That They May Be One

Did you know that there are roughly as many denominations worldwide as there are individual Starbuck’s locations? How did the church, God’s chosen instrument to bring life and healing to the earth, become so fragmented and compartmentalized that she has also thus begun to lose her power and efficacy in a world desperate for love and for truth? Humankind was brought into existence by a Triune God, a divine community of perfect union. We began in unity, and at the end of the story we find the promise of a wedding-a picture of covenantal unity. Everything that God has ever done for humankind has been to repair and restore unity. Yet, there is perhaps nothing more lacking, more dismissed, or more embattled in the body of Christ than unity. Attempts at trying to foster unity; to understand and work well with one another and to meaningfully engage with the diverse global body of Christ feels messy, even impossible. The pursuit of unity has become a secondary, non-essential matter for many Christians. We fail to see how unity is not only the core message of the gospel, but also its core method. Drawing on years of experience in cross-cultural and cross-denominational settings, Ohler offers unique perspective concerning the roots of division and brokenness while suggesting another path. She imparts to the reader a passionate desire to see the church become what God has always intended: one that experiences and demonstrates the beautiful, final prayer Jesus offered before he went to the cross-that they may be one, as he and the Father are one.