The doctrine of separation, also known as the doctrine of non-fellowship, is a belief among some

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

religious groups that the members of a church should be separate from "the world" and not have association with those who are "of the world". There are many scriptures in both the

Old Testament The Old Testament (often abbreviated OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew writings by the Israelites. The ...

and

New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Christ ...

of the

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

that provide the basis for this doctrine. For example: *

Amos Amos or AMOS may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Amos Records, an independent record label established in Los Angeles, California, in 1968 * Amos (band), an American Christian rock band * ''Amos'' (album), an album by Michael Ray * ''Amos' ...

3:3 – "Can two walk together except they be agreed?" *

Ephesians The Epistle to the Ephesians is the tenth book of the New Testament. Its authorship has traditionally been attributed to Paul the Apostle but starting in 1792, this has been challenged as Deutero-Pauline, that is, pseudepigrapha written in Pau ...

5:11 – "Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness…" *

II Corinthians The Second Epistle to the Corinthians is a Pauline epistle of the New Testament of the Christian Bible. The epistle is attributed to Paul the Apostle and a co-author named Timothy, and is addressed to the church in Corinth and Christians in the ...

6:14 "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers..." *

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

17:13–16 "I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it." Different groups vary widely in what to them constitutes separation. Additionally, there is a distinction between first and second degree separation. For example, many Christians want to live in a way that is distinct from the typical lifestyle of the world (first degree). This was supported by Dennis Costella when he said "We are in the world, but we are not to be a part of it."

Exclusive Brethren The Exclusive Brethren are a subset of the Christian evangelical movement generally described as the Plymouth Brethren. They are distinguished from the Open Brethren from whom they separated in 1848. The Exclusive Brethren are now divided int ...

are an Evangelical Protestant Christian who hold strongly to a doctrine of separation which means that they isolate themselves from those not of their community. A similar but less extreme form is the position held by Independent Fundamental Baptists and Bible Baptist churches. Others would claim that not only should one separate from the world, but also from those Christians who would not separate themselves from the world (second degree). Believers in second degree separation believe that Christians who are tied up with "the world" are themselves guilty of apostasy for their failure to adequately separate. Practices and areas that should be separated under the more strict interpretations of the doctrine of separation include: *Mental Life: Thoughts, reading, attitudes *Physical Life: Dress, physical contact, entertainment, speech *Social Life: Friendships, courtship, career *Spiritual Life: Personal devotional life, fellowship with other Christians, the Church The doctrine of separation often leads to

ecclesiastical separatism Ecclesiastical separatism is the withdrawal of people and churches from Christian denominations, usually to form new denominations. In the 16th and 17th centuries, the separating puritans advocated departure from the Church of England. These peop ...

, in which Christians leave

Christian denominations Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

that they believe are apostate (Rev. 18:4).

References

{{reflist Christian ethics Separatism Christian fundamentalism

See also

References