My Favorite things about Angelfire.
My Favorite Web Sites
Angelfire - Free Home Pages
Free Web Building Help
Angelfire HTML Library
HTML Gear - free polls, guestbooks, and more!
Mike Faber John Witte Prelude September 20, 2004 Denominational Unity of the Christian Church From my understanding, the denominations are in some respects very closely related to each other, but in others are very much on opposite ends of the spectrum. Thankfully there is one thing that all denominations of the Christian Church can agree on- that the only true way to heaven is through Jesus Christ. I think that in the grand scheme of things, that’s all that really matters. I believe that some of the differences in the denominations though are in some ways critical to the growth and effectiveness of the Christian church. Growing up, I have attended the same church throughout my whole life- Brookside CRC here in Grand Rapids. I never had the opporitunity to attend another church other than my grandparent’s or my aunt’s (which I now know are Reformed and Presbyterian). I never really noticed differences between their churches and mine, seeing as most churches don’t usually discuss doctrines with younger kids. So I was brought up solely in one church environment, and I knew nothing else. I was never even told that there were differences in the other churches. I was in for a big shock when one year we were invited to a Catholic church for one of our friend’s first communion (or whatever their big event is, I’m not quite sure). All of the ceremonies were different, they had knee-boards that you would flip down and use to pray, and they took communion different than us too. I wasn’t quite sure how to react because growing up in a Christian Reformed Church and not experiencing anything else hadn’t shaped me like that. I have come to realize that most denominational differences come down to views on predestination, women in office, or dancing; and also that the one thing the Bible makes absolutely clear is one thing we can all agree on. So while I hear arguing over whether women should be allowed to be elders, whether dancing is of the devil, or about backsliding, I prefer to rest on the one thing that I know for sure is true. Honestly right now I can’t say wholeheartedly that the CRC is the best place for me (or where God wants me to be). I haven’t done all of the searching into other denominations, researching other’s positions to be able to say that I am where I belong. Which is one of the things I am eager to search out here at Calvin- to delve in deeper both into the Reformed tradition, as well as other traditions of Christianity. Is denominational unity a necessity? Do we even need denominations? I happen to think that it is important to understand all sides of the various Christian church denominations. By having a ‘big tent,’ we are allowing for various interpretations of scripture (all of which I see as inconsequential in the end) without alienating those with different beliefs. I think that as long as they have the solid core of Jesus Christ (asking forgiveness of sins, et al), different readings or meanings found throughout scripture pertaining to trivial affairs such as those mentioned above should be welcomed and open for debate. By closing those doors and choosing one set of Biblical interpretation, we severely limit the amount of people who would feel welcomed into the Christian church- which is not the way it is or ever should be.
