Who remembers the old Ken-L-Ration jingle, “My dog’s better than your dog”? It’s one of those commercials that becomes more than a classic in advertising. It has metaphoric application in other contexts. It sums up a competitive attitude that affirms one’s choice or situation. But is it a healthy attitude when it comes to how we view the Church (the universal Body of Christ)?
The early Church viewed the Church as a community of believers united in Christ with the charge of living a life of holiness together. Institutionalization and the creation of ecclesial hierarchy developed during Constantine’s rule. Rome eventually claimed highest authority through succession of Peter—at least until the time of the great schisms. Due to persecutions under Diocletian’s rule, some bishops recanted their beliefs. They submitted ecclesiastical objects and documents to satisfy Roman demands under threat of persecution. This resulted in major controversy and schism after the persecutions diminished.
What to do with bishops who wanted to return to the faith once the persecutions ended? Donatists believed that the purity and piety of ministers validated their ministry. They insisted that their recanting in the face of persecution invalided baptisms and ordinations they had officiated before they recanted. For Donatists, those church leaders were written off with no chance of restoration. Circumcillians, an extreme wing of the Donatist party, further complicated the controversy by committing violent acts against its opponents.
Augustine of Hippo, in opposition, saw holiness only in Jesus and viewed followers as spiritually diseased in process of being healed. Augustine also insisted that the Church remain unified even though it is imperfect. Ultimately, Roman intervention quelled the 4th century melee, but Circumcillians and Donatists did not totally disappear until the Islamic invasion of North Africa. Augustine’s position eventually became the official doctrine of the Church.
Four dimensions in the Apostles Creed (one, holy, catholic, apostolic) gave the Church some definition. A “transdenominational” approach seems to speak to the unity of the invisible Church under the banner of Jesus Christ through the work of the Holy Spirit. Holy—the universal church is holy because it is the Body of Christ even though its members may not exhibit consistent holy lives. Catholic in the Apostles Creed refers to the concept of universal wholeness, not denominations (i.e. Roman Catholic, National Catholic, Byzantine Catholic). It is the ekklesia (a called out assembly, the Church), both local and global. Finally, the Church is apostolic, beginning with the witness of the original Apostles of Christ.
In the ebb and flow of centuries, the Reformers rediscovered its early identity. The view shifted from an institution to an invisible and universal body, unified by the preaching of the gospel and administration of essential sacraments. Various movements leading to a multitude of denominations and persuasions dot the Christian landscape today. This can make it difficult to not only sort out the complexity of the Church, but to view it as one Body of Christ.
Despite the complexity of Christian denominations and groups, the mission of the universal church, to worship God in community and introduce the world to Jesus and His imperatives, has not changed over two thousand years. The empowerment of the Church by the Holy Spirit has also not changed. The Triune God is still at the center of faith and foremost in doctrine.
The “look and feel” of the Church has changed over the centuries in its response to the moves of the Spirit, institutional structure, social relevance, and cultural influence. But while the “look and feel” may change, Jesus’ high priestly prayer has not lost its effectiveness for the Church today. It has not lost its relevance or power. Jesus prayed, “I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but of those whom You have given Me; for they are Yours; and all things that are Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine; and I have been glorified in them. I am no longer in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are (John 17:9–11, NASB).”
In the face of the diverse issues and factions within the Church too numerable to list vying for attention, affirmation, and resources, the prayer of Jesus speaks truth that supersedes petty arguments over issues, traditions, and doctrines that are more peripheral than central. The Church that the Holy Spirit leads and guides is unified in the Spirit. As believers, we can choose to view the Church as He does—“that they may be one even as We are.” In so doing, we still have the opportunity to find our “tribe” while at the same time appreciate what various other traditions bring to the family. We learn to better love one another. In so doing, we compel one another to good works and display the character and nature of the God we love.
Copyright 2016 by Eva S. Benevento. All rights reserved.