Written by Malachi Brown
The Catholic Church has experienced three major schisms in its 2000-year history — once about every 500 years; church historians are looking at a fourth.
I will provide a brief history for those interested, but if that is not you, you may skip this paragraph. The first schism began in 451 A.D. with the Council of Chalcedon and was solidified by the following two councils, which confirmed the dual nature of Christ: divine and human. This doctrine cut off the further reaches of Ethiopia, Persia and India, who neither recognized this council nor were close enough to care to agree with the more centralized Euro-mediterranean church.
The second, or “Great Schism” between the now Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches occurred in 1054 over many issues, including the wording of the Nicene Creed, papal authority and of course the use of unleavened bread in communion.
The most recent and likely most recognizable to us is the Protestant Reformation, which began in 1517, splintering the Catholic Church into thousands of different fractions based on the terms of salvation, the requirements for and structure of clergy and papal authority (again).
Two-thousand years in the scope of an eternal church means some of these wounds are still fresh. Even today, none of these four major branches are in communion with one another.
Now it seems like Protestants split churches every day over whether we should worship with instruments; is this the cause of the next great schism? The last schisms have partitioned God’s people into smaller and smaller groups. Presumably, each new schism holds a smaller splintering group, but this coming schism is not so. Catholics, Orthodox and Protestants all are experiencing this coming (and I think already underway) schism.
Some of you already have an issue in mind, likely homosexuality or abortion. These are not the cause, though they are symptoms of a deeper divide. Despite what a Google search may tell you, I think every schism, even this current one, revolves around the same set of questions: “ Who is God?” “What is the church?” “What is the Bible?” and “How do I live as a faithful Christian in this new age?”
There is a new documentary out called “1946: The Mistranslation that Shifted Culture,” with the tagline, “What if the word homosexual was never meant to be in the Bible?” Some may be tempted to parade this documentary around as if it unambiguously solves the issue on how Christians should address such a hot topic; however, if the issue is mistranslation, then how have those who read the Bible in English, Greek, French, Russian and German shared an opinion for the majority of church history? I do not say this as an argument for my position on homosexuality, but as proof that the issue is nuanced, difficult and impossible to leave to a science. Neither sciences nor arts produce decisive answers regarding faith.
When you are angry with your sister or brother over opinions on questions like, “Do you think homosexuality is a sin?” you do not just ask a “yes” or “no” question, but also, “What do you think the Bible is? What role does church tradition play in the life of current faithful believers?” which I believe is a more productive conversation anyway. Perhaps the fervor, staunchness and rhetoric that has split the church in the past ought to be replaced with the meekness, mercy and peacemaking which our savior taught. It might help to remember that many of the people you argue with are praying, “Lord, have mercy on me,” just like you are. Perhaps if we hold the beatitudes close to heart as we disagree, then one solemn and repentant Sunday, one can welcome the other to the table of Christ’s flesh and blood with open arms.
