Hyphenated Christians

When did we Christians decide to hyphenate? In Acts 11:26 we read, “The disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.” Why Antioch? Well, it was one of the early congregations formed of both Jew and Gentile. It pleased God to unite them with a common designation: “Christian”. ("Called”, as it is used here, has a divine connotation.)

The hyphenation of Christianity reared its ugly head decades later in Corinth. Paul chastised this congregation for dividing under labels of men. Were he alive today, I suppose he would also chastise us who call ourselves after good dead men.

Jesus prayed in John 17 that all his disciples become one. He prayed that we be known by our love. Why is love not sufficient? Why do we prefer instead to be known by our doctrinal stances or denominational affiliation?

I can't believe that Jesus is pleased when we dissect his body into hyphenated labels! But, that’s just me. I've always had a distaste for things that divide.