Division and vision among evangelicals

I was recently in an email dialogue with a friend in ministry. He was asking me about my thoughts on division within the evangelical church in the USA. It’s a tricky topic. One person’s division is another’s valiant stand for truth.

One aspect of this challenging topic is adopting the correct analysis. It’s always perilous to postulate solutions before you have correctly identified the problem, or provide treatment before you have an accurate diagnosis. What exactly is going on? There are a number of different factors at work.

1. Scale
   
   First of all, there is the sheer scale of American evangelicalism. By nature of its size, the movement is far more likely to be fragmented than the similar movement in Britain.
   
   
2. Terminology
   
   There is also the issue of terminology. Some black churches in the USA will be unlikely to define themselves as evangelical even if, by Bebbington’s definition and most other normally used definitions, the belief system appears evangelical.
   
   
3. Definition
   
   Similarly, the definition of evangelical itself is fraught with disagreements. If we cannot agree what something is we should not be surprised if there are different expressions of it.
   
   
4. Political factor
   
   Additionally, there is the political factor. While in some years past, the famed “culture wars” of America were largely a phenomenon of the church versus culture, in more recent years there is a commensurate version of the culture wars within the evangelical church.
   
   
5. Doctrinal divisions
   
   Then again there are doctrinal divisions: differences, sometimes impassioned, as to what constitutes faithful preaching, Biblical church governance, appropriate church-based evangelism strategies, and more.

Such a hydra-headed monster is not easily defeated. Granted. But that is not to say that it cannot be defeated. All things are possible for him who believes, and our God is all powerful, and His Word will accomplish that which He has designed for it to do.

In the pagan myth, the many headed hydra monster was defeated as Heracles wielded a golden sword. And it is the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, which is to be brought to bear. As the Bible is taught, as the gospel is preached from the Bible, churches and Christians increasingly will discover a united love, as Ephesians 4 teaches.

It is that vision - the vision of Ephesians 4, of humility, and love, and unity in the Spirit, encouraged and developed through the exercise of gifts as we speak the truth to one another in love - which will increasingly grow a mature, united, and healthy evangelicalism, whether in the UK, USA, or anywhere else.

At God Centred Life’s “Word Conference” (Wordconference.org) this September we will be addressing this matter by looking at John’s letters under the theme “Love In Truth”. You are welcome to join us as we dig into what the Bible has to say about how we can be faithful to the truth, and yet also loving to one another.