Eric Carpenter likes something about Jehovah’s Witnesses. He has observed that they are apparently more integrated than most Christian churches. Why? he asks. I’m sure I don’t know, but if I was to guess, I’d say it’s due more to their small numbers than anything else.
All people tend to gravitate towards like people. Ethnic differences are not limited to appearance; they include cultural differences, as well. I don’t think this is primarily due to racism. It’s just the way we are. If a group of people, let’s say Christians, gets large enough, it will begin splitting into sub-cultures. This is not inherently a bad thing, but it ought not to be so in the church. We should be united in one commonality: our common faith.
And here’s another thought about JW unity: maybe their one commonality — their religion — so dominates their thinking that differences among them fade away. I don’t know if that’s true of them, but it should be of us.
To draw an analogy, consider Major League Baseball. In any given game, you’ll see men of diverse ethnicities, personalities, religions, etc. on the diamond. It is possible that a team could be comprised of players who have nothing at all in common save one: baseball. And they take the field united in one purpose: to win the game.
Let it be so with us. Let our adoption as joint-heirs with Jesus and the commission he has given us be everything as we gather and live and work together.
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2 Comments:
#1 || 09·07·27··09:48 || Kim in On
When I was a teenager, I was heavily immersed in the Mormons. There was a huge population in the city where I lived; the biggest population in Canada. They did indeed have a very integrated community. Since becoming a Christian, when I have looked back at their zeal to spread what they believe, I am sobered about my own laziness in that regard.
#2 || 09·07·31··18:01 || tom sheepandgoats
I like Paul's analogy of the human body. JW's refer to it to explain their unity. All body members retain their distinctness....they do not all become the same. The lips in no way resemble the elbows. Yet all members are able to cooperate in harmony for the collective good, not allowing their individual differences to tear them apart.