.png)
This column represents the thoughts and opinions of Dr. Ron Braley. This is not the opinion of the Elgin Courier.
In part one, I wrote that God wants His children unified as one diverse but single Body, sharing spiritual gifts, talents and treasures. Metaphoric eyes, ears, feet and hands, all different but working together to accomplish God’s desires. However, the Church has been drawn, quartered and segregated. The ‘arms’ congregate and despise the ‘legs;’ the ‘eyes’ deprive the ‘hands’ of vision. And we relegate many to hell because of differing religious practices and beliefs. This is a far cry from the original love and simplicity that characterized the Church, however. What happened?
Hands down, the root cause is people. We differ in beliefs and experiential pursuits, and like-minded folks assemble to create and share common traditions and practices. This is the heart of culture — faith, in our case. Let’s focus on cultural differences in how we praise God and engage religious theories and experiences.
Cultural differences: Praise. Many people honor God in song or dance. Some prefer a gospel genre, while others swear that musical instrumentation is of the devil. Others enjoy hymns, while another church uses contemporary popular songs during services. Regardless, differences in how we praise God are primarily matters of personal taste and don’t generally pose a divisive threat to Western Christianity. Religious differences are another matter.
Cultural differences: Religion. This presents the Body as ugly to the yet-to-be-churched, who marvel at our disunity. There are many Western Christian splinters, some prompted by one person’s beliefs in the fourth to fifth centuries CE. A Stoic by nature, he spawned new and contentious religious theories like original sin spread through sex and predeterminism (you have no hand in your final spiritual destination). Other church fathers rejected the latter theory, which was revitalized and formalized in the Protestant Reformation. Also, contention in baptism and communion remains.
Baptism. Water immersion is a public sign of intentional, saving devotion to God. One early Christian guide suggests cold, running water. Otherwise, warm or standing water is fine. None of the above? Spit! Now? We divide over infant baptism, whether water saves, and baptism’s effectiveness should any body part miss the water. Communion. Early Christians remembered Christ’s sacrifice and a new covenant with God by sharing wine and bread, often as part of a ‘love feast.’ Now? We divide over how and where to take it, who can serve it and how it works. You’ll be excommunicated in some circles if you share Communion elements with believers outside your church. My, how we’ve abandoned authentic and intimate sharing among believers for religion!
Summary. Christians congregate and isolate with like-minded people, often praising God through diverse musical traditions. However, the most divisive force is the different beliefs implemented by humans, not God. Religious contention has greatly splintered Christ’s Body, but that’s not God’s desire! In part three, we’ll explore ways individuals and churches can unify despite differences in practices and non-essential beliefs.
Blessings and peace, Dr. Ron Braley, MDiv, DMin.
Braley, an Air Force veteran, husband and father, earned a master of divinity degree from Regent University in 2018 and a doctor of ministry from the same school in 2021.
