The New Denominationalism

by Kenny Chumbley
via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 22 No. 3, September 1996

Apostasy is an ever-present threat to God's people. The Spirit explicitly warned that some would depart from the faith (I Timothy 4:1). In his second letter to Timothy, Paul showed that apostasy elevates the things of man over the things of God (II Timothy 4:3-4). Motivated by "their own lusts," apostates are intolerant of sound doctrine and truth that contradicts their desires; consequently, they seek out teachers who tell them what they want to hear.

There are times when an apostate’s "own lusts" (desires, NASB) are patently sinful (e.g., II Peter 2:13-16). But there are other times when apostasy seems noble and Scriptural (cf. Matthew 16:22-23). Christ warned of wolves-false prophets-disguised as sheep (Matthew 7:15-20). The insidiousness of pseudo-prophets is that they look like true prophets. They are skilled at camouflaging themselves as defenders of the faith. They can make a departure from the Bible seem like a return to the Bible. They can package fables as faith and lead the gullible and unsuspecting into error (cf. Romans 16:18). And they can pop up in the most unexpected places. Paul undoubtedly shocked the Ephesian elders by telling them that from among them-the very ones charged with "holding fast the faithful word" would men arise, "speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them" (Acts 20:30). Whenever we think elders, or preachers, or editors, or Bible faculty professors, etc. are incapable of apostasy, Satan has us right where he wants us.

The only way to distinguish apostasy from apostolic doctrine is to regularly and consistently test all men and their message by the searchlight of God’s word (e.g., Revelation 2:2). If their appeal is not "to the law and to the testimony, if they speak not according to [the] word, it is because there is no light in them" (Isaiah 8:20).

In this and a companion article, we shall look at two distinctive apostasies that have plagued churches of Christ-viz., denominationalism and Catholicism. Both err in regard to Scriptural authority, and both are thoroughly humanistic in that, as noted above, they elevate the things of man over the things of God. Concerning both, it is vitally important that we understand the nature of their error; if we are ignorant of history on these matters, we are almost certainly doomed to repeat them.

Denominationalism

The fundamental error of denominationalism is a lack of respect for Bible authority. Passages such as Matthew 7:21-23; Colossians 3:17; I Peter 4:11, etc., are commonly ignored. Only when it suits their purposes do denominationalists concern themselves with a "Thus saith the Lord."

Regrettably, some brethren have become denominational in their attitude toward authority by denying that a divine pattern exists for the church. And whenever doubt is expressed that the New Testament reveals a specific pattern for the worship and work of the church, certain corollaries invariably follow.

It will inevitably be denied that baptism must precede the remission of sins. Non-baptized believers will be accepted as Christians, or as "brethren in prospect" (Ketcherside). An ecumenical embrace of avowed denominational and quasi-denominational groups (e.g., Promise Keepers) will replace fellowship limited to those "of the common salvation" (Jude 3).
It will be denied that instrumental music is unbiblical or constitutes sufficient grounds for limiting fellowship. The new denominationalist may express a preference to worship without an instrument, but he is unwilling to criticize or oppose those who do use it.

It will be denied that the observance of the Lord’s Supper is confined to the Lord’s Day. It will be affirmed that the day(s) on which Christians eat the Supper is purely a matter of human judgment.

Other examples of denominational apostasy include denying the legitimate authority of elders over a local church and expanded roles for women (as elders, preachers, song leaders, etc.) beyond what is revealed in the New Testament. New denominationalists may claim to have no guide but the Bible, but in what they deny and in what they advocate, they are clearly building a non-apostolic cause.

The Pattern

When responding to denominationalism, the basic issue is whether or not Christianity is ordered after a pattern. If there is no pattern, then it follows that anything goes — fellowship can be as broad or narrow as one desires. If the New Testament contains "no print" rather than a blueprint, then no scriptural, objective basis exists to conclude that any group within "Christendom" is unscriptural. But is there a pattern? Let the following passages answer.

• David learned that God is to be worshipped according to "the due order" (I Chronicles 15:13) (Moffatt, "proper way," NIV, "prescribed way"). Since the Garden of Eden, God has revealed how He wants to be worshipped and served. The sacrifices offered by those who worship in faith — according to the word of God (Romans 10:17) — are accepted by God (Hebrews 11:4); those who depart from the faith lose His respect (Genesis 4:5) and worship in vain (Mark 7:7).
• "Hold fast the form of sound words" (II Timothy 1.13). "Form" translates hupotuposis and means example or pattern (Thayer). The pattern of soundness is the apostles’ doctrine (Acts 2:42), the apostolic faith that Timothy received from Paul and was to pass on to others (II Timothy 2:2).
• "Handling aright" (II Timothy 2.15 ASV), the word of truth implies a pattern, for if no pattern exists, how could truth be handled wrongly? The Greek behind this expression means "to cut straight." But to cut straight, there must be a rule or guide showing what "straight" is. II Timothy 2:15 implicitly affirms a straight way of truth; those who follow it handle the truth aright, and those who depart from it "make crooked the straight ways of the Lord" (Acts 13:10 NASB).
• "The seed is the word of God" (Luke 8:11). Couple this statement with the immutable law that like produces like (Genesis 1:11), and you’ve got a pattern for Christianity. In the first century, the gospel seed produced only Christians who loved, believed, worshipped, and served a certain way. When what was planted then is planted now, it will produce the same. If it yields something not found in the New Testament, something other than gospel seed has been sown.
• Even a cursory reading of Revelation 2-3 reveals there was a due order by which the seven churches were judged. Christ obviously held them accountable to the pattern and strongly condemned them when they departed from it.

This listing of passages is far from exhaustive, but it should be sufficient to confirm that a pattern exists for Christianity. Any individual, using nothing but the mind God gave him, can read his Bible and come away with an understanding of the pattern (Ephesians 3:2-4). And let me emphasize — the pattern is found in the Bible! Christianity didn’t originate in the writings of Alexander Campbell; it isn’t ordered after churches in the 1950s; it doesn’t derive from any brotherhood periodical or Roy Cogdill’s New Testament Church. It comes from one place and one place only — the word of God. Looking for the pattern anywhere else is looking in the wrong place. And to ignore the pattern revealed in the right place — the New Testament — is to usher one into a denominationalism that blasphemes the authority of God’s word.