Wow...too busy (or too distracted) to ever gather my thoughts. The links below were culled when I was looking for others opinions about a question rattling around in my head. Namely, I wonder if our notion of "denominations" in the Christian Church will survive?

I don't think so.

Basically, I see two trends converging. One, so many churches are simplifying and distilling their beliefs and worship structure so that many denominations are left with a rather consistent set of beliefs and values. This is both to assist in communicating to those outside the community and to train and reassure those inside the community. The point that I'm trying (not so clearly) to make is that many churches (and even more believers) operate at a basic level of theology.

Our post-modern culture is a factor in this as well. This is the second trend. We live in a culture that is syncretistic and increasingly willing to acknowledge doubt and grey areas. Because of that there is much less inclination to delineate and seperate based on statements of belief on relatively trivial (in some cases) points of theology. We no longer live in a culture that is willing to split and shift because one group disagrees with another. The trend of denominationalism seems to be a very "modern worldview" phenomenon.

I don't see this as a bad thing. Theologically and sociologically I think that the Church could greatly use a unifying force. And this may very well be that force.

I do wonder what is being lost, though. If those points were worth fighting over decades or centuries ago, aren't they at least worth understanding and communicating now? I am afraid that the subtle differences will simply be glossed over as fewer and fewer people think deeply and passionately about issues of Christian faith. Hopefully we can continue to think and re-think in a less divisive way. That's my hope, at least.

I belong to a strange little sub-group of Protestant America, the Church of God (Anderson, IN). It began so many years ago as a reformation movement attempting to do away with just this denominationalism. And now we are one as much as anyone else.

I cannot help but wonder if some structure and rhetoric for addressing these trends might not be found in the corners of our little history.

Maybe someone smarter than I can begin to unearth that.