Ephesians 4:1-6 1 I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.
Not long ago my wife and I brought dinner to some dear friends who recently celebrated the birth of their first child. Our time together was a warm experience full of joy and a palpable closeness that only such monumental life moments can generate. When reflecting on the word ‘community’ as part of a class assignment, I thought of this experience and these friends because they are two people (now three) whom I consider to be beloved parts of my community. They also came to mind because they are Orthodox Christians and my wife and I are Episcopalians—a divide that hasn’t caused any difficulty amongst us as friends, but that has created a largely, silent aching between us. By this I mean that as friends and as people whose faith is central to our lives, each of us would love nothing more than to worship alongside one another. I have come to view this yearning as a telling microcosm of the many rifts separating today’s global Christian body. I must confess to being deeply troubled by the divisions within Christ’s Church that have caused so many of us to no longer feel welcomed at each other’s tables, but having grown up in fragmentary, locally-focused Baptist and non-denominational churches, this concern over “catholicity”—in its truest, unified sense—is, for me, a newly acquired sensation.
In part, it was this same desire for proximity and union that originally compelled my wife and me to leave our former church, which was Baptist, to join the Episcopal Church. For us, the Episcopal Church provides a life-giving sense of place within the cloud of saints who have come before us as well as sense of unity with fellow travelers throughout the worldwide Anglican Communion. This is by no means solves the issue, but we view it as a step in the right direction. For simplicity’s sake, I trace the emergence of my yearning for “catholicity” to my time in India volunteering with Mother Teresa’s order of Roman Catholic nuns and the scores of other Christians who had come from around the world to also volunteer there. That time gave me a generous understanding of the compassionate and justice oriented work we as Christ’s hands and feet on this earth are to be about. There, I also garnered a foretaste of what being a part of a unified body and the great work it could accomplish could be like. This place was also where I was first confronted by the seemingly, cold and exclusionary Roman Catholic practice of not allowing non-Catholics to share in the Eucharist. About a year later, while visiting a Catholic monastery in the U.S., my wife and I again faced this. Since those experiences, I have been troubled by the notion that we as Christians, who share a common narrative shaping our relationship with God, cannot seem to come together in unity around the same table.
The rationales behind these fragmentary factions are legion, with probably several for each splintered denomination, but if the Church (universal) is to take Christ’s call for unity seriously we should be about the hard work of reconciliation. These words might be easy to write off as those of a starry-eyed, idealist, but scholar S. Steve Kang agrees that this work is vital and has some ideas that could possibly help those who would see the merit of this pursuit. In his book, A Many Colored Kingdom, Kang highlights the many voices that have emerged from the myriad of Christian cultures globally, each possessing their own distinct experiences, all relevant when interpreting scripture, and how none of these perspectives are without value.[1] Recognizing that many of today’s divisions stem from this variety of perspectives, Kang recommends that our focus shift away from these divisive issues towards those promoting, “the well-being of the entire kingdom of God—female and male, adults and children, black and white, rich and poor—through engaging in righting relationships among all people.”[2] While this may sound like a lofty or unattainable goal, I believe it is the work Ephesians chapter four calls us to.[3] But, inherent to this pursuit is the difficult, but necessary task of humbling ourselves, which requires the laying down of dogmatic opinions and the equalization of all voices. Efforts to build stronger bonds within the global Church will require an intentional listening to the host of existing voices and, as Kang believes, a concerted educational effort by Christian educators.[4]
While I do not expect these suggestions to suddenly pry open the gates currently barring Christian unity, I do write with the hope of illuminating a portion of the task we are to be about. While solutions, on a broad scale, may prove elusive, I believe smaller victories of communal restoration can and are taking place. As Eric Jacobson discusses in his book, Sidewalks in the Kingdom, true community can only exist within a required sphere of proximity.[5] Thus, rather than pouring our efforts into the largely nebulous, universal context, our most productive means is probably to concentrate on building ties with those we know and regularly interact with. For me, this brings to mind students of the college Bible study that I have had the privilege of leading for the past few years.
The group’s members come from Catholic, Episcopalian, Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist, and non-denomination backgrounds, which, I believe, in today’s denominationally segregated climate, is quite exceptional. As a body, we strive to encourage openness and dialogue that fosters spiritual growth, all while seeking to know and understand the mystery that is God better. Scholar Elizabeth Conde-Frazier reminds us that each one of us possess the image of God. This is true regardless of our cultural or spiritual background. Our task is to learn to recognize that image in its many shapes and forms.[6] It is my contention that, because of each student’s varied history, we each act to shed light on the Divine from slightly different angles. This has proven to be enlightening for all. Furthermore, having shared in this experience, each of us is now less likely to one day write off people from different Christian traditions, which, given our present dilemma, may prove to be quite mending, one day.
As we awaken to God’s desire for the Church be known by its love for one another, we must decide how to live into that communal calling. It would be easy to get lost in the argument that these suggestions simply overlook too many complex facets of this challenge, but that misses my point. Has not enough time been spent focusing on the obstacles holding us apart? Why should we believe that a further chasing of those questions will have any healing results? Gary Parrett points out that, “To love within a cultural context other than our own, we will likely need to let go of some things that have always been precious to us.” He then goes on to point out that Christ too had to empty himself.[7] What should be certain from the problem that I have outlined is the need for greater humility as we continue to work alongside one another. We must seek reconciliation within God’s unifying will. As we embark upon this journey, Kang recommends we, “take [our] cues from the vastness of God’s kingdom, namely the communion of saints which inextricably brings together the saints throughout history and all places.”[8] We can do so with assurance that our ultimate aim lies within the rich reward of holy friendships and the Godly inheritance of true community.
Bibliography
Elizabeth Conde-Frazier, S. Steve Kang, and Gary A. Parrett, A Many Colored Kingdom: Multicultural Dynamics for Spiritual Formation (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2004).
Eric O. Jacobsen, Sidewalks in the Kingdom: New Urbanism and the Christian Faith (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Brazos Press, 2003).
[1] S. Steve Kang. A Many Colored Kingdom, 88.
[2] S. Steve Kang. A Many Colored Kingdom, 94.
[3] Ephesians 4:1-6
[4] S. Steve Kang. A Many Colored Kingdom, 94-96.
[5] Eric O. Jacobsen, Sidewalks in the Kingdom, 65.
[6] Elizabeth Conde-Frasier. A Many Colored Kingdom, 107.
[7] Gary Parrett. A Many Colored Kingdom, 126.
[8] S. Steve Kang. A Many Colored Kingdom, 103.
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