The state of traditional Christianity, especially in America, is in crisis. Denominations across the spectrum, from mainline to evangelical, are facing increasing theological compromise and drift from historic, biblical orthodoxy. In response, there are generally two approaches advocated by concerned conservative Christians:
- Stay and fight to reform the denomination from within
- Separate and form new splinter groups over every grievance
However, we propose a third way forward based on three key biblical principles:
- Understand and apply the Bible’s teaching on church fellowship (2 Corinthians 6:14-18, 1 Peter 3:8)
- Be consistent in either removing false teachers or separating from irreformable church bodies
- Be willing to do the hard work of planting biblically faithful churches and bolstering smaller conservative denominations
The “stay and fight” mentality is compared to General Robert E. Lee’s costly mistake at Gettysburg of stubbornly clinging to indefensible ground rather than redeploying to fight on more favorable terrain. Similarly, conservatives who stay in unfaithful denominations due to attachment to historic buildings and institutions are sacrificing biblical faithfulness for worldly comforts.
While grieving the loss of historic resources is understandable, retaining these at the cost of disobedience to Scripture regarding church fellowship is ultimately self-defeating. We argue that faithfully separating will actually weaken heterodox institutions and potentially allow conservatives to reclaim them later from a position of strength.
Most critically, conservative leaders who stay are sending a demoralizing message to the next generation that compromise is acceptable. Children will likely further compromise in more catastrophic ways. For their spiritual wellbeing, taking a principled stand now is crucial.
We acknowledge the temptation to simply separate into isolated splinter groups, which will be addressed in part two of this series. But overall, we call conservatives to courageously regroup, rebuild something even better than what was lost, and contend for the faith on our own biblical terms. While costly, this is the only way forward that is faithful to Scripture and offers real hope for the future.
