Christian Unity

Unity requires consensus on a set of premises or postulates. These form the foundation on which the unity is built. For our quest for Christian unity, I propose that we should begin from the following premises:

1) God is the creator of the universe, and the ruler of all he created.

2) The Bible is his word.

These form a sufficient basis for beginning our discussion. They provide an authority and a standard which will guide our discussions as we work toward unity.

At this point in the quest we should be careful not to dive too deeply into minutiae on these postulates. There are some raging debates in certain details that could derail our efforts to reach consensus on weightier matters. It seems hopeless to me to build Christian unity without agreement on those basic points, so I wish to begin the dialog with people who accept these postulates at face value.

Proceeding on that foundation, we can discuss the basic Christian doctrines. The scriptures will serve as a guide and a standard as we seek to answer important unity-related questions:

1) What doctrines require absolute agreement in order to have fellowship?
2) In what areas can we accept honest disagreements / misunderstandings within the fellowship?
3) How should we handle areas of honest disagreement in the fellowship?
4) What are the areas of common ground which can anchor our unity?
5) What are the spiritual character traits that need to be built in order to sustain unity?

There is a lot to consider as we move forward. As always, comments are welcome.

As the Last Supper came to a close, Jesus prayed that his followers would be one, as he is one with the Father. Years later, Paul wrote in Ephesians 4 that Christians should make every effort to maintain unity. He also wrote to the Corinthians (1 Cor 1:10ff) and Galatians (Gal 5:19-21) that factions are unacceptable in his church. Yet today, there are an estimated 1000 faith groups in North America alone which consider themselves Christian. ( religioustolerance.org ).

Obviously, Christians need to be making efforts in this area. The task seems overwhelming. Yet something must be done.

I am beginning this blog as a part of “every effort”. Today it is no more than a handful of sand hurled at a giant. Perhaps with the help of God and others it can grow to the size of a small stone. And perhaps God will use that small stone to slay the giant.

I will be blogging on subjects related to essential doctrines, tolerance, forgiveness, and more. I don’t claim to have any special insights, just a conviction that I must do something to help. I am eager to hear from others doing similar work, and others who share this conviction.

This blog is one small voice. I pray that it might contribute to the cause Jesus prayed for the night before he was crucified.