Church Conflict – You Be the Judge
Begin an email contact with your membership by engaging them in an email exchange around the topic of conflicts in the church. Word your email as the following:
When you hear about or even experience conflict in the church, how does it make you feel? Do you want to say, “If the church was really Christian, there would not be any conflict.” I hope you don’t consider this, but some people even think about moving to another church to avoid the experience of conflict. So I want to begin our conversation by looking at church conflict from an historical perspective.
Would it surprise you to know that conflict in the church began with the disciples? It is recorded among Jesus’ first disciples. “An argument arose among them as to which one of them was the greatest.” (Luke 9:46) Lest you think that was just an early weakness that was overcome, later Luke records right after Jesus had instituted the Lord’s Supper “A dispute also arose among them as to which one of them was to be regarded as the greatest.” (Luke 22:24) The struggle continues as seen in the writings of Paul. “Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same purpose.” (1 Corinthians 1:10)
LET’S PLAY A GAME
I want to invite you to play a game, first in an email exchange and then later, if there is interest, perhaps at a church gathering. The first stage of the game goes like this. I will identify 8 historical arguments given for church division and identify 3 major splits in the historical church. You are asked to see if you can identify which causes are associated with which major church separations. Email me your responses, and in a later email, I will identify what I have discovered historically.
Some of the reasons given for major division in the church are:
- Who is responsible for the proper ordination of candidates for the ministry?
- Should the leaders of the church speak the same language?
- Should the Eucharist bread be leavened or unleavened?
- To what degree does your behavior determine your salvation?
- When thinking of Jesus the Christ, is the most important attribute his humanity or his divinity?
- Should assistance to the poor be a major or minor focus of the church?
- What style of worship is appropriate for the church?
- Should members of the church be asked to pledge loyalty to a power beyond their nation’s government?
The three major historical divisions we will begin with are:
- The Great Schism of 1054 that led to the split between Eastern Orthodoxy and the Western Roman Catholic Church,
- The Protestant Reformation,
- The split between the Anglican Church and the Methodist Church.
To simplify your response, just put down the letter followed by the numbers you think identify the issues for that division.
Thanks for participating. I hope it is a good conversation.
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I will give you additional steps in the game in the next blogs.
