James Duff June 21st 2015 ~ Unity in Diversity

“Books serve to show a man that those original thoughts of his aren’t very new after all.”(Abraham Lincoln)I love reading but I am far from the most broadly-read or fastest reader you will meet. Jane often comments despairingly about the half-a-dozen partly-read books sitting on my bedside table. I seem to read non-fiction books, mainly focused on God, His church or ministry in general.  At times I do delve into philosophy, psychology and sport. (I can’t forget to mention that a good biography during a holiday is always a winner for me.) I believe we remain uninformed and ignorant of too much - a wealth of deep rich wisdom and knowledge - if we don’t read.This week I have probed back into church history. I have been perusing The Story of Christianity, The Reformation to the Present Day by J.L. Gonzalez. I love reading it because it is jam-packed with theology. It also shows me that the issues the church faces in today’s so-called post-modern era are little different to what faced the church and Christians in the past. Abraham Lincoln’s quote above is right on the money. There were and still are many in-house battles between denominations and nations. These are necessary for the sake of the gospel but many battles were and are over what I would term ‘second-order’ issues. These second-order battles are fought not over primary issues pertaining to the Trinity, the person of Jesus, the primacy of scripture etc. but over second- or even third- and fourth-order issues. Some examples of these non-primary battles in history where church boundaries fell include the difference, if any, between laity and clergy, and whether a person ought to be fully immersed in baptism or just splashed with water. My point is that it is so easy to emphasize differences in the church (second-order issues) and not highlight what unites us (first-order issues).Malcolm reminded me last week that when he studied theology at Ridley, Melbourne, he was taught that orthodoxy was like a meal on a large plate. You can move the food around and even push it to the edges but, if pushed too far, the food will eventually fall off the plate - there is a boundary marker. The same can be said about what unites us as Christians: there are boundary markers. Within the church there are some differences in doctrine and the role of church. Some denominations lay heavy emphasis on the salvific work of Jesus, others on the Holy Spirit to bring renewal and growth, others on the Father’s unconditional love for His people. The out-workings of doctrine see people join God’s renewal plan for the world in different ways. This can manifest in ministries that have a heart for those stuck in poverty, or for people who are bound by the devil and sin, or ministries around environmental renewal and stewardship and, of course, many more. All these ministries are important and should illustrate to a watching world how the church is united as the body of Christ. These ministries are servant ministries, which is why Jesus, who is the one who unites us, came, not to be served but to serve and give His life as a ransom for many (Matt. 20:28). This is what all of us at St Philips are united around and can all say “Amen” to.God blessJames