I had thought about using a different title, but in deference to the author I just kept the title of his original article, “Behold the Sectarian Pattern.”

Joe Beam has a story that will keep you on the edge of your seat, wondering (when you finally look at your watch) how an hour went by so quickly.  While not the “point” of this post, here are some audio links to Joe’s material.  You will receive a blessing if you carve out some time to listen to some of these:

Meanwhile, back to the topic at hand — Sectarianism.

The concept that was new to me in Joe’s article below, or certainly the first time I ever saw it put into words, is this:  We say we want to “restore the New Testament church,” but when we attempt to copy the things we read about, what is keeping us from, instead, restoring the sectarianism instead?  I could ramble on some more, but Joe does a much better job than I, so here is his article for your consideration.

Behold the Sectarian Pattern

By: Joe Beam

For years our brotherhood has preached that to restore the New Testament church you simply find the pattern in the Bible and replicate it.

If that’s true then the same thing could be done to restore New Testament sectarianism.

Of course, no one admits to wanting that. But if we can determine the pattern of sectarians in the New Testament, we can identify sectarians today. As I’ve repeatedly heard, “If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it’s a duck!” If we can determine how sectarians looked, walked, and quacked in the New Testament, we can know who is a sectarian today – especially since sectarians are the last ones to admit being sectarian.

Convert

An examination of the New Testament reveals three major steps in the way sectarians operated. The first thing they attempted was conversion, convincing someone their sect was right and getting him to join their group to the exclusion of other groups. (Matthew 23:15) The Pharisees, for example, felt that they were the only ones that interpreted the Scriptures correctly and that no one else had the favor of God but them. They considered their interpretations and resulting regulations to be virtually as authoritative as scripture. Their views grew even stronger with each succeeding generation who revered their aging or dead teachers. Therefore, it followed that they wanted everyone to come to the same beliefs as they and attacked any who did not. (Matthew 15:3-9; Mark 7:5-13)

Discredit

If sectarians failed to convert a person, they couldn’t ignore him or live in peaceful coexistence with him if he taught or preached something different than what they believed. So failed conversion attempts were followed by the second step of discrediting the person who didn’t come into their fold if he appeared to be a threat to them. Amazingly, warring sectarian parties joined together to attack a person each sect viewed as a threat. For example, the Pharisees joined with their arch-enemies the Sadducees (Matthew 16:1) and even their enemies the Herodians (Matthew 22:15-22) to try to trap Jesus. All the differences which made each group disassociate themselves from the others were ignored when they felt the need to combine forces to discredit the interloper Jesus.

The first tool for discrediting was the “theological trap.” They knew their own particular doctrines and had studied them carefully for years so they could convert new disciples and refute other sects in debate. Knowing their arguments better than they knew scripture, they tried to trap Jesus with the same polemic they used on enemies who preceded Him. Their intention was not to find truth through honest discussion or study; it was to trap their perceived enemy in a theological contradiction in an attempt to discredit him. (Matthew 19:3; 2:18)

The second tool for discrediting was to slander through inflammatory labels. (Matthew 11:18-19) Sectarians know that people love to hear gossip and believe the worst, so labeling is a powerful tool.

A third way to discredit was to condemn the perceived enemy for the people with whom he associated. (Luke 5:29-32) The reason for the association was irrelevant – they didn’t care if he’d gone to heal or teach them, all they wanted was something to make him look bad.

Destroy

When discrediting failed to stop their perceived enemy, sectarians moved to the last step – destroying. Once they convinced themselves they were right and that God blessed only them, it was easy to do whatever it took to destroy the person they felt was drawing people away from God. Attributing their perceived enemy’s doctrines and motives to Satan made it essential that they stop him. (Matthew 9:32-34; Mark 12:24) They could even violate their own morals to accomplish that task. They lied to the person they sought to destroy (Matthew 22:15-22) in an effort to “set him up” for a theological trap. They lied about him to turn others against him (Matthew 26:59-68), even using those lies to lead people to kill him.

Know Anyone Like That?

Reading through the above pattern I realize that some have successfully restored New Testament Sectarianism. They look, walk, and quack just like those sectarians in the New Testament! And just like their ancestors, they have no clue that they practice sectarianism because they truly believe that they are the people of God and that he blesses only them!

They try to convert everyone to their view, but they have much greater knowledge of what has been handed down to them by those who have gone before than they have of the scriptures. They really do equate their deductions, interpretations, and resulting regulations as equal to scripture. Therefore, they aren’t open to the Word any longer, only to the interpretations of their leaders.

Convinced they are the only people of God, they cannot ignore or live in peaceful harmony with anyone who doesn’t agree with them if they view that person as a threat to them. So sectarians give grace to someone who believes he can kill in war even if they believe God teaches us to be pacifists. After all, killing in war doesn’t threaten the existence of their sect. Therefore, it must be a matter of opinion. But using a translation that doesn’t support their interpretations or worshipping in a way that is different than their traditions does threaten their sect. Obviously, that then must be a matter of faith to them. So they ignore the “killer” and attack the Bible reader or the sincere worshipper!

With smooth words and flattering statements they attempt to maneuver a perceived enemy into a theological trap designed to discredit him. And they attempt to discredit with labels like “liberal,” “Crossroads,” or worse. They even join forces with others with whom they disagree to attack a brother they perceive as a threat.

We’ve witnessed terrible lies and other sins that sectarians justify because they are trying to destroy a person or institution viewed as an enemy of God. I know of instances where a brother said point blank that he doesn’t believe a specific thing only to have the interviewer publish an article or start gossip that states just the opposite. Only a true New Testament Sectarian could justify such evil behavior as being service to the God of heaven.

It’s not service to God; it’s service to the sect. They pay lip service to God but give true loyalty to what the sect believes. (Matthew 15:1-9)

Dealing With Sectarians

It’s time we deal with sectarians in a New Testament manner. For too long we’ve allowed them to flourish undeterred because we feared that if we opposed them we would become what they are. But just as there is a “pattern” for sectarians in the New Testament, there is a pattern for dealing with them.

First, expect them to attack you. Read Matthew 10 to see what comes to those who love and follow Jesus. As Jesus pointed out, if they called him Beelzebub what should we expect them to call us who follow Him? We shouldn’t be surprised at the actions of sectarians anymore than we should be surprised when ducks quack. It’s their nature to do what they do.

Second, keep doing good in spite of their intention to harm you. David didn’t let the giant’s threats stop him (1 Samuel 17:41-51) and proved that God was alive and at work. When Jesus saw what needed to be done, He did it even though He knew it would cost Him his life. He was angry and deeply distressed at the stubborn hearts of the sectarians, just as we may be, but He did the work of God in spite of them. (Mark 3:1-6)

Third, rebuke them for their sectarian sin when you see it. It wouldn’t be right to ignore a brother’s drunkenness or adultery. We’d tell him to stop and call what he was doing a sin. The same is true with sectarians. Don’t emulate their spirit. Don’t go looking for them or trying to set theological traps to make them look bad. And certainly don’t make it your business to try to destroy them. But rebuke them in the love of Jesus with plain language so that they are confronted with their sin. John did it. (Matthew 3:7-12) Jesus did it too. (Matthew 23:1-36) If we want to walk in His steps, we must do the same.

God, in an effort to restore Your church some restored New Testament Sectarianism instead. Show every open heart the way from the sects into Your Way.

-Joe Beam