Group Think: A Sinister Snare For Elders and Congregations Alike

[OBW]

I will begin to take on Igzy's last question. "Can you come up with a definition of oneness that doesn't require going along with the crowd and groupthink?"

Oneness in Christ, not in books
Oneness in Christ, not in headquarters (with or without)
Oneness in Christ, not in doctrine
Oneness in Christ, not in look
Oneness in Christ, not in culture
Oneness in Christ, not in assembly
Oneness in Christ, not in opinion

The list goes on. Even taking Paul's exhortation that we all speak the same thing was not a call for uniformity, but for transformation. If any of the things that are not Christ become one, it is because of Christ, not because of the edict of man. To the extent that oneness outside of Christ is unimportant (and that extent is surely vast) then the differences are irrelevant and only Christ matters.

In Christ, I am one with those in my own assembly with which I do not agree on every point. In Christ, I am one with those in another assembly with which we definitionally disagree on certain things. In Christ, I am one with those who practice contemporary worship, traditional worship, liturgical worship, charismatic worship, and any other style.