A Vision for Unity

Good morning!  I have the privilege today of closing our series of “10 great ideas” that we’ve been challenged by this summer.  If you missed any of these, I encourage you to get the CDs and integrate these things through prayer and action in your life and in our congregation.  We all need renewed vision for worship, growth, truth, assurance, spirituality, renewal, justice, the lost, fellowship, and unity.  The book we’ve been using to teach from is now available at the education book table if you’re interested.

Unity resides in the very heart and mind of God, because unity is only possible if each participant gives everything to the other – this is what God has done for us and complete surrender is what He also requires of us.

When I think of the word “unity”, I’m reminded of one of my favorite Psalms, Psalm 133, where God says how good, wonderful, and pleasant it is when the family of God gets along, when we live together in unity and harmony.  He likes it so much that when we do that, He commands a blessing on us, even life forevermore.  There are times when I’ve experienced this, and I hope you have too – times of receiving the kind of blessing that God gives only when we get along with others in the body of Christ.  It’s easy and enjoyable doing that when things are going well, or when others are going the way I would have gone anyway.  But I’m afraid that when times are really tough and the brothers and sisters we feel stuck with are going in the extreme opposite direction we want to go in, we might feel more like doing what Micah 7:2 describes – “All men lie in wait to shed blood; each hunts his brother with a net.”  Oh, how we need God’s heart, grace, mercy, perseverance, wisdom, and love to be able to live in unity with one another.

Let me emphasize that unity does not mean sameness.  In “The Weight of Glory”, C. S. Lewis writes, “The very word membership is of Christian origin, but it has been taken over by the world and emptied of all meaning.  In any book on logic you may see the expression ‘members of a class.’  It must be most emphatically stated that the items or particulars included in a homogenous class are almost the reverse of what St. Paul meant by members.  By members . . . he meant what we should call organs, things essentially different from, and complementary to, one another, things differing not only in structure and function but also in dignity . . . How true membership in a body differs from inclusion in a collective may be seen in the structure of a family.  The grandfather, the parents, the grown-up son, the child, the dog, and the cat are true members, precisely because they are not members or units of a homogenous class.  They are not interchangeable.  Each person is almost a species in himself.  The mother is not simply a different person from the daughter; she is a different kind of person . . . If you subtract any one member, you have not simply reduced the family in number; you have inflicted an injury on its structure.  Its unity is a unity of unlikes.”  Thomas Jefferson said that coercion of opinion in the interest of uniformity served only “to make one half of the world fools, and the other half hypocrites.”

Some antonyms for unity: “partiality”, “division”, “hostility”, “discord”, “nonsense”  How much time and energy have we wasted on these!

Turning it around, some synonyms for unity: “wholeness”, “sympathy”, “affinity”, “concord”, “integrity”

I never cease to be amazed at how God’s fingerprints are on every aspect of His creation, and He speaks so clearly to us in so many ways.  I know I’m always saying this, but the natural world speaks constantly of the invisible world.  God has given us something abundant to help us understand all kinds of things.  It’s the most abundant chemical in the human body, and also the most abundant chemical on earth.  Around 70% of us and 70% of the earth is composed of . . . water!  Each water molecule is formed from two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom connected by covalent bonds.  This means that they share electrons, subatomic particles with a negative electric charge.  In other words, completely different kinds of particles sharing negative stuff and getting really close to one another, accepting one another, and being devoted to one another results in water.  I daresay sharing electrons is somewhat akin to bearing one another’s burdens and greeting one another with a holy kiss!  I am in awe of God’s marvelous creation – He does all things well!  Water is literally a life-giving stream that God has given us for existence and energy, health and joy.

On its own, hydrogen is ok, but can have disastrous results, as in Hindenburgs and H-bombs.  Oxygen is great, but in large quantities, pure oxygen can be hazardous.  On the other hand, H2O . . . a.k.a. water . . . is essential for the survival of all known forms of life.

Water, formed by hydrogen and oxygen living together in unity, is everywhere!  Let me put it to you that water speaks to us about God’s heart for unity.  Jesus’ last prayer before He went to the cross was that we, His church, would be one, even as He and the Father are one.  When we look at, drink, touch, think about water, let it remind us of the importance and priority of unity.

So, how do hydrogen and oxygen atoms get together anyway?  Do they just float along and, poof, water results?  Not exactly.  In order for hydrogen and oxygen to unite and produce water, there needs to be some kind of catalyst.  Unity isn’t just going to happen spontaneously.  We can, through prayer and through the way we live our lives, in partnership with the Holy Spirit, be catalysts for unity.  Whether we’re talking about unity with the one person with whom I’m having some kind of discord, my spouse, pastor, work associate, neighbor, friend . . . or unity between groups of believers . . . we can be Kingdom catalysts for unity in the body of Christ.

So let’s talk about denominations.  Christianity Today estimates there are around 38,000 denominations in existence around the world.

Nelson’s Guide to Denominations gives these major denominational groupings in the U.S. alone – Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Catholic Churches, Old Catholicism, World  Marian Movement, Eastern Orthodoxy, Non-Chalcedonian Orthodoxy, Lutheran Churches, Reformed  Churches, Mennonite Churches, Anglicans, Congregational Churches, Presbyterian Churches, The Baptists, The Society of Friends, German Baptist Brethren, Methodism, Moravians, Restoration Movement, Adventism, Brethren, Holiness Movement, Additional European and American Evangelical Churches, Independent Fundamentalist and Evangelical Churches, Pentecostal & Charismatic Movement

Beyond that list, there are also numerous parachurch organizations – Bible translation and publishing, World ministries, Education, Evangelism, Christian Nurture, Gender issues, Religious broadcasting, Public forum, Human rights, Science and religion, Traditional values

From Bruce Shelby’s “Church History in Plain Language” – “For decades critics have called them ‘a scandal’, ‘a blight’, ‘factionalism’, and ‘a caste system’, but denominations remain the institutional hallmark of modern Christianity.  Criticism is understandable.  Any Christian reading his New Testament senses the difference between the faith of the apostles and the Christianity of our day.  The apostle Paul, for example, speaks of the church as the temple of God, united in devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ, but we find in our time only a menagerie of cults, sects, denominations, and isms.  We sense deeply that this divided state of Christianity ought not to be, but it is.  Why?  How did denominations come to be the primary expression of Christianity in modern times?  The simple fact is Christians are divided today, in part at least, because they have the freedom to differ.  In earlier centuries they did not.”

Denominationalism has been seen as the Grinch behind the brokenness and fracturing in the body of Christ.  I confess that more often than not, it has brought me grief when I’ve thought about this over the years.  The fracturing within the body has surely damaged our credibility, our witness, and our effectiveness in reaching the world.  I want to present to you today another way of looking at the body of Christ in all its diversity.  Personally this way of seeing things has gone a long way towards removing jadedness in me.  I want to share with you an historically-rooted, yet fresh, vision for unity.

There are two primary underlying causes of disunity in the body of Christ –

• Sectarianism = “excessive devotion to a particular sect, esp. in religion.”  This is an exclusive attitude that says, “only my church has the truth.”  Its relationship to other churches is one of hostile confrontation.  The real cause of sectarian divisions is spiritual pride.  A sect claims the authority of Christ for themselves and no one else.  Sects are by definition exclusive and separated from all other groups.  A sectarian attitude can infect a denomination and turn it into a force for disunity.
• Syncretism = “the attempted reconciliation or union of different or opposing principles, practices, or parties, as in philosophy or religion.”  When a church or group corrupts the gospel by mixing it with the ideologies of the day, there must be a separation in order to preserve the unity of the gospel.  The Bible contains strong warnings about preaching any gospel other than the pure gospel of Jesus Christ (Galatians 1:6 – 8).  As an example, when the confessing church of Germany in the 1930s separated from the mainline churches which had compromised the gospel with Nazism, they were not sinning against Christian unity.  They were in fact preserving the very foundations of Christian unity – the confession that Christ, not another leader, is Lord.

The word denomination, in contrast to the word sect, is an inclusive term.  A Christian group called or denominated by a particular name is but one member of a larger group – the church – to which all denominations belong.  Denominationalism, as it was originally conceived, can be a great force for unity precisely because it resists sectarianism and syncretism, the two real enemies of unity.  Classic denominationalism is one of the most powerful allies we have in overcoming sectarianism and syncretism and restoring the visible unity of the body of Christ.  Let’s look at one of the architects of classic denominational theory, Jeremiah Burroughs.  I hadn’t heard of him either, before I started preparing for this topic.

Jeremiah Burroughs was born in 1599 in England.  He studied at Emmanuel College at Cambridge University, a place known as “the greatest seminary of Puritan Preachers” in England.  Burroughs had a fervent zeal for the purity of doctrine and worship, a peaceable spirit, and he longed and labored for Christian unity.  In his 20s he discovered that church unity and forced conformity were two separate things.  He believed firmly that the church could be structured so as to maintain the purity of the gospel, and yet allow for diversity of opinion in such areas as church government, worship, and the sacraments.  In his 30s, during a period of exile due to persecution of nonconformist ministers, he began to develop ideas on how to have unity in diversity.  Meanwhile, the English parliament demanded reforms in the church and the state.  They invited all exiled ministers to return.  Shortly afterwards, a war broke out between king and parliament.  This gave the puritans an opportunity to reform the Church of England.  Burroughs was selected as one of the delegates at the Westminster Assembly.  He was saddened by the harshness of the debate over church government that threatened to cause division in the puritan movement.  He said, “love and unity are Christ’s badge, the arms of a Christian, whereby he shows of what house he is . . . we cry out exceedingly against divisions . . . yet scarce a man does anything . . . towards any help against divisions or furtherance of our union.”

Burroughs opposed the rigidity of groups who taught that their form of government was the only form authorized by Scripture.  He began expressing his views on a new kind of unity in diversity.  In 1646, he and four other dissenting brethren offered his denominational theory of the church, which laid out the framework of a strikingly original theory of church unity.  Initially his ideas were rejected, and later that year he died from complications following a fall from his horse.  Shortly after his death, a book was published which included his writings – he “pleaded for the unity of all who loved the truth, and argued that what made comparatively minor differences into causes of rigid divisions were a wrong spirit and wrong motives.”  Although Burroughs had lost his battle at the Westminster Assembly, he did not lose the war.  Within 25 years, the Act of Toleration was passed, which paved the way for a permanent acceptance of denominationalism in England and the beginning of its worldwide practice.

The Denominational Theory of the Church:

1. Doctrinal differences are inevitable
   1. None of us is capable of always seeing the truth perfectly.  Differences of theological opinion are unavoidable.  The Bible’s teaching on salvation is very clear, but other issues are simply not as clearly spelled out.  If for 2000 years Christians have disputed secondary issues, it is unrealistic to expect that disagreements will somehow disappear.  My personal rule is that if a debate crops up concerning something that theologians have been arguing about for more than two generations, then we’re probably not going to sort it out this afternoon, so we may as well sit down and have a nice cup of coffee together instead!  Of course we should defend the faith from heresy, but let’s put love and relationships above proving points or winning arguments.
2. Doctrinal differences in secondary matters are still important
   1. Just because an issue is secondary doesn’t mean it should be ignored.  We are obligated to live as we believe and to act according to the convictions we honestly hold.  The Bible alone (and not human authority) has the right to dictate to our consciences, and therefore what it has to say about secondary matters are still binding.  It is wrong to force others to violate their consciences, even in secondary matters.  Therefore it is right and good to organize churches and denominations in order to preserve these distinctives.  Every Christian is obligated to practice what he believes the Bible teaches.  While it is true that divisions in the church can arise from narrow-mindedness, lack of love, and selfishness, they can also arise from the honest conviction that anything else would be a betrayal of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Romans 14:5 speaks of this kind of thing – “One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.”
3. Differences can be useful
   1. Jeremiah Burroughs had a great word picture to illustrate how God can use our differences – to bring out the truths of the Bible just as “sparks are beaten out by the flints striking together.”  We should not feel threatened by differences of opinion in secondary matters.  Instead, we can strengthen one another by the give-and-take of discussing, praying, reading, and meditating on issues over which we disagree.  A key warning indicator is that if we are threatened by differences, then we are moving towards a sectarian spirit.
4. No single structure can fully represent the church of Christ
   1. It helps me to keep in mind that God used all 12 tribes of Israel to take over the promised land.  He could have used just one or two of them, or he could have lumped them all together in one single group!  But God chose to bring His purposes about through unity in diversity.  Denominationalism comes against the spirit of sectarianism that would say that the true church lies only within a single organizational expression.  When I was a kid there was a joke going around various churches that when someone arrived in heaven, they’d look around and say, wow – what a beautiful place!  But what’s that wall over there?  The reply would come – oh, that’s the (fill-in-the-blank) group – they think they’re the only ones here!  God is not the exclusive possession of any church.  The existence of different churches, each one striving to the best of its understanding to be a faithful and worthy representation of Christ’s church in the world, serves to constantly correct the pretensions of all churches.  In other words, it keeps us humble!
5. True unity is based on the common gospel and should be expressed through cooperation between denominations
   1. Burroughs pointed out that although our differences within the body of Christ are sad enough, they don’t add up to make us people of different religions.  In other words, we’re on the same team!  We agree with the same end, though not in the same means.  They are just different ways of opposing the common enemy.  It would feel more comfortable if we agreed on the same means in opposing the same enemy.  But that’s not how things are in this world!  So we need to examine how we express this unity.  Burroughs used a military metaphor in pointing out that soldiers who march against a common enemy all under the same captain can be wearing different colors on their uniforms – that has no bearing on their ability to win the fight.  We can express unity through cooperation between groups in matters of mission and service.  We can work together for the common ends of godliness.  God has given me a particular passion for unity in the body of Christ, and for me, the sweetest times in the church are those when we come together intentionally with brothers and sisters from other streams or demographics in the body of Christ to pray, to worship, to serve . . . there really is a tangible and obvious difference – God blesses unity.
6. Denominational separation is not schism
   1. In proposing a denominational theory, Burroughs was accused of advocating schism in the church, in other words, splitting the church into rival factions.  But Burroughs pointed out that the true nature of schism is an uncharitable, unjust, rash, violent breaking from union with the church or members of it.  He was advocating loving and peaceable separation into distinct church structures while still working across denominational lines for the advancement of the gospel.  It’s possible for individual Christians to be divided at many points and still be united in Christ.  He emphasized a spirit of humility and peace.

Applying Burrough’s Great Idea:

1. Teach the denominational idea to your church or organization
   1. I guess we’re doing some of that today!  We need a common understanding of the difference between a closed denomination or group (sectarian and resistant to the free flow of ideas and partnerships with other groups) and an open one (holding to true distinctives while remaining open to new ideas and partnerships with other groups).  The key seems to be having a teachable spirit.  In the 21 years I’ve been a part of the Vineyard movement (and 4 years before that as an outside observer), I’ve noticed that for the most part we’ve been an open denomination.  We have cooperated with and learned from other groups.  We can pray that God will keep us open and teachable to what the Father is doing.  I especially appreciate the partnerships I see between the Atlanta Vineyard and other groups.  We need constant vigilance to not fall into the trap that so many churches fall into, that of feeling that we’ve “arrived” in any particular area.  We do not have a corner on worship, on signs and wonders, or on any other aspect of the Kingdom.  The Kingdom of God is God’s.  I’ve seen God do a work of unity when we’ve prayed or worshiped with believers from other groups around the city / nation / internationally.  We’ve had evenings of worship with other congregations.  For many years, Johnny lead a pastoral prayer group in the city.  He currently leads a prayer group for church leaders in Lilburn, as part of his duties in serving on the city council.  On several occasions over the years, I’ve heard leaders in diverse denominations say that the Atlanta Vineyard is known to be safe and trusted in the city, for all kinds of churches – traditional, Pentecostal, and everything in between.  I believe this is part of our DNA as a church – to bring greater unity to the body of Christ through praying together, worshiping together, connecting, serving one another and serving alongside one another.  We can actively promote unity by the way we speak and act and pray.
2. Seek new partnerships with parachurch agencies
   1. I realize that there are widely varying opinions on parachurch agencies.  I think it’s vital to examine each organization individually to see whether or not they are rooted in the Bible, and whether or not they are supporting the local churches.  I firmly believe, though, that there is a place for parachurch agencies who are, quite frankly, getting the job done where the local church has not.  Groups such as the Lausanne movement, Billy Graham evangelical association, Navigators, Campus Crusade, Focus on the Family, Samaritan’s Purse, Compassion International, Crisis Pregnancy Centers, local centers like the Norcross Co-op, and many others, have greatly aided unity in the body of Christ by acting as brokers of unity in the midst of denominational diversity, and agents of cooperation between groups.  What parachurch agencies bring to the equation of unity is an emphasis on “mere Christianity” that strengthens our grip on the essentials of evangelical faith, without necessarily compromising denominational distinctives.
3. Rebuild the theological foundations of cooperative unity
   1. The basis of unity is treasuring the cross of Christ.  Last week Nancy referred to Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s emphasis on the cross as being central to true Christian community.  When we truly value the cross of Christ, we’ll be able to see our differences in their proper perspective and be able to see ways to cooperate with one another in order to further the cause of the cross.  Only a theology of the cross which extends the implications of the saving death of Christ in every direction can act as an adequate safeguard against theological compromise.
4. Do a “unity check”
   1. We can check where we’re at in unity by asking questions like . . .  What have we done in the last year to increase our meaningful participation with other local churches on behalf of the Kingdom (instead of just “our” ministries)?  I can think of a few things – sending out a new church plant (especially one in which there is not total agreement in secondary issues!), hosting the Global Leadership Summit, sending the staff to attend the regional Vineyard conference, inviting and welcoming people from other churches to attend Vertical Church and educational classes.  This is not to pat ourselves on the back, but to say – yes, we do have a heart for unity; let’s go further in reaching out and building bridges!  I often say this to myself – my love is not sufficient – I need God’s love in order to love those who are different from myself.  It’s so easy to love brothers and sisters in Christ who believe what I believe.  We need God’s love to truly love and cooperate with those who believe differently in secondary matters.  How do I feel about Catholics?  Orthodox believers?  Baptists?  Seventh Day Adventists?  House churches?  G12 churches?  TV evangelists?  People who pray weird?  None of these are our cousins in Christ.  They are brothers and sisters, and we should live, think, speak, act, and pray accordingly.  We can ask ourselves other questions to take the pulse of unity – what parachurch agencies have been effective vehicles for our church’s missions program, evangelistic outreach or education and training (e.g. Willow Creek – becoming a contagious Christian, alpha course, Nancy Leigh DeMoss’s organization, etc.)  What local or regional fellowships is our church  involved in?  (the regional and national Vineyard movement, city-wide Vineyard reunion, other?)  Do our people know the difference between our denominational distinctive & values and old-fashioned narrow-mindedness?

In closing, let’s pray . . . God, please give us a greater vision for unity.  We need your heart.  We need your love.  Our vision and love are not sufficient.  Come, Lord, and transform our thinking by renewing our minds with Your Holy Spirit.  Fill our hearts afresh today!  We want to be agents of unity in the body of Christ.

John 17:20-23 (The Message)

 ^20-23I’m praying not only for them
   But also for those who will believe in me
   Because of them and their witness about me.
   The goal is for all of them to become one heart and mind—
   Just as you, Father, are in me and I in you,
   So they might be one heart and mind with us.
   Then the world might believe that you, in fact, sent me.
   The same glory you gave me, I gave them,
   So they’ll be as unified and together as we are—
   I in them and you in me.
   Then they’ll be mature in this oneness,
   And give the godless world evidence
   That you’ve sent me and loved them
   In the same way you’ve loved me.