Make Us One…So Long as Everyone Looks Like Me

“Let’s make sure we’re all in unity on this project.” “Our agendas need to be aligned.” “I want everyone to be on the same page.”

You’ve probably heard these sayings hundreds of times. And if you’re like me, you always have a few follow-up thoughts. How is unity defined? Whose agenda are we pursuing? And what page are we all trying to get on the same page?

In Christianize language, we use the terminology of “oneness.” The root of this is actually good and comes from Jesus’ words in John 17:20-23 when he says:

²⁰ “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, ²¹ that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. ²² The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, ²³ I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.

But here’s what I’ve discovered.

Our Oneness Can Be Very Self-Centered

Many Christians love this idea of oneness and unity so long as their agenda is the one everyone is unified around! The minute this doesn’t happen, they sense “the spirit is leading them in a different direction.”

Spiritual oneness is a powerful concept and I’ve seen multiple church sermons series and church initiatives built around this idea. But here is the problem. While this passage emphasizes being made one under Christ, the “be made one” theme often takes on a very human-centric approach. A pastor’s call for their church to be one looks suspiciously like their vision for the church, a denomination’s call for oneness represents the ideals they have, and so forth.

The goal of oneness in Christ is appealing when it’s an invitation for everyone else to become like us. It becomes much less interesting if it means we need to humble ourselves and sit at the feet of others.