What is “the church” exactly, and how do you determine that “it” has abandoned the mission?
I disagree that unity is just a means to an end and not the goal. I think the unity of all things in Christ is the goal. If that’s not what someone is prioritizing, then… well… they’re not following Christ. (Just because Aaron told the people the calf was YHWH didn’t make it so.)
Curious, since you’re making a pointed effort to respond to the message you believe I’m making. #snark
When you accuse a person of espousing a view that is toxic, you are saying something about them: either that they are malicious, or ignorant. If that’s not what you mean to say about them, then you shouldn’t make the toxicity accusation. If it is what you mean to say about them, then own it.
An issue underlying this entire discussion is that even we as Christians are losing the ability to dialog clearly and charitably. As much as any non-Christian, we’re dragging every perspective, alliance, and experience into every interaction we have with everyone. What I said was “Not wanting to be reconciled is as antithetical to Christianity as anything I can think of” which, honestly, sounded like a pretty uncontroversial, self-evident statement, what with forgiveness and reconciliation being the foundation of the entire religion. Note that I said “Not wanting to be reconciled”, not “Not being reconciled”. (Reconciliation is costly, and requires all parties to be all in – it doesn’t always happen. But there’s a difference between “I want to reconcile, but can’t” and “They’re idiots so f**k them”.) In your accusations of my view’s toxicity, I don’t actually recognize what I understand to be my view. But once the T-word has been deployed, It’s On. See the dynamic?
Our species simply didn’t evolve to handle the level of connectivity our technology has foisted upon us. But as a Christian, I think there is a way forward to be found in the message of Jesus.
For the record, I didn’t try to suggest anything of the sort and if it sounded like I did it was poor communication on my part and I’d be happy to clarify.
Confession: I, for one, rarely post on the internet except from a position of pride and/or anger. When I’m not feeling proud or angry, I just don’t seem to feel the desire to do it. When I do and it turns out okay, I feel a little happier at possibly having inched further towards sanctification. When it doesn’t, I feel reminded of my sinfulness and need of Christ. I’m sure this isn’t true for everyone, and I’m not suggesting it about anyone else. Just… well… confession is a thing Christians are supposed to do.