Editorial August 6, 1990 Issue

Finding unity amid diversity

Ann Kenrick

Don't we all yearn for order and harmony in our lives? We want happy coordination and interaction with others—in our families, at the workplace, and in our communities. But sometimes we feel overwhelmed by the complexities and diversity of modern lifestyles. Yet, different viewpoints and a variety of expression, when founded on a common principle, cause no apprehension and disunity. Indeed, they should enrich and enliven human institutions.

People from all walks of life came to hear Christ Jesus' teachings. Fishermen, learned men, children and grown-ups alike—in fact, great crowds of people—were naturally drawn to the Master for instruction and healing. What was it that drew these people? Jesus taught about a loving Father, the one universal God, who abundantly supplies all of our needs, whether the need is for health, freedom from sin, or a more abundant sense of living. The Christ, or Truth, Jesus exemplified binds people into a fuller sense of fellowship and love for one another.

Later, the Apostle Paul addressed the question of how we can find unity in church affairs in the midst of diversity. In one of his letters to the Christians at Corinth, he likens the membership of a church to a body and shows that all the functions are of equal importance for the right action of the whole body. Paul's illustration shows how futile it is for one part of the body to think it can work effectively independently or at cross-purposes with the whole.

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