I have found myself thinking this way when I am with Protestant brothers and sisters. "Jesus is the source of all unity,"they say. "Let's keep our eyes on Him and not worry about doctrine."
Then I started to think about how inaccurate this line of thinking is. Most doctrines are centered on Jesus; they clarify the reality of the revelation we experience in Jesus. It's hard to ignore vital doctrines of faith such as that Jesus is divine and human or the resurrection.
Doctrines usually arise out of a need to clarify the difference between true and false revelation. Without the stability of doctrine, revelation can become unclear.
Doctrine becomes evil when it is a source of division in the church, used by insecure people to prove that one denomination is better than another. Doctrine should be a way to come to a greater understanding of the revelation of Jesus- not a means of division.
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