Interesting, But Sad
I was listening to a podcast recently that, in part, was explaining some of the differences between the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. During the relatively short podcast, I learned some things I did not know – starting with the fact that I had no idea that these two groups even existed. Among other things, I also learned that each group has its own “Patriarch” – one in Moscow, Russia and one in Kiev, Ukraine.
At the same time, I was saddened to learn of their existence. These two groups are merely representative of something that directly contradicts the wishes of Jesus that He expressed in His prayer to His Father shortly before going through the trials that led to His crucifixion.
You may remember that prayer. It can be found in John 17. In the last portion of the prayer, our Lord prayed for “…those who would believe in me through their [the apostles’] word” (v. 20). That would include all who claim to follow Christ today.
As the prayer continued, the Lord expressed this desire for His followers:
that they all may be one, just as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be one in Us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. (v. 21)
According to a couple of websites I’ve consulted, there are over 40,000 different “Christian denominations” in the world. You read that correctly. I did not add any zeroes. There are over forty thousand “Christian denominations” in the world today.
That’s a far cry from the days during which the New Testament was being written. After informing those who read the book of Ephesians that the church is the body of Christ (1:22-23), Paul then informs us that “There is one body…” (4:4).
We live at a time in which truth is seen by many as being subjective. We hear phrases like “my truth,” “your truth,” “their truth,” “our truth.” We seldom hear about the truth. In fact, that idea is often the object of ridicule. In addition to that, it is popular today to believe that, even if there is such a thing as absolute truth, it is not possible to know or understand it.
Those ideas also fly in the face of the wishes of Jesus as expressed in His prayer. In John 17:17, Jesus used the phrase “the truth,” and then added “…Your (His Father’s) word is truth.” Along with that, it was Jesus who said in another place, “…you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32).
So; according to the One who is “…the truth…” (John 14:6), consider the following:
- There is such a thing as absolute, objective truth.
- Truth can be known
- Truth unites (A corollary to this would be that anything other than truth divides.)
If you and I read a passage of scripture and come away with two conflicting and contradictory understandings of what it teaches, there is the possibility that we could both be wrong. However, I don’t see any possibility that both of us could be correct in our understanding and application of the scripture when our views are totally opposite.
There is another possibility. I am somewhat hesitant to suggest it. The reason for that hesitancy is that, in today’s “I’m ok; you’re ok” world, it is not popular. As shocking as it may sound to some, it could be that one of us understands the scripture correctly while the other does not.
Until just a few days ago, I had no idea that two different churches with very similar names, but very significant differences existed in Ukraine. I still have no idea about the exact number of “Christian denominations” that exist throughout the world. Apparently nobody knows that number because, as the host of the podcast to which I was listening said, all it really takes to start a new church today is a mailing address or a website.
What I do know is that I can still read the Lord’s desire for unity in that prayer shortly before He died because of His love for all of mankind. Sadly, I can also read in the New Testament about the fact that the ugliness of religious division was already a problem not long after His sacrifice.
When Paul addressed the issue of religious division in 1 Corinthians, he made an appeal that, it seems to me, should be the appeal of all who truly love the Lord today. That appeal was:
…that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. (1 Cor. 1:10, ESV)
Some of us are old enough to remember when the slogan for Burger King was “Have it your way.” I guess that’s fine when it comes to the “fixings” on a hamburger. However, when it comes to pleasing the One who died for me and Who will determine my eternal destiny, I’d rather
have it His way.
AUTHOR: Jim Faughn
