Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Loyalty
Just got off the phone with a journalist who was asking me some questions about denominational loyalty. I am curious after our conversation. What do you think about denominational loyalties? Do they exist like they used to? Why or why not? What do you think is meant by denomination? Are you loyal to a denomination? Any answers from any of you would be great. I will share my thoughts in a later post.
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I'm reading a book right now that talks about how we as Christians sometimes get so fixed into our "religion” and the traditions that go along with it that we really miss out on the heart of God.
"There is a spiritual dimension to this external world in our desire to do good works, but communion with God is replaced by activity for God."
It becomes obvious that our loyalty should be to Christ alone and to the precepts and practices that the Lord directs us to.
I think the question needs to be not "Are you loyal to your denomination" but rather "Is your denomination loyal to the Lord?"
- Nick
The question still has merit. It still needs to be answered as written. Are you loyal to a denomination? Why or why not? Let me say it like this: If a denomination was loyal to the Lord, would you then be loyal to a denomination? Thanks for the comment. By the way, your quote raises another question - why is there an assumption that activity for God is devoid of communion with God?
The assumption in the quote is not necessarily that "activity for God" cannot include communion with God, but rather that all too often people substitute that activity as a “to do” list rather than in devotion to God.
When the focus of what we do becomes the activity rather than Who we are doing it for we find ourselves no different than any other people who do “things” for a god in hopes for good favor.
Again – activity for God is not a bad thing, but it becomes misdirected when the activity is not carried out in devotion but rather just done.
“The Lord says: "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.” ( Isaiah 29:13 )
_____
Loyalty: faithful adherence to a sovereign, government, leader, cause, etc.
As far as denominations go I would say that I believe in the Southern Baptist Faith and Message. I believe that the Southern Baptist Denomination (At least South Side from my experience) gives teaching that is in line with what Jesus taught.
I don’t think that Denominational loyalty does exist like it once did because in our society people tend to change their opinions to whatever tune sounds the best at the moment.
Any church you might happen to visit will likely contain a mix of people who wouldn’t change denominations even if its teaching contradicted the Word of God, and others who visit a new church every few weeks based on whether they heard that the pastor was encouraging or the worship team sounded really good.
People in today’s world seem to be more loyal to their own feelings and desires than to the truth.
I hope this is more to the point! :)
I think people in my generation and younger (I'm 30), in general, are not are not loyal to denominations. This is probably due to a couple of things: (a) we're not really trusting of large systems, we prefer small, intimate systems, and (b) post-modern thinking ("it's all relative") puts individuals and their wants at the center of life; thus, we are more devoted to ourselves than large systems that we can't control. Furthermore, I think my generation is disgusted at times with the fighting that tends to occur within denominations, and even cause denominations to split.
Personally, my wife and I have said that we would be open to being part of another church that wasn't Baptist, as long as they believed and held to the scriptures. (So maybe we're not that loyal??)
I guess my question would be, "Why do we have denominations? I don't really buy the idea that multiple denominations are just an example of God's diversity. I think the multitude of denominations we have are mostly due to people "doing what is right in their own eyes." But for all of those people, there was probably a conservative counterpart people that was committed to sticking to the truth. In fact, I'm coming to see more and more that it isn't so much about Baptist vs Methodist vs Presbyterian vs etc...most of the time it boils down to liberal vs coservative (e.g. conservative Baptists have more in common with conservative Presbyterians than they do with liberal Baptists). So I'm for groups forming because they feel need to definitively hold to the truth, but I don't understand why those who hold to the truth have to be in separate denominations. (I know that there typically are important issues or practices that distinguish, but is the heart of Jesus and the NT that the church be divided?)
I do see great value in a couple of things about denomination (but here I like the word Convention better - a large convening of all the individual congregations):
a) missions sending/training
b) decision making and handling of issues (in Acts we see the Jerusalem church as sort of the head office where decisions were made that effected congregations).
Sorry for being so long.
I think that this passage addresses the issue of denominations & why I think that they are - generally - a bad idea:
1 Cor 3:4-ff
For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I [am] of Apollos; are ye not carnal?
Who then is Paul, and who [is] Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?
I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.
So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.
& this doesn't even touch false teachers, which are the other source of denominations.
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