Editor's Note: This is the fourth column in a series on how to restore any lost respect for Christianity.
For the past several weeks I have pointed out several matters within the contemporary Christian church that I believe have caused great anxiety within Christianity.
Pride, arrogance, privilege (and the loss of it) have been looked at.
It is a shame that within Christ’s church, people don’t seem to stop often enough to think about how much more we have in common than we have in differences.
Granted, the number of differences between us is far greater than the similarities that untie us. But the significance of what we have in common far outweighs our differences — if we would only focus on it.
A good friend of mine once told me that a baseball coach of his said that when his game seemed to be out of focus, it was a good practice to get back to the basics.
In the Christian church, our game is out of focus. We are divided more than ever. We are scorned more than ever. We are ignored more than ever. We need to go back to the basics.
We all have three major things in common. It is those three — when we focus on them to a greater degree — that should unite us more than the other issues divide us.
What is central to our faith, what we all have in common as disciples of Jesus Christ, is the Trinity and the fact that Jesus Christ is the center of our faith. We have been called to love and serve him. We have been called to preach his good news. We have been called to care for each other and those in need. We have been called to have the mind of Jesus Christ.
How we interpret the elements of the Lord’s Supper — secondary.
How we interpret the age or method of Baptism — secondary.
The creation of the world in a literal six days or six millennia — secondary.
A literal or symbolic apostolic succession — secondary.
By acknowledging the strength of what we have in common more than we argue about our differences, we will be able to become more united in our diversity. We will provide a much stronger witness in the world for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ — rather than our particular denomination or theological interpretation. We will be more effective in conveying the message that it is okay to have differences, and to let God be the Lord of the conscience.
Jesus said, “Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Very important words by which to live.
The Rev. Mark Broadhead is Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church and First Presbyterian Church of Crestview's pastor.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: BROADHEAD: Focus on uniting similarities, not divisive differences