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I wonder how divided Christianity in America would be if a radical Islamic overthrow of our country and culture took place.
If we were ruled by Sharia Law and Christianity was publicly banned, the church would go under ground. We’d lose members who were not in earnest; those who were just playing church. We’d see the folly of our foolish squabbling over fringe matters. We’d coalesce under a common love, hope, faith and, yes, a little fear. We would see the center and pull together around that hub to share in the oneness for which Jesus prayed.
In the timely and timeless words of Samuel Johnson; “The gallows doth wonderfully concentrate the mind.”
But as it is, we have too many luxuries. Some hardship and persecution might take the divisive bite out of our churches and replace it with a focused reliance on God and each other.
Consider the food factor--or the various ways the poor, the middle class and the rich regard food. Poor people worry about its quantity--will we have enough? Middle class people fret over the quality of the food--is it good enough? The wealthy worry over the presentation of food--does it have the right look? How is it served? What is the temperature?
Apply this factor to spirituality (I credit Greg Newton, a missionary in Tanzania, for this point). In worship, we Americans often get hot and bothered over presentation; starting on time, ending on time, typos in the bulletin, the use of instruments, the non-use of instruments, the choice of songs, babies crying, the preacher’s clashing tie, power point slides and so on. We even divide the body of Christ over presentation. We use the oxymoron, "worship wars" as if it made sense to God. If we were poor in spirit (as Jesus commended), our focus would center more on the availability of spiritual food and its substance and less on its presentation.
Greg Newton wrote; “Maybe that is why in eight years in Tanzania I never heard one complaint, critique, or suggestion of how we needed to do something better or with more excellence when we came together to worship God. In American Christianity, our 'worship wars' are a luxury afforded to those who have so much we can actually fuss about presentation. If God would give us a famine of spiritual food, Christians would be seeking wherever they could find it without regard to the excellence of presentation."
My point is not that excellence is unscriptural. Far from it. But maybe it’s not the polished altar on which we would sacrifice the church of Jesus Christ either.
Thankfully, America is not under Sharia Law. Thus, we still have a fat chance to look beyond our luxury and complacency for authentic Christian unity, not because we have to but because we love the Lord our God enough to want to!
Praise God for the freedoms and luxuries we enjoy. Perhaps He still thinks we can find that Christian center without being driven there by tremendous loss and pain. Indeed, we have so much for which to be grateful forever. A good way to show our thanks is to work for Christian unity rooted in biblical conviction.
Bottom Line: We are treating God’s awesome blessings irresponsibly. God is showering us with luxuries of life and liberties of faith and we respond by sniping and fussing over presentation; or over musical instruments, hand-clapping, pew cushions, and singing styles. We are waging worship wars.
Nevertheless (a favorite word of mine), those who know that Christianity is about God sending His Son in the flesh to call us to repentance and give his life up on a cruel cross to forgive us of our sins are those who have a chance at Christian unity.
Perhaps they already have it.
Joel Mark Solliday, B.A., M.Div., is the editor of Campus CrossWalk and the pulpit minister of the Northern Light Church of Christ in Minnesota. A Pepperdine graduate, he later worked in their Campus Life Office. He served as a Missionary in Residence at ACU. He earned his M.Div. at Fuller Theological Seminary. His wife Katie is a fine school teacher and a great listener.
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