Finding the Common Denominator in our Denominations

Christianity is a bit of a mixed bag, really.

We all follow this one guy who claims to be this one God, and somehow we’ve managed to split ourselves off into more than 45,000 (!!!!!!) different denominations. So somehow we have fewer gods than the Hindus, but more ways of dividing ourselves as followers. Typical.

What gives?

Some of our differences are quite fundamental, and I can understand why you’d want to worship separately because those differences can be quite worship-centric. But a lot of our less fundamental differences are finicky and could actually be worked out, leading to a more diverse and mature congregation. But we just don’t seem to succeed in giving those challenges a chance.

In my short 33 years within the church, I have seen many people and multiple friend circles leave Christianity or transfer to a different church, and it was nearly always over something that would have been hugely beneficial to the church if it had been patiently worked through. Had both sides been able to sit down and communicate in a healthy manner, wow, we would have grown with each other and matured like a fine wine. But instead, in the words of my friend Reuben, we’ve aged like fine milk in the summer sun. If only Christians could just sit down and talk productively with each other!

Growing up as an ‘Evangelical Charismatic’ we were, maybe unknowingly, taught that if you weren’t in our particular boat, you were in the wrong one. I’m starting to understand that this is what most denominations are taught: “All Christians are ok, but we’re the most ok.” While I’m all for the search for absolute truth and enlightenment, I’m also aware that it’s exactly what led to this whole situation in the first place. If Eve had taken Adam’s word for it, we wouldn’t be in this mess.

Sometimes it’s simply about trusting the word that God has given to someone else.

“What? God actually speaks to the Anglicans?” Yes, shock horror, God speaks through their historical tradition as much as he speaks through freedom of expression that Charismatics hold to.

All that to say, one of my absolute favorite thing about Missions so far has to be the closer proximity I have to Christians of different denominations.

I’ve found a real goldmine just waiting to be found in the liturgies of the Anglican church, the steadfast teachings of the Presbyterian denominations, and the freedom of the Spirit in the Evangelicals. Of course, I’m simplifying outrageously, but you get my point. There are strengths in each denomination just as there are weaknesses.

When working as part of an Overseas Missions Team, our job is basically to go out and find the vulnerable and look after them. Don’t get me started on how you could even do this without leaving your hometown - another blog for another day. But when doing this holy work, it becomes less important whether or not I believe in gold dust falling from heaven. When we’re finding those outcasts of society and offering them and their children hope and an actual future, they could care less whether I read from the Old King James Version of the Bible or The Message version. We are just getting out there and doing the work. Together.

Of course, within any team, there are going to be big differences in approach and technique and purportedly contrasting beliefs. These differences flare up all the time and we wonder how we’re ever going to get through it. I think Jesus foresaw this and intentionally chose followers for himself that were twelve of the most diverse men in his country at the time. What I would give to hear Judas fighting with Matthew about tithes and offerings. And what I would pay to hear John battling with Thomas about faith and love. How did they work these things out and still fellowship together with Jesus for three whole years?

I can’t begin to understand. All I know is that they had Jesus in common.

Imagine if, as a bunch of Christians, we all chose to have Jesus in common and mark everything else as secondary.

How much more we would achieve in this broken, fractioned world of ours.