UNITY

I Was Just Thinking About – UNITY.

World Net Daily posted a column by Patrick Buchanan on August 25, 2017 with the Headline: What Still Unites Us? The viewpoint shifts dramatically and becomes grim when he writes: “The insight attributed to Alexis de Tocqueville – ‘America is great because she is good, and if America ceases to be good, she will cease to be great’ – was a belief shared by almost all.  What makes our future appear problematic is that what once united us now divides us. While Presidents Wilson and Truman declared us to be a ‘Christian nation,’ Christianity has been purged from our public life and sheds believers every decade. Atheism and agnosticism are growing rapidly, especially among the young. Traditional morality, grounded in Christianity, is being discarded. Half of all marriages end in divorce. Four-in-10 children are born out of wedlock. Unrestricted abortion and same-sex marriage – once regarded as marks of decadence and decline – are now seen as human rights and the hallmarks of social progress. Tens of millions of us do not speak English. Where most of our music used to be classic, popular, country and western, and jazz, much of it now contains rutting lyrics that used to be unprintable. Where we used to have three national networks, we have three 24-hour cable news channels and a thousand websites that reinforce our clashing beliefs on morality, culture, politics and race.”

Culturalism has burst on the scene and replaced Christianity as the focus of an increasingly decadent society. The Biblical Church used to operate with certain values and foundational principles, such as: John 13:34-35 (BSB), “A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so also you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.” Is this what the culture observes about the Church? Too often, the Church is known in communities and other organizations as being dysfunctional, diverse, divisive, or controlled by persons of influence, etc.

Regarding the believers who had followed Jesus, He prayed: John 17:20-21 (BSB), “I am not asking on behalf of them alone, but also on behalf of those who will believe in Me through their message, that all of them may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I am in You. May they also be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.” Does the culture, world, or Church at large manifest that for which Jesus prayed? Are the Biblical believers one in the Triune God? Is oneness a consistent reality? If there are differences, is effort made immediately to bring about remedy and resolve (as per Matthew 5:23-25 and Matthew 18:15-17)? Church Ministers may speak about these things, even preach series on them – but – do we make any effort to do what Jesus Christ taught?

Prayerfully – consider these things with me.

(BSB = Berean Study Bible)