[Note: I apologize for the length. If I thought more clearly, I’d use fewer words. But my intention is to follow this introduction with a series of more blog length postings about areas Christians should pursue both/and.]
I love the Church—the Bride of Christ, the Body of Christ, the called-out people of God. I have been a part of traditional denominations, New Testament non-denominational churches and attended Catholic, Presbyterian, and Episcopalian services. Yet, I, and many others I suspect, am continually frustrated by the Church’s tendency to never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity. Over the years, what has frustrated me most is that the Church often forces believers into false choices.
Theological and ecclesiastical traditions often force us to choose between two good things when God desires we have both. Do you want the fruit of the Holy Spirit or the gifts? Do you want to save the souls of people or meet their physical needs? Do you want to do the work of evangelism or be a powerful intercessor? Do you want to follow God’s Word or the supernatural leading of the Holy Spirit? Do you want to care for the planet or get people saved before Jesus returns? Do you want to raise up a mighty army that will do spiritual warfare or tenderly shepherd and heal God’s lambs? Do you want to live holy and unstained by the world or infuse the world with the light and love of Jesus? Are we going celebrate the grace of God that covers a multitude of sin or pursue ethical holiness and high standards of moral conduct? Many Christians are weary of the First Church of Either/Or.
Through this false either/or the enemy robs the Church of the blessings and callings of God. If Satan can’t persuade us to surrender something God has given us or to forsake a biblical truth, he will try to convince us that to grab one we must let go of the other. Or he will inspire us to emphasize one truth while neglecting the other. In Ecclesiastes 7:18 Solomon says, “It is good to grasp the one and not let go of the other. The man who fears God will avoid all extremes” (NIV). So why don’t Christians just grab both? When traditions say we must choose one or the other, why don’t we just say, “Both/and”? The reasons we don’t grab both are easy to identify.
On the grassroots level God’s people often seek to establish a tribal identity that defines them and in some way elevates them above other believers. Paul rebukes the Corinthian believers for distinguishing themselves according to who they followed:
My brothers, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul” another, “I follow Apollos, another, “I follow Cephas,” still another, “I follow Christ.” (I Cor. 1:12)
It seems clear that in this case it was not the church leaders that were encouraging the division in the church, it was the people themselves. Because God has not entrusted all his truth to one leader, this instinct toward tribalism often robs us of essential biblical truths. In rejecting one God-ordained leader for another, we often get one truth but lose another.
We should note, however, that Paul includes in his rebuke those who simply say, “I follow Christ.” Today some believers are so eager to disassociate themselves with other Christians, denominations, or political factions that they only identify themselves as, “Followers of Jesus.” Of course, this can be done arrogantly or humbly. Saying, “Like you, I am a follower of Jesus” is inclusive. Saying, “Unlike you denominational folks, I follow Christ alone” is perhaps the worst kind of tribalism.
Of course, tribalism can also come from the top down. Having distinct doctrines that set some believers off from other Christians creates organizational loyalty and a reliable financial base for growing a ministry. Being able to say, “We believe this, but not that” often clarifies a group’s reason for existing. And the group’s existence justifies its paid clergy. This not to say that money is the motive of these pastors, but the professionalization of pastoral ministry certainly makes tribal identity and distinctions important.
Another reason that we fall prey to the either/or-ism is our very hunger for balance. When God uses a leader to restore a lost truth or emphasis to the church, many believers run in mass to that side of the boat—threatening to capsize the more traditional church. For instance, it is good news that God has called believers to co-labor with Him through intercessory prayer for revival. What a privilege to be used by God to bring revival in our generation! It easy to regard with pious contempt churches who simply pastor the flock, keep people walking faithfully with God, and evangelize the lost. But isn’t this a case where we should grab hold of one without letting go of the other? When the pendulum swings, we should not be found chasing it to the other extreme.
It may be that God has been working to restore to the Church much that has been lost or neglected. Protestant Reformers restored the idea of salvation by grace to the church, Methodists and holiness preachers restored the deep working of the Spirit in creating holy character, Pentecostalism restored faith in the power and gifts of the Holy Spirit, more recently non-denominational charismatic groups have emphasized the gifts of healing and prophecy. However, each group often opposed the next work of God in restoration. Catholics opposed Luther and Calvin, Luther and Calvin opposed the Anabaptists, Anglicans opposed the Methodists, Quakers, and Baptists, then Methodists opposed the holiness folks, Nazarenes opposed the Pentecostals, and Pentecostal denominations opposed the Third Wave charismatics. Ironically, groups who were born out of God restoring something new usually end up rejecting every new thing that comes after them. This overview should produce more than a heavy sigh—it should make us impatient with anyone and anything that cuts us off from the all God has.
Much of our exasperation, however, must be directed toward our own lack of discipline. Few people rally around the message of moderation or balance. Leaders who take extreme positions immediately gain followers and attention. American believers are always looking for the latest thing. American Christians have embraced the marketing idea that branding is essential to church growth. It is hard to market what C. S. Lewis called “mere Christianity”. Too often we order our Christianity the way we order our lattes: “I will have one low-legalism, contemporary worship high-tech church with a sprinkling of social justice, please.” We need to repent of the consumer model that keeps us shopping for a church that fits our style.
In a similar way, Christian’s have often based doctrines on their own experiences with God. Those who have a sudden conversion experience often make it a doctrine that no one can gradually come to God. Those who receive the Holy Spirit in a definite second work, or with speaking in tongues, or with prophecy, or with the laying on of hands, or quietly at home often turn their experience into a doctrine that shuts out other groups and leads us to ignore all the other ways God may desire to work. A careful look at Scripture reveals weird and wonderful variety of ways God visits his people. We should rejoice in all the biblical ways people experience God, but should not reject something as unbiblical just because it is not our experience. God’s Word, not our experience or traditions, should define wholeness for the Church.
We should also forsake our own laziness. Paul exhorts us to do the hard work it takes to rightly discern and embrace the things God is restoring:
Do not put out the Spirit’s fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to what is good. Avoid every kind of evil. (I Thess. 5:19-22 NIV)
It is so much easier to test nothing and chase after every spiritual fad or test nothing and reject everything that is new. Sloth can be the enemy of both the complacent and adventurous. Testing everything requires real work: the study of Scripture and maturity in discerning God’s Spirit.
Many specific consequences of this either/or-ism can be identified, but a general one is the perception (in the United States) that Christians are hypocrites. Surveys (see unChristian by David Kinnaman) have shown that this is not just the opinion of non-Christians—it is even the perception of young Christians. The world and the younger generation of Christians see hypocrisy because we often pick and choose the biblical emphases that suit our taste. Both groups want to see Christians who are whole and walk in all God’s ways. In other words, they want to see Jesus.
Much of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount urges us to be complete or whole in our walk. Jesus says, “Therefore you are to be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.” We often spend so much time talking about what this doesn’t mean that we don’t ask what it does. Here the emphasis is not perfect performance, but on lacking nothing and holding all things in perfect balance. Jesus is not telling us to be error free, he is telling us we can have the wholeness (perfection) that allows God to be both just and merciful, holy and compassionate—the wholeness that makes Jesus the Lamb of God and Lion of Judah.
