Concept of Unity Understood Differently Among Christians

23 April 2011

By Raymond Billy
ResonateNews.com

Before Jesus Christ was taken into captivity and crucified, he prayed for everyone who would believe he was sent by God “that all of them may be one,” according to the Gospel of John. That prayer is being interpreted differently among adherents of the Christian faith more than 2,000 years after his execution.

Photo By Julien Menichini/Courtesy
A cross stands in front of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Old City of Jerusalem. To some Christians Jesus was merely pleading for oneness of belief among those who would follow him. Others say Christ was calling not only for dogmatic unity but also cooperation on a grassroots-level in sharing his teachings and practicing the kind of charity that he extolled. The latter camp perceives shortcomings among local churches to fulfilling this command.

Willis Lawton, a retired physician and Catholic believer living in Lindale, Texas, said denominational differences have prevented local churches from being a forceful presence in their communities.

“Different churches thrive in different areas of ministry but they're not coming together and strengthening each other,” said Lawton, who is working on a book on the breakdown of Christian unity.

Lawton lamented that not only have interpretational differences among Christians divided Catholics and Protestants, but Protestant denominations also.

“How do churches get together as a body in their community if they can't get beyond their doctrinal differences?” Lawton asked.

Steve Collett, a member of Community Church of Manchester, Ky., agreed that denominational divides where hindering local churches from being more affective.

“The biggest thing that needs to happen in America is for churches to come together,” Collett said.

Collett assists with addiction recovery programs at his church. Manchester has been a key front in Kentucky's battle against prescription drug abuse. Collett said the city was overrun by drug dealers and law enforcement officials who were giving them cover. He said after churches in the community decided to cross denominational lines, they were able to drive much of the crime and corruption out of the city.

David King, pastor of Community Baptist Church in Camden, N.J., said disunity among churches there has allowed crime and drug addiction to reign uncontested.

“Churches here are not looking out for their brothers and sisters,” King said. “If churches were doing more for their brothers and sisters, we wouldn't be having these problems,” he said, citing the need for more aggressive after-school and job-training programs in Camden.

But, Steven Lawson, senior pastor of Christ Fellowship Baptist Church in Mobile, Ala., said that civic action is not an essential role of Christians.

“The purpose of the church is not to rid the world of drug problems. If you help people overcome drug problems without the Gospel, you're just helping them go to hell sober,” Lawson said. “The body of Christ must unify around the truth of the Gospel before they can unify around helping eradicate some social ill.”

Lawson said there are some doctrinal differences among denominations that are — and should remain — divisive.

“Some churches cannot and should not unify with people who believe in a works-based salvation,” Lawson said. “A person cannot be used by God until they embrace the essentials of salvation by grace alone, by faith alone, in Christ alone.”

David Gundersen, director of student life programs at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., said cross-denominational dialogue is key to enhancing what he called functional unity.

“It's important for ministries to understand one another before they partner in a functional way,” Gundersen said. Unity amid denominational differences can demonstrate “that their love for one another in Christ supersedes denominational distinctions. That kind of love can have a good influence on those who are being ministered to,” he said.

However, Gundersen stressed that “if a ministry professes beliefs that are inconsistent with the Gospel, that's not going to help people and I wouldn't want to join forces with them."

Although he said that building unity within a single church — centered around sound doctrine — should be the primary focus of a ministry, Lawson said he's all for churches and denominations partnering. He recalled 2005 when Hurricane Katrina swept through the Gulf states on its way to Alabama, destroying scores of homes there. He said Christ Fellowship opened its doors for lodging of Christian missionaries from around the country of different denominations who were visiting the state to help rebuild homes.

But, he said, churches might be most effective by working within their own denomination.

“It's a choice between good, better and best,” Lawson said. “Churches that hold more beliefs in common can work together more cohesively than if they had divergent views.”

EDITOR'S NOTE: ResonateNews continues the theme of church unity next Saturday with a review of a documentary by The Sentinel Group featuring Steve Collett and local churches addressing crime, poverty, corruption and killings in Manchester, Ky. The documentary is part of the Transformations series by George Otis Jr.