My church participated in “Love Chilliwack” today. The official idea from the organizers of Love Chilliwack is this: Love Chilliwack is an annual event hosted by the churches of Chilliwack. The goal is to saturate our city with the generosity and kindness of Jesus Christ. It is a coordinated explosion of kindness that results in thousands of lives being touched in one day, through simple, practical acts of service. In this we get a glimpse of God’s unconditional love for us.
A few of us from my church stood on a busy street corner and handed out bottles of water and bags of chips with a small business card with our Church’s info on it. My hope in this was to simply engage people with outreach, and perhaps I might have the opportunity to present the gospel. While no such opportunity arose on this day, it was a fun day nonetheless. I have to admit, I had fun making people smile.
Part of the endeavour of the organizers of Love Chilliwack is to unite all the Churches in Chilliwack at the “citywide service” the next Sunday (tomorrow). It sounds nice, doesn’t it? Unity as Christians worshipping together. But my church won’t be partaking in the city wide service. I have friends in other churches who ask me, “Why doesn’t your church participate in the City Wide service? ” or “Doesn’t your church believe in unity?” Good questions, and on the surface it appears as religious snobbery or arrogance. But the issue is much deeper than simply snobbery. I would love to see all the churches united in Chilliwack that would be something to behold. I pray every day that God would move, and bring unity across the churches. But at what cost? What is it that unites Christians? I believe that the truth of the word of God and that doctrine unites.
After the last paragraph, I went to grab a drink of water and check my email. And there in my inbox was the title “Unity in Truth” – an article by Kevin Deyoung! In it he discusses some of the usual arguments people use to pursue ecclesiastical (a big fancy word for Church) unity:
These four following arguments have prevailed in liberal ecumenism, each unintentionally eliciting disunity. Each is a mistake “if-then” correlation:
1. If we can just get together on some common ethical standards, then we will therefore achieve the unity of believers.
2. If we could have the same open ecumenical feelings or experiences, then we would feel our unity.
3. If we could just be open to dialogue, then we would grow toward unity.
4. If we merge the separate institutions based on different memories created by the Spirit, then we would experience our unity through an institution, and thus we now must renew our commitment to the institutional vestiges of ecumenism.
All these attempts are alike in one way: they put unity ahead of truth. They squander the truth to achieve a superficial unity. All are mistaken. All spawn disillusionment with efforts at Christian unity. Together they have resulted in the ecumenical turbulence that now buffets us.
All misfire for the same reason: they base unity on something other than the truth, by avoiding the only basis from which Christian unity can emerge—that is the revealed Word whose hearing is enabled by the Holy Spirit and received through faith.
See the entire post here: http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevindeyoung/
As Christians we must not put a unity based on tolerance ahead of biblical truth. We cannot worship with a denomination that puts good works or human effort on par or above the sovereign grace of God.
Some of my evangelical friends say that it doesn’t matter what you believe, as long as you’re sincere, and as long as you live a Christian life. But if you don’t know what the Bible says about God, creation, man, the fall, sin, salvation, and so on…how exactly do you live a “Christian life”? Or how do you even know you’re saved? Is that what your church teaches? Is that the gospel you are presenting to the unbeliever? Then why believe at all? Why go to church?
Christ’s great commission is to “make disciples of all nations… teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” If you don’t know much about Jesus and what he teaches us in the Bible, what would you teach others? Or do you even bother? What would you say when that person at Love Chilliwack asks you to “give a reason for the hope that you have?”
As protestants, we separate ourselves from Roman Catholics by saying that we are justified by faith alone in Christ alone, not by works. Yet the Roman Catholic Church attends the City wide service. How do we reconcile this? Doctrine and Biblical truth are extremely important to the Apostle Paul:
“Watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught” (Romans 16:17).
“Charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine” (1 Timothy 1:3).
“If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing.” (1 Tim. 6:3,4).
“Teach what accords with sound doctrine” (Titus 2:1).
When I bring up creeds, confessions or doctrine in general, most of my evangelical friends get a look of fear or they simply refute my doctrine, saying that it divides the church. I don’t think that their standpoint is due to piety, but because of Biblical illiteracy and the overwhelming influence of the world of today – that influence of the creed of tolerance and a fear of controversy or offending others. In reality, most Christians don’t know what to say to others who ask us about our beliefs.
To conclude, I do pray for unity across the board, with all believers, and that starts with a return to the pure preaching of the word of God – the Truth. A return to biblical doctrine that unites. That is why we do not partake of the City Wide Service. It has nothing to do with religious snobbery – and everything to do with glorifying God and staying true to His word by worshipping Him in truth.
I am sure this post will get me labeled as a religious snob, a fundamentalist bigot or some other not nice words. Tell me what you think.
One Christian Dad 