"Unanimity Is Not the Same as Unity"

“Unanimity is not the same as unity.” This was a statement I heard while watching the live-

streaming of the General Conference of the United Methodist Church, in the context surrounding a statement prepared by our Council of Bishops as they responded to a plea from delegates for leadership in the midst of a difficult conference. Shortly before I heard this statement, I had read a blog post by Jason Micheli (http://tamedcynic.org/disunity-is-not-diversity-schism-is-sin/) reminding us that unity is not something we achieve; it is the gift given to us by our God who is Three-in-One. In these words, I heard echoes from my doctoral paper. The movement of unity within the Trinity is the continual, eternal pouring out of the unique selfness of each Person into the others, and the continual, eternal receiving of the other Persons into the self. In other words, to use traditional language, the Son pours out his self into the Father and the Spirit; the Father pours out his self into the Spirit and the Son; and the Spirit pours out her self into the Son and the Father—as each receives the gift from the others fully and graciously.

What a different way to look at our relationships in the midst of contentious issues. Unity is our starting place as the children of God—the unity of perfect concern for the other. So often we strive for a unity that seeks to make us exactly alike the other. This is a false unity. It stirs up fear, and arises out of fear, that anything not alike is not good, and even evil. We allow something other than the perfect concern for the other to shape our understanding of how we live together.

What does this have to do with me, with you, in our everyday lives? Imagine looking into the eyes of another and knowing that there is already a gift of unity between the two of you. The bars and walls around your hearts are melted away. Your hands can truly be open to give and receive. This is not about striving. It is about accepting; it is about giving.

Ephesians 4:1-3

I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.