A Fellowship of Differents – Review
It is common to hear people, both Christian and non-Christian, being critical of the church. The fastest growing religious group are the nones, many of whom reject organized religion because of bad experiences with churches. Even Christians can be a bit embarrassed by the church.
While I can sympathize we these feelings, as the church has its problems, it doesn’t have to be this way. Despite all our talk of “a personal relationship with Jesus,” God has chosen the church both as the way he acts in the world and the way in which we interact with him.
The church can be a beautiful thing. And this is exactly what Scot McKnight presents in his book, A Fellowship of Differents. McKnight does not try and gloss over the mistakes of the church. But he does present a picture of the way the church could be.
God’s plan for the church is to take people from all backgrounds and to make something that brings him glory. The vision for the church is not uniformity but rather a unity that celebrates diversity.
McKnight is a New Testament scholar and so he is able to provide a solid biblical foundation for what the church should look like. But he is also some one active in and passionate about the church. He provides many examples from real churches of what church could look like.
I strongly recommend that all Christians, pastors and laypeople, read A Fellowship of Differents. It will give you hope that the church can be beautiful again.
