True & False Unity - Are We Fighting The Wrong Battles ?
I leaned forward, readjusting my position in the pew, and glanced around the room. The atmosphere was charged with excitement as we waited for the service to begin. There we were, representing 21 nationalities and about as far apart as you could be on the social, political and theological spectrum. There was a story to tell about each of us and how we came to be sitting shoulder to shoulder in a church in Kabul, Afghanistan. Anyone not seeing the Bibles carried under denim-clad arms, poking out of the top of crocodile-skin handbags or army surplus knapsacks, would wonder what on earth we had in common. What a wonderful and unforgettable church that was. We learned to lay aside our differences and enjoy the refreshing atmosphere of spiritual unity. This unity had taken time to grow. The task of accepting one another hadn’t been easy. At first, it produced some explosive moments as people tried to be selective about who they wanted to have sit next to them, or pray with, or invite ...