image courtesy of free-extras.com
[In conjunction with Rachel Held Evans' "Rally to Restore Unity."]
I am amused.
While I am (mostly) in control of my own blog — I decide what subjects to address, how to write about them, when to publish my thoughts, which photos to accompany them, etc — it is ultimately the reader who decides how my blog will be used.
Why am I thinking about this today? Because of yesterday’s post:
5 reasons kjv readers aren’t celebrating
It was a satire piece. I used the 400-year anniversary of the King James Bible to poke fun at some of the arguments conservative Christianity uses to combat Christmas, Halloween, and other popular holidays.
The post was intended as comedy. Humor. [And was accepted as such.] I suppose you could say there was a point. I was indeed speaking to some larger issues, but mostly I felt like laughing. So I wrote a piece that made me snicker.
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So why am I amused?
Because the post has generated intelligent discussion. Not concerning the issue I was parodying, but having to do with language constructs and the like.* That’s as funny to me as the post was to begin with. [This is possibly commentary, however, on how humorous the original post was -- or, rather, was not.]
I’m not at all upset with the discussion that follows the KJV post. I am, as I said, amused.
The writer in a public forum has complete control over his written words, but very little control over how those words are received. And even less control (practically none) over the discussions that flow from his work.
Is it any wonder, then, that we have myriad interpretations of practically every passage in the Bible? Are we surprised our churches read the same words but take from them wildly dissimilar meanings? So what’s a Christian to do?
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Scripture teaches that unity is a function of the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit’s responsibility to “guide [us] into all truth;”** unity is his endeavor. It is our task, then, to be obedient to Christ’s teachings as the Spirit nurtures us, the body of Christ, to maturity.
While personally I believe modern Christianity places too much emphasis on the individual, personal saviors, and the like (surely a product of our American culture), the Spirit does play this role on both macro- and micro- levels. The church as a whole will be built up to maturity by the Spirit’s power and leading. But also we as individuals, the Spirit indwelling each of us, will become more like Christ as the Holy Spirit guides us into obedience to Jesus’ teachings.
Unity is the result. Not the goal.
“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” – John 13:35
We don’t love one another in order to be disciples. Rather, our love for one another is a symptom of our condition — that we are disciples of Christ.
I’m slightly uncomfortable, then, with the popular view that unity is equal to tolerance. Unity is not the result of broad-mindedness. It is the result of obedient lives, changed by the Holy Spirit to be more like Christ.
Seek obedience to Christ. Unity will come.
You mean, if I hear a sermon entitled, “Five Steps Towards Transformational Unity” I should be skeptical?
See ya in a coupla days or something.
a couple of days, huh? i guess you’re in the air now? i’ll be passing through mwanza wednesday/thursday on my way to musoma. i’ll stop by and say hello if i won’t see you otherwise.
An apt reminder. Thank you.
And it was fun to make of your light-hearted post something different entirely- that the discussion has been deemed “intelligent” is especially satisfying.
intelligent enough that i felt i should stay out of it. i can put together sentences in english — that’s about the extent of my language learning abilities.
I agree – sometimes I’ve wondered if I’m oversimplifying it but I think if we stuck to disciples making disciples and God’s love spreading by love, then many of our issues would naturally take care of themselves. Unity included.
i think we’re in much greater danger of having overcomplicated it than of having oversimplified it.
For real.
I enjoyed the comments on the KJV post. Very thought provoking. Well, except my own. Snort.
Unity can only come by love. But it seems to me that so many out there who call themselves Christians are not being led by love. It’s something else entirely, though I’m not exactly sure what “it” is. Pride? Self? Dogma? Whatever it is, it divides.
I come from a Pharisaical background and I can honestly say that the general spirit from the pulpit was one of hate. Hatred and bitterness were breathed into the people. Self-righteousness, pride, etc. were breathed out. This can only divide (as seen in most of our business meetings. LOL!).
Purging these things has been difficult, but it has been my prayer that love take their place.
unity by love. good words, carrie.
“Seek obedience to Christ. Unity will come.”
So encouraging. Thank you for writing this.
you’re very welcome, verity. thanks for reading and for taking the time to comment.
Just my take…but I think unity is going to be elusive for many fundgelicals because the main issue that many struggle with is pride. Seriously, how often have you heard of the following?
1. Heard two different churches of 2 different denoninations put aside their differences and work with each other?
2. 2 different churches working together at a church launch?
3. One church making a decision to close their doors to support another church where God is working at (if God exists mind you….)
In the above mentioned examples neither will come about because there is too much church and denominational pride. I think the love component is crucial however when the church looks at how it treats or has treated doubters, agnostics, atheists, gays, single Mom’s, those who have had abortions, drug addicts, etc… I don’t think the church will move very far until it can’t overcome those issues. There are opportunities to love…the world is screaming, begging and desperate to be loved. The problem is Christians don’t know how to love.
Just the musings from an agnostic outside the Christian bubble….
Actually, Eagle, it does happen.
Recently, my home church started a sister church in another town. We have been meeting in the local middle school, but have just purchased property that will serve to be our church after many repairs are done. The repairs will take a few months though, and we still needed to meet at the middle school through this time.
Both of these endeavors are costly to both churches, as you can imagine. But, God really needs to move in this town so it’s worth it. I wish I could go into all the details, but to save space, I won’t. You have to know though, that we are really reaching the young community of this small town, and word of it is getting around. So much in fact, that the Pastor of another local church (of another denomination) has invited us into his church to have our service there, free of charge.
To your #1.~ We two churches of two denominations have put aside our differences to work together for God’s purpose within this town.
To your #2.~That church is helping us launch our church.
To your #3.~That church has had to work around our church for their special functions outside of church time.
Also, my church IS the place I figured out that I was loved. And, I started attending when I was a single-mother to a 2 year old son.
If you are looking, I hope/pray that you find it
mkwhipple…
I really didn’t see that it in the environments I moved within California, Wisconsin, nor Washington, D.C.
The opposite actually…
1. When I was in CCC I saw too much competition with IVCF. There was this always “we are correct we know the gospel better than they…” attitude. Some events were discouraged.
2. Heard a story in a work Bible study/and among a couple of others about how 3 chruches competed against each other in launching a church plant in the same location. But much eh? (rolls eyes)…
3. In a local mega fundegelcial chruch I once attended that was launching churches around the Washington, D.C. area I asked them in an email, “Instead of going solo, have you thought of working with some of the local Prysberterian Chuches/Non demon, etc…?” I got an email back from the pastor saying, “xzy Church in an independent conservative reformed Bible believing church (whatever that means….) and they dodged the entire question all together.
Too often in fundegelicalism today there is this competition of “us” vs. “them” with one church believing that they have the gospel down and others do not. The situations you described I never really saw in the 10 years I was a fundy.
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