"When you begin to think outside the box, you often become some other "leaders" lousy follower. That usually costs something" (Andy Rayner)

"Our guardian angels are bored." (Mike Foster)

It's where I feel I'm at these days. “In the second half of life, it is good just to be a part of the general dance. We do not have to stand out, make defining moves, or be better than anyone else on the dance floor. Life is more participatory than assertive, and there is no need for strong or further self-definition” (Falling Upward. Richard Rohr.120).

Tuesday, October 9, 2018

How the Church Is United

"The “Declaration and Address” begins by describing the unity of the church given in Christ:
That the Church of Christ upon earth is essentially, intentionally, and constitutionally one; consisting of all those in every place that profess their faith in Christ and obedience to him in all things according to the Scriptures, and that manifest the same by their tempers and conduct, and of none else; as none else can be truly and properly called Christians.1
For Thomas Campbell, unity was not something to be established or even reestablished, but something given in Christ. For, Christ is the guarantor of the unity of the church, and Christians exist within that unity through faith and obedience. Campbell explains that the proof of unity in Christ is manifest by the “tempers and conduct” of Christians. Therefore, unity is not passive existence but a practice. The practice of unity is best characterized by peacemaking; that is, Christians remain in the unity of the church by being at peace with one another."
Jonathan Totty.The Non-Violent Epistemological Premise of the Declaration and Address
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