As I am in the process of leaving my Baptist roots to be commissioned by the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), here are my honest thoughts on denominations.

Tony Campolo tells the story of a proud Baptist preacher who was pounding away at the pulpit preaching that the only really true Christians in the world were Baptists.  In the middle of his sermon, he yelled out to the congregation: “Is everybody here a Baptist?”

A man several rows back answered, “No!   I’m a Methodist!”

“Why are you a Methodist?” asked the preacher.

“Well, my mother was a Methodist,” said the man. “And my father was a Methodist. So they raised me as a Methodist.”

“Well, that’s the dumbest thing I ever heard,” said the preacher.  “If your mother was an ignoramus and your father was an ignoramus, would you be an ignoramus?”

“No,” said the man. “If my father was an ignoramus and my mother was an ignoramus, I suppose I’d be a Baptist!”

That shut the old Baptist preacher right up!

Now, I don’t want you to misunderstand me.  I loved being a Baptist. I am glad that I was Baptist.  However, I do not believe any of us should take belonging to any denomination too seriously. I believe the great 20^th century theologian Karl Barth was right when called denominationalism a great “scandal” of the church. That the Church is so divided up confuses the world and is a direct contradiction to the will of Jesus Christ who prayed that we might be one. 

Through our baptisms, we were not born into a denomination. Through our baptisms, we were born into the one and only and true Church of Jesus Christ.  Through the baptismal waters we joined not only Baptists in the faith, but also Methodists, Presbyterians, Pentecostals, Disciples of Christs, Lutherans, Catholics, Episcopalians and “whosoever believeth in Christ” and has committed to follow Christ.