My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. - John 17:20-23
Unity between Christians is difficult, but I think it is worth it. I want to work towards unity with other Christians so that we may be together in God. I want to work towards unity with other Christians so that the world may know Christ was sent by God. This doesn't mean we need to go to the same church, worship the same way, or agree on all theological details. We have different roles in the Body, and even the apostles had disputes. But I do believe that God calls us to humble ourselves for the sake of unity in His kingdom.
Last month I asked Ash Barker (founder of Urban Neighbors Of Hope) how we could encourage ecumenism. The essence of his answer was that ecumenism is hard for Thai churches to do, but WE need to do it first. While the "we" he referred to was the community of missions/service-oriented Christians in Bangkok, I think his answer can be taken further to say that we as individuals need to practice unity before asking it of our larger church bodies. The most powerful advice regarding unity in Paul's letters are not his statements against church division in 1 Corinthians 1, 3, and 12, but the gentle manner he calls us to act towards those who we disagree with in Romans 14:1-15:7. Until we as individuals learn to tolerate difference of opinion on religious matters, bear those whose faith seems weaker than ours, and stop putting stumbling blocks in front of each other in the name of Christan freedom, we'll have little chance of convincing our churches to get along.
If anyone wants a deeper look at the ecumenical issue, I encourage you to read Chris Heuertz's article "The New Ecumenism: Becoming the Living Body of Christ" in IMMERSE Journal
1 comment:
Dear Jonathan,
I think it goes even further too. Perhaps it's my ever-present hope for a perfect world, but I do believe it starts as you say 'Until we as individuals learn to tolerate difference of opinion on religious matters..."
I certainly wouldn't say I know a lot about theology, but I would take a chance to say that most religions have the same core values. Love, unity, respect, honor and faith in something higher than yourself.
Wherever this competition and antagonism comes from, these values cannot be achieved, and that is a shame.
Keep up the good work you two, and thank you for making me think on things most people would rather ignore.
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