Stan, I also found Phil Johnson’s blog entry to be thought-provoking. He points out the fundamental problem of the Catholic idea of being the “true church” is really a confusion of organizational unity with Christian unity.
Johnson ends with this insightful comment about Protestants who end up becoming Catholics: “Having bought the notion that the unity Christ prayed for starts with organizational unity, these unsuspecting proselytes naturally conclude that whichever church has the most convincing pedigree must be the only church capable of achieving the unity Christ sought, and so they join up.”
I can’t help but see the parallels in Adventism here, because the notion of being the “true church” or “remnant church” is a thread of Adventist teaching running back to the very beginning of the movement. Right from the start, the “little flock” was encouraged to leave their “apostate Protestant churches” (alternatively known as Babylon) and join the only group for whom the door of salvation was still open. Later, when it became problematic to continue the shut door teaching, the concept of being the “remnant church” was developed from two proof texts (Revelation 12:17 and Revelation 19:10).
Leaving the problems of combining these two texts aside, the concept that any denomination or entity can be the “true” or “remnant” church is a completely false theological construct that leads to an inward group-centered focus and a false sense of security for the adherent of that group. In Adventism, this comes out in the emphasis on Adventist distinctives such as the Sabbath, diet, eschatology, moralism, etc. These distinctives are played over and over again for the faithful as evidence they are different from “non-remnant” Christians. The second point is far more dangerous, because it makes joining Adventism a key step in one’s salvation, as if being listed on the membership rolls automatically qualifies one for salvation. This leads to a false sense of security in being part of the group having the most truth and gives rise to a triumphalistic spirit while minimizing the importance of a personal profession of faith in Jesus Christ.
The fundamental problem is in the definition of what the Christian Church (capital C) really is. The Church is not a building, a denomination, a sect or any ecclesial body. The Church is the invisible body of believers found scattered throughout the world who can be identified by Jesus alone as those whom God has given Him. (John 6:35-40, John 10:14-18). This key distinction is at the root of many, many theological problems and untold hostility between Christians.
Greg
