Catharsis in Disunity

In the sixth and seventh chapters of Disunity in Christ , Cleveland begins to address some of the more flagrant issues regarding “us” and “them”. She begins by talking about what she terms “identity wars” in chapter six, and continues on to “culture wars” in the seventh chapter. I found the studies she explained fascinating, the idea that people will react negatively to someone simply because they speak a different language is disheartening. My heart hurts knowing that we are brought up to fear anyone who is even slightly different. These unconscious traits of aggression go against the very essence of Christianity: to love your neighbor as yourself. However, I also found it both fascinating and encouraging as Cleveland talked about self-esteem. Tearing others down is a simple solution to low self-esteem, as she mentioned, but it also antithetical to several Biblical principles (Ephesians 4:9 says “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpf...

Christena Cleveland begins chapter five by examining her personal ingroup of Christians, and then asks us to take an honest look at our own as she continues to expound on the dangers of the divisions in the church. She analyzes these divisions from a variety of angles, personal and cultural, before suggesting that such groups are contradictory to the scriptures and the core of the gospel itself. When I turn to my own ingroup of Christians, I am convicted by how easy it is to identify them and separate them from the “other” Christians. Mine is the collection of Christians who sit on the razor’s edge between liberal and conservative: they care about the immigrant and the poor and the sick and they are vocal about it in their political beliefs and giving practices. They are not afraid to cuss when they feel the need to, they are fairly indifferent to tattoos and mind-altering substances (in the proper doses). They do not confirm homosexuality, but they treat it no worse than any ...

               Chapters three and four in Disunity in Christ discuss the idea of “us” and “them”, and the harmful ramifications that these ideas have. While it is useful to categorize people, places, and things outside of ourselves to conserve mental energy and to save time, it can become hazardous when our categories and definitions of other humans become negative, stereotypical, and biased.                One of the first things that caught my attention was the way the author immediately recognizes her own biases and assumption. I believe one of the most important steps in recognizing and overcoming the disunity in both the church and the world as a whole is admitting our own faults first. Christena Cleveland is very bold, yet humble, in her admittance of her own guilt. Whether it’s with a hipster church in Minnesota or a Calvinist at a univer...