In Australia and in some other countries of the Southern Hemisphere, the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity begins on this Sunday immediately before Pentecost. Our lesson from John’s gospel speaks of Jesus’ prayer for his disciples, for later generations of his followers, and for us, “that they may all be one”. This unity is not merely for its own sake, but “so that the world may believe that you have sent me”.
Having grown up in an essentially secular family, I have an idea about what people outside the churches think about those of us within the churches. Many people outside the churches regard “religious people” such as ourselves as wowsers, killjoys, and hypocrites. In recent decades, we’ve also become (in their minds) potential child abusers who dabble in far-right-wing politics. Included in this negative stereoptype are the denominational divisions that exist among the churches, divisions which were particularly toxic back in the pre-ecumenical “bad old days”.
A greater unity among all Christians won’t be a magic bullet making practicing Christians less on the nose among our neighbours than we are at present. It’s a good first step, however.
Rev Bob Faser
Retired Minister