11/21/2023 0 Comments Unity church nashville tn![]() ![]() Since the Reformation began in the 16th century, the church has sought its ideal forms through theological discourse and dogmatics, which later became the hallmark of each denomination. The discourse of church unity, generally, is inseparable from the issue of church schism, irrespective of the causal factors. However, it does not mean that this old issue is no longer relevant to be discussed today, especially in today's digital era, where the ease of access to information provides a comprehensive and free discussion space between members of the same church or denomination, even across organisations. In addition, Paul's writings about 'one body' (Rm 12:4-5 1 Cor 12:12-31 Eph 4:3-6) also indicate that there is a diversity that must be interpreted as the essence of the community of believers (Campbell 2008). The phrase of Jesus' prayer in John 17:21 ( ut Omnes Unum Sint) shows how He is very concerned about unity that becomes the spirit that continues to be echoed, discussing the unity of the church from time to time. Some New Testament texts indicate the apostolic concern about potential divisions within the group of believers. The issue of true unity has decorated the church's journey as a theological discourse since the time of the Church Fathers. The church's unity is not a hot issue that emerged recently or even throughout the 20th century or even after the church's reformation caused many church schisms. Keywords: church church's unity church's diversity denomination ecclesia jigsaw puzzles. This study offers a constructive theological model to understand diversity as the essence of church unity in an ecumenical project. Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: This article discusses the diversities of theological and dogmatic forms that represent every church denomination as the essence of the one and universal church. ![]() In conclusion, theology can adopt this metaphor as a discourse in establishing church unity in the ecumenical project. By using descriptive analysis and analogy methods, it resulted in an understanding of the description of the church's diversity through jigsaw pieces as an essential element in forming a complete and perfect image, namely the one and universal church, by arranging each jigsaw piece according to the pattern formed as the blueprint. This puzzle is a well-known game type played by many people in various age groups worldwide. This article offered a jigsaw puzzle metaphor to quickly understand the nature of the church's unity in its diversity. This metaphor is inadequate to explain the differences in theological teachings as the essence of the unity of the church, especially in this postmodern era. Apostle Paul explained the diversities in church unity using the metaphor of the body of Christ. In minimising the conflict, adequate knowledge is needed to understand that the diversity of theology is the essence of church unity. IIDepartment of Theology, Sekolah Tinggi Agama Kristen Teruna Bhakti, Yogyakarta, IndonesiaĬonflict is often colouring the diversities of theology, besides church divisions, especially in the Indonesian context. IFaculty of Theology, Jakarta Theological Seminary, Jakarta and Department of Theology, Sekolah Tinggi Teologi Pelita Bangsa, Jakarta, Indonesia ![]() The dialectics between the unity and diversity of the church: A jigsaw puzzle metaphor ![]()
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