John Stott famously lamented the pathological tendency of evangelicals to fragment. Others have remarked upon this as well, often as an argument for dismissing the veracity of any evangelical doctrine. How can the so-called evangelical position on this doctrine or that be accepted if there are other evangelicals who disagree with it? Evangelical theology is defeated by its own lack of consensus. So how do we hold on to the truth, speak it with clarity, call upon others to hold it and stand firm against attempts to modify it, without starting World War 3 or its ecclesiastical equivalent?
On the one hand, Christian fellowship is enormously important. It is a precious gift of God which should not be presumed upon or treated lightly. Those who trample over our fellowship because they feel they know better than everyone else need to realise they will be held accountable for how they exercise leadership among the people of God. Fellowship should never be broken on a whim or a personal preference. Instead we have a responsibility to do everything in our power to 'maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace' (Ephesians 4:3). The practice of ever more narrowly defining orthodoxy, until at last I am the only one that stands within the circle, arises more from pride and hard-heartedness than from the humble submission to the truth of God's word that should characterise the Christian.
On the other hand, there is a kind of unity that is patently ungodly. In the New Testament, Christians are called upon not to associate with anyone who 'bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler' (1 Cor 5:11). Discernment is required. False teaching is harmful and does need to be confronted, not simply papered over for the sake of 'fellowship' so-called. An immense amount of harm has been done to God's people and to the cause of the gospel in general, by some forms of the call to be more inclusive, to broaden our platforms, and to adopt a 'generous orthodoxy'. Generosity to people — love, compassion and humility, most certainly. But generosity when it comes to what is considered orthodox? This sits strangely at odds with what we find in the New Testament.
Here then are some suggestions for principles which might help us think through how we might 'contend for the faith once for all delivered to the saints' in a way which builds genuine fellowship rather than destroys it. They are general principles, not specific directions, and this is certainly not an exhaustive list. However, they are a beginning and it would do us good to seriously consider each of them when we find ourselves in disagreement with others who claim as we do to love Christ and honour his word as the final authority for our faith and life. Read more
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