Religious 'Unity' - Will it be Achieved?

Anyone following news of the world's religions will notice two contradictory trends developing side-by-side. On the one hand, religious differences are causing tensions to escalate, often into full-fledged combat. Yet on the other hand, religious leaders are making overtures toward "unity"—resolving or minimizing centuries-old differences between communities of faith.

Decades-old tensions in Northern Ireland have pitted Catholic against Protestant. The 1998 so-called Good Friday peace accord is being tested as Irish Republican Army members resist "decommissioning" their weapons, and Protestant guerilla groups respond by putting their members "on standby" for what could SOON become a violent conflict.

In Kosovo, religious rhetoric is again being used to justify ethnic hostilities. Many international observers have BLASTED Serbia's policy of "ethnic cleansing" against Kosvar Muslims. Yet as the warring parties begin to disarm, Kosovo's Serbian Orthodox Bishop Artemije now charges that Serbs, not ethnic Albanians, are the ones being "ethnically cleansed." Bishop Artemije made that accusation after celebrating Mass last week at a monument on the "Field of Blackbirds" where in 1389 the Ottoman Turks defeated Serb forces and established a Muslim stronghold in the region. Does anyone REALLY believe that the NATO-brokered cease-fire means an end to animosities that have festered for more than 600 years? Of course not!

One could just as easily point to Hindu-Muslim tension in India and Pakistan, or to the Communist Chinese oppression of Tibetan Buddhists. In this modern age, religion is a force for DIVISION, not unity. Within so-called Christianity alone, there are more than 400 sects and denominations all calling themselves "Christian." Yet which among them are truly following Jesus Christ? The Apostle Paul, in 1 Corinthians 11:1, instructs Christians, saying "Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ." Are any of these warring factions truly imitating Jesus Christ? Of course not!

Yet although Protestant and Catholic lay-people are at war, their leaders are RUSHING to seek a supposed "unity." Earlier this month, Lutheran and Catholic officials announced that they have come to full agreement on the doctrine that "grace alone" leads to salvation. In doing so, they have pasted over the dispute that was at the very HEART of the Protestant Reformation four centuries ago!

This is not an isolated event. Five years ago, prominent Evangelical and Roman Catholic leaders cooperated in crafting a document entitled "Evangelicals and Catholics Together" that they hoped would be a first step toward unity between Evangelicals and Catholics. Many prominent theologians and scholars joined in supporting this statement, including Roman Catholic Bishops from Washington and Colorado, and such Protestant notables as Chuck Colson, Bill Bright, and Pat Robertson.

Is this unity a bad thing? On the surface it seems appealing, especially in the light of the religious wars wracking our world. The Apostle Paul asks in 1 Corinthians 1:13, "Is Christ divided?" The answer, of course, is NO! But will that unity come from man's efforts, or from God's intervention? The Bible tells us in Revelation chapter 20, verse 4, that after Christ's return at the end of this age, He will rule with His followers for a thousand years. This time, often called the Millennium, will be a time of unity, peace and harmony beyond anything that humanity has ever experienced, as our sin-sick society is reformed by the law of God.

The "Evangelicals and Catholics Together" document closes with the following telling words: "We do not know, we cannot know, what the Lord of history has in store for the Third Millennium." Indeed, they DO NOT know. But fortunately, you and I can study the Bible carefully and KNOW for ourselves what the Lord of history has in store. He will come—SOON—to rescue the world from religious confusion and conflict. God speed that day!

This is Rod Meredith, for the Living Church of God.