Some Thoughts On Church/Denominational Conflict

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This post was inspired by Matt Kaufman over at the Boundless Line.  He wrote, in response to the ELCA decision, a good question (emphasis mine):

… When should you leave a church on principle — not for personal reasons (which we’ve talked about elsewhere on this blog), but for reasons of its doctrines or practices? And a follow-up question: Have you ever had to wrestle with this decision?

That is definitely a tough question with plenty of potential variables.  In the 18 years I have been a Christian I haven’t ever left a church on “principle” (when I have it has been for personal reasons or relocation.)  That said, I have seen many people wrestling with the decision of having to leave a church or denomination because of “principle.” The following post doesn’t really tell when a person should leave because I think that is something to be determined on a case by case basis.  What does follow are just a few random tangents (not comprehensive by any means) that came to mind while reflecting on conflict within the church and some things to consider along those lines.

New Christians, Christians in Crisis

New Christians or Christians in personal crisis do not need to worry about “inside” battles and politics.  They should be free to go to a solid church they feel safe in.  On one occasion I saw a very zealous new Christian decide to enter a very serious church battle and it was like the seed that fell on shallow ground that Jesus taught about.  They were uprooted quickly.  Their walk with Christ was compromised because instead of worshipping God and receiving ministry they were worrying, battling and being condemned and sometimes mocked.  This particular church and this Christian were more concerned about the peripheral issues and church culture than being in personal Communion with God.  No doubt, these were important issues but the new Christian was utilized for an earthly battle instead of mentored and encouraged to grow in God’s Kingdom.  Unfortunately this person is no longer a member of any church now.

There Are Plenty of Opportunities to Divide but Only One God to truly Unite

If you just look at the headlines nowadays you would think that the only issue dividing Western Christians are issues over homosexuality.  But what about Abortion? … pornography, promiscuity, liberal theology, secular humanism vs. biblical worldview, psychological influence on pastoral counseling, evolution, Biblical authority, female pastors, seminaries, the arts, race relations, institutionalized Christian culture vs. authentic worship, post-modernism, Christianity and any public policy, tithing, what social justice really means … and on and on …

The truth is any human idea or earthly system competes for a place in our hearts because the human heart is a very powerful place to reside.  Many will seek to capitalize on that with their own agendas.  And if they can make their battle/message yours too… the more power generated. To stave off opportunistic and manipulative messages we must, at the core of everything we do, teach and preach Christ was crucified for our sins and His resurrection broke the barrier of sin and death to give us eternal life.

The Scriptures (not in part but the whole) are the plumbline of testing the messages we see and hear.  If a messenger comes with any message that adds to, supplants or takes away from the inerrancy of Scripture their message must be rejected.  The messenger needs to be confronted but not battled with to the point of developing an ongoing personal relationship based on animosity and bitterness.  Some people know more about their enemies in denominational/church/wordly conflict then they actually do about God or the people around them.

We need to love our opponents (some of whom might be considered literal enemies.)  We can love them by praying for them.  That means actually praying for them and not preaching at God about them.  Another lesson I personally had to learn early on .

We can also love them by being clear and not entering into futile arguments.  We let our yes be a yes and our no be a no.  We employ the first steps of Matthew 18: 15-20, point out false doctrine, humbly point to what we believe is God’s truth with Spirit led testimony and compelling arguments.  We invite the individual to repentance (mindful of our own need for a Savior) but continue to walk with God, not the false message, regardless of whether we feel led to stay or move on.

Costco Doesn’t Have a Pick-A-Church Aisle or Build a Church Buffet Line

I do not like the term “church-shopping.”  It is such a common analogy that it is generally accepted as an accurate description of what Christians do while looking for a church home.

And, I am totally guilty of having done that in the past.

We have our list of “needs” for potential churches and the ones that have the most personal benefit is the one we typically go to.  For the new Christian and Christians in crisis… they need to be able to get their needs met in a safe church and don’t need to be drawn into the inner politics/drama. But for those of us who are mature and secure in Christ, we are to go to church where the Lord tells us to go.  God may not have us there for our personal benefit.

Our Old Testament prophetic friend Jonah got to worship God in the dark belly of a whale and hand delivered (well… thrown up by said whale on a beach) to Ninevah where he preached possibly the worst sermon ever, “You will be destroyed!” (my paraphrase.)  This awful, devoid of powerpoint slides, very short message led an entire city to repentance and worship of the true God.

Even after that, Jonah had an attitude and wasn’t grateful for God’s mercy on the people.  Can you think of any Pastors like that?  If you can, doesn’t that make you sad?

The point is that maybe God wants us to go to a church for His purposes and not necessarily for our entertainment or comfort.  We don’t go even because we are all that eloquent or willing. We go because He wants us too.  That’s where we have to rely on our personal relationship with Him, with our mentors and peers, to be of personal support to help guide us through the difficult situations that the Lord does call us to stay in or enter into.

What I can assure everyone is that God will never be in favor of being placed second in a person’s life.  Never.  He will never be ok with a church battle among believers taking precedent over The Gospel being presented to those who do not know Christ.  These two principles are very clear in the Bible.  He will have no other gods (Satan, Zeus, ESPN, HGTV or personal agendas) placed before Him.  He exhorts us to not forsake the assembly (the Church.)  He calls us to contend for truth along with self-less sacrifice always pointing to Jesus.

Christians are Humans and Humans Are Apt to Mess Things Up – We Need A Revival of God’s Grace

As so many say and know, Christianity is not immunity from our humanity.  God became one of us to turn our failures into His victory. Our weaknesses to His strength in our lives.  Frailty, weakness and sin is a cultural universal.  We have all fallen short of holiness.  Jesus is the only bridge we need, really the only bridge possible, back to God.

Hopefully the distinguishing mark of authentic Christian living isn’t simply that somehow we are more pious than the unbeliever.  The marks of authentic Christian living include adoration of God (knowing Jesus as Lord and Savior), personal humility, self-less sacrifice and ongoing repentance as the Lord teaches redeems and sanctifies our lives.  These attributes are present with us as we live out the Golden rule of loving Him with our entire being and loving each other as ourselves.  This is not possible by willingly defining our lives entirely by any earthly battle, a specific church building/denomination or embracing personal fulfillment through biblically defined sinful behavior.

After all of that being said, we as Christians don’t have the option of hating those we no longer affiliate with.  We have to do the hard work of being authentically gracious and kind whether God tells us to engage a conflict or find a new church home.

Concluding …

Of course this is just a really long blog post .  Entire books and 2,000 years worth of church history could speak much more to this issue than my laymen’s ramblings. But one final thought, if we do decide to leave a church or denomination because of principled conflict, are we leaving in humility? … treating our opponents as we would want to be treated if the roles were reversed?  In the course of a conflict have we asked for forgiveness for our own sinful actions that may have manifested during the conflict?  While a conflict of this nature might not end with agreement or restoration of fellowship … have we been above reproach? … selflessly sacrificial to the benefit of others?

Struggling with this is one of the most difficult issues within the Body of Christ and I do pray against division and conflict all the time. I can’t stand conflict of any form and it is especially heartbreaking when it comes between friends in general and in the Body of Christ.  However, there are a great number of resources and Biblical instruction on how to do conflict in a way that is clear, edifies and does not destroy.

MORE:

ELCA Embraces “Non-Celibate” Gay Clergy

Exodus Church Association