Factions within fundamental Christianity are ungodly and unattractive. The factions are, for example, those that usually are birthed from education. Specifically, from what I have seen, it pins one school or church doctrine against another. (I know some will be offended by me naming names, but deep down, the following examples are well-known to those who are named) Graduates from Pensacola Christian College are looked poorly upon by Bob Jones graduates, Hyles-Anderson grads and many others (and vice versa). There exists a "rivalry" between Fairhaven folk and the people of First Baptist of Hammond, IN. "Westcoasters" are labeled compromisers by those who consider themselves more conservative. Those who attend Crown College - "Crownies" as they have been deemed - are seen by other fundamentalists as Sextonites. The list goes on and on and includes schools and churches from all around the country. Even smaller local churches try to take on the attributes of the faction which is tied to its pastor or the majority of its staff.
The whole thing reminds me of high school. There we had "cliques" where students were grouped and labeled, based on their physical appearance, intellect, or perhaps other outward/internal attributes. You had the jocks, the nerds, the preps, the loners, the goths, the wannabees and the outcasts (I was a loner). Looking back though, I now realize that no matter which clique you belonged to, we were all zitty-faced, immature adolescents. We were all the same, and no matter how we were categorized or labeled, we all faced the same daily grind. After graduation, we all had choices to make and our labels had no bearing on those decisions.
Why is it that of all the things that we leave behind after high school, stereotyping and the labeling of others sticks with us. Maybe the years of labeling and creating factions during our formative years programs our minds to do so the rest of our lives. All that practice during those years now makes it second nature to do so.
In regards to doctrinal factions crafted by our fundamental schools and churches... Maybe it's time to grow up. We should all be in agreement that what is important is that the glorious gospel of Christ needs to be spread, and it's the job of everyone who claims the name of Christ to do that job. Methods and philosophies about how to do so, are definitely a matter of personal conviction. Others should not be looked down upon just because there is variance in those methods. What is effective for one may not be effective for another and "everyone has an opinion" so we will all never completely agree with one another.
Many will argue here, stating that doctrinal differences may affect the righteousness of the Christian's walk. That, I would agree to be true, but condescending attitudes toward people with doctrinal backgrounds and affiliations that differ from our own, will only thwart our ability to work together to accomplish the task of sharing the Gospel with the world! Unless a doctrine is biblically unsound to where it alters Christ's intended plan of salvation, we should not let it divide us as fundamental Christians. Someone on the outside looking in will see only that "doctrine divides," and that makes Christianity very unattractive to them.
The Apostle Paul sums it all up in his first letter to the Corinthian believers. At this time, there were many "contentions" among the church. He says, "Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment." (I. Cor. 1:10).
I, like many others, am guilty of stereotyping fellow Christians along the lines mentioned above. I often took the "David Cloud" approach to fundamentalism, distinguishing the major difference among ourselves ("comparing ourselves among ourselves, is not wise" II. Cor. 10:12), and condemning them for "falling away" from the faith. And while I found that it had its place in furthering fundamentalism, I also found it to be a great hindrance in securing continuity among my fellow brethren. This continuity is vital, because the spread of the gospel will be easier if we all work together! Am I caving in to ecumenism? Absolutely not! Maybe if we put aside the small matters that tend to divide, others will find what we offer more attractive!
I understand the concept of the article, Brother, and I agree to a certain extent. However, biblically the individual person and the members of the local, New Testament church are responsible for propagating the gospel of Christ verbally and by example. Everything that the local church stands for should be centered on the Word of God. There is conflict or “factions” between these colleges because there are biblical, doctrinal differences. Any research on these differences will clarify it all. What the real concern should be is, “How can the local church effectively propagate the gospel (not Christianity as a collective group)?” And what are we doing to encourage others to join in as we personally “Go and Preach?”
ReplyDeleteThese “factions” are to never be in the local, New Testament church. These “factions” exist only because of PRIDE, which is sin. The idolizing of these leaders in the fundamental world of Baptists has corrupted the intelligence of the believers to the point from which they cannot discern truth from error. The “factions” should be dealt with according to the Bible, as our Lord has clearly stated for us in the gospels (Matthew 18). Christ expects his children and the local church to be Holy. Lets lead by example.
I agree with you completely, Joe. 100% I too believe pride is the cause for these factions. I even agree with you that each of these schools I mentioned have erred in some way doctrinally. Having attended one of them and seeing behind the scenes (up close and personal) with another, and by working alongside graduates of all of them, I know beyond research that they differ in doctrine. What I do see as the problem - and this was my point of the original blog - is when workers in the same church, working the same ministry, trying to accomplish the SAME goals are vocally belittled and razzed by these prideful characters. The condescending tone undermines the mission of that ministry by devaluing the motive of the fellow worker. As you say, it is about "encouraging others to join" but how can one be encouraged when they are talked down to because their background differs slightly from ours? And I believe one of the best ways to "effectively propogate the gospel" is to work together in local church ministry as well as on an individual level. It is my opinion that the effectiveness of any ministry will be hindered if factions are prevalent in the local church.
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