While many Christians may fight over doctrinal differences, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland calls for peace and unity so we can do good in the world together.
Photo by Michael Heiss / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 / photo altered
Christian values are under attack in the political arena and in the world in general. As Christ said, a house divided “cannot stand” (Mark 3:25). Elder Jeffrey R. Holland urged unity among Christian faiths in his address given on March 10, 2011, “Standing Together for the Cause of Christ.”
Elder Holland pointed out that all Christian faiths face the same challenges: sin and moral decay, pornography, poverty, abuse, abortion, illicit sexual transgression, and more. By working together, Christian faiths can help society change.
One difficulty Christians face is that different denominations have not always seen eye to eye, and there has been a history of hostility between the various groups. Despite disagreements and differences, all faiths agree on one thing—that Jesus is the Christ. When faiths look at the commonalities and the goals that they all wish to achieve, they can find allies rather than adversaries.
Unity against common challenges does not mean all of the Christian faiths need to be doctrinally the same. According to Elder Holland, requiring any faith to make concessions about doctrines in order to find fellowship would be distasteful and unacceptable. However, by opening a dialogue and finding common ground, Christian faiths can hold back the tide of sin in unity, demanding increased morality from the media and standing together on issues that affect the family and society.
If individuals follow the example Elder Holland gives for Christian faiths, they can find a pattern for how to find common ground with members of other Christian denominations. Once that common ground is found, we can all put our shoulders to the collective wheel and help move the world to goodness.
Read Elder Holland’s article “Standing Together for the Cause of Christ.”
Source: Religious Studies Center
—Daniel Braithwaite, Mormon Insights
Find more insights
Read the entry about unity at lds.org.
Picture Quote Photo (C) Michael Heiss
This article is a good reminder that God’s children don’t need to compete against each other. Following Christ means loving who he loves.
I got involved with interfaith stuff a couple summers ago, and had some great experiences! The events I was involved with were about collaborating on environmental issues, but the same principles applied. There was always such a good feeling there, and we really can do more together than we ever could if we didn’t make the effort to see and share the common ground between us! I love that the Church is involved in interfaith work ^_^
There’s often more uniting us than we realize—yet it’s so easy to focus only on what’s different. A lot of these points Elder Holland raises can be applied to other religions too, not just within Christian denominations.