This week has seen the confluence of two strands of theology. Tim McHyde, a former Worldwider, wrote the excellent book, Know the Future — A Breakthrough in Bible Prophecy. In it he discussed the Mystery of Disunity. Or, why is it that we all read the same Scriptures, the same King James Holy Bible, but we all disagree on matters of praxis? I already mentioned Tim's book previously, in this blog entry: Tim McHyde finds the true Sacred Name.
Today I visited a church affiliated with Douglas Wilson, a Reformed preacher operating out of Moscow, Idaho. I have Christian Reconstructionist friends in the neighborhood of Moscow, so this was intriguing. Douglas has published a hymnal called Cantus Christi. I was so impressed with the hymnal I bought a copy on the spot. The foreword alone is worth the price of the book. The pastor of the local church said that he keeps bringing in new copies of the hymnal, and people keep buying them as fast as he can get them in. This hymnal is set to become a long lasting, underground classic in the Christian world.
To bring this full circle, when I searched for Douglas Wilson on the web, I found the following nugget, that fits in very well with what Tim McHyde has to say about the Mystery of Disunity.
I encourage Christians to stand up and say there is a problem when they perceive a problem, and we should not mute or discourage ones who see a problem. We should look at the problems, or perceived problems brought to us and see if they are in fact a problem. Most people when they denote a problem, also try to identify a cause for that problem and a solution for the problem. This is laudable.
However, many times what happens is the problem identification, or at least parts of it are valid. Ones that reasonable people could agree. But the perceived core of the problem or the solution are not agreed upon. And then you have people who generally agree on a problem, but vehemently disagree on the solutions because the core of the problem is not agreed upon. It is at this juncture that we create even further hostilities among one another because many perceive the solution to be gasoline on the fire, or worse than the problem itself.
— excerpt from the Reformedville blog entry of April 27, 2007, The Irony of Kinism.
Alas, the article quoted above is itself ironic; the author equates "kinism", or "loving your brother" with "racism", which is "hating your neighbor". A Godly person loves both his brother and his neighbor, which is the kinist position. In this world that has rejected the path of the Creator, hatred of stranger and kinfolk alike is abounding. Because everyone is so hurt, many are jealous when they see love blossoming, strengthening and uniting others. The greatest jealousy is toward those you are most intimate and familiar with. The people who are closest to you are those who can hurt you most, because they know you the best. Did not Jesus say, a man's worst enemies will be those of his own household? This is the penalty of lawlessness, rejecting the covenant of Sinai, and the stone tablets that were given to Moses.