The Ignorance of Isolationism 2: Inter-church Isolationism - GBC Bulletin Column #57

Last week I introduced the concept of isolationism. In the context of the Christian life there are two primary forms of isolationism that I have observed – in-church and inter-church. My focus last week was in-church isolationism, the foolish withdrawal of Christians from normal fellowship, accountability, and responsibility in the local church. Inter-church isolationism, while it might seem less immediate, is in fact no less harmful and so it is on this subject that I write this week.

Inter-church isolationism is a congregation’s neglect or wilful avoidance of fellowship with other likeminded Christian gatherings to the damage of the local church and the detriment of the institutional church. Theologically, such churches might plead the independency of the local church – “we are under the authority of Christ alone” - at the expense of interdependency, which says “we join others in being under the authority of Christ alone.” Practically, associational affiliation is shunned, and as a result gospel partnership, multi-church financial cooperation, and joint social action often suffer if they even exist. Pet agendas (some of which may in and of themselves not be entirely bad) are often pursued in such contexts: think debates over Bible translations, particular orders of service, Sunday School/no Sunday school, small groups/no small groups, street preaching/missional living, homeschooling, head-coverings, and [no] drum roll please, “modern worship.” Isolationism often breeds a cliquish combativeness that views the wider Christian spectrum through the lens of “us” and “them” and judges the practice of other congregations according to their own – ironically critiquing the diversity that true church independency allows.

Biblically, the concept of healthy cooperative fellowship between like-minded churches is pervasive. We see cooperation in church planting: the church in Jerusalem sends Barnabas to Antioch, Barnabas goes looking for Saul (later called Paul) at Tarsus and brings him to Antioch, and the church in Antioch ultimately sends them both out to plant churches in Cyprus and modern-day Turkey (Acts 11:19-26; 13-14). There is cooperation in theological formulation, particularly in making a balanced and coherent response to heretical teaching as seen in Acts 15 at the Jerusalem Council. Churches recommend gospel workers to each other, as when a newly discipled and eager Apollos wanted to go to Achaia and the church at Ephesus wrote to the believers there to welcome him (Acts 18:28). 2 Corinthians 8 demonstrates how churches joined together to meet pressing financial needs – in this instance the impoverished churches of Macedonia pooled their resources to make a very generous gift for the relief of the likewise impoverished church in Jerusalem. They were examples to each other, as the church in Thessalonica was to those in Macedonia, Achaia, and beyond. They even read each other’s mail sometimes (Colossians 4:16, Revelation 2-3).

There is no biblical basis on which a church can or should isolate itself from others of the same faith and practice – quite the contrary. The words of Solomon quoted last week might then be applied not only to individuals in the churches but to individual churches: “Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound judgement.”

This was printed in the worship bulletin of Grace Baptist Church (Wood Green) on 3 August 2014.