Why Churches Split
by Perry Hall
The Civil War had fascinated me since elementary school when I wrote an assignment on what I thought was the Silver War. I was wrong on two counts. I "knew" it couldn't be the Civil War because it wasn't "civil." But neither was it silver.
Probably the greatest summation of the effect of this war is found in the simple yet profound change of a verb. Our nation went from "The United States are" to "The United States is".
After watching several movies recently, I thought of another simple—grant it an oversimplification—summary with a spiritual angle: How do we use freedom?
Bear with me as I don't discuss tariffs, the right to secede, and other causes of this uncivil war. We all know one "peculiar" cause that connected almost every other reason - slavery. Slavery is about how we use our freedom.
When a church splits, isn't there almost always one cause that is the connecting point to every other reason?
How can we rephrase the South's "peculiar institution"?
- The South fought for the freedom of self.
- The North fought for the freedom of others.
Many divisions happen in churches today over this simple but profound difference. How do we use our freedom? How do we treat others who are unlike us? Who are yet equal? Do we use personal liberty to enslave others? Or do we give up our liberty to free others?
Notice how Galatians 5:13-14 shows every law is connected to one cause - love your neighbor as yourself.
The Civil War wasn't very civil. One side practiced the Golden Rule toward the less fortunate, while the other didn't even practice the Silver Rule. Their one cause was the Selfish Rule—do to others what benefits you, not them. This is why many churches split. People love themselves and not their neighbors.
