Unity in Christ

This was written for the Devotion Page of the 08.21.2015 edition of the Knoxville Journal Express.

Oct. 31, 2017, will mark the 500th anniversary of the Lutheran Reformation when Martin Luther, priest and college professor posted his 95 Theses in Germany. Our denomination, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is making plans to celebrate this milestone as an opportunity to bear witness to the hope and joy we have through Jesus Christ.

The 500^th anniversary of the Reformation also makes us aware of the differences that have separated Christians. People will often ask, “Why are there so many different denominations?” With a smile on my face, I usually respond “because we couldn’t get along.” Although there is truth to this statement, it is a pretty simplistic answer. In reality it’s more complicated than this. When I studied church history, we learned about the social and economic conditions of the time, the kings in power, the territories trying to be won and the specific theological argument that was being made by the conflicting sides.

After almost 500 years of division, the Catholic and Lutheran Christians have come together for a common commemoration of the Reformation in 2017 and published From Conflict to Communion, a report of the Lutheran-Roman Catholic commission on unity. The forward states “Catholic and Lutheran Christians will most fittingly look back on events that occurred 500 years earlier by putting the gospel of Jesus Christ at the center. The gospel should be celebrated and communicated to the people of our time so that the world may believe that God gives Himself to human beings and calls us into communion with Himself and His church. Herein lies the basis for our joy in our common faith.”

The desire to have all know the joy of Jesus Christ is what moves us forward in Christian unity. We know that it is the cross, the life, death and resurrection of God’s Son, Jesus that unites us. “ There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling,  one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.” Ephesians 4:4-6.

On one hand we understand God’s desire for us to be united but what happens when there are real differences in the interpretation of scripture and our understanding of God’s desires for God’s children? As an example, last Saturday many faithful Christians attended the Truth Exposed Rally at the State Capitol hosted by Iowa Right to Life in response to undercover videos that show employees from the Planned Parenthood organization discussing the sale of fetal tissue for medical research. Later that same afternoon Senator Joni Ernst spoke at Hormel in Knoxville where she discussed her efforts to defund Planned Parenthood and other issues. Also present at Hormel were faithful Christians who protested the senator’s efforts to defund Planned Parenthood. Two different groups of Christians both trying to be faithful in living their lives as disciples of Jesus Christ.

In 2009, the ELCA adopted at their churchwide assembly a social statement on sexuality titled, Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust. The statement acknowledged that “consensus does not exist concerning how to regard same-gender committed relationships, even after many years of thoughtful, respectful, and faithful study and conversation.” With the recent Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage, it is clear that there is still no consensus within our denomination.

In my research for a Christian Ethics paper, I came across an essay by Nancy Duff, How to Discuss Moral Issues Surrounding Homosexuality When You Know You Are Right. Duff refers to 19^th century philosopher John Stuart Mill as to why we should listen to opposing points of view, even when we know that our position is the correct one. First, Mill challenges us to admit that because we are fallible, if we silence an opposing opinion we may indeed be silencing the truth…Second, Mills points out that even if the opposing opinion is clearly in error, it may contain a portion of the truth…Finally, Mill contends that even if the opinion we hold is not only true, but represent the whole truth, it risks becoming no more than prejudice or recitation if it refuses to be in conversation with other opinions.

The unity of the church comes in acknowledging Jesus Christ as the one who brings life and this truth is greater than the differences that divide us. We need to take seriously the words of Pope John XXIII, “The things that unite us are greater than those that divide us.”