If you haven't figured out the gist of the question, it is whether denominations are really bad. But it is not that simple.
Might denominations be closer to a practice and belief in sound Christian faith than free groups?
Might the strong connection of the defined group provide a better shield against the whims of lone thinkers (like me)?
And I ask this question as a member of an assembly that is not tied to a denomination. That being said, they are strongly affiliated with others of the same movement and with the schools of theology that they mostly rely on for their preachers and teaching. I will admit that I am not convinced on all of their positions. Very dispensational and I am not so dispensationally predisposed.
And every assembly does not agree with every other assembly on every issue. But they do not condemn those that disagree. I was for quite some time a member of one of these assemblies, then for reasons having nothing to do with liking or disliking them, am at another within the same group. There is a particular point on which the two do not agree. And I tend to agree more with the one where I am no longer a member.
I went through that because I am thinking for myself whether the looser group of an affiliated but not wholly-joined denomination achieves what I am seeking.
And that is a more sound base of theology than one guy and his Bible leading a house church. Or even three or four guys and their Bibles leading a small gathering in a room at a community center.
You realize that the LCM started with a single college-aged kid who started publishing his own theological newspaper (within about 2 years of salvation), then a major book in his twenties. That drew a lot of followers who were then anxious to follow this apparently brilliant man.
Even my fairly untrained mind can see huge holes in his theological ship. But there was something new that captured the minds of the people of the 1920s and 1930s in China.
And, like a lot of other Jesus People stuff in the 60s, throwing that kid's stuff into the mix in America was really new. And appealing. Some of the followers found better alternatives than the LCM, but for most of us here, it was the LCM.
But we spent too many years hearing that denominations were the harlot daughters of the Whore of Babylon. And while we dumped Lee (and hopefully Nee), we have tended to like the idea of bad denominations. And of me and my Bible. We like to think that we receive a lot of special, private inspiration from God if we worship in a small house group. Inspiration we would not get if we were merely members at some Baptist, Presbyterian, Church of Christ, Disciples of Christ, Reformed, Congregational, Methodist, Lutheran, Anglican, (and so on) church. But despite the relatively constant state of doctrine and belief in those places, is that really bad? Is the state of Christian understanding so poor that we think constant, solid, and even old is the wrong way?
Not suggesting that any of these are perfect or that there is nothing new. But despite that song with each verse ending "the Lord has yet more light and truth to break forth from his Word," the light and truth that needs to spring forth is not mostly something new, but the realization of what has clearly been seen there before but not realized by us. I would suggest that the totality of truth that the Baptists and Lutherans have in their arsenals will not be entirely appreciated by hardly any person within their lifetime. It will be springing forth for each of us over our lives.
But we think it is about brand new, never been seen stuff.
I mentioned in my last post that I have questions. Some of which might not go over well with some people. But my questions have ceased to be about brand new revelation, but rather the tendency for us to lose sight of the steady pathway set before us. We rush to go on a missions trip. We celebrate the outwardly spiritual acts of some. And in doing that, we denigrate the constantly faithful living of those who never went on a missions trip. Or went to seminary. Or joined a team going door-to-door preaching the gospel. The church is full of people who are humble in their faith. Who hunger and thirst for righteousness. Who love their neighbor as themselves. But we celebrate those who are the missionaries. Or have achievements in the "spiritual" realm.
I wonder why we worship God by singing a lot of songs that center on me. Surely part of the worship should include some thankfulness for what has been done for me/us. And some repentance for my failures. But the center should be Christ. Not even a lot about my life with some thanks to Christ thrown into the chorus. There is a place for "me" songs. That mostly should not be worship.
But when it comes to my theological base, even with my small disagreements, I am happy to be part of a group that has at least a reasonable base of thought that is greater than itself and maybe one or two more nearby assemblies. I would feel rather naked in a truly free group.
And I know that means that the relatively new denomination that is known as the Local Churches (specifically those affiliated with the LSM) would seem to be better off than a free group. But that is not the case. As I mentioned, they were started by a single person without any real training and grew into the thing that it is today. They may be a denomination now, but that does not give them legitimacy.
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Have you actually considered whether there is a basis for dissing denominations? If so, where do you fall on the following continuum:
- Still sold on the evils of denominations?
- Ambivalent?
- Jettisoned the whole idea of denominations as simply non-biblical?
I welcome thoughts.