be a shift occurring in the religious world. We are seeing a gradual move from denominationalism to non-denominationalism. It is becoming more common to pass a church building and see that the name on the sign does not include a denominational distinction. That is one sign of this shift.
Denominational distinctions are becoming less important. It used to be that people would generally identify themselves by their denomination. They would think it strange when you said you were “just a Christian.” Now they tend to simply call themselves Christians, too. This may be a step in the right direction (Acts 11:26; 1 Corinthians 1:12-13), but there is still more that needs to be done. There are two things that have come from this decreased emphasis on denominational distinctions.
Community Churches / Mega Churches
These large churches are being established and are growing all over the country. These are churches that claim no denominational affiliation. As a result, any person from any denomination can be a part of one of these churches. So these mega churches are made up of many who were or are part of a denomination.
These churches are non-denominational. That is something that we claim as well – to be non-denominational. Does this mean that these churches are good and should be embraced? Not necessarily.
There is a reason why these churches are so popular. They are typically led by a charismatic, likable preacher/pastor. They offer a number of programs and social events – typically called “ministries.” They are also generally silent about the doctrinal issues that have caused division among professed Christians.
The “no doctrine” preaching is what really sets these churches apart since many denominational churches also have a popular preacher and programs. However, the apostle Paul knew nothing of outreach programs. He simply preached “Jesus Christ, and Him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2). Regarding popularity, Paul said he and his fellow workers had become “as the scum of the world, the dregs of all things” (1 Corinthians 4:13) for their work in preaching the gospel. And while many denominational churches avoid controversy like the community churches, the community churches are not even affiliated with any denominational council that discusses such matters. All of this does have an appeal to people.
Ecumenical Movement (Multi-Denominational)
As the community church movement grows, denominations are coming together as well. We hear of inter-faith councils and different denominations working together on various projects. These stem from the spirit of ecumenism. Whatever differences may exist are set aside and ignored for the sake of harmony and cooperation.
Anymore, there is little difference in the message preached from one denominational pulpit to another. Controversial doctrinal matters are left to the leadership councils in those denominations. What is then preached in the assemblies is the kind of message that could be preached almost anywhere, regardless of one’s denominational affiliation. This results in a detachment from the denomination’s leadership to the people who comprise the denomination. Because of this, people feel like they can freely jump around from one denomination to another. It makes them no difference. This shows how even among the denominations, there is a shift towards non-denominationalism.
The Root of All of This
The root of non-denominationalism is the unity-in-diversity doctrine. This is the idea that we can have unity despite doctrinal differences. Often it also includes unity that comes by overlooking or ignoring sin in one’s life. For there to be unity, there must be agreement: “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” (Amos 3:3, KJV). In order to have unity, this is what they have agreed to do – ignore sin and error.
The Bible does not teach unity-in-diversity. Paul told the Ephesians to strive to obtain “the unity of the faith” (Ephesians 4:13). What would be the result of this unity? That we would be free to believe anything we want? No! Rather that we would not be “carried about by every wind of doctrine” (Ephesians 4:14). The Corinthians were exhorted to “all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment” (1 Corinthians 1:10). This agreement was not them agreeing to disagree, but that they would be of the same mind and judgment.
What has the religious world done in moving toward non-denominationalism? While it is good to move away from denominationalism, it does no good unless we move to what is right. The non-denominational churches (community and mega churches) have changed the gospel. They have removed anything that might offend or divide and they have condoned denominationalism by freely accepting those of all denominations without condemning the division and error that is inherent in denominationalism. By changing the gospel, they make it “a different gospel” and cause themselves to “be accursed” (Galatians 1:6-9).
What Does the Bible Teach?
As I mentioned earlier in this article, we sometimes claim to be non-denominational. How can I claim that and condemn these others? In a sense, the New Testament does support non-denominationalism. Not non-denominationalism in the sense that all denominations are acceptable, but non-denominationalism that is born our of anti-denominationalism (being against division).
God does not what His people to be divided. Jesus prayed that His disciples “may all be one” (John 17:21). The psalmist wrote, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity” (Psalm 133:1). But unity must not be gained at the expense of the truth (Proverbs 23:23).
Sometimes we are seen as being divisive for teaching things like this. Actually, we want unity; but it must be unity that is based upon all of God’s word, not just some of it. This sometimes results in our being compared with the Pharisees. But here is the difference – the Pharisees wanted people to accept their opinions and traditions (Matthew 15:2-9). We simply want people to accept all that God’s word teaches. Let us not settle for anything less than the unity of the faith. The unity-in-diversity derived by man is a poor substitute.
