Splintering congregations in recent years has made the question of whether denominations destroy the unity of the Church one of crucial relevance. If Christ is the center of our faith and we base our lives on relationship rather than religion, should denominations matter?
Major Christian denominations have similar foundations in their beliefs. As a body of Christians here at Biola, we are divided by many denominations, but united by our core belief that Christ alone is where we can receive our guidance and purpose. According to the registrar’s Web site, 34 percent of Biola’s student body is non-denominational Christian, 18 percent is Baptist, 10 percent is Evangelical Free, 9 percent is Presbyterian, four is Calvary Chapel, and 25 percent make up the rest of the denominations and students. A denomination within the Christian church unites the people within it. A denomination is not meant to destroy unity but instead is meant to unify a people group with the same beliefs, right? When my editor asked whether or not denominations destroy the unity of the body, I wanted to answer with a simple, “Sometimes,” but sometimes doesn’t cut it.
I spoke with a few students here at Biola to better understand how they view the issue.
“Denominations don’t destroy the unity, they allow us to agree to disagree on intricate theological issues,” says Alan Miller, a biblical studies Biola graduate, now a divinity student at Talbot.
Among social issues, the denominations do not always see eye to eye, rather they often oppose one another’s views. Orthodox and Catholic denominations are usually conservative, while some Protestant denominations tend to see things from a more contemporary point of view, which is usually a matter of a difference in interpretation.
Junior Amy Collins, a Christian education major, thinks that denominations don’t destroy unity. She does think, however, that “It’s hard when we focus on the wrong issues. Denominations do not have to divide or destroy us as the body.”
When we focus on social issues such as divorce, women in leadership and abortion, different denominations will take opposing sides. We need to be one unit like the apostle Paul encourages us to be in 1 Corinthians. We all make up the body, though we are all different parts. R. B. Kuiper, in his book “The Glorious Body of Christ,” said denominations can’t destroy the unity of the body, but they do obscure it. We were meant to be one body, so why all of this separation? I don’t think we need to always identify ourselves by our denominations. We are more than just the names of our churches.
As a body of believers at a Christian university we need to cast our differences aside. We need to come together as believers and followers of Jesus Christ, rather than of members of certain churches or separations. After all, if a denomination is preaching biblical truths and bringing glory to God, they are doing something right.
