Regarding matters of faith, modern society seems to be growing ever closer to the pantheistic model of ancient Greece, where all faiths and beliefs are given equal validity and where believing there is only true faith is looked upon as misguided, at best, and  a possible hate crime at the extreme.

As a Bible-believing Christian, I know the only way to God is through His son, Jesus Christ. This is my rock and the foundation of my hope of life eternal.

The question remains: are there many ways to Christ? Must I speak in tongues to open the pearly gates? Or does such a practice keep me out of Heaven for being too emotional and unsophisticated?  Do I need to sing from a hymnal and attend weekly potlucks to find Christ, or can I sit in a plush auditorium seat sipping a latte from the Youth Group coffee shop in the church lobby and still find Jesus?

While Bible-believing Christians are one in the Spirit, we are many and varied in our worship customs and practices. In this current culture of divisiveness, many Christians have become infected with the “them against us” mentality, even toward other Christian denominations or worship styles. However, when a Methodist or Presbyterian, for instance, looks down upon a Baptist or Pentecostal, he or she wounds the Body of Christ.

Many of the New Testament instructions for doing “unto others” are meant to show the body of believers how to deal with one another, so those outside the church will “know we are Christians by our love” for each other. That love must extend beyond the walls of the local church or denomination to include all fellow believers.

What about when we come up against differences in interpretation of fundamental theology? There is guidance in Scripture for this, too, and each step is to be carried out in love for the entire body. [Matt. 18:15; 1 Cor. 5:1-13  Matt. 18:17-18; 1 Tim. 5:20; Gal. 6:1; 1 Pet. 2:11-18]

Most of us are familiar with the medical phenomenon of autoimmune diseases, where the body attacks itself in a misguided attempt at self-preservation. This is an apt metaphor for what is happening in our country and, unfortunately, in the Body of Christ, as well.