Seven Steps to Help Unite the Church of America by Michael L. Brown for Ask Dr Brown
It was Jesus Himself who said, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.” (Matthew 12:25) The same applies for the Church: If we are divided against ourselves, we will be ruined and we will not stand. And if we, the people of God in America, will not stand, neither will our nation. But how we can unite when there are such deep divisions and differences among us?
Unity is of no use if it is not based on truth. Unity is not real if it is founded on ethical or doctrinal compromise. Unity will not stand if it is only skin deep.
How, then, can we come together as one in a true and meaningful way when we are so far apart on so many issues?
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I’m not talking here about uniting with professing Christians who deny the authority of Scripture and do not even believe Jesus rose from the dead. They are not part of God’s true Church.
I’m talking about genuine believers. About people who are serious about loving and serving the Lord. About people who recognize the Bible as God’s Word.
How can we unite as the force God intended us to be when we can’t even get along?
Speaking from my own experience, when I take a strong stand for issues such as religious liberty, the importance of marriage and family, and the sanctity of life, some believers view me as nothing more than a rightwing Republican – or even a white supremacist, Christian nationalist, insurrectionist.
When I address issues such as racial injustice and care for the poor, or when I call us to follow the example of Jesus and not repay evil for evil, some believers call me woke and weak, a leftist, a communist, a compromiser, and a RINO.
I’m sure the devil gets a rise out of all of this. The more we snipe at each other, the less we will pay attention to him. Can we not do better?
In the 1960s, the parents who lived through World War II and made many sacrifices for America’s freedom were taken aback at young people protesting the Vietnam War.
The parents said, “America, love it or leave it.” The kids said, “Make love, not war.”
But there was actually truth on both sides.
On the one hand, many of the parents did sacrifice greatly to make the world a better place, in particular for their own children and grandchildren. Freedom comes at a price. And these parents were right to be concerned about the growing trend of sex, drugs, rock-n-roll, Eastern religion, and rebellion.
On the other hand, these young people had good reason to be concerned about the war in Vietnam, especially when they were the ones who were dying there. For what purpose? And to what end? They also recognized that there had to be more to life than the American dream.
