Introduction
1. IT BEGAN IN SCOTLAND
   
2. THOMAS CAMPBELL WRITES HIS DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
   
3. THE SPIRIT OF THE "DECLARATION AND ADDRESS"
   
4. PRINCIPLES OF THE DOCUMENT
   
5. HISTORIC NOTES ON OUR FIRST CHURCH
   
6. "LET CHRISTIAN UNITY BE OUR POLAR STAR"
   
7. THE NOBLEST ACT IN BARTON STONE'S LIFE
   
8. LEARNING FROM A BACKWOODS PREACHER
   
9. CHRISTIANS IN BABYLON
   
10. WHAT IS THE GOSPEL?
    
11. THE ESSENCE OF THE CAMPBELL PLEA
    
12. THE DEATH OF A DREAM
    
13. THE SAND CREEK ADDRESS
    
14. A MUDDLED MOVEMENT
    
15. THE AUTHORITY TOTEM
    
16. THE PARTY SPIRIT
    
17. THE BED OF PROCRUSTES
    
18. OUR COSTLIEST SIN: EXCLUSIVISM
    
19. RESTORATION OR REFORMATION
    
20. A BOY LEARNS THE MEANING OF BROTHERHOOD
    
21. THE BUTTING BRETHREN
    
22. ANALYSIS OF LEGALISM
    
23. THE ESSENCE OF CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP
    
24. THOUGHTS ON FELLOWSHIP
    
25. ON THE ROCKS
    
26. WITHDRAWING FROM THE DISORDERLY
    
27. CAUSING DIVISIONS
    
28. TWO GREAT ERRORS
    
29. UNION IN TRUTH
    
30. ONE BODY IN CHRIST
    
31. UNITY AND IDENTITY
    
32. UNITY IN DIVERSITY
    
33. IS DOCTRINE IMPORTANT?
    
34. THE WEIGHTIER MATTERS
    
35. MUST WE GIVE UP OUR OPINIONS?
    
36. WHAT DIFFERENCES DO DIFFERENCES MAKE?
    
37. THE "ONE BAPTISM" AND FELLOWSHIP
    
38. ARE WE TO FELLOWSHIP THE UNIMMERSED?
    
39. OUR FATHERS ON "WHO IS A CHRISTIAN?"
    
40. "OUR BROTHERS IN THE DENOMINATIONS"
    
41. WHAT IS "OUR FELLOWSHIP"?
    
42. ARE WE TO FELLOWSHIP THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH?
    
43. I WOULD ABDICATE
    
44. A BASIC FALLACY TO OVERCOME
    
45. CAN WE BE UNITED AND NOT KNOW IT?
    
46. SEPARATED BUT NOT DIVIDED
    
47. THE ONE CHURCH INDIVISIBLE
    
48. UNITY WILL COME, BUT
    
49. IF NOT BROTHERHOOD, THEN CO-EXISTENCE
    
50. THIS IS OUR GLORY!
    
51. THE UNIFYING POWER OF THE CROSS
    

CAN WE BE UNITED AND NOT KNOW IT?

In this short article I pose a question that brews in my mind: Might the unity for which our Lord prayed come as subtly and unpredictably as the kingdom itself? Or to put it another way, might unity, like the kingdom, be in our midst and at work among us and we not recognize it? Is the unity for which Jesus prayed real even if not realized?

Jesus' teaching about the kingdom of God surely emphasizes the mystery of both its nature and the manner of its coming. He told his disciples that if he cast out demons, which he was doing, then the kingdom was already in their midst (Mt. 12:28). It was like leaven already at work in the dough and like the mustard seed that grows into a great tree (Mt. 13:31­33), which indicates power and mystery as well as subtlety. Yet he says, "The kingdom does not come with observation; nor will they say, 'See here!' or 'See there!' For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you" (Lk. 17:20­21).

The kingdom was already within them and they knew it not! And it did not come in ordinary ways of observation. It did not come in the way their theologians said it must. And yet to Jesus the kingdom was future as well as present. His disciples were to pray "Thy kingdom come." The kingdom is apparently a continuing unfolding reality of the power and wisdom of God.

My question is whether the unity that Jesus prayed for might be that way. If the kingdom of God was a reality amidst Jesus' first followers without their realizing it, might not the unity of the Spirit be ours as a gift without our realizing it?

Unity is not ours to achieve or create. It is not the accomplishment of unity forums or ecumenical conclaves, however important these may be. It is not even ecclesiastical or organizational, such as a merging of churches, though these may result from unity. Can we suppose that unity, like the kingdom, does not necessarily come by observation nor in the ways we might expect? Since unity is the fruit of the Holy Spirit we can liken it unto the wind that comes and goes in ways that we cannot comprehend.

Believers of diverse backgrounds meet to study and pray, drawn together by a mutual devotion to Jesus Christ. Isn't this unity? Churches down the street from each other cooperate in alleviating human suffering both at home and abroad, all in the name of Christ. Isn't that unity? Young people from different denominations have a great time together in the Lord at camp or in redecorating a poor family's home. Isn't that unity? We lend a helping hand to a fellow believer who is hurting, and we see Christ in each other's lives. Isn't that unity?

We can believe that God is already at work answering the prayer of His Son, "Father, may they be one even as we are one." He is at work, like the leaven is at work or like the growing mustard seed, making His people one. It may not be "See, there it is!" at some unity conference, or "See, here it is!" at some ecumenical convention. It may be far more subtle and mysterious in its coming, such as when we start listening to each other and treating each other as equals. It may come when we are on our knees praying for each other. It may come as we hunger and thirst for it deep within our souls. Or simply being in Christ together, however separated by distance and circumstance.

Unity, like the kingdom, is both present and future. It is here and yet it is coming. Like the rose in bud it is yet to bloom with even more glory. And in ways and in a manner that is beyond our fondest dreams and wildest expectations. The ultimate unity of all God's people both in this world and the world to come will thrill our souls beyond description, a kind of "Wow! What an answer to our Lord's prayer!"

But unity, again like the kingdom, comes as we draw upon God's resources to make it come. We are to pray for it, have a passion for it, and work for it. And we are to accept it as a gift of the Holy Spirit, a gift that we share with all those who are in Christ. God is at work in us. He will see that the gift behaves like leaven and like mustard seed.

(Restoration Review: Vol. 33, No. 3; March 1991)