Four reasons for division in the church

Posted on September 1, 2014 Written by Mark McIntyre 6 Comments

In a previous post, I outlined the problem of division in the church. Today I discuss the reasons why it takes place.

Causes of Division

I can think of four reasons why church leaders cause division over non-essentials:

Pride
Misunderstanding
Insecurity and
Idolatry

Pride

It is all too common to find those who feel superior to those who do not properly understand doctrine. If I am honest, I must admit that my inner Pharisee seeks to move me toward such feelings. It is easy to become proud.

Yet, this is not how we see Jesus and the Apostle Paul functioning in the New Testament. Yes, they taught and argued to bring people to a correct understanding of doctrine, but one does not sense in either Jesus or Paul any attitude that would promote division over non-essential doctrine. If anything, one senses feelings of sorrow over those who misunderstand the Gospel.

Paul points to Jesus as the example of one who humbled himself for the purpose of bringing us to salvation. The very Gospel that is to unite us was made possible by Jesus’ example of humility. To the Philippians Paul wrote:

“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:5–11, ESV)

Misunderstanding

Those who promote division often have a misunderstanding of what it means to be set apart. Jesus told us that his coming would result in disagreement rather than peace. Jesus also told us that his followers would have to endure persecution.

But we should not be seeking the disagreement, it may find us, but it should be something that we try to avoid. If an offense is to come, let it be the offense of the gospel and not the offense of those who seek to speak in God’s name. We don’t need to take hard stands on issues such as the preferred Bible translation, or wearing of cosmetics or many of the really silly things that have divided believers over the years.

Jesus told us that the defining mark of the Christian is to be love. If anything is to set us apart from others it should be the radical way we love those around us.

Insecurity

I have seen in some a need to be reassured of being part of the “in” group. The insecurity manifests itself by setting up doctrinal litmus tests to see who is in and who is out. This could be over eschatology (the study of last things – interpretation of prophecy) or some other doctrine that is set up as the test for orthodoxy.

When I look at who hung around Jesus, I have to marvel that churches work so hard at defining who is in and who is not. Jesus hung around with drunkards, hookers, thieves, terrorists and every other category of societal outcast. The one and only test for inclusion into his group was a love for Jesus.

Why then do we feel the need to quantify who is in and who is not? Jesus knows. Can the knowledge that Jesus knows be enough for us?

Idolatry

I love Scripture. I spend time reading it and studying it so that I am on a path of increasing understanding of how God intends me to live and how I should understand the world around me. I believe that this study will lead me into correct belief and practice.

But there is a danger for those who put high value on correct understanding of the Bible. Our desire for correct understanding can eclipse our love for the one who gave us Scripture. In other words, we can be so enamored with correct understanding, we can lose sight of the purpose for gaining that understanding. Our study is to draw us more deeply in love with the God who gave us the Bible.

When our love for correct belief causes us to be unloving toward someone who believes differently, then perhaps we have made an idol out of our doctrine.

Conclusion

Jeremiah 17:9 tells us that our hearts can lead us astray. When division comes, the first place we should look for blame is in our own hearts. Am I causing division out of pride, misunderstanding, insecurity or idolatry? Am I working to be the cause of resolution to the division or am I promoting it?

Unfortunately, the world around us thinks of the church as judgmental and contentious. May we begin to allow God to change our hearts so that we can be known for our love?

Discussion questions: Do you agree with this assessment? Have you experienced any of these, and if so, how did you respond?

On megachurch pastors and failure

Posted on August 12, 2014 Written by Mark McIntyre Leave a Comment

I have no idea what really happened with Mark Driscoll, nor do I want to. This post is not about slamming him. The only thing I will say about Mark Driscoll is that the way he is being treated in the press seems wrong and illustrates a larger problem in society and the church.

When we move away from a proper understanding of the the fall of man we lose sight of the fact that every aspect of every man (and woman) carries the taint of sin. We are all flawed and left unchecked, those flaws will cause trouble.

The problem I see in society is that we have a celebrity culture which ascribes superhuman status to the lucky (or unlucky depending on your perspective) few who have been deemed celebrities. Celebrities can do no wrong and they always seem to get the benefit of the doubt.

Perhaps I am a poor student of history, but I cannot think of any other time and place where rock-star status in one discipline made a person an expert in all others. We have musicians and actors that make political / social pronouncements as if they have studied the subject for a lifetime. Popularity provides an ascribed authority that is not in keeping with actual knowledge.

The church has fared little better. We have our own rock stars that seemingly can do no wrong. If he is selling lots of books, it is presumed that he must be right. All those people couldn’t be wrong could they? Yet, a great preacher might be only s0-so at pastoral ministry. A great preacher might be a poor leader. We have to remind ourselves that no-one is good at everything.

The need for a prophetic voice

David and Nathan — Nathan Confronts David

To give some perspective on this I suggest that we look for a moment at the difference between King David and King Saul in the Old Testament. Saul, had Samuel as a prophetic voice during his reign but he seldom, if ever, heeded the advice of Samuel. David, on the other hand, gave Nathan access to him and responded in repentance when Nathan confronted David on his sin. David saw the need to have a prophetic voice speak into his life and ministry.

In too many church cultures, there is a Pastor at the top with no-one around him who can function as the prophetic voice to offer restraint and correction.

I’ve been in a church where the Pastor was the ultimate (only) authority and it was a train wreck. People got hurt in the name of Christ for the sake of the Pastor’s “vision.” I do not think that this pastor did it maliciously or intentionally, but his intent does not matter, he will have to give an account for the lives he has damaged in the name of the one he claims to serve.

I want to be in a church that has a true plurality in the leadership and no one man holds most of the cards. Solo responsibility is too much power for even the best of men. Also, a plurality of leadership allows for multiple gifts and viewpoints to speak into any situation. We all have strengths and blind spots and a plurality allows for us to help others in their weak areas and be helped in ours.

I’m sure that Mark Driscoll has made mistakes in his leadership. Every leader has. But I wonder, if Mars Hill had helped Mark Driscoll avoid the pitfalls of celebrity, if things may have turned out differently. As it is, I hope that Mr. Driscoll repents in response to the accusations that he needs to own and that he can ignore the parts that are malicious and wrong.

But we all need to remember that ultimately Mark Driscoll will give his account to Jesus, not to us. This is the same Jesus who will call each of us to account and we will all be judged by the same standard.

So, I recommend that you put down that stone, you will only hurt yourself.

The problem with power

Posted on August 4, 2014 Written by Mark McIntyre 1 Comment

The problem with power is that those who seek it are often the ones least qualified to wield it. This is no less true in the church than in society at large. Many great minds have spoken out about the seeking and wielding of power. I cannot add any pithy sayings about power to the list but I do wish to challenge how power is viewed in the church at large.

Any person in a position of leadership wields some power over others. In the church, there are two important questions about how that power is used:

For whose benefit is the influence exerted? Will the leader use his power to bolster his position or will he use his power for the benefit of those he leads?
Will the leader recognize his dependence upon God and seek God for how he should lead?

For whose benefit is power wielded?

In his letter to the Philippians, the Apostle Paul spoke to this issue when he wrote:

“So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:1–8, ESV)

While this applies to everyone, not just leaders, it is more important that leaders in the church operate with the motive of benefitting others.

But too often, pastors operate to consolidate their own status and position within the body of Christ. They jealously guard the pulpit and seek to put a leadership team around them who agrees with their agenda. This is done in the name of “ministry vision.” But it should not be this way.

Is power wielded in dependence upon God?

In 1 Corinthians 11:1, Paul encourages his readers to imitate him, but only in so far as Paul himself is an imitator of Jesus. There are two aspects that I see to operating in dependence upon God. The first as Paul mentions is to imitate the example of Jesus we see in the Gospels. Jesus served others rather than have them serve him. Jesus put others’ needs before his own.

The second aspect of cultivating dependence upon God is to have an active relationship with him. Is the Bible merely the textbook from which the sermons are prepared or is it the tool which God uses to shape the heart of the pastor? Does the pastor seek to deepen his own relationship with God so that he can be more effective in bringing others into a similar relationship? Does the pastor recognize that he is deeply flawed, but deeply loved by God? Does the pastor understand that he will give an account to God, not for the number of people in the seats but for the condition of the hearts he was to shepherd?

Why is an important question

When a man or women steps forward to be a leader, the most important question is why they want to do so. Is it to serve or to be served? Does the prospective leader demonstrate dependence upon God? As followers, we need to make wise choices as to what leader we will follow. As leaders developing leaders, we need to exercise due diligence in our choice of who to develop and how to develop them.

When church leadership falls into the wrong hands, neither the church nor the society at large fares well. People get hurt and it is not pretty.

On the other hand, when a leader operates with a proper sense of calling and with a proper humility, that leader can be used by God to produce amazing results.

Tim Keller on the Gospel

Posted on July 23, 2014 Written by Mark McIntyre 1 Comment

It is quite easy to assume that if we understand the gospel accurately and preach it faithfully, our ministry will necessarily be shaped by it. – but this is not true. Many churches subscribe to gospel doctrines but do not have a ministry that is shaped by, centered on, and empowered through the gospel. Its implications have not yet worked their way into the fabric of how the church actually does ministry. These churches’ theological vision has likely arisen from something other than sustained reflection on the gospel.
Gospel centered ministry is more theologically driven than program driven. To pursue it, we must spend time reflecting on the essence, the truths, and the very patterns of the gospel itself. It is an unfortunate development within the history of thought in general and the history of the church in particular that has insisted on driving a wedge between theory and practice. The two belong together in dialogical relationship. Theology here is understood to be fides quaerens intellectum, the ministry of Christian understanding – an understanding that aims for the church’s fitting participation within the drama of God’s redemption.

Tim Keller in Center Church

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