Unity Done Right

by Maurice Pujol
Published July 27, 2006

Though most of the world’s attention has been focused on events in the Middle East, history is today being made in other ways.

I read a story last week about a joint agreement on the doctrine of justification signed by Methodist, Lutheran and Catholic representatives. This historic declaration took place at the World Methodist Conference in Seoul, South Korea. Officials at the meeting cited the agreement as an important step in continuing to find common doctrinal ground among these denominations.

Of course, this sort of dialogue is nothing new. A group of evangelical Christian and Roman Catholic scholars have issued a couple of joint statements of faith in recent years, carefully avoiding basic theological differences and seeking to find the positive common ground between the two groups.

On the other hand, fierce divisions haunt several “mainline” denominations, the most notable being in the Episcopal Church. Beginning with the ordination of an actively gay bishop a few years ago, a schism in that group has been steadily growing. As in other churches, the division isn’t over the sole issue of homosexuality.

There is a basic divergence occurring within churches, and it’s all about whether the Bible is God’s authoritative and inerrant Word. This isn’t something that has happened overnight. Its roots go far back in church history, and its fruit began sprouting with 19th century liberal theologians who challenged everything about the Bible and the identity of Jesus.

A lot of the early liberal scholarship has been refuted, and not just in its theology. Archeological and historical research has shot down the early challenges about Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, as well as the authorship of many books in the Bible. But those challenges, once launched, took on a life of their own, especially among those who either want to refute the Bible or refuse to become better informed of the facts.

As a result, a lot of postmodern people affiliated with traditional churches have made a conscious effort over the past several decades to define a new form of Christianity, with doctrines and moral guidelines that “fit” the sensibilities of our informed, “sophisticated” culture. This basically means that, for this group, much of what is taught in the Bible as God’s moral law no longer applies today.

People who believe the Bible is God’s Word, the revelation of God’s will and God’s truth, are held up as objects of ridicule, pity or even contempt.

So, the eventual split of more than one denomination is inevitable. There is no common ground when there are such basic disagreements over the foundational truths of the faith.

That’s why stories such as the one coming out of South Korea last week are so encouraging. The Body of Christ on earth, His true church, operates with so much more power when its parts are operating in harmony. Those who believe in a unique Savior, Jesus Christ, divine and human, true God and true man, who died for our sins and rose again from the dead, should continue to find the common ground and to work together to fulfill the Great Commission.

There is a danger, however, in unity for the sake of unity. Just as a denomination shouldn’t stay together when an entire portion of it doesn’t even believe in the Bible, so different Christian groups shouldn’t come together as one “big religion” just for the sake of numbers or some perceived notion of popularity. There is no place in the Bible where we are asked to “vote” on whether or not we agree with what God says.

Jesus Christ remains the highest common denominator among various Christian religions. Those who agree on His identity and His atoning life, death and resurrection – such as the Lutherans, Catholics and Methodists represented at the conference – do a great work when they come together with one voice.

However, this doesn’t mean unity should be sought at all costs. There are basic differences in doctrine that cannot be overlooked.

No man is infallible in his teaching or perception of God’s will. The Catholics hold that a Pope, appointed by a group of high clerics known as Cardinals, has this unique ability. Some Protestant sects follow the sometimes odd teachings of their leaders, sometimes designated as apostles or prophets, as though they were edicts from the very throne of God. If a Pope or an “apostle” were to say that everyone needed to wear red shirts to get into heaven, then some of their followers would wear red shirts every day to avoid the fires of hell.

I’m not poking fun at anyone here, or implying that any religious leader ever said this. I’m just pointing out that various groups of Christians have elevated ordinary men to some extraordinary levels of authority reserved only for God.

Another basic disagreement between Catholics and Protestants centers on the mother of Jesus. Traditional Catholic teaching is that Mary was, is and always will be a virgin. Though traditional Protestants certainly agree with the doctrine of the virgin birth – an essential ingredient in the whole doctrine of atonement – they generally accept the various passages in the Bible referring to Jesus’ brothers and sisters as being literally true. This means Joseph and Mary had other children after Jesus, all through the usual human method.

In fact, Jesus’ stepbrother James turned from skeptic to a devout believer after the resurrection. He became leader of the Christians in Jerusalem and is thought by many scholars to be the author of the Book of James in the Bible.

The good news for unity is that these disagreements, though very distinct, are not core doctrine for a person seeking salvation. The early church, from within just a few years of the event, taught one basic truth: Jesus rose from the dead, physically and spiritually, thereby affirming His identity and confirming His mission.

Those who repent of their sins and accept this truth about Jesus, welcoming Him into their lives as Lord over their lives, will receive God’s forgiveness and be given the gift of eternal life, one of utter joy and perfect happiness. That’s what the Bible is all about, from Genesis to Revelation. Those who can come together over this doctrine can live in the highest form of unity, in spite of their other differences.

This “unity done right” is very important, for there is a world full of people who don’t know Jesus yet. The sea of humanity is cluttered with the wreckage of broken lives, filled with lost souls who need to meet our Lord.

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