In speaking of a song or a book, we might say, “well, it’s Christian.” Or, we might say of a potential spouse for our child, “at least they are a Christian.” Perhaps we might glorify a church down the road, in a neighboring town, or a neighboring county, “it’s a Christian church.” We speak as if there’s a thing, visibly, tangibly Christian without more specificity.
Dear Christians, there is no generic “Christian” church, teaching, or publishing source for books or songs. Every church, teaching, or published work produced by Christendom flows from a sectarian root. [Sectarian – member or adherent of a sect or division within a larger, generic whole]. Since no later than 1054 A.D., there is no unified, generic Christian whole. In that year, the six patriarchs of the Eastern Christian church and the Patriarch (Pope) of Rome parted ways.
There were certainly schisms before that too. Since that day though, the history of Christianity is schism. Even within the Eastern Orthodox church, Russian and Ukrainian Orthodox Christians and their governments will have nothing to do with each other. We would be hard pressed to discern a difference from outside. Even in the Roman tradition we see divisions between Eastern rite and Western rite Catholics; between pre-Vatican II and post-Vatican II parishioners and priests.
Still, American non-Catholic Christians have grown nose-blind to the reality that we “protestants” are not the same either. Even within Martin Luther’s lifetime the radical reformers rejected images, vestments, hymnody, and the sacraments. Both Luther and the Lutheran reformers who followed him charted an initially narrow path between Rome and the Reformed Christians.
Cue the Jeff Foxworthy meme commonly shared in October and November: “If your Roman Catholic friends think you’re a Baptist, and your Baptist friends think you’re Catholic, you might be a Lutheran.” Comedically, that meme draws attention to a glaring sectarianism within Christianity. This may or may not be a good thing. But, it is unavoidable. On this side of the eschaton, we will not see a unified Christianity. [Eschaton – end of the world, last things, end of days]
Flashing forward into the current age, all “Christian” churches come from a sectarian root. The root does indeed matter. A Pentecostal rooted church will look for divine revelation apart from the Scriptures and a concurrent experience of the divine to back it up. A Calvinist Reformed rooted church will reject Jesus’ atoning death for the sins of all. A Baptist rooted church will reject Baptismal regeneration, infant faith, the verbal absolution, and the bodily presence of Christ in the Lord’s Supper.
Each of those groups may produce a church calling itself “Christian.” We should always ask, “what kind of Christian do you mean?” Their position on the sacraments, speaking in tongues, the atonement, and the like will identify their sectarian root.
It’s good to be honest. We are better neighbors to each other when our churches say what they are and from whence they come. “Who are you and who’s your daddy?” We all have God as our Father. Still, our Earthly Fathers color our beliefs and teachings as grown folks.
Each town, city, and county in this nation is littered with confusingly named churches. Whether it’s a Christian Fellowship, Cross Community Center, just Christian Church, Point of Grace Church, or any place claiming nondenominationality, know that’s just not so. The church has a root from which they spring. Their intent maybe to be welcoming or inclusive. The result is a sheep-stealing mess that doesn’t say what it is.
When you see books, bible studies, and songs published by Zondervan, Eerdmans, Moody, IVP, Vladimir Press, CPH, Tyndale, Lifeway, or Ave Maria, know that they have a firmly held theological position. The books, studies, and music they publish must fit that theological ethos.
When you engage with Christians of other sorts, know that they fervently hold beliefs contrary to your own. In Christian love, you ought to be trying to convince them of their error. They will certainly be doing the same with you, if they have love for you. The scriptures are clear in their teachings. We have the pure doctrine from the Word of God right here in the Lutheran Church.
Until the day when the Lord returns, hold fast to what you have learned.
Rev. Jason M. Kaspar
Sole Pastor
Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church & Preschool
La Grange, TX
And
Mission Planting Pastoral team
Epiphany Lutheran Church, Bastrop, TX
©2023 Jason Kaspar. All rights reserved. Permission granted to copy, share and display freely for non-commercial purposes. Direct all other rights and permissions inquiries to cosmithb@gmail.com
One question: do you think that any of the groups mentioned in your post will, on the last day, learn that they and they alone got every detail exactly right?
There are core elements of the Christian faith–essentially those defined in the ecumenical creeds. But even there we have questions about details such as the procession of the Spirit. The Council that produced the creed wrote that the Spirit proceeds from the Father. The Catholic Church added “and the Son.” Lutherans as part of the Western church, inherited the Catholic version. I have read the arguments on each side, and each present cogent arguments supported by particular passages of Scripture and logic. I have no idea who is right on this one–and on other such questions. Perhaps we should not claim to know more than Scripture tells us plainly and in humility to rest in mystery for a time.
No, but that’s not the point of the post.
I won’t deny anything you’re said here. But, I’m certain we can also agree that it’s critically important to pursue truth and reject error. Where the scriptures are clear: baptismal regeneration, infant faith, the bodily presence of Christ in the sacrament of the altar, the verbal forgiveness and retention of sins by Jesus’s command and authority, the persona and work of Christ, the trinity, the personal union of the two natures in Christ, et al, we ought not chalk things up to differences of opinion.
To your statement: there are a relatively narrow slice of Christians using/adhering to the three ecumenical creeds. We do not make a habit of rejecting their Christianity. But, we are rightly critical of the predictable errors flowing from a lack of credal confession.
The point of my article is that those differences do matter. We ought to be clear about what our theological background is. We also need to identify correctly the background and sources of those claiming some sort of nondenominationality.
Humility is right and good in those things that may be unclear. Boldness of confession is also good and right in those things that are clear. These are not mutually exclusive attributes of Christians. They both have their place and their application.