This week, we feature a blog written by Scott Brill, Assistant Regional Director of InterVarsity New England and co-director of the Institute for Christian Unity. Scott uses Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s language as he examines and contrasts ‘costly unity’ with ‘cheap unity.’ His analysis is full of rich wisdom and is a must-read for those who are working towards a more reconciled Christian Church in Greater Boston.
As someone whose life calling is to foster unity, I’ve been wrestling with how I should respond to the events of the past few weeks and months. Division and divisiveness seem to be everywhere. The country is divided; the political landscape is divided; Christians are divided; even structures within the Church that share a common mission and doctrinal basis are divided. People all around me – in person and on social media – are asking questions about unity and throwing around thoughts and ideas. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a deeper longing for unity or a greater sense of how far we are away from it. I’ve sensed the need to formulate some kind of response.
Up until this point, though, I’ve mostly been listening in silence. Which has felt like something of a spiritual discipline. Similar to the Jewish practice of “sitting Shiva”, I’ve wanted to grieve myself, as well as honor others who are grieving this brokenness. And I’ve wanted to create space to wait for a word from the Lord rather than offer quick solutions.
But finally I feel compelled to say something. I want to be able to answer the question: “why should we even work for ‘unity’ at a moment like this?” Does the word have any meaning, any power, any motivating energy? Is unity dead? Like Jairus, the synagogue ruler in the fifth chapter of Mark’s gospel, should we not trouble Jesus any more – just give up and go home? I believe at this moment (as for Jairus at that moment in the Gospel), Jesus has spoken a word of hope and faith to me. And I want to speak that word of hope out loud now. This is my “apology” for pressing on for unity – right here; right now:
I am focusing my comments particularly on the Christian community. While there are compelling reasons to work for unity on a broad national or global scale, the Church is the place I am most familiar with, and it is a place where there is a special mandate for unity (see Jesus’ prayer in chapter 17 of the gospel of John). Ideally, we should be both a sign of hope and a model to the larger world of how to live out unity.
But our community seems particularly stuck, paralyzed by our inability to be unified but not wanting to admit that we can’t figure it out. At this moment of awareness of our deep division and brokenness, Christians appear tempted to minimize them. In posts and articles and conversations, I hear us again and again wanting to (in the words of the prophet Jeremiah) “dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious” and pronounce, “’Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace.” We seem drawn to move forward quickly, avoiding the actual pain of division and pronouncing some form of surface-level healing.
In response, I want to borrow a familiar framework from Dietrich Bonheoffer’s Cost of Discipleship, and to say that we are at this critical moment supremely tempted to opt for “cheap unity.” The urgent antidote, then, for this moment has to be “costly unity.” But what is costly unity over against cheap unity? Here are some characteristics of cheap unity that have come to my heart and mind:
Cheap unity avoids conflict. It is uncomfortable with sharp disagreement, and seeks to diminish strong emotions and firm convictions. It elevates attempts to feel better over honest expressions of problems.
Cheap unity finds a “least common denominator” and stops there. It looks for something innocuous we can all agree on, and declares “reconciliation” too soon
Cheap unity draws the circle of community too tightly. One of the solutions it offers is to shrink the number of people who need to be reconciled. If there are fewer true brothers and sisters, then those folk furthest away from our perspective can be dismissed as heretics, non-believers, or apostates.
Cheap unity also refuses to talk about holiness. In contrast to drawing the circle too tightly, this type of cheap unity wants to ignore decisions of conscience and exclude some from the conversation for being too inflexible or overly obsessed with keeping the rules.
Cheap unity reduces conflict to concepts and ideas and avoids the messiness of the human heart and human relationships. It proposes that the problem of division lies primarily in a lack of intellectual or organizational rigor.
Cheap unity diminishes power dynamics and minimizes the cost to some (usually the minority voices) of “staying at the table.” It presumes a level playing field in the conflict and that both sides must make the same amount and types of sacrifices in order to bring about healing and restoration.
Cheap unity wants to move on too quickly, and ignore the painful history of the past. It insists that those who are wary or distrustful of reconciliation based on their past experiences need to “get over it.” It overemphasizes optimism for the future and detaches forgiveness from sorrow for sin.
There are probably more, but identifying aspects of cheap unity is only half the battle. Embracing and living out a more costly unity is the essential act of repentance from cheap unity. Costly unity moves away from what I just described above. It presses into conflict, it avoids declaring victory too soon, it accepts the tension between hospitality and holiness, it seeks the “messy middle”, it acknowledges injustice, it sits with pain. And then it begins to work slowly and honestly through what divides: listening, praying, learning, building trust, seeking the interests of those on the “other side”
I believe it is our real hope for moving toward the unity Jesus longs for us to experience. It is this kind of unity that will give the larger world hope and model the message of the gospel. Pursuit of costly unity will lead us more deeply into the discipleship Jesus has called us – “for whoever seeks to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for my sake and the sake of the gospel will find it.” (Mark 8). And it lives a life worthy of that gospel, “struggling together to remain faithful” to it (see Philippians 1:27 CEB). It embodies the self-emptying servant life of Christ that Paul goes on to describe in the next chapter of that epistle.
This is because ultimately costly unity forces me, forces all of us, out of ourselves. Costly unity presents a challenge to me to “count the cost” of pursuing my brothers and sisters and seeking their good. For one more time to borrow images from Scripture (this time from Luke’s gospel): Costly unity looks for the lost sheep without which the flock is not complete; it seeks the missing coin that is needed for the full value of the others; it pursues the separated siblings and invites them “in” – to life and celebration and relationship.
This commitment to costly unity is unilateral. It is a following in the way of Jesus to seek others in love. But this is the kind of unity I can be hopeful for. It won’t come easily and it will require discipline on the part of many of us. This is the kind of unity I am committed to spending the rest of my life working for. I invite you to join me.
We did it! We met our $10,000 goal at our second annual fundraiser last night – including a matching gift of $2500 for new monthly donors – Thanks for everyone who has contributed to this movement in so many ways. Now, let’s go Unite Boston!
The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is an international initiative where Christians worldwide are reminded of Jesus’ prayer for his disciples that “they may be one so that the world may believe” (John 17:21). Locally, UniteBoston coordinates evening collaborative gatherings of fellowship, prayer and worship from January 18-25 annually.
This Year’s Theme: In 2025, Christians mark the 1,700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council at Nicaea, where key doctrinal disputes about the Trinity and the nature of Christ were resolved, resulting in the Nicene Creed—a foundational statement of Christian faith and unity. The Nicene Creed is the Christian “symbol” of agreed doctrine and also the statement of faith for UniteBoston. This commemoration invites Christians to celebrate what unites them through the Creed while reflecting on the divisions that still persist today.
Mark Your Calendars – You are invited to mark your calendars and plan to attend the evening gatherings! In this time of Epiphany, we encourage you to receive the manifestation of Jesus Christ through those of different denominations, races and cultures. Let’s make the most of these opportunities in order to truly be the family of God and serve as the body of Christ in the world. Let’s also pray with our feet – consider how our beliefs can come together in common action and witness.
Spread the Word – We also appreciate help spreading the word to people in your congregation, family, friends, and neighbors. A personal invitation goes a long way.
Calling tomind our common commitment to ‘love thy neighbor,’ may the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, January 18-25, 2025 be full of moments of conversion of heart through our encounters, so that “all may be one.”
2025Schedule: Announced Soon!
Photos from Previous Years
In 2017, we coordinated a large worship service on January 21st in alignment with the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation, that had over 8 co-sponsors and was attended by over 800 people.
Here are many of the leaders hosting gatherings for the 2019 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
UB City-Wide Dinner Launch – November 2017
UniteBoston dinner at Sally’s house in West Roxbury
Prayer Gathering at the Greek Metropolis of Boston
Neighborhood Dinner at Adam’s house in East Boston
Co-presiders from various Christian traditions at the 2017 Week of Prayer Anchor Gathering
A Statement of Prayer from the Black Ministerial Alliancefor our Community, our City, our Commonwealth and our Country.
After an extremely challenging election season – not for just the candidates, but for the nation as a whole- the voting is over but the pain, the anxiety and the deep concerns still remain across our nation and right here in the City of Boston.
Today, as I pray over what we see happening across the country in the aftermath of the election, I know today many citizens are hurting in our churches, in our community, in our City and, yes, our country and that the days, weeks, and even the months ahead will be difficult for many.
In this time of great uncertainty, I want to encourage all of us to take comfort and to stand on the infallible Word of God. In the words of the Apostle Paul, I admonish us to not “be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present [our] requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard [our] hearts and [our] minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7).
As the Black Ministerial Alliance of Greater Boston, we want to assure the residents of Boston that we are praying for you. We are praying that God will comfort, strengthen and heal those who are broken and hurting. Our prayer is that both those who are celebrating, as well as those who are protesting, will come to experience the peace and presence of God about the election. Now, more than ever, we need to heed the admonition of the Prophet Jeremiah to pray for the peace of the City and, may I add, our nation.
So, we will stand in prayer with faith leaders, community leaders and the faith community at large as we pray for the peace of our city and our nation. We will look to the hills whence cometh our help; for our help comes from the Lord. Remember that we serve a sovereign God Who remains on the Throne. Though the results of this election have taken many by surprise, our Heavenly Father has not lost control.
The Word of God reminds us that, “He [God] changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding.” (Daniel 2:21) (ESV). We pray that God will continue to watch over the United State of America in this time of transition. Our prayer is that God will indeed give wisdom, knowledge, and understanding to our current president, Barak Obama, and to the president-elect, Donald Trump.
Let us take courage in the words of that great Christian hymn, “Be not dismayed whate’er betide, God will take care of you!”
In light of all that is happening in our nation, we need to remember that Jesus is on the throne and we have a kingdom that cannot be shaken. We also need to listen and fight for those who are most vulnerable in society.
Race, privilege – authenticity? Belonging? Permission to grieve?
Who am I who has so much, who am I to cry?
I cry hearing the pain of my sister.
I have not lived it.
I chose to give up what I can easily choose to take back.
My education, my family network opens many doors others cannot access.
But I cry for that reality to change.
Can my cry be a trumpet blast in halls of complacency?
Can the cry of a middle class white girl on behalf of the sad broken state of our justice system, our schools, our neighborhoods and families, be heard and deemed legitamate?
Does it matter if they are?
I think so, but then I wonder, by who?
My friend is being sold. Abused. Exploited!!
No, I am not.
I have never been raped or molested, but my friend, my sister, has and is and This Must Stop!
I carry so many stories in my heart and they are heavy.
I cry out with a cry of empathy
No, I will never fully understand
So I will not try to be your voice but rather sound the trumpet, shake the ground,
open the cages of systems holding you back,
usher you into the doors I can, and then You cry out Your song of lament,
of truth,
and together we proclaim the song of hope.
“injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”
If I see the injustice done against you and say nothing, what is that?
If I weep, not on my own behalf but for what is happening to you, am I not showing you I care? That I wish there was some other reality? That I wonder why you and not me and I am sorry for my privilege?
And I do weep on my own behalf in sorrow, regret, apology for what I – my race, my religion and my country have done.
What my government has done and fails to do, what my Church has done and fails to do.
I am part of the problem.
I am so sorry.
But I hear the rumblings of another way possible- in the cry and lament, imagining there must be something better
Do you hear it?
The low, steady heartbeats of hope reverberating in my spirit and yours, calling towards harmony!?
It rises
And I know I must not keep silence!
I invite you to join me in my weeping and my obstinate hope.
Let me not tell your story for you, label or forget you in my rush to sound the trumpet.
You and I together – we will cry and sing of hope.
This week, we feature a blog written by Scott Brill, Assistant Regional Director of InterVarsity New England and co-director of the Institute for Christian Unity. Scott uses Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s language as he examines and contrasts ‘costly unity’ with ‘cheap unity.’ His analysis is full of rich wisdom and is a must-read for those who are working towards a more reconciled Christian Church in Greater Boston.
