Skateboarding Lesson; 41,000 Different Denominations; and the Unity of the Church!

When I was in 5th grade, I had the opportunity to come across my best friend's skate board.  The ability to skateboard was a foreign concept, but I was willing to give it a try. I specifically remember telling myself, "don't fall back and hit your head!"  I got on the board and when I gained speed I leaned back, the skateboard went forward, I went flying backwards and landed on my back nailing my head against the sidewalk.  Needless to say I learned a lesson: The goal of skate boarding is to stay connected to the board and don't lean back, but lean forward to go in the same direction of the board.  That and I should always wear a helmet!

Little did I know I would later come across this lesson again.   But this time it didn't involve a skateboard; it involved the unity of the Church!  

When I was in Boulder, Colorado as a FOCUS missionary I was blessed to take a graduate level course on the Theology of the Church at the Augustine Institute (a master's degree program).  I also had a tremendous blessing to lead several non-Catholics through a Catholic perspective of the Scriptures at the same time!  In talking with these students you could see that their hearts were hurting over the divisions found in Christianity: from Catholics, Lutherans, Anglicans, Methodists, Presbyterians, Baptists, and the catch all Non-Denominational churches.  Their experience matched a recent study out of Massachusetts in 2011 where they accounted for over 41,000 different Christian denominations! 41,000 different churches!!! The students had lived and saw this division.  They took their experience and looked to the Scriptures to help understand why this might happen.  But the Scripture points to a different reality:  Here are just a few passages of conflict! 

Matthew 12:26 - "Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand"

John 17:12 - "Holy Father, Keep them in thy name, which thou hast given me, that they may be ONE, even as we are ONE"

Ephesians 4:4 - "There is ONE body and ONE Spirit... ONE Lord, ONE faith, ONE baptism, ONE God and Father of us all"

2 Timothy 4:3-4 - "For a time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own likings, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander into myths."  

It is clear in the Scriptures that God did not desire division, but unity!  If that is the case, then how do we account for division in Christianity? Let alone 41,000 divisions?  Clearly division seems to be the work of the devil, just like sin and death, and not from God.  

As I studied the Church I came back to the simple skateboard lesson I learned in 5th grade.  If I didn't want to fall off the skateboard, in other words stay in union with the board, I would have to do two things;  First, stay connected to the board and secondly, go in the same direction of the board.  The instant those two things didn't happen, I would be on my butt with a possible headache.   

Connection and direction are a necessity of unity.

Taking this physical truth, what can we learn about the division in the Church?  We need to take some time to learn more about Christian history.  Though there was various heresies (division) confronted by the early Church, it's seems clear that connection and direction were mostly effected by the Reformation with Calvin, Zwingli, and Luther.  There was a clear break from connection in the form of Sacraments!  Each reformer had different understandings of the Sacraments and removed Sacraments that the Church celebrated.  There was also a clear break from direction; the authority of the Church (corrupted as it may be).  Even though Luther, Zwingli, and Calvin wanted to create a united front against the authority of the Catholic Church, they couldn't agree in their theology, which led to more division.  

This may seem an over simplification of a major issue, and I don't want to down play the complexity of the issues faced during the Reformation (from the corruption of the Church, to politics, to economics), but the spiritual life is often taught through physical realities.  Hence, Christ taught spiritual lessons through physical stories called parables.  Physical realities of unity, like a skateboard, can point to great spiritual truths about unity. 

If our hearts are also torn by the 41,000 different denominations of the Christian faith and we truly desire to seek unity for the Christian faith, then we will have to turn to the connection and direction, which are found in the Sacraments and Authority of the Catholic Church.  

Though many people don't see this reality, this is the jewel and beauty of the Catholic Church.  Jesus Christ offers to the Apostles both His authority and Sacraments!  "He who hears you hears me, and he who rejects you rejects me, and he who rejects me rejects him who sent me." (Luke 10:16)  He offers the Church connection and direction.  He gives His authority to men and their successors, and He gives us His Spirit to guide us in all truths (cf. John 16:13).  

Let us once again with sincere and humble hearts find the beauty of the Catholic Church.  The beauty found in the Sacraments (connection - Baptism, Eucharist, Confirmation, Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders and Marriage) and the Authority found in the succession of the Apostles (the direction found in the Pope, Bishops, priests and deacons)!  It's only in this beauty will we be able to stop the on-going division of 41,000 different denominations. 

If we don't seek connection and direction, then we will constantly find ourselves on our butts! And if we reject the Sacraments and Authority of the Catholic Church, don't forget to wear your helmet!