The one and the many

For better or for worse, Paul, the Jewish convert from Tarsus, is and will always be the great Christian theologian. He was very bright, well educated, and committed to following Jesus, the common man’s rabbi from Nazareth. Jesus was certainly one of a kind. So also was Paul. He wrote voluminously and early in the development of Christianity. He was the earliest of all Christian writers. His writings were widely distributed and took firm root among the early followers of Jesus. His writings were never successfully challenged during his lifetime, and every Christian thinker to this day must come to terms with his writings.

Central to all of Paul’s thinking was the one and the many. His understanding of life began with one God. In his first letter to the Corinthians he wrote “…yet for us there is one God, the Father from whom are all things, and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.” In his Ephesians letter he wrote “…one Lord, one faith, and one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.”

Paul was painfully aware of the dividedness of life among human beings. He lived in a very divided world and there were already serious divisions in the early church. A conference of church leaders was call and held in Jerusalem as reported in the book of Acts. The peace that was made was tenuous and the divisions between congregations and within congregations continued. Finding unity was an ongoing concern in Paul’s letters that he wrote to the churches that he established. His search for unity is presented brilliantly in chapter 12 of his first letter to the Corinthian church.

Paul likens churches to the human body. He argues that churches are like human bodies in that there are many parts with many different functions, but only one body. Not only are all the parts molded into one body, every part is necessary to a fully functioning body. An ear does not look like a foot. An ear does not act like a foot. A fully functioning body needs both ears and feet. The diversity that Paul saw in the early church pales in comparison to the diversity that exists in Christian churches today.

When I was a young man, Pentecostal churches were few. They were small and seen as very peculiar. This is no longer true. A majority of Protestant churches worldwide are now Pentecostal. Many are very large and influential.

In a recent edition of Christianity Today, the magazine takes the reader on a visit to a Pentecostal megachurch in California. The writer raises the question “Is this Christianity?” As described, the church is one that does not appeal to me. Its worship style, program, and many parts of the church’s stated theology are strange to me. They are outside of my Christian experience and thinking. By the standards of Paul’s writings, Bethel Church is a distinctive part of the Christian family and to be honored and valued. God is one and is constantly recreating us to be one in his special son, Jesus from Nazareth.

Just how far do we dare take this commitment to oneness? Here in these United States we are in the midst of a presidential election. Our candidates have special abilities in dwelling on the differences among us. Do we dare bring Paul’s belief in oneness into our political arena? Some are asking “has it ever been this bad before?” My response is, “It has been much worse.” What we are now experiencing does not compare to the ugly differences that existed surrounding the Great War between the States. I have lived through World War II, the Korean conflict, the Viet Nam War and the Middle East Conflicts. Each of these episodes had their own ugliness. Bringing oneness through war obviously does not work. We Americans have come through a lot of differences, conflicts and tensions, yet continue to embrace fondly “one nation under God with liberty and justice for all.” In those words I hear applied Pauline theology.

I grew up in the Baptist tradition. Witnessing was an important part of my Christian adventure. Witnessing has remained important to me. The message has been refurbished many times to fit life situations. The content of the Christian message continues to expand. The form of my witness has altered. Writing and doing have become more and more important. Speaking, writing and doing the truth are the ultimate calling for a Christian believer.

In the present presidential campaign the message of our country’s commitment to oneness of all Americans and all people of the world is sadly missing. E PLURIBS UNUM seems strangely missing. Could it be that now is the time for Christians to witness about the one God who is above all, through all and in all? Paul got this one right. It is essential Christian belief.

Spread the word!

The Rev. Howard Bess is a retired American Baptist minister who lives in Palmer. His email address is hdbss@mtaonline.net. This column is the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman or its parent company, Wick Communications.