Reflection #6: Denominational Pride Goes Before a (Hypo)critical Fall

Crosswalk 2011 - Rosemont Ecumencial Good Friday Procession & Worship

One of my early church memories is attending what were called Reformation Rallies. These were occasions when all the Lutheran churches in the area would gather together (usually on Reformation Sunday if I remember correctly) and give thanks to God that we were Lutherans. Those Reformation Rallies had a definite tone of "We're better than all those other churches," and that sense of Lutheran superiority sunk in deep to my young mind. In those early years I would tell my school mates who attended other denominations that their church was not as good as my church (even if I had never been to their church... I just knew!) Looking back on those days I am glad we have moved beyond such church tribalism, at least to some degree.

Looking down on other denominations has caused a bad smell of hypocrisy to linger far too long in the North American church. This culture of church competition rather than church cooperation does not line up with the command to love others as you love yourself - even (or especially) those who do not "go to church" pick up on that! As I have heard many people ask "Don't you all believe in the same God?"

It is because of the offensive odour of ecclesiastical arrogance that I do not think it is a bad thing that denominationalism appears to be fading (at least in some ways). Partly this decline in denominational exclusivism is due to the need to work together as we all are suffering from shrinking resources. Partly this is due to the simple reality of interdenominational marriage. At the beginning of my ministry there were still pockets of Lutheranism that thought it a terrible thing to marry outside our church, but now parents are just glad if their child marries someone who goes to church period!

Denominational pride grows out of dualistic thinking, the impulse to separate everything into right and wrong, thus if my church is right then the other churches must be wrong. So we set about proving to ourselves (and anyone who would listen) why our church denomination is the "right" one. Meanwhile the mission of the church gets set aside, or worse, changed. Jesus did not ask us to make more Lutherans, or Catholics, or Baptists, or Pentecostals... we are simply asked to make disciples of Jesus. Denominational divisions don't enter into the great commission at all (Matthew 28:18-20).

While there are certainly things about the Lutheran church, and Lutheran approach to theology that I deeply appreciate (and would be hard pressed to give up), I have also come to realize that other church bodies have good and important gifts to offer for our common mission. Last year our local Ecumenical Group planned a joint Good Friday procession and worship service (see the picture above). Walking together through our neighbourhood from church to church there was a great deal of excitement, respect and curiosity. "What would happen at the next church?" At each stop along the processional route there was an expression of faith that was both unique to that denomination and common to all. While the song might not be familiar, the meaning of the lyrics resonated. While the prayers might be led differently than one was used to, the intent of the prayers was clear. While the ritual actions at each stop varied, the same focus was evident - this was about Jesus Christ, the very source of unity, the very reason we were walking and worshipping together in the first place. It truly was a 'good' Friday.

When we are excessively proud of our own denomination, our pride can blind us from the good in other church bodies. It is not so much that any one denomination is the "right" one, rather we simply have different gifts to be used for the sake of the whole. I have seen evidence of God at work in all kinds of churches, in all kinds of settings, in all kinds of people. God is no respecter of church divisions - wherever the people of God gather to seek and do the will of God, there is God in the midst of them. Whenever and wherever people gather to worship Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit flows - sometimes powerfully, sometimes surprisingly, sometimes quietly, often mysteriously, but always active.

As I look to the future I hope that we would learn to care less about being right than being helpful, that we would consider our identity as Christian first and foremost, before thinking of ourselves as a specific branch of the Christian family. I pray that we would find a healthy balance between gratitude for the good aspects of our particular denomination and an openness to the good aspects of others. I encourage all Christians to be humble enough to admit that God will, and indeed is, working in places and people that might be very unfamiliar, or even uncomfortable, for us.

It will be important in the future not to depend on "brand loyalty" to maintain the mission of the church. Already people are much less concerned about what name is on the building - instead they are concerned about how the people who gather in that building function as a people of faith. They are looking, not for a denomination first and foremost, but for a church. They are looking for a group of people with whom they can share and practice their faith, and they are doing so with less and less regard for historical divisions. Whatever happens in the future our call remains: we are to be centered in the Gospel with as much creativity, integrity and energy as possible. That call surpasses all denominational boundaries.

Lest anyone get the wrong idea, I am truly grateful to have been part of the Lutheran church my whole life, but I am also grateful that I have come to understand and experience that my family of faith is much larger than that.