Ice Cream
Photo by Lama Roscu on Unsplash
Feb. 1, 2023
Over the years I have heard that the different Christian denominations are basically all the same. Yes, there are differences – one may use a little water to baptize while another uses a lake or one uses real wine another uses juice. One has smells and bells while another has a band – but in the end they are fundamentally the same.
Some time ago I introduced myself to someone and they had this mindset that all denominations are basically the same. This person asked me, “so what is your denominational flavor?” It was at that moment that a metaphor came to me to describe denominations. And while metaphors are not perfect, I offer up this metaphor to highlight what I mean.
Some of us might think that denominations are like ice cream. They are all made of milk, sugar and some various ingredients. You may have vanilla or you may have rocky road, but no one confuses ice cream (regardless of the flavor) as anything but ice cream. And so, in this way it makes sense that someone may ask what is your denominational “flavor”.
However, and sticking with the sweet theme here, denominations are all similar in that they are desserts but they are not all ice cream. Some are cake. Some are pie. Some are ice cream. Some are cheese trays.
I think one of the greatest desserts is tres leches cake. For the deprived souls who have not embarked on the journey of delight that is tres leches cake, image a very light cake soaked in a sweet milk and topped with fresh berries, whipped cream and cinnamon. It is amazing. If I were to seek out and order tres leches and the server brings me ice cream, I would know the difference. There are obvious differences in those two items - even as they are both dessert items. I would not say, “well all desserts are basically all the same.”
And here is the rub, some of us feel like the only way that we can speak about our dessert is to shame or tear down the other desserts. Some Christians feel like the only way to assert the beauty of their denomination is to talk about the ugliness of other denominations. And so there are misrepresentations and misinformation. Fear and hate are spat out for the sake of getting others to, if not join a preferred denomination, at least reject another.
Some of us are lactose intolerant and need to avoid ice cream. Some of us have a gluten allergy and need to avoid cake. Some of us are diabetic and need to consider sugar free options. We understand this with desserts and yet we sometimes overlook this practice in our search for a community of faith all because it is assumed that “all denominations are basically the same.”
They are not and that is a feature not a bug . It is important to find the denomination that nourishes your body, mind, spirit and soul.
Otherwise, we may end up becoming very sick.