Unity on my terms

I don’t think I have met many Christians who reject the idea that we should be unified. At the very minimum we like the idea of unity. How great it would be if we all could “worship” together (i.e. go to church on Sunday morning together)!

Here is where it falls apart. Unity in our eyes means you come to where I am. I am right so why should I accommodate you? I chose my church because it is the most rightest one out there based on our doctrinal statement/denomination/music style/location/service time/etc. You should choose my church too. If you refuse to come to my church, well then the disunity in the church is on you, not me. I am very willing to have you come to my church (on our terms of course, we need to keep out heretics and crackpots. Fencing the table and all that.). How much more open to unity can you get? We will provide you with a handshake and “We’re glad you are here” and perhaps even a welcome package to tell you what we believe and why what you believe is wrong and why we are glad you have seen the error of your ways!

Is that what Jesus Christ was talking about? Is that the picture we see of the church in the New Testament, if I can get all minimalist and primitive on you for a moment? Thousands of little self-enclosed and self-sufficient enclaves?

I am making myself physically ill just writing this. How can a people of the Book be so dismissive of that very Book when it talks about the people?