The Cross-Denomination Schism

Calvin Presbyterian minister Graham Standish describes a rift that Christians (and others) probably take intuitively to be correct:

Have modern Christians become a people of two faiths divided by a common Bible? Looking at the increasing division among Christians on so many topics, it's hard not to think so. At a time when the walls dividing denominations from each other are crumbling, a new wall is rising -- one dividing Christians into two competing camps. In one camp are evangelicals, and in the other camp are progressives.

And, to be sure, I've found myself forming connections that cross denominations, but that characteristically unify us in opposition to other factions within our respective Churches. Where his observation begins to go off is with Standish's undue sympathy for the "progressives," leading him to feel split:

On the issue of homosexuality, each side claims that it is being true to scripture. And both are right if you consider the basis of their beliefs. For example, Great Commissioners are clear that the Bible condemns homosexuality, and they are right. Although the Bible doesn't deal much with the issue of homosexuality, when it does, it condemns it.

Still, Great Commanders are right in reminding us of the biblical command to look first at the log in our own eye, rather than the speck in another's, for prejudice is a sin; and that we who are without sin should cast the first stone, for all of us are sinners. They remind us that we are not to judge, but rather to love those who have been judged and persecuted. ...

The sad thing, whether we are talking about Christianity or politics, is that there are far too many of us who are stuck in the middle of the conflict. Like children of divorce we are increasingly being asked to choose one or the other, when really we love both.

However, as Methodist minister Donald Sensing points out, this is a false dichotomy. Drawing from a study that is, admittedly, somewhat dated (1978), Sensing rephrases evangelical (Great Commissioners) and progressive (Great Commanders) as born again and ethical, respectively:

The researchers wrote they expected the ethical Christians would score higher on the Social Interest Survey, motivated primarily by Christ's ethical teachings. It was not so. "The born again group scored higher in social interest in both age groups studied, even though they are primarily committed to the person of Christ and secondarily committed to the ethics [of Christ]. These results support the notion that born again commitment fosters greater internalization of Christian ethics" ...

... Other significant points this study uncovered were that born again commitment is more likely to mature over a person's life than the ethical type and that "an intense, mature and personal religious commitment fosters a sense of purpose in life and a greater concern for the welfare of others."

The distinction that the 1978 study picked up has expanded into a wide division. On one side are those who see their faith as mainly a prescription for living — a sort of wellness plan. If socially progressive movements, such as the acceptance of homosexuality, are seen as making people feel better about themselves, then justification for them must be found in scripture and tradition. Unfortunately, as Sensing notes, one hardly needs formal religion for this purpose, and one certainly doesn't require belief in the Son of God.

The other side is obscured by being called "evangelical" and "born again." These terms aren't, strictly speaking, accurate; born agains needn't have been born again, and evangelicals needn't be Protestants who emphasize preaching. Conservative Catholics, for example, are semantically excluded. What I see as being the real quality that defines this second group is that they — we — emphasize the "realness" of Christ, and the palpable quality of our faith. We define our ethics according to what we consider to be the true nature of reality, a Truth that requires study and discernment, as distinct from emotion and intuition, every bit as much as any science.

Thus, Standish's "progressives" and Sensing's "ethical Christians" are akin to political liberals who seek to cure symptoms, to change racial employment statistics by force of quota, for example, without pursuing policies to demand the development of responsible behavior. The poor deserve welfare, and sin must be redefined for the sake of self-esteem.

To the extent that we on the other side see welfare as an impediment to the discovery of self-worth and self-esteem as an illusory distraction from spiritual salvation, there can be no reconciliation of these views. And to the extent that we root our conclusions in scripture, tradition, evidence, and logic, the gap in the very languages that we speak cannot help but expand.