Unity in Christ is a choice. And on January 30, 2008, thousands of Baptists demonstrated the power and promise that emerges when individuals own and exercise their freedom to choose what Paul, in I Corinthians 13, calls “a more excellent way.”
As I sat in the auditorium on the opening night of the New Baptist Covenant convocation in Atlanta, I was struck by the depth of praise and worship. I sensed the entire gathering had been bathed in prayer and that God was showing us, in concrete ways, that all things are possible if we only believe.
An idea birthed in the heart of President Jimmy Carter and nourished by others who shared the vision of Baptist unity had become real. Thousands of Baptists from different backgrounds and different races had come together to be both challenged and changed by an intentional focus on issues that unite rather than divide.
I left the auditorium with renewed hope. Hope that dares believe that regardless of what our past has been—and in spite of external forces that want to convince us that love, justice and real systemic change is not possible—individuals can exercise their personal freedom to choose a different path. A path that promotes peace with justice and feeds the hungry, clothes the naked, shelters the homeless, cares for the sick and marginalized, and promotes religious liberty as well as respect for religious diversity. The amazing thing is that when we choose that path, that road less traveled, we ultimately discover that we are not alone. I believe our collective choice of Christian unity will indeed change the world.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment