LET’S GIVE UP OUR “SCRIPTURAL” PARTY NAMES
A. V. MANSUR

The most commonly used term for the body of Christ in the scriptures is simply the church. But God’s true church is by no means restricted to any certain term, for it embraces all appropriate terms which properly refer to the body of Christ. Many of these terms are freely used by various groups of Christians, the question being whether they are appropriately used or exploited for sectarian purposes.

A party name, whether drawn from the Bible or not, does not identify a group as His church, even when that name makes direct reference to Christ or God. When such a name is used exclusively it only shows the sectarian character of the group that uses it. Even when it is a scriptural term it is still used in a sectarian way when it is made to exclude all other Christians except those appropriating it. There are many scriptural terms that are unscripturally used. All such names as Disciples of Christ, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Church of God, Church of Christ, Christian Church are sectarian names even though they are scripturally based, for they are used to refer to a particular party and not to all of God’s people.

The church belongs to Jesus. He bought it with a price—and what a price! It wasn’t any twentieth century Church of Christ, which became a separate party with its own peculiar name somewhere around 1906. John the Baptist was the first baptizer, but he did not start the Baptist Church. So it is with all parties that seek to draw upon some part of scripture as a means of special recognition or to distinguish themselves from others. To speak simply of the church is enough. We need no more.

The term the church is used in scriptures the way we use “the Sun” or “the Moon.” There are many suns in the heavens, but when we say “the Sun” it is clear what we mean. It could be called “the glorious Sun” or “the bright Sun,” but these are not its name. It is still just the Sun. Likewise there are many different so-called churches, called by many different names, but Christ’s true church is still simply the church. But whenever the term church is applied to only a portion of God’s people it is being sectarianized, whether or not it is coupled with the names of Christ or God.

If we would all drop the use of special party names, it would be the biggest step ever taken toward restoring the unity of the brotherhood. None of us will make any real contribution toward the unity of God’s people so long as we continue to use party names. No matter how “scriptural” we think our party name is, we are not likely to be blessed of God so long as we are content to separate ourselves from other believers by our own pet terminology.

Once we drop our party names, whether taken from the Bible or not, and we are asked “What denomination are you?,” we would have the rare opportunity of telling them honestly that we are no denomination. We might, of course, have other sectarian practices, but insofar as names are concerned we would truly be free of this sectarian peculiarity.

When the church is referred to in the scriptures it is always both inclusive and exclusive. Inclusive in that it includes all Christians; exclusive in that it excludes all others. We cannot use any church name in such a way as to include some Christians and exclude others.

Actually these names that are so coveted by some of us were never used in the Bible with any idea of naming the church. They were simply descriptive terms used to emphasize certain characteristics of the church.

It is time for all true Christians to come out and take their stand, and let their light be seen by all the world. No doubt many will continue to resist these simple truths and go on insisting on their sectarian names, but this does not excuse us for continuing to propagate the party spirit and promote division among our brothers in Christ.—Rt. 3, Galt, California