Sectarianism

W. Carl Ketcherside

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     A few days ago I sat in a huge modem library building housing thousands of religious and theological works. I gazed with a feeling akin to awe at the stacks containing these volumes. It was appalling to realize the variety of interpretations, opinions, and explanations, exhibited in them. Errors of great consequence were proposed or perpetuated and defended in many of them. The writers were not unscrupulous. They were not malignant. They were men of erudition and sincerity. From whence came this great mass of controversial material creating confusion and consternation? Surely no glib or simple answer can be given yet I would like to suggest one idea which I think may have some merit.

     Men are prone to present their views without first arriving at a proper understanding of the nature of the appointments of God for achievement of the divine purpose as relates to man. Thus much that is spoken or written is artificial and superficial. It may deal at length, and even learnedly, with some aspect of revelation without ever seeing its relationship to the totality of God's universal program for the world. There is always a grave danger that we equate that phase with which we are concerned with the universal program. It is difficult to believe that the Godhood and myriads of holy angels are not interested in our latest views and discoveries to the same extent as ourselves.

     Perhaps this has been the foundation of much sectarianism. Certainly it originated, insofar as its honest proponents are concerned, with a serious misconception of the nature of the ekklesia, the church of God. No one who apprehends the import of divine revelation upon this important theme could ever condone or defend sectarianism in any sense. The fanciful theory that those sects which are mislabeled "Christian" are branches of the one body originated with men whose knowledge of the essence of the church was faulty and fallacious. Perhaps they were misled by the figure of the vine and branches in John 15:1-8, but they need not have been. Jesus clearly identifies the branches as men who are his disciples. "If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch....By this my Father is glorified that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be my disciples."

     The body of Christ is not composed of divergent sects. It is not even made up of congregations of believers. It is composed of individuals who constitute the one body because they are united with one head. "Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it" (1 Cor. 12:27). One becomes a member of the one body by being baptized into it. "For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body..." You do not baptize congregations, you baptize individuals, men and women.

     Since the body is not composed of sects, no combination or coalition of sects can ever become the one body. The unity of the body does not consist of the peaceful coexistence of the sects, nor in their fraternization and functioning in one accord as sects. The church is a product of the Holy Spirit, a sect is the fruit of the party spirit (Gal. 5:20). Whether contemplated as branches or as members of the body, it is individuals who are involved. Therefore, all unity of the Spirit in its ultimate must be on an individual basis. It is as individuals we share the common life with the Father and Son through the Spirit and on the same basis share in the common life with all who drink of that Spirit.

     All sects are useless to the accomplishment of God's purpose. They are worse than useless because they are inimical to the divine intent even as are all other works of the flesh. Instead of building up the kingdom of God it is distinctly stated that those who manifest the party spirit "shall not inherit the kingdom of God" (Gal. 5:21). It is not the multiplication or amplification of sects, but their abolition, which will best encourage the prog-

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ress of the Way. Sects are produced by rivalry and are wrong in origin as well as in principle and character. One does not edify or magnify the church of God by building up a sect. The church is composed of a peculiar people but every sect is the result of a peculiarity. There is a grave difference! The peculiar people should flock together; sectarian peculiarities drive the sheep apart. We do not doubt that many of God's children are scattered among the sects. It is this fact which makes sectarianism deplorable. If only the followers of Satan were divided there would be no cause for alarm. It would rather be an occasion for rejoicing, since sectarian division is a sign of weakness and impotence, and a kingdom divided against itself shall not stand. But sectarianism affects the disciples of the Master who ought to be one. It holds apart and aloof from each other those who are commanded to labor in harmony and to follow after peace. It is a sin against the nature of the ekklesia, because is makes those who are called out act like those who have never been called. It is for this reason the apostle writes, "I beg of you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called...eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (Eph. 4:1-3).

     Just as men create sects through ignorance of the nature of the church so others encourage and increase them through ignorance of the nature of sectarianism. It would be impossible to destroy the church of God without first destroying the Holy Spirit. The one body is both created and sustained by the Holy Spirit. By the Spirit we are all baptized into one body, by the same Spirit we are all nurtured in the one body. "And all were made to drink of one Spirit." By the same token it is impossible to destroy sectarianism unless we first destroy the party spirit. Sectarianism is both created and sustained by the party spirit. Sectarianism is the reflection and fruition of an attitude.

     Most of our attacks against sectarianism have been quite empty and vain. They have consisted primarily of lopping off twigs and snipping at branches. They do not get to the real root of the difficulty at all. If we were to debate all of the current sects into oblivion without removing the cause of their existence there would be as many or more new ones for our children to combat in the next generation. The inefficiency of our method and approach is found in the fact that we have not been able to destroy a single sect but have ended up with numerous factions of our own. In the scriptural connotation there is no difference between a faction and a sect.

     Our chief fault lies in dealing with those who are enmeshed and entangled in sectarianism as a mass or group. But the heavenly Father does not regard men as Methodists, Mormons or Mennonites. At his judgment seat each will stand and be judged as an individual. The roll call of heaven will not be one of parties. We should treat men as God treats them. It is wrong to charge against any man that which he disavows. It is a false accusation to impute to a man all of the doctrinal errors held by sectarian fathers in a less enlightened age unless he accepts and defends them. We should accept all honest seekers for truth where we find them for there is no place else for us to meet. We should ascertain what truth each holds and use it as a foundation upon which to build for there is no other foundation available in any man.

     Sectarianism has made for shallowness of thought. This is a natural and inevitable result of undue stress upon some areas of the spirit to the neglect of others. And sectarianism must always exhibit itself in this manner. This has worked its own rebuke in many places and we have lived to see the day when some men in all of the sects are seriously and soberly re-examining their own platform and history. This is concurrent with a wave of solemn recognition that division is the scandal of modern Christendom and that we must find our way back to a common center or perish. As men leave the shallows and wade deeper and deeper into the stream of God's revelation we should be walking by their side to support and sus-

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tain them. We will gain little by pelting them with pebbles and rocks from that portion of the bed of the stream which we have pre-empted, nor will we achieve any enduring good by attempting to saddle upon them the yokes they have outgrown and discarded.

     It is ever a source of astonishment to see those who feel themselves to be the chosen of God to the exclusion of all others, searching the scripturcs with eagerness and avidity to find some grounds for rejecting and refusing all others who love the Lord. But perhaps we should not be astounded at all for this may be characteristic of this vcry type of personality. Yet it remains that such a spirit of exclusiveness is the very essence of sectarianism. It created "the circumcision party" in the Jerusalem congregation. It has created most factions since. We cannot overcome sectarianism by adopting the sectarian spirit. If we would be used of God to overthrow sectarianism we must renounce worldly weapons. "For though we live in the world we are not carrying on a worldly war, for the weapons of our warfare are not worldly but have divine power to destroy strongholds."

     What is the proper method of overcommg sectarianism? The answer lies in a recognition that the party spirit is identified as a work of the flesh, and is, therefore, engaged in entrenched war with the Holy Spirit. "The desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh; for these are opposed to each other....(Gal. 5:17). Our task is to bring each person who is dominated by the party spirit to that place where he can be indwelt of the Holy Spirit, so that living by the Spirit he will be in a position to walk by the Spirit. When every one whose heart is filled with the party spirit becomes filled with the Holy Spirit, sectarianism must "fold its tents like the Arabs and as silently steal away."

     Now men act from motivation and one of the most powerful stimulants to action is example. If we demonstrate the power of the indwelling Spirit in our lives they will be led to imitate in order to secure the same benefits and blessings. We demonstrate the power of the Spirit by bearing the fruits of the Spirit. "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." It is affirmed that against these there is no law. It might as well be said that neither is there any argument or defence. Every antagonistic action produces a reaction equal in force to the action. This simply confirms men in the party spirit.

     We shall not be able to overthrow the party spirit by legalism. The fruits of the Spirit are not even in the realm of law--in respect to these there is no law. Those who walk after the Spirit are not under law. It is not by law but by love that God proposes to offset the works of the flesh. We have been laying down the law when we should have been living up to love. Those who are motivated by a desire to win personal victory or gloat over an opponent's weakness are much more carnal and sectarian than those whom they oppose.

     The spirit of exclusiveness and isolationism is simply the sectarian attitude gone to seed. This spirit exhibits itself in enforced censorship, boycott and intolerance. It seeks to tell others what they must read and hear and what they must abstain from reading and hearing. It demands that all others exhibit "honesty" by coming to hear our plea at the same time that it threatens with excommunication those who are fair enough to listen to the plea of others. It judges loyalty by adherence to party programs and promotions. It cheers even when we fail and sneer at others even when they succeed. Sectarianism cannot be determined from a sign over a building nor by a religious title bandied about on the lips of men. All too often those who profess to be nonsectarian are the most sectarian of all. We cannot fight sectarianism by becoming sectarian any more than we can fight liquor by becoming drunkards. Much of what parades as "faithfulness to God" is merely fidelity to the party line. We pray that all who love God may rise above the sectarian spirit.