A Divided Church #4

This might be the last of this "series" on things that cause division in churches.

The fourth is: Local/Denominational Standards & Theology

Liberals and post-modern types that hate any kind of standards may be cheering right now, but wait, it's not what you think.

My point is: Don't try to change the church! Why is it someone can start going to a church or join a denomination and believe they have a responsibility to change their local church. If it was good enough for you to start attending, then why is it not good enough to remain as it was when you found it?

I am not saying that local churches should be resistant to all change. I am talking specifically about local & denominational standards and theology.

If a local church has a corporate conviction on something and I am in the minority then I need to get use to it! Adapt. And if I cannot adapt, then I need to move on to a different church where I can more easily adapt. Conflict and division come when there is a small minority of people in the church who wish to overthrow the corporate conviction.

For example, there is a conviction in a local church that no one should wear shorts in a worship service and I, as a Christian, don't agree. I have three options: (1) adapt to the corporate decision of the local church (2) leave the church or (3) cause division in the church by persisting in wearing shorts to worship services.

Of course we all feel that the change that "I" would institute would be best for the congregation as a whole even though they do not yet know it or are not currently aware of that truth.

But please, do not try to change the theology or local/denominational standards of a church! It's just what we have decided to stand on! It's who we are and if you want to be part of the church, at the very least you will have to tolerate that.

If you are of the Calvinist persuasion do not try to change the church I go to. We just do not believe in that. (And I won't try to change your church either.)

If you speak in tongues, do not try to get our church to accept your definition of the gifts of tongues.

I wouldn't go to a Catholic church and try to get them to skip communion. I wouldn't go to a Baptist church and try to get them to baptize by sprinkling. I wouldn't go to Pentecostal church and try to get them to stop "speaking in tongues."

I'm not going to go into an Episcopal Church and try to convince them not to ordain homosexuals... well, yeah I would, but that is a black/white, wrong/right, light/dark, moral/immoral issue!

Anyway...