I Believe in the Communion of Saints (When Convenient)

How social media drives division

Photo by Sam Balye on Unsplash

Every Sunday during our church liturgy, if we aren’t reciting the Nicene Creed, we say the Apostles’ Creed which includes these lines:

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting.

It’s that third item that always sticks in my throat a little. Do I really believe in the “communion of saints?” Do any of us believe in it anymore? Do we really believe that those people are part of the communion of saints? Yes, they claim Jesus and hold orthodox beliefs, but they support the wrong politicians, fail to participate adequately in the culture war, and sometimes I’m embarrassed to be associated with them. Besides, according to this one self-appointed discernment expert I saw on Twitter, those people are the worst and are secretly undermining the church. So they can’t possibly be a part of the communion of saints, can they?

It seems to me that the belief that we belong to a communion of saints is made difficult by the growth of social media and the negative social tendencies it rewards. The church has always had divisions. In opening of 1 Corinthians, Paul speaks of those who say “I follow Paul” or “I follow Apollos,” stirring up division by separating themselves into groups. Similarly, I fear that many people today believe in the “Vibe of saints,” overly-identifying themselves with certain movements that offer a feeling of Christianity and a culture that seems authentic and raw and powerful. But ultimately this leads to division and tearing down of other believers. And in Paul’s closing remarks in Romans, he warns against those who sow division in the church: “I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them” (Romans 16:17). As in Paul’s day, people continue to sow division and twist doctrine, but something has changed at the same time. And that change has to be reckoned with.