A journey into the Rocky Mountains of Western Canada brought me to Vermilion Pass, a single point that divides two national parks and two provinces. It also divides two watersheds, for it stands upon the continental divide. To one side of this spot all waters flow west and eventually find their way to the vast Pacific; to the other side, all waters flow east and eventually empty into the cold Atlantic. To both sides are countless springs, countless snowmelts, countless glaciers, each one the headwaters of a creek, stream, or river that eventually joins with others and makes its way steadily toward one of these two great oceans.
In the decades that I’ve been a Christian, I’ve been told of many doctrines, many convictions, and many movements that represent the theological equivalent of a continental divide. Flowing to the one side of this issue are the faithful and to the other side the unfaithful. To the one side is the standing church and to the other side the falling church. To the one side is the godly remnant holding firm and to the other the great host of compromisers who are crumbling away. The implication is that if we don’t get a certain issue exactly right, we have set ourselves on the side of evil and will eventually be swept into the ocean of iniquity. Not only that, but we need to quickly separate ourselves from those who are moving in the opposite direction.
I face such divides with an increasing sense of skepticism. Though many claim that this issue or that issue is so important that it must be the basis of division, that it marks the point of disfellowship, I have my doubts. That’s not to say that nothing is true and nothing is false. It’s not to say that we ought to live in a kind of theological relativism or be content with a mushy middle. But it is to say that many people have a vested interest in making such claims. It is the claimants as much as the claims that warrant skepticism.
Bullies abound. Hyperbole sells. Exaggeration earns attention. Alarmism is a well-proven tactic. While nobody is interested in buying a book or attending a conference that deals with the third-most-pressing issue of our times, many will invest time and money in one that deals with the issue that will define the era. No conference Q&A has ever asked about issues that are perfectly settled and agreed on by all Christians, but many focus on issues that mark disagreement and division. A discernment blog is likely to rise through the ranks much faster than an encouragement blog. Many a podcaster or YouTuber has forged a career by claiming this issue, then that one, then the other, is the one that must divide the few from the many, the true from the false. Though some of them may be right some of the time, most of them are wrong most of the time.
Bullies abound. Hyperbole sells. Exaggeration earns attention. Alarmism is a well-proven tactic.
Every now and again a new issue does arise that demands careful examination and deep thought. Some issues are so pressing that it is right for Christians to gather to discuss them and come to an agreement on what is true and what is false. But most of the true “continental divide” issues have long since been settled. Thus we do well to ground ourselves in the long history of the Christian church and her creeds and confessions. Most of what needs to divide us has already been determined long ago and agreed upon by centuries of believers. Most of the rest demands patience, time, and persuasion more than haste, censure, and separation.
Meanwhile, the great issue of this day and every day is whether God’s people will be holy and united, whether we will speak true with love and love according to truth. It is whether we will be led by the Spirit working through the Word or whether we will be led by people of poor character working through new media. There are many people who will create new divisions or widen existing divisions in the name of Christ but for the good of themselves, the enriching of their pockets, or the widening of their influence. Too many of the church’s agendas are set by people who are following the devil’s agenda—his agenda of chaos, division, and separation.
Satan’s great genius has always been to place his agents within the church. While we keep a wary eye on the world and the culture, they are often ravaging the believers behind our backs. Paul’s warning to the Ephesians elders should sober us all and amplify our vigilance: “From among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them” (Acts 20:30). I plead with you for the sake of your spiritual well-being, for the sake of the unity of Christ’s church, and for the sake of giving the best of our attention to the Commission Christ has given us, to expect that the worst of our enemies will come from within. It’s very possible they will be wearing the guise of angels of light … or the guise of experts on discernment (2 Corinthians 11:14).
