On Doctrinal Unity and Diversity

A man was about to jump from a high bridge, when a second man ran up to him shouting, "Stop! Stop! Don't do it!"...

 

"But I have nothing to live for," said the first man.

 

"Maybe I can help you," said the second man. "Are you religious?"

 

"Yes, I am," said the first man.

 

"Me too!" said the second man. "Are you Christian, Jewish, or Muslim?"

 

"I'm Christian," said the first man.

 

"Me too!" said the second man. "Are you Catholic, Orthodox, or Protestant?

 

"Protestant" said the first man.

 

"Me too!" said the second man. "Are you liberal or conservative?"

 

"Conservative," said the first man.

 

"Me too!" said the second man. "Evangelical or Fundamentalist?"

 

"Evangelical," said the first man.

 

"Me too!" said the second man. “Reformed, Lutheran, or Wesleyan?”

 

“Reformed,” said the first man.

“Me too!” said the second man. “Baptist, Presbyterian, or Anglican?”

 

“Presbyterian,” said the first man.

 

“Me too!” said the second man. “Truly Reformed or Winsomely Reformed?”

 

“Winsomely Reformed,” said the first man.

 

“Me too!” said the second man. "Transformationalist or Two-Kingdom?”

 

“Transformationalist,” said the first man.

 

“Me too!” said the second man. "Complementarian or Egalitarian?”

 

“Egalitarian,” said the first man.

 

"Egalitarian?! Then die, you blasphemous heretic!"

 

And the second man pushed the first man off the bridge.


Dr. Steven L. Childers

Dr. Steven L. Childers is the founding president of Pathway Learning, a ministry equipping church leaders worldwide to plant, grow, and multiply healthy churches. Since 2017, Pathway Learning has served leaders from more than 300 denominations across 60 countries and 9 languages. Previously, Steve taught for 22 years at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, specializing in missions, evangelism, spiritual formation, discipleship, church planting, renewal, and leadership. Before that, he spent 15 years planting and pastoring two churches, one urban and one suburban.

Previous
Previous

Learning to Kiss the Waves

Next
Next

Bono Meets Peterson–A Call for Authenticity in Art, Music, & Life