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"In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; and in all things, charity."
Dear Folks:
The election is over. For the first time in months, our mailbox isn’t full of ads for issues and candidates. There is a quietude, and politicians across our country are calling for unity.
Unity, though, cannot be declared; it must be discerned. Part of the problem right now is that we are not unified in seeking unity. We are neither unified by what the problem actually is nor by any solution that purports to make life better. We are not unified by who should lead us into unity, and we are not even unified in naming what is essential.
"In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; and in all things, charity" hung on the wall of my seminary, Eden, near a set of stairs. I don’t remember whether it hung at the top of a flight of stairs or at the bottom; either way it hung at a point of transition where the stairway landing became a hallway. I often paused by it and read it. It projected hope. It called for unity and freedom and charity. It alluded to a process of discernment.
It made me wonder what is essential to Christianity in general and the UCC more
specifically. How is the essential determined? How is the essential demonstrated? If
your non-essential is one of my essentials, how do we seek unity?
"In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; and in all things, charity" dates to the
early 1600s, and was penned by an anti-papal Roman Catholic Archbishop in Croatia, who was judged by the church to be a heretic. It was written during a tumultuous time in Europe, as shifts in political power and pietistic religious fervor pitted Christians against each other. Unity was hard to find. The aphorism’s author, Marco Antonio de Dominis, sought reform within the Roman Catholic church, criticized the pope, was investigated by the Inquisition, fled to England, and became a bishop in the Church of England, where he criticized the Church of England, and was exiled back to Spain. He was not well liked. I wonder if he was seeking charity for his unorthodox views of church reform or if he was demanding that his ideas be seen as essential and, therefore, required others to join him in unity.
Like the UCC, the US has “united” in the name. I’m not feeling united with half the
country. I’m not sure how to even begin to find unity. I’m not sure whether we can even agree on what is essential or non-essential. The only answer I have is Eugene
Peterson’s translation of I Corinthians 13:13, “for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.”
May we find love to be an essential, and may we find unity in Christ’s love.
Peace,
Pastor Tony
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