Our Blog

The Death of Denominationalism

BY DAN KIEHL, Senior Pastor, Oakwood Presbyterian Church

     I recently read this quote by Princeton sociologist Robert Wuthnow: "In the past century, denominationalism was … a very large part of what it meant to be Christian….now people belong to the Presbyterian church, not because of deep loyalty to the denomination at large, but because they like the pastor, they feel comfortable with the people, the building fits their architectural tastes, the church is not too far way, and it provides activities for their family." What Wuthnow says is consistent with what I’m hearing from many sources and what I’m observing with my own eyes – the increasing irrelevance of denominations among in the eyes of American Christians. Not only are believers generally uninformed about the differences between Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Baptists, and Methodists (let alone the myriads of splinter denominations in each of those categories), they really don’t care.

     There are some good and noble reasons for this disdain for ecclesiastical labels. In the past, many people have cloaked their attitudes of pride and judgmentalism in the guise of pursuing and preserving doctrinal purity in their denominations. Also, many of the divisions over doctrinal differences were unnecessary and unhealthy. And the existence of thousands of separate denominations has greatly blinded the Church of Jesus Christ to its essential unity and strength, and has damaged the testimony of the church before the world. Jesus prayed for those who would believe in Him, “that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in Me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you sent Me.” (John 17:21).

     But I fear that the motivation for disregarding denominational labels is actually more worldly than spiritual. I think the tolerance for denominational differences today is due more to weak Biblical knowledge and theological wishy-washyness than to a deeper love and spirituality. Recent generations in the church have become lazy and distracted by prosperity, and have not been willing to teach or learn the deeper truths of God’s Word. It is not a noble thing in the sight of our God to be indifferent about whether or not we should baptize infants; or how to reconcile God’s sovereignty with man’s responsibility; or whether women should be Pastors or Elders. The Lord expects us to work hard for unity in the church, but not at the expense of truth.

     Also, as you can see in the quote at the beginning of this article, one of the major reasons that Christians disregard denominational and doctrinal differences is their misplaced priorities. It’s not surprising in this comfortable, self-centered culture that Christians tend to care more about the likeability of the pastor than his faithfulness to the Scriptures; or that they care more the friendliness of the congregation than level of their commitment to the Kingdom; or that they care more about the proximity of the church to their house than they do about how close it is to God and truth; or that they care more about activities for their kids than they do about in-depth training in truth and discipleship for their kids.

     It is ironic that, in the cause of breaking down barriers and pursuing unity among believers, so many are rejecting denominations and flocking to independent congregations. Is it not obvious that “independent” is not a complement for a local congregation? We are to be seeking to join with other believers on as large a scale as possible, to work toward dependence on other portions of the Body of Christ. In a good Biblical denomination (like the Presbyterian Church in America), this is exactly the goal, and I praise God that we are organizationally connected to other like-minded churches throughout the world.  

Anticipation of the Eternal

BY DAN KIEHL, Senior Pastor of Oakwood Presbyterian Church

     Okay, you can stop now, sit down, take a few breaths, sip some tea or coffee, and reflect. That bright blur of red and green that just went past you was the Christmas season; it’s over now, and life is back to normal (at least it will be, as soon as you get around to taking down the decorations and lights and returning the wrong-sized presents).

     I hope that this most recent celebration of the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ was a time of spiritual renewal and refocusing. If so, then congratulations to you for resisting the temptation to overindulge in the materialistic binge that our consumer-driven culture has created alongside of Christmas. Hopefully, for most of us Christians, the first few days of the New Year feel like a bright new opportunity for serving and knowing the Lord, not a hangover from too much shopping and partying.

     The first few weeks of the New Year can be blasé for many of us because we’ve been living in anticipation of the celebrations at the end of December for so long. Once they’re finished, we look ahead to see what we should be looking forward to now. That’s one of the evidences that we are made in the image of our Creator. Unlike the other creatures He has made, we need something to look forward to. We thrive on anticipation and we wither and die in the face of hopelessness.

     Unfortunately, the months of January, February, and March can be a pretty bleak stretch of regular, mundane life. What’s there to look forward to? Let’s see…there’s the Super Bowl, but if your favorite team isn’t involved, then most of the luster of that event will be gone. There’s Valentine’s Day, but I’m not much of a romantic, so I’m doing well if I even remember to buy my sweetheart a card (for the umpteenth time, sorry Suzanne!). There’s Groundhog Day, which we native Western Pennsylvanians do celebrate as a major holiday, but it’s hard to rally much excitement for that around here. Ah, yes…pitchers and catchers report in mid-February, and spring training for major league baseball teams gets into gear at the beginning of March. But that seems so far away in the first week of January.

     What’s there to live for in January and February? What’s there to look forward to? If your life revolves around work, sports, parties, or shopping, then not much. And, sadly, that describes the lives of all too many people around us. Surely it doesn’t describe us, does it?

     For the disciple of Jesus Christ, the risen Savior and Lord of the universe, our lives must be different. In Hebrews 11, we have the descriptions of the lives of our spiritual forefathers and foremothers. Abraham’s life of anticipation is portrayed in this way: “By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.” Hebrews 11:9-10. Here’s the description of Moses’ lifestyle: “By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.” Hebrews 11:24-26. The whole passage ends with this exhortation to us: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1-2. The life of faith is a life of intense anticipation, where we are to be continually looking forward to the wealth and pleasures of Christ’s eternal kingdom.

     That doesn’t mean that we live totally unsatisfied lives here and now. We enjoy the gifts of God’s creation, and, even better, we know Who to thank. We taste of the eternal things of Christ’s Kingdom when we read the Scriptures, pray, worship, and witness to the Gospel. We daily experience the presence and joy of the Lord.

     But we know that we are on a journey and a mission, and that we have not arrived. And the stronger our faith grows, the less satisfied we are with temporal things and the more we hunger and thirst for eternal things. Paul described his own life as a pursuit to know Christ, and he goes on to say in Philippians 3:12-14, “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” This deep desire to know the fullness of life in Christ is what drives people with faith in Christ, no matter how boring or bleak our earthly circumstances.