“If you keep riding that hobby horse, you’re going to get splinters.”
“When you see it everywhere, beware.”
“Never play a banjo with only one string.”
“Don’t let what you see blind you.”
These warnings came with my basic training for the ministry. After years in service, I see why. The temptation to elevate one truth as the truth is powerful. And what has it done to Christendom and the cause of Christ? A pandemic of division.
Catholic, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Episcopal, Calvinist, Reformed, Protestant, Evangelical, Methodist, Mormons, Baptist, Ana Baptist, Pentecostal—the endless denominations and their offshoots are evidence enough. This performance earns the church a standing ovation from hell.
Paul foresaw this pitfall in 1 Corinthians 1:10-12: “For it hath been declared unto me, that there are contentions among you. . . that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.” Aligning with doctrines or individuals leads to strife. These divisions are errors by emphasis.
The root cause? Paul says it plainly: “you are yet carnal” (1 Corinthians 3:3). “Carnal” means flesh. It’s human nature to cling to people, theology, or tradition over the Spirit. The remedy is simple but often overlooked: “Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16). This path brings unity and peace: “Endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3).
Throughout history, the Church has persecuted Christ, Stephen, Thomas Moore, and countless martyrs—often citing “chapter and verse.” Separating God’s Spirit from His word leads to death: “for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life” (2 Corinthians 3:6).
God is not theology. So why is theology often revered above God’s Spirit? Because knowledge flatters our pride: “Knowledge makes one conceited, but love edifies people” (1 Corinthians 8:1 NAS). Walking in love is walking in the Spirit.
Disputes over baptism methods, end-times views, wine versus grape juice, transubstantiation, fundamentalism, Calvinism, prophetic teachings, and hyper-sovereignty can all become “hobby horses.” The body of Christ has many diverse parts, and emphasizing one as the whole is like a banjo with a single string—harmony is impossible.
God’s Spirit guides us in balance: “A false balance is an abomination to the Lord: but a just weight is His delight” (Proverbs 11:1). The straight and narrow avoids the ditches of error by emphasis on either side.
One wise mentor once said to me, “If you’re right, but you’re rude, you’re wrong. It’s that simple.”

Share