July 14, 2008 issue
Believers church scholars explore challenges of denominationalism
By Laura Kalmar For MeetinghouseWINNIPEG, Man. — Differences between denominations can be helpful, and when it comes to discussing these differences, the believers church tradition has a lot to offer the wider Christian community.
Bruce Guenther, associate professor of church history and Mennonite studies at Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary, Langley, B.C., speaks at the Believers Church Conference. — Photo by John Longhurst/CMU
This was the prevalent message at the 16th Believers Church Conference, held June 11-14 at Canadian Mennonite University.
Sponsored by CMU’s Institute for Theology and the Church, the conference attracted participants from across North America and even Europe.
More than 20 scholars presented papers, and three keynote speakers shared their perspectives on “Congregationalism, Denominationalism and the Body of Christ.”
Conference organizers were acutely aware that denominationalism had acquired a somewhat negative reputation over the past century. Theologian H. Richard Niebuhr once described the church’s split into denominations as “the moral failure of Christianity.”
But this wasn’t the view of presenter Sheila Klassen-Wiebe, assistant professor of New Testament at CMU, who opened the conference with a study of the Book of John.
“John’s ‘the one and the many’ is a fitting symbol for our conference,” she said.
“The church encompasses unity and diversity. It’s united in a common work — bringing God’s abundant life to a hostile world. The unity isn’t just about potlucks and care groups. There is a missional purpose — ‘that the world might believe.’
“But unity doesn’t eliminate individuality. There are a variety of people who encounter Jesus and believe.”
For example, John 21 depicts Simon Peter and the Beloved Disciple as having different callings and different roles in the story.
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