A Community of Christian Faith
It does not take a keen observer to see many levels of very public discord in the United States. To some extent, it is a vocal minority aided by a media that is drawn to conflicts; but, there is a very real problem in our country. We are not a united nation, but one at war with itself on numerous fronts.
The most powerfully uniting force is a common religious faith. Community is based on what men have in common, and religion involves a common understanding of values, ethics, justice and more. All racial and cultural differences are regulated to secondary importance when a common faith is shared. In Jesus Christ men are truly “brothers and sisters” in the household of faith.
Our culture is in conflict because we have lost the common element that enabled its unity, Christian faith and practice. My father grew up in an Armenian-speaking home to new immigrants. He attended Armenian-speaking churches throughout his youth. He only learned English in school and did not begin to think in English until his university days. After that, he never again lived in an Armenian community. His Armenian became rusty with non-use. Yet my mother observed that, because he knew the importance of Christianity in both Armenian and American history, he was more American than most Americans and more Armenian that most Armenians.
We will not “come together” politically, socially, or culturally unless we first come together in a communion of faith that establishes us as a community. The wrong faith will lead us into the dustbin of history. A community of faith, understanding, and practice will give us a transcendent strength. Only such a revival will bring us together in a positive way.
Topics: Christian Reconstruction, Church, The, Culture