Paul the Apostle was obsessed with Christian unity. In Ephesians and Romans, he is concerned with unity between Jewish and Gentile Christians. In his letters to the Corinthians, he writes about unity between the rich and the poor and between those with various spiritual gifts.
Unity is the hard problem of Christianity or any other ideological institution. From the front lawn of Chapel Hill UMC, you can see at least four churches of different denominations. Worshiping together is hard. People have different dogmas, cultures, and musical preferences. Some are rich, some are poor, and education levels vary. Unity requires compromise and discomfort. Most of us don't want that.
So we worship in separate churches, often right across the street from one another. Black people worship at black churches and white people at white churches. The wealthy worship at one church, and the poor at another. There are churches for the elderly, and churches for the young. And when they share a building, they often have their own services.
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| Litany (group prayer) at Chapel Hill UMC shows concern for breaking down barriers to unity |
So, when I walked into Chapel Hill's sanctuary and saw a warm friendly congregation of diverse people worshiping and working alongside one another, my religious skepticism was challenged. My heart was warmed.
I wrote Reverend Dave, told him a little bit about myself, and shared my perceptions, he wrote back and told me that the congregation was even more diverse than it looked on the surface. The church is both politically and economically diverse, ranching from very poor to wealthy ranchers. "There are many in our church that don't have access to internet or computers," he said. And somehow, they make it work. I'm sure it's not perfect. What is? The first century church wasn't. If it had been, Paul would have been writing thank you cards instead of Second Corinthians.
If I had the chance, I would ask the members of Chapel Hill about the benefits and struggles of working and worshipping in such a diverse group. What compromises do they have to make? How do they think it makes them better Christians? What have they learned from the experience?
I wrote Reverend Dave, told him a little bit about myself, and shared my perceptions, he wrote back and told me that the congregation was even more diverse than it looked on the surface. The church is both politically and economically diverse, ranching from very poor to wealthy ranchers. "There are many in our church that don't have access to internet or computers," he said. And somehow, they make it work. I'm sure it's not perfect. What is? The first century church wasn't. If it had been, Paul would have been writing thank you cards instead of Second Corinthians.
If I had the chance, I would ask the members of Chapel Hill about the benefits and struggles of working and worshipping in such a diverse group. What compromises do they have to make? How do they think it makes them better Christians? What have they learned from the experience?
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