Christians, let's stop fighting each other and serve our neighbors in need instead

 

I can’t help thinking that there may be a correlation between Christians' infighting and the fact that fewer people want to be associated with us.

Chris Palusky
Opinion contributor



I can’t help thinking that there could be a correlation between our public infighting and the undeniable fact that fewer people want to be associated with us.

Young adults flee the church

In a 2017 Lifeway Research survey, a majority (66%) of Americans ages 23-30 said they stopped attending church on a regular basis for at least a year after turning 18. Among their top reasons was that church members seemed divisive, judgmental or hypocritical.

Pastor Andy Stanley of the Atlanta area recently cited the top five reasons that people leave the church. On the list was “they had a bad church experience,” where church members prioritized or defended viewpoints over people.

At this pivotal moment in American history, I present every Christian with the question I asked that day in California: How can Christians move forward in unity despite our doctrinal differences across denominations? Is that even possible?

In Luke 9:46, Jesus’ disciples were arguing about the same thing. How did Jesus respond? Scripture tells us, “Jesus, knowing their thoughts, took a little child and had him stand beside him. Then he said to them, ‘Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For it is the one who is least among you all who is the greatest.’ ”

If this was so important for Jesus, shouldn’t it be important for us?

The world is watching us. For the sake of our Christian witness in a challenging culture, I hope for a day when Christians can unify around loving God, loving our neighbor and serving the vulnerable.

(And not outlawing abortion, but that is another discussion for another day) 







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