A word of caution about denominationalism

Our Lord commands in Mark 9:50 to “be at peace with one another.”

 We must beware becoming too enamored with our particular corner on Christianity.  Note one commentator’s understanding:
Bill Leonard takes the title of his book God’s Last and Only Hope from a convention sermon delivered in 1948.  The preacher had no doubt that God could work only through his group: ‘I am more tremendously Convinced than ever before that the last hope, the fairest hope, the only hope for evangelizing the world on New Testament principles is the Southern Baptist people represented in that convention.’  Those who are not Southern Baptists may demur. Mark’s text should cause us to reflect on our role and other’ role in God’s plan with greater humility.  We must recognize that God’s mission in the world is bigger than we are.  We need to recognize who the real enemy is who must be exorcised from our midst and from others.[1]  
I can appreciate this—after I entered my first Southern Baptist Church, it began one of its yearly missions’ campaigns.  Signage and kiosks adorned the vestibule, echoing the message of the guest evangelists—such and such people were lost and without hope, “until the Southern Baptists arrived.”  It always bothered me.  

 The Lord took the backseat to the exaltation of the organization.  Of course, the SBC often preaches Jesus Christ and Him crucified, so don’t misinterpret this.  The problem arises because Christ was assumed, not proclaimed in those meetings.

 Of course, this can happen in any denominational setting.  There’s nothing wrong with having convictions and confessions that describe our theological commitments.  Even so, unless we are more committed to Christ than we are to our factions, then we will never be able to fulfill this command.

 When you are committed to Christ, you seek to allow His Word “richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (Col 3:16).  In other words, His Word works to bring about the peace He commands.  

[1] David E. Garland, Mark: The NIV Application Commentary, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing Group, 1996), 376.

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