Puddles of unity and passion
Posted: August 5th, 2009 | Author: James Duncan | Tags: Passion, Unity | 4 Comments »If there’s one thing that’s guaranteed to trigger my persuasive defenses, it’s when leaders call us to unity and encourage us to be passionate. They are such wonderful concepts, we’re told, and we’re frequently encouraged to be one or the other, if not both. You can’t get much better than to be united in passion.
The words sound good, but they’re useless. They’re empty. Puddles of meaning without any shape.
Passion is a useless value unless paired with something else. Don’t praise someone for being passionate; praise them for being passionate about something worthwhile. Osama bin Laden is a passionate man, so was Hitler.
Unity can be a force for good, but it’s often a force for destruction. The Mob is united, as is the Taliban. The people who built the Tower of Babel were united, until God found it enough of a problem to divide them. Witness a group of united and passionate ten-year-old boys during recess for an example of a perfect storm.
When leaders call us to unity or encourage us to be passionate, they are not even halfway there. What is it that they want us to be united and passionate about? That’s the most important question.
John MacArthur sounded a wise warning about falling for calls for unity:
In a time like this of tolerance, listen, false teaching will always cry intolerance. It will always say you are being divisive, you are being unloving, you are being ungracious, because it can only survive when it doesn’t get scrutinized. So it cries against any intolerance. It cries against any examination, any scrutiny—just let’s embrace each other; let’s love each other; let’s put all that behind us.
False doctrine cries the loudest about unity. Listen carefully when you hear the cry for unity, because it may be the cover of false doctrine encroaching. If ever we should follow 1 Thessalonians 5, and examine everything carefully, it’s when somebody is crying unity, love, and acceptance. (HT: Apprising.)
Truth always must come first. Strong truth will generate its own unity. Compelling truth will generate its own passion.
On unity- Philippians 2:2
On passion- Revelation 3:15-16
Of course, you are right about the unity and passion being grounded in truth.
Good verses, JT.
Philippians is a good example of what I’m talking about, really. Be of the same mind (truth), then unity can happen.
Nice post Duncan. I agree wholeheartedly!
Favorite point:
“What is it that they want us to be united and passionate about? That’s the most important question.”