Opinion: The divide in the Christian church has become a chasm Henry Zorn

Thu, April 14, 2022,

It is Holy Week, the most sacred time of the year for Christians. Within this context, it causes me great pain to offer this response to the April 6 Enquirer article, "Fight for American values plays out."

In what is known as Jesus’ "High Priestly Prayer" that He spoke during Holy Week, our Lord prayed, "I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one." (Emphasis added.)

Throughout history, these words have motivated Christians to work for ecumenical unity. The report of the Cincinnati Men’s Conference only confirms what I have been feeling and experiencing for decades in ministry: the divide in the Christian church in the United States has become a chasm! Even more troublesome and lamentable is that this divide is shaping up along partisan political lines and that the animosity is becoming more pronounced.

Subjects of Christian faith voiced at the conference were identified in the report: abortion, gender identification, gay marriage, premarital sex, and public school curriculum. I do not agree that those matters are primary for followers of Jesus in our time. As I read the Bible and attempt to interpret it for our day, I find it speaking to social issues like immigration and welcome of the "alien" (the need for compassionate, comprehensive immigration reform), Creation care (God gives humans dominion of the Earth to be exercised by stewardship of its resources), providing welcoming and safe churches for people who are in marginalized communities, for example, the LGBTQIA+ community (discerning the image of God in others), interfaith relations (we will never solve any global challenges or challenges especially germane to our nation, such as racism, if we do not work cooperatively across religious lines).

In addition, I was troubled by and found irony in the thought expressed in the conference that "evil prevails when good men do nothing." I believe that some of our most significant evils have resulted because good women have not even been invited to the table!

My grief is that the Christian expressions on each side of the chasm are likely irreconcilable at this time in history. My hope is that we might at least find some common ground to give witness to the "oneness" for which Jesus prayed. This summer, the church that I pastor will make its 18th disaster relief trip since Hurricane Katrina. We will head to western Kentucky to share the gospel with hammers, nails and hugs. We have previously ministered in both "red" and "blue" communities. Surely, rebuilding homes and lives devastated by natural disaster, feeding the hungry, pursuing peace, and loving our neighbor through other humanitarian efforts is an expression of Christian faith that we can agree on!

I am troubled that the voice of Christianity expressed at the men’s conference comes across as the dominant expression these days, leaving the uniformed to believe that it is the true and exclusive expression of Christian faith. Indeed, I have had numerous interactions with gay people, people of color, immigrants, young people and others of marginalized communities who have heard and experienced the welcome expressed by my congregation and responded, "I didn’t know a church like yours existed!" Yet, we are not alone. There are many others.

For those turned off by hearing Christian messages of exclusion and dogmatic moralism, I want you to know that there are places of welcome for you in the church. We believe that when Jesus spread His arms on the cross, they reached wide enough to include you!

Rev. Henry Zorn is pastor of Lutheran Church of the Resurrection in Anderson Township.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Opinion: The divide in the Christian church has become a chasm
https://www.yahoo.com/news/opinion-divide-christian-church-become-020039979.html