Those final decades of the nineteenth century often witnessed bitter doctrinal debates and denominational competition so vigorous that often no one was thought to be a Christian unless belonging to the "right" denomination. (Barry Callen in Following the Light, pp. 22-23)
Maybe this was once "good news" for people. I now see it becoming divisive in its own way. You have to "come out" or you are not really a Christian; and you have to "come out" to the right nonsectarian group. I believe that the Church of God needed to reevaluate its strategy for this reason, and getting involved with ecumenism is appropriate at this time in history.
