“Will we prioritize our oneness over our politics? Will we continue to allow the kingdom of the world to divide the Kingdom of God that is in this world because of politics?” Stanley argued that oneness in the faith was “more important than being theologically correct,” adding that he believed when Christians of various denominations get to Heaven “we will discover that when it comes to theology, we were all wrong about something.”
Church unity is more important than “theological correctness,” according to North Point Community Church Senior Pastor Andy Stanley at a conference with approximately 8,000 attendees.
At the Orange Conference, which focuses on issues of church leadership, Stanley spoke on Thursday about the importance of Christians of different denominations being “one” in their mission.
Stanley centered on John 17, in which Jesus prayed that His followers “may be one as we are one — I in them and you in me — so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”
The influential author and speaker said that he found it significant that Jesus prayed for the disciples to be one, rather than for other things, including good health and being theologically accurate.
“He prayed for our oneness, that we’d be on the same page,” said Stanley. “This is mission critical. If they are not one, we will not win … unity is mission critical and disunity disrupts the mission.”
Stanley spoke of how he came to believe that believing in Jesus Christ was more important than theological arguments like how communion should be served or if babies should be baptized.
“Will we prioritize our oneness over our doctrinal peculiarities? Our baptism, our communion, our style of worship, our preaching?” he posed.
“Will we prioritize our oneness over our politics? Will we continue to allow the kingdom of the world to divide the Kingdom of God that is in this world because of politics?”
Stanley argued that oneness in the faith was “more important than being theologically correct,” adding that he believed when Christians of various denominations get to Heaven “we will discover that when it comes to theology, we were all wrong about something.”
He cited the Jerusalem Council, as described in Acts 15, in which the early church decided that Gentile converts did not need to strictly observe Jewish law to become Christians.
