Finding Our Unity in the Scriptures

This book grew out of a Bible Conference at Kanuga Conference Center in October, 2004, led by Dr. George L. Carey, the 103rd Archbishop of Canterbury. Archbishop Carey's theme was the life and ministry of St. Paul, with a focus on the Letter to the Ephesians. I was privileged to serve as a workshop leader and preacher during the conference, and I chose as the theme of my workshop to study St. Paul and reconciliation, using Ephesians as our primary text. The main thrust of the workshop was to study selected passages from Ephesians in detail, and to look to St. Paul's writings for guidance regarding reconciliation in the Body of Christ. We live in a time when there is such a pressing need in the Church for reconciliation, a rekindling of a spirit of love and mutual respect rather than the judgment and suspicion which all too often characterize relations among Christians who find themselves in disagreement with one another regarding the divisive issues of our time. This book advocates a renewed realization that in Jesus Christ what unites us as Christians is far greater than what divides us. These essays on selected passages from Ephesians and the concluding essay, The Way Forward, are offered in the cause of reconciliation. They are suitable for study by individuals as well as parish and diocesan study groups seeking reconciliation in the Church. Study questions are presented at the end of each chapter to foster reflection and discussion. I welcome this book as an offering to us all. It presents one means for discovering a receptive stance to God's will for us, even in the midst of the harsh rhetoric and self-justifying proclamations of our day. I am grateful to Joel Huffstetler for his contribution to the forming of an attitude of the heart committed to reconciliation. From the Afterword by The Rt. Rev. Charles G. vonRosenberg, Bishop of East Tennessee.