Early Dismissal

Many years ago I read an interview with John Stott, noted British clergyman and author. In it, he was asked his opinion of a particular movement within the church that was seen as a new revival by some and as heresy by others. I have never forgotten his response. (Okay, I've probably forgotten the exact wording - but I remember his point.) Stott said that he had learned not to dismiss such things in their entirety or to accept them uncritically, because God can be at work in a movement even when that movement has elements about it that need disciplined or corrected.

That approach struck me as sensible and somewhat obvious. After all, I trust that God is working in me and in my life despite the fact that I am imperfect, marred by weakness, and often lack understanding. How many things about me need disciplined or corrected? Yet, I believe the grace of God continues to shape me for a greater purpose. Doesn't it make sense, then, that God could be working in a church or a movement within the Church, even though it needs correction at points?

Too often, when it comes to churches that step outside our traditional forms of ministry and thought, we react with an absolutist "all or nothing" attitude. If we see any element that might be lacking or missing the mark, we write the whole thing off as a plague of heresy and deception. Rather than accepting the idea that they might actually have some valid criticisms and questions, we reject them as being subversive. Rather than recognizing that we could possibly learn from them, we vilify them. Rather than acknowledging our points of common ground and entering into genuine dialogue regarding our differences, we draw hard and fast lines of isolation and judgment.

I have come to believe that such an attitude conveys an arrogance that is unacceptable for the followers of Jesus. In essence, it says that every part of my thought and practice is perfect, and therefore, everyone else should be in line with me. It suggests that my way is never deserving of criticism or question, and anyone who does so must not be holding to the truth. In the end, I take upon myself the authority to decide where God will work and through whom He will work.

The fact is, every movement in the history of the Church has had elements that went too far or got off track at some point. Does that mean that God was not working through them at all? There were those in the Protestant Reformation that went too far. I mean, really - when theological arguments end up launching religious wars, complete with persecution and destruction, you probably have gone too far. But we certainly do not reject all that came out of the Protestant Reformation. My own church was born out of the American holiness movement. There were those in that movement who jumped the track and went too far into an unbiblical hyper-perfectionism and legalism. Does that nullify all that God did through that movement? Absolutely not. Looking back, we can indeed see clearly that God was at work in these movements and churches, but we also see clearly the points that needed correction and discipline. The one does not invalidate the other.

Why should we view movements within the Church today any differently?

Arrogance leads us to easy dismissal and judgment, not to genuine discernment. True discernment calls us to enter these conversations with authentic conviction, humility of spirit, and Christlike love. Discernment knows that if we accept uncritically, we may compromise essential truth; but, it also recognizes that if we dismiss easily and entirely, we just might miss out on what God is doing in His Church.