Unity, Without Uniformity

Despite discord, Times Square displays signs of unity.

My wife and I had the opportunity to spend some time in New York City just days before the Presidential election. As a boy growing up in New Jersey, I used to get into “The City” often, but hadn’t been there for more than 10 years. As we walked and toured around Manhattan, I was impressed once more by the incredible diversity that characterizes the “city that never sleeps.”

A tour bus guide commented that only 2 in every 5 residents of New York City is American-born. This bore itself out as we heard people talk. There were times when it was rare to hear an actual “American” accent. (Even of the “New Yawk” variety.) We saw people of virtually every ethnicity, and as for fashion, it was clear that in the Big Apple, anything and everything goes.

Yet, in the midst of the diversity there were unifying factors. American flags hung from many buildings, often more than one. In the heart of Times Square, a brightly lit flag gleamed in its red, white and blue. We made our initial visit to the Statue of Liberty, and its symbolism of freedom and liberty seemed strong.

This poster at a 9/11 memorial museum
captures the spirit we need.

Going to Ellis Island, also for my first time, scenes and photographs reminded us of the countless thousands of immigrants who were processed there sharing a common goal – to experience a better life, one much better than they’d known in their homeland. All of my grandparents had passed through those halls early in the 1900s, so it was a poignant time for me.

So now, with the 2016 Presidential election campaign mercifully over, hopefully along with much of its rancor, vitriol and antagonism, it’s time for people across America to refocus on who we have been – and who we should continue to be – the UNITED States of America. We seem to have become “Untied” for too long.

At the same time, we must understand that unity does not, and should not, mean uniformity. With the blessed diversity we can observe in our nation’s great cities and increasingly, even our small towns, it’s important to recognize we can be different and yet celebrate spirit of genuine unity.

This applies especially for those of us who profess to be disciples of Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul wrote powerfully about this to the church in ancient Philippi: “If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose” (Philippians 2:1-2).

I purposely highlighted the words “if” and “then” in the passage, because it’s what is known in the world of grammar as a conditional statement – if certain things are true, then a specific conclusion should follow.

An enduring symbol
for liberty - and unity.

Within the body of Christ that we affectionately call “the Church,” there is great diversity. Not only in terms of age, gender, ethnicity and other demographics, but also doctrines, traditions, worship styles, music, and other factors that shape our beliefs and practices. But as Paul also wrote, it’s important not to let those differences create wide, uncrossable divides. He wrote to the church in Corinth, “For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2). Don’t major in the minors.

As followers of Jesus, we can fall into the trap of participating in the continued stoking of the fires of division and discord. Or we can strive to find and nurture bonds that make for unity, while acknowledging we’re not asked nor called to insist on uniformity.

This does not mean sacrificing our convictions or compromising our faith, but it does involve recognizing there is beauty in diversity – a quality Jesus knew so well. After all, “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). And it’s one big, wonderful, diverse world.

When Unity Doesn’t Mean Uniformity

Overcoming the vast divide afflicting our nation today seems
as difficult as leaping the Grand Canyon in a single bound.

A blogger friend of mine recently addressed the subject of unity. This got me to thinking: Our nation is called the United States of America, but in some ways it seems we’ve never been more divided. Perhaps – and I tread gently as I say this – even more divided than during the days leading up to and during the Civil War.

Politics, an arena in which compromise and negotiation once seemed possible and desirable, has become divided to such an extreme the only common ground is agreement that “never the twain shall meet.” Achieving “middle ground” appears as realistic as crossing the chasm between the north and south rims of the Grand Canyon with a pogo stick.

Ideologies concerning gender, socio-economics, beliefs, lifestyles and even race despite progress we’ve celebrated since the 1960s, seem just as severely separated. Other divisions currently afflicting our once proudly United States come to mind. Perhaps national spell-check got confused and switched the spelling to “untied.”

Without intending to sound simplistic, one factor in these growing disunions could be confusion between unity and uniformity. The differences are considerable.

I remember back in the ‘60s – yes, I’m old enough to recollect them. Those were days when the hippie generation and young people across the country were attempting to display unity by length of hair, clothes they wore (and didn’t wear), the music they listened to, and the vocabulary they spoke. But as they conformed to their unique brand of non-conformity, what they really demonstrated was not unity but uniformity.

Bell-bottom pants, tie-dyed shirts, determination to be “out of sight” (which morphed into “far out”), espousing the virtues of free sex, the pressure to “turn on and tune out,” along with a resolve to “question authority,” had many of us marching in the lockstep of uniformity for a time. Conformed to a singular image of non-conformity, but united? Not really. For the most part, everyone was just looking out for themselves in the comfort of a crowd.

Seeds of that era have spawned current versions of uniformity (political correctness) and disunity (intolerance of anyone holding a view contrary to your own opinions and ideology).

Maybe it would be good to grasp the differences between uniformity and unity, recognizing that while a house divided against itself cannot stand, as Jesus stated in Mark 3:25, all the parts of the house don’t need to be identical.

It’s amazing how, in one way or another, the Bible talks about unity and its importance. It presents unity in terms of teamwork: “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another” (Proverbs 27:17) and “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work…. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:9,12).

When God created man and woman, He did so to provide unity and a complement for the other. Uniformity obviously was not the goal. As the French saying goes, “Vive la difference”!

And writing to believers in the ancient city of Philippi, the apostle Paul placed great emphasis on unity. “If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his hope, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing from selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:1-4).

That’s an intriguing definition of what unity should look like. At the same time, Paul made clear this unity did not require uniformity. In fact, uniformity would have impeded unity. He wrote, using the metaphor of the human body to describe the Church, “The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts, and though all its parts are many, they form one body…. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it” (1 Corinthians 12:12-27).

So how can we once again become united in the midst of diversity, truly United States without having to become Uniform States?   As the apostle wrote above, stop focusing on our own interests, cultivate true humility, and strive to become one in spirit and purpose. Emphasize the common bonds that can unite us rather than the differences that can divide us.

Hardly a complete solution, but it could be a great start.

A ‘Christian’ Nation?

With general elections approaching, there’s talk about returning the United States to its roots. For some, this means a “Christian nation.” To that I suggest two words: Stop it!

Yes, our Constitution embraces some Judeo-Christian principles, but Christian nation? No.

Consider the following mantras that have shaped the American mindset, particularly since World War II: “Pull yourself up by your own bootstraps.” “God is my co-pilot.” And my favorite, “God helps those that help themselves.” (Not found anywhere in the Bible.) We praise the “self-made man” – who tends to worship his “maker.”

It’s not that hard work and initiative are wrong. Part of our nation’s malaise today is too few want to exert the effort necessary to succeed. They want everything handed to them as they ride the entitlement bandwagon.

But how can we be a “Christian nation” when self-reliance and self-sufficiency run diametrically opposed to biblical truth?

Jesus said, “apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). The apostle Paul affirmed total dependence on his Lord, stating, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). He also stated paradoxically, “when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10). Paul explained why in the preceding verse: “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

At its heart, Christian faith consists not on taking spiritual precepts and implementing them to flex our muscles. It’s recognizing utter helplessness apart from Christ – even when His commands run counter to our culture.

Jesus declared we’re to submit to governing authorities, as Romans 13 affirms, but He never instructed us to be the authority – or to rely on it alone. The goal, the Scriptures teach, is “that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power” (1 Corinthians 2:5). That’s what a true “Christian nation” would look like.