One of the joys of writing about Christianity for a living is the opportunity to discover different branches of the Church. Thinking back 10 years to my first job in Christian journalism, I was pretty naïve about just how diverse and widespread the body of Christ is. A result of 10 years reporting on the Church (and the explosion of online content in the meantime) is that I've has the chance to learn from some of the best expressions of faith out there.
2017 marks 500 years since the beginning of the Reformation, which saw major doctrinal divisions open up in the Western Church. Many people died in the aftermath of the upheaval. Five hundred years on, the violence has all but ended, but mutual suspicion remains and often, different Church traditions remain in their own bubbles. In this way, we're a little like Trump and Clinton voters, or Brexit and Remain supporters – hidden away in our own online silos.
This all came to mind when listening to a discussion about a new book called An Atheist and a Christian Walk Into a Bar. It's a dialogue which seeks to outline some of the best objections to belief in God alongside some of the best reasons to have faith. The book, co-written by atheist Justin Schieber and Christian Randal Rauser, tackles many issues. One of the core objections raised is the diversity of opinions among religious believers about what or who God is.
Schieber, suggests that if God were real and concerned with truth and a relationship with humans, he wouldn't allow such a diversity of expressions of belief and practice to exist among Christians, let alone theists of different kinds.
There are good answers to this objection, and Rauser outlines some of them – it's well worth checking out the book.
Yet I would go further than just disagreeing with Schieber. Diversity of belief and practice among Christians isn't a defeater of Christian faith. Indeed, I actually think that it is one of the core strengths of Christianity.
Within historically orthodox Christianity there is a huge plurality of styles of worship, expressions of faith and types of church gathering. Those of us who live in big cities will be fortunate enough to have many different expressions of faith within a few miles of our homes. Great cathedrals rub shoulders with shopfront Pentecostal churches in cities like London and New York.
Even for those who live away from these major conurbations, the internet means we can engage with a large spectrum of Christian praxis. In an average week I listen to podcasts by Anabaptists, Anglicans, emerging Church leaders, Eastern Orthodox and Jesuits. With such technology at our fingertips, there's a whole ocean of possibilities.
Online activities like watching a YouTube video, reading an article or listening to a podcast aren't a replacement for face-to-face fellowship. But the ability to engage with so many different concepts and thinkers is an amazing opportunity which hasn't been afforded to many Christians throughout history.
Visiting other churches and cultures is an incredible boost to faith. I've been fortunate enough to experience worship in a thriving Pentecostal Church in Addis Ababa, a Roman Catholic Church in Palestine and a Californian Baptist church. While you could hardly get more diverse in terms of the experience there were core similarities. We worshipped Jesus together, I received a warm welcome from all, and I left feeling refreshed and uplifted.
We need each other. Not only is complete uniformity very difficult to achieve, it's boring. It flies in the face of Paul's image of the Church as a body. Often, this is applied to an individual congregation and that's certainly true. We need someone to do the accounts and someone to sweep the floors as much as we need great preachers and worship leaders.
But Paul's image of the body applies just as much to the global Church. "There are many members, yet one body," he argues in 1 Corinthians 12. "The eye cannot say to the hand, 'I have no need of you', nor again the head to the feet, 'I have no need of you.'" If we grasp this vision, we can begin to see the role of diversity within the Church throughout time and space.
The body of Christ needs all of its members to be effective. We need the ancient liturgy of the Oriental Orthodox, the apostolic succession of the Roman Catholics, the focus on the Holy Spirit of the Eastern Orthodox, the peace-building of the Anabaptists, the scriptural rigour of the Reformed churches and the energy of the Pentecostal movement.
In fact, as former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Williams has often said, "only the whole Church knows the whole truth". 500 years on from the beginning of the Reformation, it's never been easier or more timely to experience that for ourselves.
Follow Andy Walton on Twitter @waltonandy
