[Freedom]

Originally Posted by Evangelical

As a person who used to think like you on this matter, I can tell you that it is much harder to argue that a denomination is not a division, than to just accept that it is, and then consider whether it is worth doing something about it or not. That was my journey, at least. That a denomination is a division or that a division led to a denomination, should be obvious. At least to me it is. A denomination is essentially an organized and institutionalized division.

According to Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, a denomination is "a religious organization uniting in a single legal and administrative body a number of local congregations".

My approach to the topic of division is with the understanding that it is both inevitable and unavoidable at a broad level. Of course, the Bible speaks strongly against division, so I think with such an understanding, any concern over division needs to refocus on the scope of the actual problem. Lets look again at 1 Cor 1:10
Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

Notice here that I bolded among you. Who is the among you that Paul was referring to? I think that we all could agree that this was the local assembly at Corinth to whom Paul addressed his letter. So Paul was concerned with internal division/factions that were taking place.

I don't know about anyone else, but in consideration of the context of what Paul said here, I think the takeaway here is that we are primarily responsible for getting along with the Christians with whom we have regular fellowship. That seems completely reasonable to me. But some like Nee/Lee have used verses like this not as a reminder to look at themselves, but as a reason to judge and criticize other groups.

This is the way that I think about it: as Christians, we need fellowship with other Christians. This is one of the primary roles of the local assembly, is to provide us with other Christians whom we can fellowship with. These are the people that we want to particularly focus on getting along with. It's difficult, but not impossible. If we can't even get along with those we are in regular fellowship with, then there is a big problem.

When the scope is broadened and someone comes along to claim that group A must get along with group B, then problems will easily arise. Group A has different needs than group B, so that discrepancy alone is enough to create problems. Things like doctrine make matters worse. Of course, the resulting 'division' might concern some people, but is this really the kind of division the Bible wants us to avoid? I don't think so. It seems that in the context of a broader fellowship, the emphasis is commonality. At the end of Colossians, Paul urges his epistle be read among the Laodiceans, and likewise his epistle to the Laodiceans be read among the Colossians. It could be inferred that some commonality existed that would make it an advisable thing to suggest.