Blight of Denominationalism

By John J. Wipf

What purpose do all religions serve?
There are only two destinies after we die.
Do you feel like there is something missing in life?
Is Jesus Christ more than what is portrayed by status quo Christianity?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tellwell Talent
• Release date: Aug 16, 2021
• ISBN: 9780228838739

John J. Wipf

John Wipf was part of the Hutterite religion for 18 years and was a member, college student, and a part time missionary in the Baptist denomination for 10 years. Other points of interest include:• Five years of theological studies (Baptist)• Mission work in Canada, Costa Rica, Panama, and Sri Lanka (Baptist)• Independent mission work in west central Manitoba, Canada (present)• Founder/CEO of a company that installs fertilizer and grain handling equipment in the prairies of Canada (present)• Husband and father of 2 boys and 2 girls, and 1 taken to heaven before birth, and 1 on the way.John Wipf married Faith in June 2013. Our goal is to start a cattle ranch (as a retreat) to help people with their relationship with Jesus Christ and to tell people about the gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.Faith Wipf was born and bred a Baptist for 32 years. She then left with her "Honey Bear" John to begin their independent ministry. She is currently very busy raising four crazy, wonderful children and looking forward to waddling during the next few months. Homeschooling and the "dreaded" housework fill her days.In the Blight of Denominationalism we cover part of our journey from religious bondage to true and free freedom in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.Also covered in this book there are summaries of my study on some of the world's renowned religions.

Book preview

Part I

Chapter 1

The Case for Using Real Names

Some will say that when I use the real names of people, I am judging them. To them I say that there is a big difference between exposing men for what they are and judging them. God judges, all I can do is warn people away from leaders who make merchandise of them or worse.

2Pe 2:1–3 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.

Real names of people will be used, because when people sinned against God and men in the Bible, God used their names and brought their evil deeds to light, as in Genesis 3, Numbers 12, Numbers 16:1–40 Galatians 2:9–21.

An elder in the Church is as accountable to the Word of God as anyone else. Whether they be pastor, missionary, evangelist, priest, father, cardinal, preacher, pope, Jesuit priest, teacher, etc. It does not matter; they are accountable to the Word of God.

1Ti 5:19–21 Against an elder receive not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses. Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear. I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels, that thou observe these things without preferring one before another, doing nothing by partiality.

The above passage also states that to accuse an elder you need two or more witnesses, just like if you accuse anyone else.

witness: 1. Testimony; attestation of a fact or event.

– Webster’s 1828 Dictionary

I will take pains to abide by the Word of God. If there were no other witnesses than myself for an event or fact (pattern of conduct), I will not use the name of the individual.

Deuteronomy 19:15 One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established.

The principle of having two witnesses was established in the laws of God, and the accusation of one witness does not stand, even for a layperson. In 1 Timothy 5:19, God wanted to make sure that anyone who had a hairbrained idea of false accusation will think twice, especially if the accusation goes against an elder.

When pastors, accused me of going out on my own to start a church, they were going on assumptions. There were no witnesses and there was no talking with me; it was all done behind my back. Maybe they were trying to separate the pastors who I was working with from working with me. Either way, it was a plan from the Devil which God allowed to happen so I would see the real spirit behind denominationalism. When I finally found out about this gossiping, it was from a third party. I was shocked, caught flat-footed, and deflated.

Chapter 2

The Root of the Blight

When any organization gets bigger than Jesus Christ in the eyes of leaders or people, that organization is an abomination to the Lord God. If any leader (no matter if they’re a Christian leader or not) is too big to be corrected with the Word of God, he is an abomination to God and a hindrance to the workings of the Holy Spirit. If any leader becomes too big in his own eyes to be corrected with the Word of God, or rejects the Word of God, he is an Antichrist or is starting to acquiesce to the Antichrist spirit.

Human beings are susceptible to pride, especially if they have college educations and are part of a strong organization. This is what any Bible-college graduate is up against, especially if he is ordained by a denomination to be a pastor, or if they are ordained as any form of spiritual leader in the church. Mix this with the pride that goes on with the teachers of a business-run Bible college in a big denomination, and you have the recipe for disastrous Christian leaders who think more highly of the denomination and the leaders within it than they think of the Lord Jesus Christ. Of course, there are the leaders who are sincere in their relationship with Christ and are trying to bring others into that relationship with Him, and for those I am gratefully happy about. It’s the bad apples in the bunch that put a bad taste in the mouth of any sincere person, and it seems like the bad apples are taking over the bunch very quickly.

Webster’s 1828 dictionary defines denomination as a class, society or collection of individuals, called by the same name, such as a denomination of Christians.

In an organized denomination, everything needs to be controlled and regulated. God is put into a box and he cannot work outside of that box. The leaders have to be held up and protected at all cost, for they are the face of the denomination. Sin will be covered up when it is supposed to be exposed, just to save face for the denomination. It is said many times in those circumstances, It’s for the cause of Christ. But Christ didn’t care about hiding Peter’s three denials of Him. Or when Paul and Barnabas had a messy separation of their ministry. Or when Paul had to withstand Peter to his face. Or hide the backslidden Corinthian Church. Or hide the fact that six out of the seven churches in Revelation were backslidden to the point of being cast out of God’s sight.

Yes, an organized denomination is mostly about the denomination, local church, and leadership, and then if it works about Christ Jesus.

1 Corinthians 2:13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

Proverbs 3:5–7 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.

Pride is the foremost problem in denominationalism.

Hosea 13:1 When Ephraim spake trembling, he exalted himself in Israel; but when he offended in Baal, he died.

Christ wants churches that centre around Himself, not around a man or manmade organization. Why did the first-century Church meet? It was to commemorate the Lord Jesus Christ, not to put on a show and add the Word of God to it. It was not even about getting to know the Bible more (which is not a bad thing to do), it was about getting to know Christ more. It was not about putting the best foot forward; it was about sticking your head out in sincerity for the love of Jesus Christ. There was a chance that head would be cut off too. Nowadays, by contrast, we need to make sure that the reputations of leadership are protected and that the organization looks good to the world, and we wonder why Christianity is losing ground in the world.

Matthew Henry’s whole Bible commentary

Matthew 24:23 These false Christs and false prophets would have their agents and emissaries busy in all places to draw people into them.

Luke 17:21 Then when public troubles are great and threatening, and people will be catching at any thing that looks like deliverance, then Satan will take the advantage of imposing on them; they will say, Lo, here is a Christ, or there is one; but do not mind them: the true Christ did not strive, nor cry; nor was it said of him, Lo, here! or Lo, there!

Therefore if any man say so concerning him, look upon it as a temptation. The hermits, who place religion in a monastical life, say, He is in the desert; the priests, who made the consecrated wafer to be Christ, say, "He is en tois tameiois—in the cupboards, in the secret chambers: lo, he is in this shrine, in that image. Thus some appropriate Christ’s spiritual presence to one party or persuasion, as if they had the monopoly of Christ and Christianity; and the kingdom of Christ must stand and fall, must live and die, with them; Lo, he is in this church, in that council:" whereas Christ is All in all, not here or there, but meets his people with a blessing in every place where he records his name. End of quote from Matthew Henry.

Chapter 3

Hutterite Religion

I grew up on a Hutterite colony in Manitoba, Canada. On the secular side of things, the way of life there was very beneficial to the growth of industry and protection from the outside world. I don’t think the protection from the outside world is there so much anymore, for there is Internet in most houses now.

Everyone has their assigned workload, and the income goes through one account that is run by one or two leaders. The secular element and the spiritual element are run similarly.

Each colony has one or two preachers; the older preacher would run any kind of spiritual activity. There is not much freedom to pursue a vibrant relationship with Jesus outside of traditions. It seems that as long as you abide by the traditions of the system that was put in place more than four hundred years ago, you have a chance to go to Heaven when you die. That is a far cry from the freedom the first-century Church had.

Galatians 2:4 And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage:

If you have lived or are living in the Hutterite system, what freedom in Christ have you experienced? In the system, there is never a sure yes or no about whether you will go to Heaven when you die. That unsureness is contrary to the Word of God, which says:

2Co 6:1–2 We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)

Ro 10:8–12 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved [emphasis mine].

All a person has to do is believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and he shall be saved. It’s got nothing to do with traditions that bring bondage.

Ro 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved [emphasis mine).

It is by faith in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ that we’re saved, not by all that we can do to try to get favour with God through our filthy works.

Ephesians 2:8–9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Isaiah 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

A lady from a Hutterite colony once asked me how I planned to go to Heaven if I am not inside the ark. I asked, Will God really send everybody who was born outside the colony and never had a chance to even hear about the Hutterite way of life to hell? She admitted that God would have to make a way for them also. Folks, He has, through Jesus Christ the Lord of lords and King of kings. While this conversation was going on, her pastor, who I didn’t know was her pastor, was sitting there, and he didn’t say a word to help her out.

In the Hutterite colony, I believed that if I did everything they expected of me I would have salvation, but my soul was always in fear of death. When I did hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ the first time, from Gospel tracts, it was too good to be true. Saved by grace through faith and that not of myself it is a gift of God. I didn’t need to do all the work I was doing to get into Heaven?

Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under Heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. (That name is the Lord Jesus Christ.)

But I could not let go of the system that I was indoctrinated in and just accept being saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. I knew that I was a sinner, for I feared the imminent hell opening up under me as soon as I would die. But I was brainwashed in a system that could not save their own leaders, never mind the poor layperson.

Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.

I was so desperate to get rid of my sins that I went to confess them to the preacher, and was punished by having to stand in church while everyone else was sitting. This caused more confusion, because the fear I had before was greater after I had done what they said was the right thing. That in turn bred more rebellion in me than I had before, because if what the system says to do doesn’t work, then there is no reason for abiding by the rules of it. That was when I gave up on the system. I was more confused and had more fear after I want to confession than I had before.

James 5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

The above passage is not about going to a sinful man to confess our sins so that he will take our sins away, or punish us to take the sins away. This passage is about friends helping each other out as we grow together in the Lord, as we help each other and pray for each other to overcome sins in our lives.

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Hebrews 9:22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.

Only the blood of Christ has the power to erase sins. No man, no organization, no set of rules, no manmade doctrines, can erase even the smallest of sin. God forgives us our sins when we come to Him and repent (think differently about our sins and where we are in view of God. Turn from your sins and put your full dependence upon Christ who died for all. All anyone needs to do is turn to Christ Jesus in repentance) and accept the shed blood of Jesus Christ as full payment for our sins.

Matthew 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand.

Acts 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.

I did speak to a minister of the Hutterites and he agreed with salvation through Jesus Christ alone when I confronted him about it. But this was the same man who fought greatly when a few of the families from the colony I came from got saved and were baptized by immersion on confession of their faith in Jesus Christ. Some of them were baptized into the system, and to get rebaptized was considered a mortal sin. In the meetings that were being held to bring the offenders back to the Hutterite belief, it was said that Jesus had nothing to do here when the name of Jesus kept being brought up by the offenders.

What is being taught from the Bible in the Hutterite system is good. But most of the young people do not understand it, it is taught mostly in high German. High German is being taught in the school, but there is no practical spiritual teaching so that people can grasp what is being taught from the Bible. It is just head knowledge.

Your talk talks and your walk talks, but your walk talks louder than your talk talks. Whatever good is being taught in the system is being overshadowed by the examples of unregenerate leaders. If the spiritual leaders do not have the new birth that Jesus is talking about in the third chapter of the Gospel of John, then they are just going to push traditions. I do think that there are saved individuals in the system, but that is in spite of the system.

John 3:3–7 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

But we can study in Galatians that traditions are just dead works and only bring bondage.

Galatians 3:11–14 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

As it is in every denomination, the system has become bigger than the Bible and the Lord Jesus Christ. When that happens, a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ is not the primary goal. Fulfilling the traditions of the system is. This is an abomination to the Lord.

Chapter 4

Baptist Blight

As I expressed in Chapter 2, Humans are susceptible to pride. This is shown in many of the Baptist churches that I know of, or was a part of.

Most Baptists are strong in getting the Gospel of Jesus Christ out to the world. That is about where the similarities among the Baptists stop. In the Baptist denomination there is as much variety as there is in all of Christendom. This I brought forth in the last meeting with the pastor when we withdrew our membership, and he agreed.

I asked him why he would stay in a denomination that is so corrupted that you can get any teaching in Christianity, much of that teaching being unbiblical. He stated that it is prophesied in the Bible that there will come a great falling away, so we can’t help what is happening in the church.

2Corinthians 6:17–18 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

The idea of putting history and heritage before Christ is, I believe, a worldly teaching that has infiltrated every denomination.

By 1534, the Roman Catholic Church was in deep trouble, so Pope Paul III ordered Ignatius De Loyola to set up the Order of the