 Presbyterian Leaders’ Forum  The Presbyterian Layman Volume 32, Number 5, Posted November 11, 1999
A Message from the Stated Clerk The General Assembly meeting in Fort Worth last June encouraged local and regional discussions on the theme “The Nature of the Unity We Seek in our Diversity.” In this adversarial era, the General Assembly advocated a series of caring conversations through which Presbyterians may “maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:3).In his vision of God’s ultimate victory, the apostle John marveled at the diversity of redeemed humanity: “After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands” (Rev. 7:9). While representative of every human culture, the multitude stood united in praise and witness. The nature of the unity we seek in Jesus Christ is consistent with the vision of John, with Isaiah’s prophecy of a peaceable kingdom (Isa. 11:1-9), with the demonstration of the Holy Spirit’s power to overcome national divisions at Pentecost (Acts 2:5-11). The unity we seek is grounded in a desire to rediscover our common faith, even as we continue to value distinctive characteristics which are God’s gift to the whole world by means of each individual. A conference on Presbyterian unity and diversity held in Atlanta last spring served as a prototype for the discussions now being organized. As that model is adapted and altered by presbyteries, congregations, and other church-related groups, I hope that planners will take seriously several of the principles of dialogue that have proved useful in Atlanta: 1. As the subtitle of the spring conference indicated, the goal of participants in these discussions is “rediscovering our fundamental unity in Jesus Christ.” Our diversity need not lead to divisiveness if we are open to the Spirit and to one another. The object of our conversation is not to score debating points but to bear witness to the faith that shapes each of our lives. 2. Participants are asked to prepare themselves to listen carefully to others, rather than to arrive with pre-set agendas of their own. A significant trait of the Reformed tradition is a willingness to be reformed anew according to the Word of God as illuminated by the working of the Holy Spirit. 3. Humility is an essential step to renewal. As one of the speakers in Atlanta reminded us, “We have been wrong before.” The great church controversy of any given moment is part of a history of engagement in which the church is caught between the call of God and the ways of the world. The church’s teachings and policies have sometimes been harshly biased while, at other times, sentimentality has led to standards that were too lenient. Admitting error and repenting of it are first steps in rededicating ourselves to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God (Micah 6:8). 4. Finally, in the midst of disagreement, it is all-important that we remember the new commandment Jesus gave: that we love one another as he loves us (John 15:12). Love is the glue which makes possible true Christian unity amid all the diversity of this world; in the end, love is “the bond of peace.” Clifton Kirkpatrick |
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