Some Thoughts on Unity

Posted by Phil Miller on Sep 16th, 2007
2007
Sep 16

In light some recent ideas that have come up in recent posts, I found these following quotes quite good.  Here’s what some great men of God had to say about Christian unity:

“I ask that men make no reference to my name, and call themselves not Lutherans, but Christians.  What is Luther?  My doctrine, I am sure, is not mine, nor have I been crucified for anyone.  St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 3, would not allow Christians to call themselves Pauline or Petrine, but Christian.  How then should I, poor, foul carcass that I am, come to have men give to the children of Christ a name derived from my worthless name?  No, no, my dear friends, let us abolish all party names, and call ourselves Christians after him whose doctrine we have.”

- Martin Luther

“I should rejoice (so little ambitious am I to be at the head of any sect or party) if the very name [Methodist] might never be mentioned more, but be buried in eternal oblivion.”

-John Wesley

“I say of the Baptist name, let it perish, but let Christ’s name last for ever.  I look forward with pleasure to the day when there will not be a Baptist living.”

-Charles Haddon Spurgeon

3 Responses

  1. Rick Frueh Says:
    September 16th, 2007 at 3:41 pm

    Is Christ divided? Was Luther crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Calvin?

    Great post, Phil. May Christ and Christ alone be lifted up, not among men, but above, exalted, and august above the heavens!!

  2. Rick Says:
    September 16th, 2007 at 6:09 pm

    Phil - thanks, good point. And there’s another point in addition to the ‘division’ angle. John Wimber would say every denomination should plan its own demise. His reasoning was that every generation needs a fresh encounter with God.

    We encounter God and start a movement. The movement becomes large and we form some ‘principles’. Those later become rules. We develop membership guidelines to define who we are but they becomes barriers to keep some out. Tradition is built and becomes unconsciously equal to Scripture. Etc.

    The next generation miss the encounter with God and simply follow our forms. The third generation of course then rebels because they see empty religion, hypocrisy, division, etc..

    So you are right on in that we do not worship man nor a movement but we worship a living Christ. To ensure that, we and our movements must die.

  3. Some Thoughts on Christian Unity « The View from Where I Stand Says:
    September 16th, 2007 at 6:34 pm

    [...] Posted by Will on September 16th, 2007 Phil Miller at CRN.Info and Analysis posted some interesting quotes on Christian unity from some of the leaders of the great religious movements of the last 500 years.  As a United Methodist, I found the one by John Wesley to be of more than passing interest to me, but all of the quotes are of the same substance. “I ask that men make no reference to my name, and call themselves not Lutherans, but Christians.  What is Luther?  My doctrine, I am sure, is not mine, nor have I been crucified for anyone.  St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 3, would not allow Christians to call themselves Pauline or Petrine, but Christian.  How then should I, poor, foul carcass that I am, come to have men give to the children of Christ a name derived from my worthless name?  No, no, my dear friends, let us abolish all party names, and call ourselves Christians after him whose doctrine we have.” - Martin Luther [...]