Lets stop focusing on Christian denominational labels
A biblical reference to denominations
If you have a lived in this world long enough you will have come across different Christian denominations e.g. Methodist, Presbyterian, Evangelical, Baptist etc. Though this is definitely important, as a way to identify with a particular way of practicing one’s faith and the virtues one holds, it can get in the way of what is really important as a Christian.
Paul the Apostle spoke about this in 1 Corinthians 3 where he states, “who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed….” Paul was addressing the growing desire for affiliations with a particular Church leader. Members of the Church sought to align themselves with a particular minister and this was something Paul was not pleased by. He then went on to say, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase”. This is important as he was trying to prevent a focus on religious denominations because they can deter from the main cause of the Christian faith. Things needed to be put in perspective and the focus put back on God, and not the minister. We can learn a lot from this today because it is easy to get lost in religious affiliations, but we need to remember that they can direct attention to a particular person and not God.
Two things can happen if we place too much focus on Christian denominational labels:
- Placing our faith on an individual and the denominational movement.
When focus is placed on a particular Christian denomination, movement or individual, this can easily become the object of our faith. Though it is very normal to be influenced by people and have mentors, our Christian faith should not be defined by them. Having a focus on denominational labels can divert our attention away from God, especially if an unfortunate event occurs with a denomination. People have strayed from their Christian faith due to unfortunate events and scandals involving Church leaders and denominations. This should not be so as our faith should not be placed in these things. Going back to the verse highlighted above, Paul the Apostle said, “who is Paul, who is Apollos….”, we could easily replace their names with any other Christian leader or minister we know. This is important because they are “ministers through whom you believed…” and therefore not the object and subject of our belief. An unhealthy focus on denominational labels can go against this principle and concept.
2. Forgetting the ‘main thing’ and what the core focus of our faith should be.
It is easy to forget what the central theme of our Christian faith should be. It is easy to forget the ‘main thing’ Christians should be known by. I hope this article can serve as a reminder of what this is. John 13:35 says it beautifully, “by this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” This is what Christians should be known by in the world. People who love one another and love others. A focus on denominational labels can lead to tribalism, ultimately among people of the same faith. Not focusing on these denominational labels allows the veil of personal affiliations to be removed and a focus on what our day to day activity should be, loving one another and loving others.
In writing this article, I do not in any way want to diminish the importance of having an affiliation to a Christian denomination. Many great things have been done through Christian denominations, including charitable and humanitarian work. These affiliations are also important to help people find a sense of belonging and align with certain virtues that a particular denomination may place greater emphasis on. However, what I want to draw peoples attention to, is that we should not get lost in these denominational labels, but instead, we should focus on what the core element of our faith should be, which is LOVE.
