There Will Always Be Divisions

Ed points out tribalism within the church:

When you get mainstream any Christian leader to read this same passage and he starts talking about how we need to end sectarianism. But what he really mean is that everyone should dissolve their clubs and join his. “Well, isn’t it obvious? Our way is the right one!” Should any of those actually make it to Heaven, I think they’ll be shocked at who else is there waiting for them.

This is the standard human-oriented tribalism. When you shift from your head to your heart in matters of faith, you automatically start looking for common threads that tie it all together. That’s how the heart-mind works. Feel free to choose any styling and flavor that meets your human needs and offers the best tools for living your faith. What really matters is the power of your faith visible to the eyes of the heart. Heart-led people will always recognize each other — or at least they could if they progress far enough away from the dominance of their intellects.

At the risk of creating “new sins,” being anti-division is anti-Christian and anti-nature. God likes order and patterns. Dividing and separating things according to how they seem to exist—”they,” in this case being “people” of differing preferences, callings, likes and dislikes—is a part of how things work in the universe, both physically and morally. I’m talking peoples tendencies and orientations, not the thick black lines of categories and borders. Divisions are not at all part of the Fall but it can be corrupted just like anything else. Yet fighting against divisions absolutely, paradoxically causes more division than necessary.

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