Statement For Overture 20 – We Need To Delay So More Studying Can Be Done
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Statement: Unity Is Needed
Christian unity is a very important topic in the Bible as is indicated by Christ’s high priestly prayer in John 17 as well as many other passages throughout the Bible. As a result, the young people who put this overture together do well to emphasize the matter of unity.
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Response
In order to keep a proper perspective in this regard it is necessary to ask if there are any biblical boundaries to unity. At one end of the spectrum, are we required to maintain unity with everyone who claims to be a Christian? Our Reformed heritage has claimed for centuries that one of the marks of a true church is the proper exercise of church discipline. Is that a legitimate biblical doctrine, or is it perhaps the product of a more parochial age and something that needs to be modified or adjusted?
In order for a consideration of Christian unity to shed light on this matter of same-sex marriage it will be necessary to have at least a beginning understanding of the question of when is unity relevant and when is it not relevant.
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Conclusion
Unity is important. In order for the call to unity to be a good reason to not accept the Human Sexuality Report so more studying can be done, it needs to be shown how unity would be benefited by this further study. As this call for unity stands, it is quite open-ended and it is not clear why it is a reason to delay.