At War Over Theology? Come Together!
Speaking to thousands of Christian leaders gathered for Catalyst Atlanta Thursday morning, prominent evangelical Pastor Andy Stanley said Jesus Christ commanded that cross-cultural unity take precedence over all the minor theological differences that have divided Christ's followers for centuries.
As over 7,000 church leaders gathered at the Infinite Energy Arena for the 17th annual three-day conference, Stanley, a popular author and senior pastor at North Point Community Church in Georgia, was asked to kick off Thursday morning's events with an address that touched on the theme of this year's Catalyst Atlanta, which is "uncommon fellowship."
According to Stanley, "uncommon fellowship" means "head-turning, jaw-dropping, never-would-have-imagined-that-we-would-see-those-people-together association."
While there are many theological and cultural differences that continue to separate churches around the world by denomination and race and keep people of different races from coming together in worship and fellowship, Stanley explained that many of the cultural factors that divide the Church today were in place when the early Church was growing and getting its footing during the first century.