Unity

A great thing about being Generation-X is the kinds of movies we grew up with. In my humble opinion, the 1980’s was a peak era for cinema. But while the rest of the world ooh’d and ahh’d at films like E.T. and Gandhi, there was a another move that was much less popular that captured my imagination like no other.

In 1982, The Dark Crystal was released into theaters to a curious audience. It was written and directed by Jim Henson and Frank Oz—the same people who brought us The Muppet Show and it’s numerous feature-length comedy adaptations. What made The Dark Crystal unique was that it was shot entirely with puppets and animatronics. Mind you, this was a solid three decades before computer generated images. And while today’s audiences would scoff at the special effects, the use of live-action puppets and the level of detail that went into the production created a visceral experience that’s hard to describe and difficult to capture today. But while the Muppet Show featured its unique blend of slap-stick comedy and dry humor, The Dark Crystal was quite the opposite—an epic dark fantasy much more on the level with the Lord of the Rings franchise.

The story was complex, but let me give you a run-down…

On the planet Thra, in the land of Skerith, there lived two races. One race was the tyrannical, vulture-like Skeksis. The other was the peaceful and gentile urRu. But despite their opposing natures the Skeksis and urRu were connected through a large and powerful crystal from which both races drew their life force. A thousand years ago, this crystal cracked, causing an imbalance in the land which allowed the Skeksis to rule and seek the destruction of the urRu.

The main character, Jen, is a Gelfling—thought to be the last of his kind who was adopted by the urRu after his clan was decimated by the Skeksis. An ancient prophecy sends Jen on a quest is to mend the crystal. Only by inserting a missing shard can he make the crystal whole again and bring balance to their world. According to prophecy, unless Jen accomplishes this quest before the conjunction of their world’s three suns, the Skeksis will forever rule the land.

(Spoiler alert!) By the end of the movie, Jen, with the help of Kira (another Gelfling) accomplish their quest to mend the crystal. But then something unexpected happens. Once the crystal is made whole, members of the Skeksis and urRu begin to pair off. These pairs then begin to merge into one another. As they do, each pair is transformed into an urSkek—an entirely different race. The urSkeks later explain that, when the crystal was once whole, it brought harmony and balance to their race. But once it was damaged, it caused a split in the nature of the Skeksis and the urRu. Without the harmonious life force provided by a complete crystal, each race became a caricature of its true form. Each race’s characteristics, while essential, had become exaggerated and imbalanced.

I think this story is also the story of the historical Church.

What do I mean?

Pull up a chair. Let’s talk about it…

Jesus’ Highest Prayer

I believe that chapters 14-17 of the gospel of John provide the most intimate revelation of Jesus’ heart in all of scripture. At the apex of this passage is the high priestly prayer that Jesus offers to His Father on behalf of His disciples and all believers to follow. (That includes you and I). At the climax of that prayer is the plea for unity among those who would follow Him.

My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

– John 17:20-23 (NIV)

If you read it closely, this passage is full of insight into how the Lord sovereignly chose for His body to function.

It tells us that among of Jesus’ greatest desires is that His followers be unified. This not only includes those of us in the present, but also all believers that have passed on and those yet to believe. Also, He’s not speaking of unity as if we’re all members of the same club. Rather, He wishes our unification to have the same nature as the union between the Father and the Son.

The passage also shows us that we will become progressively more unified as we commune with the Father and Son as a body. This is made possible through the glory that the Son appears to have has passed from the Father to His children. It also tells us that our unification will be the key to having Jesus revealed to the world.

In other words, our communion with the Lord and with one another is a big deal to Jesus. Maybe even the biggest deal.

Paul’s Repeated Plea

It’s not just Jesus who desires unity among His children. Paul spends a lot of ink in his epistles echoing the heart of Christ.

I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought.

– 1 Corinthians 1:10 (NIV)

…make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.

– Philippians 2:2 (NIV)

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

– Romans 15:5-6 (NIV)

Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

– Ephesians 4:3 (NIV)

…stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel.

– Philippians 1:27 (NIV )

Paul wanted the body of Christ to be so closely united in mind, thought, voice, spirit, effort, and love.

Why?

Because Christ was not divided. The effort, love, and voice of the triune Lord is unanimous. And if Christ is not divided, neither should those who are in Him. He speaks with one voice through one Spirit. To Paul, dis-unity was a sure sign that a significant portion of the assembly was distracted by things other than Christ. And without the vision of the Spirit, the reconciling work of Christ through His body is severely hampered.

But despite Jesus’ greatest wish and Paul’s repeated pleas, the Church’s track record for remaining unified has been among its greatest failures. Her witness and mission has suffered greatly as a result.

What Went Wrong?

Over the centuries, Christianity has fractured into countless traditions. While many maintain “fellowship” with one another, others are quick to point out the errors in the beliefs and practices of the others suggesting a level of dis-fellowship and rejection. The word “heresy” gets thrown around way too often. Some traditions have drawn a circle around their institution and declared themselves the true church. They tell us that those who aren’t in their circle must ‘get on board’ to get access to Christ. Regardless, what we see today is not the unity that Jesus prayed so hard for.

So, what went wrong?

As I’ve asserted in previous posts, the central reason for our division stems from our having historically focused on the theological constructs of our faith rather than an abiding communion with the Trinity that Jesus prayed for in John 17. It’s only the Trinity who possesses the requisite glory to draw us to Himself to maintain unity. Attempting to sustain ourselves through orthodoxy and tradition rather than the zoe Life of God has had a devastating effect on the Church.

But before we beat ourselves up too much, it’s easy to see why the church has spent so much energy developing her theology. The depths of truth are hard to articulate—especially when drawing from mystery.

Differences in what Christians believe have been around since almost the beginning. The first century focused on declaring the radical distinctions between the newly launched Messianic enterprise and the laws and traditions of Judaism. This was hard enough. But during the second century, new ideas and philosophies began to emerge around a distinct Christian faith.

For example, Docetism suggested that Jesus never had a physical body. Marcionism suggested that the God of the OT was a different entity one than the God of the NT. Various gnostic ideas also diverted significantly from what was understood at the time. Most of these beliefs were easily dismissed with a little rational thinking. But others, like Montanism (characterized by prophetic utterances and a focus on martyrdom), weren’t viewed as heretical as much as being too radical for mainstream believers to stomach. For this reason, the majority felt the need to dispense with it.

Keep in mind not all of these divergent beliefs were recanted. The groups who held them were merely exiled from what was mainline belief at the time. From there, some would eventually die out in isolation. But others would and occasionally be later re-introduced back into the mainline church in a slightly different form.

But in my estimation, the fringe ideas of Christianity during the first three centuries were less about coming up with blatantly unorthodox theology than it was trying to more fully articulate, explore, and practice a deeper and more authentic faith. Pre-Nicene church history was complicated. Regarding the writings of the early church fathers, they got some things right and some things wrong. But noteworthy was the fact that no one was burning each other at the stake for thinking differently about some aspect of the faith. Aside from the most egregious heresies, there seemed to be a much more freedom and accommodation to ponder the deeper mysteries of God.

But starting with Constantine and the Arian Controversy that brought about the First Council of Nicaea in 325AD, the church began to focus on nailing down its orthodoxy. Over the next thousand years, differences would be labeled heresy and open explorations of the faith would be treated with abject dissent. To avoid contradictions and mystery abhorrent to western thinking, new theological beliefs would be hammered out through elite councils and labeled as dogma. (And just like with the early church fathers, the doctrinal authorities would get some things right and some things wrong.) Getting everyone on the same theological train became an exercise in force, persecution, or execution. This way of thinking would continue long after the Reformation as various protestant denominations would splinter, some using many of the same tactics, even to the present day.

Today, experts tell us that there are approximately 43,000 Christian denominations. Because we chose to put our faith in orthodoxy over Christ, today we have neither orthodoxy nor Christ.

Unity in Diversity

Most would say denominations are a bad thing. While they’re not God’s preference, I have a different opinion.

Rather than being universally bad, I believe that many have served as a preservative for aspects of the Lord that would have otherwise disappeared from the Church altogether. Church history demonstrates a repeating pattern when a form becomes too restrictive for God to dwell, He chooses another form in which to abide. It’s not that He completely leaves the old form (for members of the invisible church will remain). Rather, He pours a part of Himself into something that better accommodates an aspect of His character. It seems even within a divided church, He wishes to be seen in fullness.

That said, here’s Mike’s hot take on denominations (to which I also include Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox)…

Ready?

Each tradition emphasizes a unique facet of Christ.

But within themselves, each tradition is woefully incomplete.

While we could easily point out flaws in each, I prefer to think of denominations by what they each demonstrate of Christ. For example,

I appreciate the Roman Catholic Church in their pursuit of spiritual depth, tradition, and their reminding us that Christ Himself has given the church His authority on Earth.

I appreciate the Eastern Orthodox in their handling of mystery, the reverence of their gatherings, and seeing our Lord in ways the western mind can’t appreciate.

I appreciate the Lutherans for reminding us that our trust in the Trinity is what’s necessary to please God.

I appreciate the Anglicans in their history of ecumenism, their Open Table, and desire to re-introduce the essential elements of the faith to bring desperate groups together.

I appreciate the Presbyterians and other Reformed traditions for their high view of God and their mental engagement with the things of faith.

I appreciate the Methodists because for their experiential faith empowered by the Spirit to reconcile injustice and restore healing to the world.

I appreciate the Baptists because they remind us that there’s real, often exhausting work to be done to seek and save the lost.

I appreciate Charismatic traditions because they show us that the Spirit still empowers us to miracles for healing and the demonstration of God’s power.

I appreciate Restoration churches because they seek our origins as a church and our primal unity in objective Truth found in scripture.

If you think about it, denominations are really nothing more than an organized gathering of those who focus on what they emphasize. It’s natural for humans to gather among those with whom we most agree. But when we do that, we can miss out on other aspects of Christ that are just as important. This makes us incomplete as a community. I’ve often said that if you could take members of each tradition, put them all in a bowl, and thoroughly mix them all together in a gathering, the result would be a church that displayed the diversity that the Lord always intended for His body.

So, What Am I?

Since the start of this blog, I’ve avoided revealing what denomination I identify with. Part of the reason is because I wanted to welcome all readers to explore the content and recognize that what I tend to talk about transcends denominational thinking. Another reason is that I’ve never really felt comfortable claiming a particular denomination. In my mind, to claim a denomination is to subtly close off the fellowship and ideas of other traditions. (I know not everyone thinks this way, but I do.)

Theologically, I’m a mutt. I borrow how I view the faith from bits and pieces of a variety of traditions. I truly appreciate what others bring to the table. There’s truth in it. Of course, there are beliefs that many hold that I thoroughly disagree with. But for now, there’s no particular denominational confession that fits me well enough to fully claim. Some would say I’m Protestant only because I’m neither Roman nor Orthodox. But this isn’t accurate. Most of my beliefs weren’t derived from Reformation theology. To be frank, I take exception to a lot of commonly accepted beliefs that arose from the Reformation.

If I were forced to give an answer, I suppose I best identify with the run-of-the-mill Pre-Nicene believer from the early 2^nd century through the late 3^th century–when the church was radically devoted to Christ, experiential in its faith, free to explore His unfathomable riches, restful in the tension of profound mystery, and undistracted by the pursuit of theological precision and legalism.

The Missing Piece

So, can today’s church be re-unified? What is the missing piece that will unlock Jesus’ prayer?

Before we answer, it’s important to define what we mean by “re-unify” and “church”.

By “re-unify”, we’re not necessarily talking about abolishing denominations and bring everyone under a single earthly organization. Until Christ returns, I think denominations are here to stay. The unification that I’m talking about involves God-level wholeness. It knows no man-made boundaries because Christ is all and is in all (Col. 3:11). Besides, having differing views on non-essential matters of the faith is healthy, so long as we remain humble, rational, open, scripturally-anchored, and Christ-centered.

By “church”, I’m not talking about the leadership, confessions, traditions, and members of a local assembly. Rather, I’m referring to the invisible church—those not defined by which building they attend in on a Sunday morning, but rather those who believe that Jesus Christ is who He says He is and who follow Him accordingly.

Defined this way, I do think the church can be unified.

Borrowing from the language of my introduction, Jesus explains in John 17 that it was our union with the Trinity that brings harmony and balance to all believers. But over the centuries as we became preoccupied with theological constructs, our union faded. It fractured our collective identity. Without the harmonious life force provided by the church’s union with one another through the Trinity, each faction became a caricature of its true form. Over the centuries, the characteristics of each tribe, while essential, have become exaggerated and imbalanced.

So, what is Jesus’ highest prayer? What is the church’s most critical pursuit? What is the secret the success of our God-given mission on earth?

To collectively abide in the Trinity.

But what does that mean?

To be honest, I don’t know if I can offer a good answer to this. I mean, I have my thoughts, but I’m afraid it is simply beyond expression.

Modeled between the Son and the Father, union with the Trinity is a pursuit. But it’s our ultimate destination as well. It’s an alignment with one another and with the Lord. It happens at the deepest level, where our collective spirits are hypostatically intertwined with His. From there it moves outward to affect our souls. From our souls it affects and mends a broken world.

While I can’t describe collective union with the Trinity, here are a few recommendations for the church that I think would move us in the right direction:

Return to the simplicity of loving, knowing, and following our Lord. If you have to have a systematic framework, stick to the historic creeds (Nicaean Creed, Apostles Creed, etc.). Drop the complex theological baggage that centuries of church history has saddled you with which obscures our King. It’s by knowing and following Him that we attain His glory. If you’re not sure how to begin, here’s a good place to start.

Find others who will commit to following the Lord closely together. Make the pursuit of intimate, authentic community part of your faith experience. Finding real community is hard. (I know this from experience.) But be flexible (the right people may not even be the ones you see at church on Sunday). If you’re fortunate enough to find community, living it out is even harder. True community is inconvenient. It forces us to be with people we would otherwise avoid. But it’s necessary. We can’t be unified if we never spend time together. But so much more is revealed of God and of one another when we do.

Recognize the Lord in one another. Regardless of their faith tradition, our fellow brother and sister are the nearest “windows” through which we can see Christ. After all, they were made in His image and have been indwelt by His Life. They share the same Spirit that indwells you. Like you, they are not perfect. But like you, they have been made whole and are in a process of holy renovation. The Trinity speaks through each of us to one another.

Be creative. Being together isn’t always about sitting in pews or sitting around a table to do a bible study. Real unity happens when people who walk closely with the Lord share their lives together with His. This can happen a thousand different ways. Be open to how the Lord might lead you in this and what it might look like.

Go deep into the big things. Paul tells us that the riches found in Jesus Christ are unsearchable. That means that we’ll never get to to bottom of His glory. The more that we follow Him together, more that will be unearthed. Of what’s found, we could spend a lifetime examining all of its facets and detail. The point here is that the beauty of the Trinity will always provide enough “material” to avoid ever having to focus on the pallid things that divide us as believers.

Appreciate the differences in other Christian traditions. This may seem contrary to the previous point, but what I’m saying is this: Rather than avoiding the differences in how we view the deeper things of faith, we should appreciate them. This may be hard for some, since for many, to appreciate an idea is to agree with it. But understand that there has always been great mystery in the deeper things of God and how He operates. Christianity’s unfortunate shift from eastern Jewish thinking to western Aristotelian logic has kept us from seeing how two seemingly contradictory things can be true at the same time. We’ve become unable to sense nuance. So, if something resonates with you—if you sense life in it, be open to exploring it further. You just might find it to be true!

As we incorporate such practices into our lives, I believe the Lord will honor it as steps toward the unity that He prayed so desperately for.

And by drawing near to Him in these ways, He promises to draw near to us.