The Third Thing that's Wrong

Ken Eckerty has posted a website entitled "Why I left the Organized Church" (http://www.savior-of-all.com/organized.html). It gives 10 or more reasons, and I'd like to take them on. The third thing that's wrong:

Denominationism that divides Christianity and breeds exclusivism.

"My church is better than your church." I grew up in this kind of idiotic environment, though my home church was probably less guilty of this than some others of my era. Strange: We serve the same God for the same goal, and then we turn it into a competition. We use the same Bible but turn small differences in theology or worship style into an opportunity to look down on those who aren't just like us. True, some issues, some theological statements, are hills to die on. No one wants a believe-anything lowest common denominator. But we should be cooperating instead of forming into exclusive camps.

So why not get rid of denominations altogether? Let's face it - a "Christianity Today" style generic evangelicalism is rapidly taking the place of many of the distinctives that once defined us. This means that there is little to define us as different from one another.

Yet denominations, especially if they cooperate with each other, still have a role to play. Denominations give churches a chance to work together on projects, find relationships with one another, and receive the benefits of support and encouragement. If we destroy denominations completely, we lose the opportunity to bind smaller groups of churches together in vital relationship. When everyone is my close friend, then no one is.

Which leads me to ask the church: Have we optimized the potential of our denominational ties or are we continuing to breed exclusivism? Have we seen the power of cooperation or are we telling people like Ken that we would rather show how good we are than do God's work?