Who Causes Division?

The Church is a (Holy) Spirit led group of individuals defined in Scripture as the body of Christ that precludes human organization. Those who belong to Christ will have love for one another. They will do what it takes to fellowship with one another and not seek for reasons to divide. In my area, there are at least 4 (probably more) Church of God organizations that all meet in separate places and are all within 10-30 minutes of each other. Most of these people know each other and were all in the same fellowship at one time. Many still recognize those meeting 10 minutes away as their brethren. Many believe we should all be in one place to fellowship. So who has caused this division? Who is responsible? Who is able to cause division?

We are told we must all speak the same thing and be in one accord. How is that even possible? A new person certainly doesn’t think and say the same things that someone who has been around 40 years. And anyone who has courageously discussed Bible topics with others knows that there are many different opinions on doctrines and prophecies in the church. That is true even among the ministers. What is the bar setting to let us know we are all speaking the same thing? Does the Bible even tell us to all speak the same thing?

I Corinthians 1:10 is often misapplied in telling the brethren that we must all speak the same thing and that anything short of that is causing division and involves a spirit of rebellion. Is that really what Paul meant?

“Now I plead with you brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.”

“For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you.”

“Now I say this, that each of you says, ‘I am of Paul’ or ‘I am of Apollos’ or ‘I am of Cephas’ or ‘I am of Christ.’”

“Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?”

“I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, lest anyone should say that I had baptized in my own name.”

The division being caused is brethren that are upholding certain men as their leaders in unhealthy ways that would lead to oppression. We are not to follow after and idolize men. It would seem that early on, there was a desire among people to want an overseer that they could look up to and designate as a leader or a champion. This champion would usurp thinking and decision-making and the people would have it so.

Paul even tells Timothy in II Timothy 4:3 that, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers.” For many in top-down authoritative churches, Bible study and discussions are replaced with pontificating sermons. If that does not describe the organizations filled with paid teachers to satisfy itching ears instead of inquisitive minds that should be reading the Bible, then I don’t know what Paul means.

Paul states the solution to this problem at the very beginning.

“…that you all speak the same thing…in the same mind and in the same judgment.”

“Same” is used 3 times and is the Greek: AUTOS, which means “yourself”. The verse, based on the context, should actually read more like this:

“Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak for yourselves and that there be no divisions among you [whereby you are choosing men to speak for you] but that you be perfectly joined together by the use of your own mind and your own judgment.”

The truth is, this verse is the exact opposite of how it is used in sermons to quash critical thinking and questioning and just become one in a hive-mind. This is exactly what Paul believed how brethren should be, owning their own minds and exercising them: not allowing their minds to be usurped by the teaching of another man, including himself. The Bereans in Acts 17 were called “fair-minded” because they did not just accept anything that was told to them. They studied, cross-examined, things that were said to determine in their own minds if what they heard was true or false.

This was a huge concern to Paul; that leaders would come along to draw away followers in their own name. It is human nature to want to put off our responsibilities onto others. It is easy to hand over personal responsibility to think and study and discern and give that power over to a champion. Wolves in sheep clothing know this. Those who preach only out of selfish gain know this. In a Forbes list of top 10 occupations sought out by psychopaths, “religious leader” made the list!

I Corinthians 2:15, still within the context of division caused by following after men, Paul says, “But he who is spiritual investigates all things, while he himself is rightly investigated by no one.” In other words, a converted individual “proves all things” and by doing so, never allows himself to be judged  by another man (possibly one who claims to be a special leader). The true Christian will not lazily follow any man or give up his right to question and challenge all things. We must each work out our own salvation and not give ourselves up to human idols and organizations that work against these Biblical warnings from Paul to not give up our individual sovereignty.

Diotrephes is the perfect example of what happens when we give ourselves over to human idols and is exactly what Paul was afraid would happen. Diotrephes became a cult leader who exalted himself, ran down other churches and other ministers, causing division and put people out of church if they didn’t blindly follow his version of truth.

Jude 19 talks about, “sensual persons who cause divisions, not having the Spirit.” These persons are described in verse 16 as, “grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts; and they mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage.” The context in which this is used in sermons is usually that this is describing disgruntled laity. But what kind of effect would a lay member have going around with this attitude? Probably, not much.

“Divisions” in Jude 19 is APODIORIZO: which means, false teachers that cause division.

The context of Jude is a stern warning to be on the lookout for false teachers and leaders. Notice in Verse 11 that these false teachers, “have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit…” 

David V. Barrett received a Ph.D. in Sociology of Religion. In his book, "The Fragmentation of a Sect: Schism in the Worldwide Church of God", he points out all splits in WCG to the present various  churches of God could only be caused and were caused by the ministry. On pages 208-209:

"But in a family of churches where top-down authority has always been the norm...members were expected to follow their ministers."

"...it is primarily ministers who have actively left one church to join or to found another, and in many cases they took their members with them."

"...it is a feature of established sects that schism comes only from the divisions among the influential elite within each movement; no other person is sufficiently influential to cause division..."

"Schism must thus be from the ministerial ranks, and in particular from those at the center of the organization; the laity are too receptive and docile (accustomed to obedience) to initiate schisms, and have no opportunity to preach heresy, or to challenge organizational arrangement." 

The irony in all this is that an all powerful ministry responsible for the schisms, created options for the brethren and are thus responsible for diffusing their own power and control. Ministers, being the cause of division, is the only thing (besides the internet) that has given the laity any kind of voice.

Our leaders place an inordinate amount of importance in loyalty and consensus. “Division” and “rebellion” are terms used to keep critical thinking to a minimum. This approach alienates members from each other and inevitably creates the culture of, “pay, pray, stay and obey.” Gerald Weston claimed in a sermon about what makes a church Philadelphian, that it was "right government" and of course that right government was the top-down, one-man-rule in LCG.

False claims that we are the “one true church” further alienates us from our communities. We meet in secret and do very little to reach people in our communities. After paying unbiblical tithes, there is nothing left to help people.

Laodicea has often been said to mean, “the people decide.” This has typically been explained by the churches of God that these are groups of people who refuse to submit to the government of God and are making their own decisions or they are in governments where there is voting or congregational polity. This is certainly how Gerald Weston would interpret it.

But let us look at this once again in terms of authority and Judes’ warning of false teachers who serve themselves. In Philadelphia, Jesus has the Key of David. In places where brotherly love exists with no major criticism, Christ has put His authority in those places. In Laodicea, what if the people making decisions are self-serving ministries in top-down churches? A self-serving, elite ministry would reject Christ’s authority and effectively close the door to the Kingdom for them and those that follow them.

“But woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrits! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.” 

Remember, Jesus said this in Matthew 23:13, right after directing the previous 4 verses to the disciples on not to seek rank among the brethren!

Yet, Christ in His mercy, knocks on the doors to these churches that have rejected His authority in hopes that there will be brethren inside who will wake up and leave the grips of these false teachers whom Jude warns us about.

I Corinthians 7:23, “You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.”

Romans 14:12, “So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.”

Is the Holy Spirit pouring out gifts in the churches of God? Are their governments set up in a way that forbids the Holy Spirit to work? Does the church reflect love and grace toward all men or is it an aloof and divided people meeting in secret, always wading through "us-and-them" scenarios?

The biggest problem with hierarchical governments is they attract narcissists and psychopaths who "act" their way into positions where they can then exercise oppressive power. Similar types who lack charisma and intelligence fill in the middle ranks as managers. When the charismatic and/or intelligent leader dies or is taken away, the void is filled with squabbling managers. These managers cause division.

Hierarchical pastors will rarely view a strong opposing viewpoint without screaming division and rebellion because he doesn't have to. Managers are small-minded, order-takerers that fear debate, fear being exposed, live in an us verses them world, thrive in hierarchical structures, believe they know all the answers and are willing to seer their own conscience to maintain income and power. To a manager, scholars cause division. To pastor-managers in an unbiblical hierarchy, a laity that studies the Scriptures is dangerous.

Scholars thrive on healthy debate and love fellowshipping, especially with other free-thinkers. They are not insecure about not knowing everything. They thrive in congregational settings where everyone believes each person is sovereign and responsible for their own salvation. Scholars know  authoritarians cause division.

The legacy of WCG and its splinters is division caused by squabbling managers and a support group of lay-members who are happy to have it thus. The scholar is silenced or forced out for rebellion and "causing division."

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