I have just been listening to an interesting discussion on the 9 Marks website about co-operation between churches:
http://resources.christianity.com/details/mrki/20051222/b60a385f-1f83-4369-b5c2-1a0ba5f4c595.aspx

What Bible passages are important when thinking about co-operation between churches - what should, and should not happen?

Thank you Ben for supplying this link.

There is much food for thought there. I’d probably need to listen to it again to take it all in but they have addressed many of the difficulties that I have had over the years. It is clear that we should not be yoked together with unbelievers (2 Cor 6:14). In addition to this, almost all the epistles warn against false teaching (I won’t list the verses here but they’re not hard to find). Much of this refers to people who would regard themselves as orthodox and Christian but are in serious error. Christians were sometimes caught up in such error, so Paul, or whoever, puts them right. We don’t have Paul himself to adjudicate nowadays but we do have the Bible, but those “in error” also have the Bible and view themselves as correct. So what do we do?

I was impressed that the speakers recognised that it is a complex issue. You sometimes hear evangelical leaders call on us all to unite to reach a lost (and postmodernist ) world but there are different ideas among evangelicals on what a Christian is and what a Christian church is. For some, evangelicalism is no more than a point of view - a correct point of view, but just one stream within the Christian church. They would have us unite with the RC church and with modernists to reach a lost world. If I was convinced of this position, I would never have bothered leaving the RC church.

Then, you sometimes get someone (they may or may not have charismatic views) who has a ‘vision’ and takes some initiative to unite is all behind their initiative. They have a sort of a promised land in view and we have to choose between being one of the spies who have faith in their God-given vision or one of the spies who doubt God’s capacity to fulfil their vision. It’s more complex than that and I think that Affinity recognize this.

My own view is that you have to recognize the difficulties and make a particular decision in specific circumstances. Visible unity is good but I think that people also appreciate that people disagree and that people have different ideas. Nowadays, people frequently complain that there are no ideas anymore in politics. All the parties say the same thing. Where are the young Norman Tebbits and Tony Benns?  The radio show itself is an example of how believers can differ yet relate to one another and laugh together. I wouldn’t mind seeing something like this regularly on the Affinity site - i.e. podcast of leaders discussing and debating some issue together. There was a good IVP book some years ago called “The Church and its Unity”, edited by Alan F.Gibson. It featured Michael Cole, Eryl Davies, Graham Harrison, David Hollaway, Gordon W. Kuhrt, David Matthew, Derek Prime and Harry Uprichard debate these matters. It would be good to get some of these men around the table.

One issue that was raised that might be worth thinking about is how you would relate to a local church with women leaders. I am beginning to see this in some of the new American charismatic churches coming into Ireland. At the moment, they move in very different circles but it is something that needs thought.

Various publishers produce “Four Views on ...” books, e.g. Divine Foreknowledge: Four Views, or the Counterpoints series (Zondervan). Maybe “Four Views on Church Unity” could be produced. The IVP book The Church and its Unity seems to be out of print - I think it was from 1992 - but would be interesting to read.

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Some of the verses that teach the valule of unity between Christians (not necessarily churches) are:

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. “—John 17:20-21

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”—John 13:34

“Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters.”—Romans 14:1

“I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.”—1 Corinthians 1:10

“In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now...”—Philippians 1:4-5

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And some that teach that we need to separate from error and immorality:

“I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them.”—Romans 16:17

“If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take him into your house or welcome him. 11Anyone who welcomes him shares in his wicked work.”—2 John 1:10-11

“But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.”—1 Corinthians 5:11