MATT MAHER
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and so many people have come to know beautiful. We are reconciled to God through
are objectively bad things that came about as Jesus, and you can’t argue that this isn’t a relationship to Jesus, so why wouldn’t we be
a result of it. There were wars that were fought good thing. But overall, is the disunity of the reconciled to our brother through relationship
and people were killed. Christians were killing Church a net positive? Should we just accept it with our brother? A part of our reconciliation
Christians. 8 million people died in Europe. That as something that doesn’t need to change? Or, with God through Christ has to extend to our
grieves the heart of God. is part of the reason that Jesus prayed that we relationship with each other.
would be “one”, in John 17, is because unity
There were aspects to how the Catholic church is a part of ushering in the Kingdom of God That’s another aspect of this new record. In a
responded to the treatment of Protestants that here on earth? Jesus prayed that before He way, there are two halves to the record. The first
were terrible. And vice versa. In the history went to the cross, probably because He knew half deals with how the cross reconciles us with
of the United States alone, there has been that we wouldn’t be unified. In Christ, there is a God, and the second half dealing with how the
religious tension since its inception. America relational reconciliation that is possible that isn’t cross reconciles us with each other.
was largely founded by Westminster Christians primarily focused on doctrinal reconciliation.
I think that, for too long, evangelism has
who were fleeing the influence of the King on
their way of life. They didn’t trust anybody who Part of the issue that we’ve faced is that, for too focused on the first and just assumed the
wore a crown, so they definitely wouldn’t trust long, humanism has meant really smart people second. More than ever, it’s the second that’s
someone like the Pope. Other terrible things coming together to try to figure out how to under attack. You can’t attack what Jesus has
have happened, like families that were split reconcile our differences. I think what the Holy done. You either believe it, or you don’t. But
apart because of denominational differences. Spirit has been doing, especially for the past you can’t theologically undermine the cross,
The first thing that would be great for Christians 10 years, has been to build relationships with because it’s already happened and it forever
to stop and think about before this anniversary people that love and follow Jesus. Yes, we have impacts human history. That’s why I wrote a
slips away would be: Does the fact that the theological differences and we have different song that says, “You may silence me, but the
church is not unified grieve the heart of God ways of doing things, but the commonality cross forever speaks.” It’s an eternal event that
at all? of what we share in Christ is bigger than our stretches out and has implications for all of
differences. I think the notion of a reconciliation human history. You can’t change what God has
that comes about through relationships is done. But you can ignore the responsibility of
There has been tremendous missionary activity,
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October 2017
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