Wednesday, May 04, 2011

Unity with all of the church

A Pilgrim's Progress: Learning to Live in the Broader Traditional Church...

Important topic for discussion and one many of us have looked at before. It is one thing to piously point out the failures and unscriptural nature of the institutional church and preach unity but how do we still maintain relations and fellowship with the vast majority of our brothers and sisters who don't agree with our views on the church? If we reject them because we reject the institutional church, we are just as guilty of being divisive anyone else.

Tonight, back pain permitting, we are getting together with some friends for a time of prayer and Bible study. Many/most will be from the house church we have been meeting with. Tomorrow we are having dinner as a family with friends who are part of a very traditional church. Last night I was at our local crisis pregnancy center where I get the chance to minister alongside all sorts of people, most of whom are associated with the institutional church (and those same churches fund most of our ministry to hurting moms and dads in crisis pregnancy situations). So we are trying but can do so much more.

I think this question is one of the biggest that faces the simple/house/organic church crowd, along with maintaining theological orthodoxy. How do we maintain unity and fellowship with the 95% of our brothers and sisters in the institutional church? This is a conversation we must have and more importantly that we must take concrete steps to live out. If we bunker ourselves up in our own simple church enclaves, how does that foster unity in the church?

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