Seems to me that denominations have largely served as regulators, means of identifying who’s in and who’s out. The kind of us/them mentality that fuels such boundaries is alive and well in America today, but it’s not p/c: a big problem for churches that want to “reach out” (code for getting bigger).
Denominations may never succeed in ridding themselves of the kind of on-or-off theology that’s guided the Church since Augustine (and Western culture since Socrates). But sometimes I wish people would learn to acknowledge this failing rather than simply covering it over with words.
People see right through that kind of crap (unless, of course, they’re the ones making it in the first place).
People see right through that kind of crap
OK, I acknowledge this faiing; however, denominations serve a purpose. God made each of us with different personalities, different likes and dislikes, different preferences. There will never be a one-size-fits-all church and we tend to choose the ones that fit our personalities. The ones who worship the way our spirit resonates with. There will never be a perfect denomination. Denominations are just as flawed as people are because that is what they are made of . . . people. Still, aren’t we to look for the good, the praiseworthy . . . and “think on such things?”
I agree that denominations serve a purpose. But I would argue that the purpose they serve is in spite of, not because of. Denominations tend to be formed when 1) someone has given up on a community, 2) or when a community has given up on a someone or group of someones.