This underscores the very problem this excellent review stresses. When you adopt a particular kind of separatism you adopt an ecclesiology that excludes Christians, real orthodox honest to goodness biblical believers. I am asking some important questions about this practice, which I tell readers I once accepted. The best way to get my sense is in my story since I have lived on both sides of this divide.

Sometimes good and some times, er, not so good?

Just wondering…

What if God is the author of our disagreements and separations?
“And all things are of God…” 2 Cor 5:18, Rom 11:36, Col 1:16-17, etc.

Didn’t God confuse man’s language once before?
Aren’t those things that happened to others,
written for us to learn from?

Now all these things happened unto them for examples:
and they are written for our admonition,
upon whom the ends of the world are come.
1 Cor 10:11

For whatsoever things were written aforetime
were written for our learning,
that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures have hope.
Rom 15:4

Didn’t God intervene when “man was in unity”
with their own devices, their own plans,
trying to build something themselves,
to reach heaven and “make a name for themselves?”

Could that be the ekklesia’s problem today also?
Doing their own thing – NOT God’s thing?

**Man trying to build something?
(Movements? Denominations? Church Planting?)
**And make a name for themselves?
(“Titles” on buildings, schools, websites, books, diplomas, etc.)
**Being in unity they could accomplish anything?

wikipedia lists many, Nay – 1,000′s, of Denominations.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Christian_denominations

…let us build us a city and a tower,
whose top may reach unto heaven;
and let us make us a name…
Gen 11:4

Gen 11:6-8
And the LORD said, Behold,
the people is one, (unity?)(this doesn’t sound good?)
and they have all one language; (unity-sound alike?)
and this they begin to do: (work together?)
and now nothing will be restrained from them,
(we can do anything, working together?)
which they have imagined to do.
(“the imagination of man’s heart is evil.”(
( Gen 6:5, Gen 8:21, Jer 3:17, Jer 11:8.)
Go to, let us go down,
and there **confound their language,** that they may
**not understand one another’s speech…**
(Hmmm? Sound familiar?)
(Baptist, Pentecostal, Reformed, Calvinist, Egalitarian, Mercy Lord… )

God often gives us what we ask for, and, “A Little Bit Extra.”

Want some “Meat” in the wilderness?
God also sends “leanness to the soul.” Psalm 106:15. Oy Vey!

Want some “Kings” to rule over us?
How did that work out? 1 Sam 8:11-19 Ouch!

“Traditions of men” nullify the word of God.
Mark 7:13

Hmmm? Just wondering…
What if God is the author of our disagreements and separations?

Then what…???