We share the same biology
Regardless of ideology
What might save us me and you
Is if the Russians love their children too

This is sentiment was penned by Sting on his 1985 album, ‘The Dream of the Blue Turtles’. The song was written during the Reagan years in reference to the cold war. It points out the humanity of even those we consider ‘the enemy’. My boss often makes a similar statement with regards to the current state of war and hate in the world… “If everyone would care as much about each others grandchildren as we do our own, the world would be a much better place.”

I was in a discussion at our church last Sunday about how we view other Christians. Isn’t it the same thing? What if we change the last lines of the song:

What might save us me and you
Is if the ultra-fundamentalist evangelicals love Jesus too
…
Is if the Catholics love Jesus too
…
Is if the liberal emergents love Jesus too
…
Is if the Appalachian Pentecostals love Jesus too
…
Is if the Methodists love Jesus too

You know what, they all love Jesus. Each of these (and many other) groups are continually bringing people into a relationship with Christ, doing work in the Kingdom and doing what they beleive in thier hearts is showing love to one another.

What has fueled most wars, hatred, killing in over the past 2000 years? Christian in-fighting. Northern Ireland, Luther, etc, etc… read a few Christan blogs lately?? It ain’t getting any better.

You know I’ve been guilty of this over the years… you can probably even find stuff I’ve written on this blog. But a couple of years ago I began to have this epiphany…. Maybe everyone’s not wrong… what if everyone is right??

Who cares if people think my doctrine or interpretations are wrong? So what if they attack me with vitriol? Does it really hurt me that much? (well maybe my ego…) For every person I can point out that I think might be off base there’s another who thinks I’m off base. We can’t force anyone else to change, we can only change ourselves.

Then there’s always the argument that this group or another is ‘giving Christianity a bad name’… so what? Is that some obstacle that God cannot overcome? Of course not. Does it really hurt the Kingdom or just your pride?

Where does all this get us?? Well, I’m not sure, but I know it’s not closer to God… and it’s further away from any sort of community of believers. Maybe the next time you have the urge to slam a fundamentalist or treat an emergent condescendingly you’ll think twice. We all preach about peace, are we practicing it?