As 2006 marked the 100th anniversary of the 1906 federal census which recognized the division between Christian churches and churches of Christ, numerous articles, lectures, and meetings have centered on the theme of "unity." In the familiar words of John 17:1-26, Jesus prays for Himself, for His apostles, and for all His disciples. Our Lord prays for unity - that all those who believe may be one, as the Father and the Son are one. We all desire the ideal of unity for which our Savior prayed. And in Paul's unity chapter of Ephesians 4, the apostle speaks of "bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (Eph. 4:1-3, NKJV). With these verses in mind, what characterized some of the efforts this year to heal division and to affect unity in the Lord's body? In particular, what happened at some of the proposed "unity meetings" in 2006?

With the knowledge and consent of the elders of the LaVergne, TN, Church of Christ where I preach, I attended the "2006 Stone-Campbell Dialogue Sunday Evening Worship Service" at 5 p.m. on June 11, 2006, at the Woodmont Hills Church of Christ in Nashville, TN. According to the "THE STONE-CAMPBELL DIALOGUE" handout provided at the meeting, this was "A DIALOGUE BETWEEN Churches of Christ, Christian Churches / Churches of Christ, and Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)." The statement of purpose was "To develop relationships and trust within the three streams of the Stone-Campbell movement through worship and through charitable and frank dialogue, 'that the world may believe'."

After indicating that we as Christians have a "special trust" and "heritage of focusing on Christian unity," the handout included "A Confession of Sin," which said, "we have been guilty of dividing the body of Christ Many of us have fortified the spirit of division and have failed to do what we should have done to prevent or overcome division We have deeply wounded one another through misrepresentation, suspicion, mistrust and defamation We now bring to God our brokenness and repent of the sin of division. We ask God for forgiveness. We ask God to heal us so that our Movement within Christ's church can more perfectly embody the unity to which we are called."

Regarding this confession of guilt for dividing the body of Christ, I would observe that the brethren who brought the practice of instrumental music into the worship of the church were the ones who precipitated the division in the church. Instrumental music in Christian worship became a wedge that divided brethren over a hundred years ago, and their practice continues primarily to be a wedge that divides many today. Those who continue this practice fortify the division.

According to the program provided at this meeting, the participants in the service included members from all three fellowships, with both men and women in leadership roles in worship. This dialogue/worship service had no sermon but did have a welcome and call to worship, explanation of the Stone-Campbell Dialogue, a cappella congregational singing with a praise team, scripture reading (Eph. 4:3-6) in various languages, responsive reading (Eph. 4:1-7, 11-13), an instrumental singing group (accompanying themselves with six acoustic guitars and a flute), the Lord's Supper, the singing of a solo, and a benediction. I would estimate the attendance at perhaps about 300.

I was especially interested in learning the rationale or the basis for unity which was being proposed by this dialogue. If this meeting was typical of other national meetings of the "Stone-Campbell Dialogue," I saw no indication at this service to forgo the practice of using instrumental music in worship. This program tended more toward compromise by just overlooking our differences and by merely merging fellowships with assorted worship practices.

What is the answer to this division? How can there be unity where there has been separation? How can there be fellowship where there has been estrangement? How can we have the unity for which Christ prayed (Jn. 17) and for which Paul beseeched (Eph. 4)? And will just any "unity" suffice? [Part 2 will consider a scriptural basis for unity].

(reprinted from Gospel Advocate, November 2006)