One of the hardest balances to get right in the Christian life is to
decide how ecumenical or how separatist we will be; how much will we
unite with Christians who are different from us in some areas, and how
much will we separate from them?
There are two relatively easy options: unite with everyone that calls
themselves a Christian or separate from everyone who is not exactly
like us. Neither option is biblical.
The biblical way is much more intellectually and spiritually
demanding. In the Bible, God provides us with commands and examples of
both unity and separation and calls us to exercise rigorous and
prayerful discernment about what route to take on each occasion.
I want to explore this difficult area by looking at our different
“bottom lines,” the different responses that will result, the different
roles God calls us into, and the different sins at the different
extremes.
Different bottom lines
In all our associations, we all have to ask, and keep asking, ourselves: “What issues are non-negotiables? What biblical principle is sufficiently important to separate over? What is the minimum agreement in truth and practice before we begin to unite with others?” Continue at David Murray
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