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The Thinker
Are divisions within the Church necessarily a bad
thing?
- Although we use different loaves of bread in the
Communion, it is still a communion.
- It is possible to have as many churches as there are
groups of like-minded people, but there will only ever be one
Church.
- Only if the divisions cause animosity within the church
and prevent the various different bodies acting according to
Gods’ will.
- Jesus prayed for unity …
- Differences are not necessarily a bad thing, but
divisions as hostile and judgemental as we experience today
can only be negative.
- Our continuous inability to respect other denominations
of Christianity, especially within this university creates a
huge barrier between us and those we are trying to
convert.
- At present there is a great lack of acceptance and
respect between different denominations. It is this and not
the differences themselves that is a bad thing.
- Divisions in the church reflect difficulties encountered
in the attempt to re-live Christ’s life as it is
delineated in the Word of God. Divisions within the church
are matters not undertaken lightly in any age but there has
been a historical urge amongst Christians to live more
perfectly in the light of God’s glory. Where a church
is percieved not to be reflecting the full truth of this
glory, divisions arise both in theory and, in part, practice.
The Cross and its significance, when recognised, has shown
its miraculous ability to produce cross-denominational, cross
factional, authentic Christian experience and holiness (sight
of God). Division, for all its apparent drawbacks, should at
least be instructional as to the problems that wll confront
us in our Christian lives.
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Last modified: 25th November 2005
