The Politics of Unity

Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! (Psalm 133:1)

Unity is a lost art. With a cloak of social media and bursting self righteousness, many have looked to use criticism as a default. I feel better when you feel worse. The art of disagreeing in love is buried among countless tweets and posts. It is almost as if we seek out what divides us before we ever dip our feet into the lake of similarities we all have in common. It breaks my heart that oftentimes where the disagreements are most juvenile are within the walls of the Church. Perhaps this is because the only thing that unites us is the work of Christ many times. When you take this away, many would be hardpressed to find common ground. However, when we lean into our faith we find that this is enough to bring unity to even the most diverse of perspectives.

Yet, Jesus calls his people to radical unity as they pursue the higher virtues. This is a better way to live. What a relief it is to rid ourselves of the burden of being right that comes with policing morality and religion. Unity starts at the point we realize our own blindspots and shortcomings. Dale Carnegie in his outstanding “How to Win Friends and Influence People”, talks about how no one wins in public disagreement. Whether you are right or wrong, you fail to win that person as a friend or partner by pointing out their failures.

Today, seek unity over all else. Enjoy the good and pleasant benefits of dwelling in agreement. Blessed are the peacemakers.