Why Church Unity is So Important (Part 1)

John Armstrong’s new book Your Church is Too Small is a plea for unity in the Body of Christ.  Unity is not the same thing as uniformity.  Christians have always disagreed among themselves on countless issues of faith and practice. Of course, there are certain basic things that must be believed in order for one to be welcomed into the Body of Christ. But as I read what the New Testament says about the Church, I have to conclude that diversity within the Body is normal, healthy and absolutely necessary.

In 1 Corinthians 12:12, Paul wrote: “The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body.” A human eyeball and a human pancreas look very different. If you encountered these things separately, could you tell whether or not they came from the same body?  I doubt it. But with a very detailed chemical analysis, you could conclude that they share the same DNA. These two parts, and many, many more, are necessary for one body to function. It makes no sense for an eyeball to criticize a pancreas, telling it to behave more like an eyeball. Yet Christians do this to one another all the time. When we observe differences, our gut reaction is to turn these differences into moral or doctrinal issues and try to determine which way is “correct.” But in a healthy body, the “correct” way is for the eyeball and pancreas to remain as they are, retaining their distinctive functions and appearances, while remaining attached to the same body and working in cooperation.

In an organizational sense, the Church has been fractured many times over. Two obvious examples are the Great Schism between East and West in the 11^th century and the Protestant Reformation of the 16^th century. The issues that led to these schisms were real and substantial, and it would be wrong to trivialize them.  Indeed, given the historical circumstances, these schisms may have been unavoidable. Good has come out of them, as our God always seems to know how to create something good even in the midst of tragedy. But each schism has also produced long-lasting bitter fruit. Churches and denominations have continued to split over differences which look foolish and trivial to those on the outside.  John M. Frame, a theologian and professor at Reformed Theological Seminary, wrote an illuminating article in which he identified twenty-one doctrinal issues that led to controversy and division in the Reformed community over an eighty-year period. He asked: “Was it right to devote so much of the church’s time and effort to these theological battles? Did the disputants follow biblical standards for resolution of these issues?” In most cases, the answer is no.

Given the present realities, it is unrealistic and probably undesirable for churches to seek organizational unity on any grand scale. Doctrinal unity, except on basic core issues of faith, is also problematic and unnecessary. Denominations have well developed confessions, bodies of thought and cultural traditions that deserve to be respected. God has worked through those traditions and they continue to inform and balance one another. It seems to me that no matter what you think of the centuries-old battle between Calvinism and Arminianism – the doctrine of human free will versus divine sovereignty and predestination – it is always going to be important to hear what Christians from other traditions have to say, because we must always keep challenging ourselves and one another in healthy ways. But we do need to be seeking a real, visible unity across traditions that is evident in how we think of, speak of, and act toward one another. A unity based not on doctrinal or cultural conformity but rooted in love and a common recognition of the Spirit of  the living Christ in one another.

In Your Church is Too Small, John points out that Christians who instigate division often see themselves as the ones who are standing up and fighting for Truth with a capital “T.” Of course, the Body needs members who understand the value of Truth. There are plenty of them around. But where are the members who are willing to stand up and fight for Unity with a capital “U”?  (It sounds like an oxymoron: to fight for unity.) Many of us have convinced ourselves that divisions are not such a bad thing. But when Christians divide, it is no laughing matter, and the consequences can be far greater than we realize. Divisions impact churches, families and individuals at a very deep and personal level. Divisions cause real pain, lead to real sin, dishonor Christ’s name and greatly devalue the witness of the whole Church.

In today’s postmodern culture, what is the greatest impediment to faith? It is the universal nature of the claims of Jesus Christ. We teach that Jesus is the Way and the Truth and the Life, and no one comes to God except through him. To young people raised in a pluralistic society, this is already very hard to accept. When a nonbeliever encounters a Christian who makes these universal claims and yet displays prejudicial and critical attitudes toward Christians outside his own narrow denomination or group, what does he think? He sees the contradiction right away.  The message he hears: “Following Jesus just as my particular group does is the universal Way to God.” In this day and age, that message has no credibility whatsoever.