Today the comic value of zealotry has worn thin. At one point in time I could walk by preachers on campus and laugh. I would chalk up the experience to being about just another guy who got beat up in elementary school who lacks the talent and work ethic to get up on stage and is too old to be in student DPS.

It’s not the judgment that Jesus warned against in the Parable of the Weeds (Mt. 13:24-30) and his explanation thereof (Mt. 13:36-43).

Rather, each preacher, flier and T-shirt is a powerful reminder of the blatant disrespect people have for the person, and the acute misunderstanding of the book that is allegedly paramount in their lives.

Jesus wanted all of his followers to be one (Jn. 17:20-21).

On the rare occasion I take a gander at the New Testament, I find it hard to miss that more than half of it is not the gospel, but the work of the apostles setting up the early church. Paul wrote letters to the Christians at Rome, Ephesus, Colossae, the Roman province Galatia, the European city Philippi and two each to those at Corinth and Thessalonica.

What was the motivation behind all of these letters? Paul had gone out on multiple missions to spread the teachings of Jesus.

As you can see from the list above, he set an impressive travel record which is amazing considering the historical era. However, his industriousness made it all the more difficult to keep all Christians united and focused on Jesus’ message despite heavy outside influences and geographical distance.

We see in 1 Cor. 6:1-6 that the Christians in Corinth were suing each other in Roman courts. Paul saw this as undermining the holiness of the Christian community and criticized those at Corinth.

I have to side with Paul on this one. Christians shouldn’t need to pay lawyers excessive amounts of money to take other Christians to the cleaners. However, there seems to be no shortage of law suits going on despite the staggering number of churches around.

On about a weekly basis I hear of some obscure multi-hyphenated, Christian church that proclaims to be the answer. It makes me wonder if they have ever read the fourth chapter of Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians. I find words like humility, gentleness and patience (Eph. 4:2). The words “one” and “unity” combine for eight appearances from verse three to six.

Such powerful language causes me to speculate whether such groups are working to serve scripture, or merely employing scripture to meet their need to yell at people and feel important.

Here’s the big shocker for a lot of Christians. This unity not only applies to Christians but to the Jews as well. Paul tells us that the reluctance of Jews to accept Jesus as the Messiah is part of God’s plan to extend his word to more Gentiles (Rom. 11:25-29).

He also warns Christians against anti-Semitism throughout chapter five of his letter to the Christians in Rome. “…do not boast against the branches. If you do boast, consider that you do not support the root; the root supports you (Rom. 11:18).” “For the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable (Rom. 11:29).”

What’s the driving force behind this need for unity? “…so that we may no longer be infants, tossed by waves and swept along by every wind of teaching arising from human trickery, from their cunning in the interests of deceitful scheming (Eph. 4:14).”

I can’t help but think that two thousand years ago Paul had a vision of the Hub as he bid farewell to the Christians at Miletus. “I know that after my departure savage wolves will come among you, and they will not spare the flock.

And from your own group, men will come forward perverting the truth to draw the disciples away from them (Acts 20:29-300).”

As hard as people try to deny it, this highlights the need for some guardian of the faith, which was recognized in biblical times. Those who disagree might consult Mt. 16:18-22 and Heb. 7:26-28.

It may seem that we do not need to listen to the apostles because they were ordinary men and not Jesus.

We might recall, though, that Jesus founded his church on Peter (Mt. 16:18). In Revelation we find that the wall of the New Jerusalem has twelve stones for a foundation, each with the name of an apostle (Rev. 21:24).

When the news of Jesus’ miracles reached the Pharisees, it made them really nervous.

They thought that if everyone began to follow Jesus the Romans would come and take away their land, a bit of irony as that is precisely what the Romans did after Jesus died. Caiaphas, the high priest from A.D. 18-36, prophesied that “Jesus was going to die for the nation, and not only for the nation, but also to gather into one the dispersed children of God (Jn. 11:51-2).”

Like many prophesies, it did not turn out to have the meaning the Pharisees thought it might.

But this prophecy has yet to come true. Christianity is broken and segmented into many factions, many of which seem to take pride in the fact that its own 43 members are the only ones who have a prayer of making it into heaven.

I for one would hate to see Caiaphas soothsaying reputation go down the tubes. It would be nice to see all Christians own up to their respect for Jesus and their devotion to the Bible, but if not I’m more than happy to share which parts of the Bible inconvenience me too much.

---

Erik Hoversten is a senior in math and physics from Eagan, Minn.