Unity and Diversity

'"Three churches joined forces to have a union meeting. They chose a preacher who agreed not to preach any of their distinctive denominational messages. Even though I was only a young child, I can recall how the preacher would bring laughter, then tears, and, in his concluding appeal, fright. Many would respond and were saved, supposedly. After the concluding service the chairman said something to this effect: "We have had a great number saved. Now it is time for you who were saved to join the church of your choice. Brothers A, B, and C, pastors of the cooperating churches, will stand in these different locations at the front. You may present yourself to one of these men and he will tell you how to join his church."
Now, let us suppose we have a union meeting similar to that one but different in some details. Three churches cooperate in it. They get a preacher who promises to preach no doctrine except from the Bible. He will just preach the gospel like Peter did on Pentecost. The meeting is a great success. Eighty persons believe, repent, confess faith in Christ, and are baptized for the remission of their sins. Everyone is rejoicing.
Then the final service is completed and the chairman arises and says, "Many have been saved. Now it is time for you to join the church of your choice. The preachers for churches A, B, and C will stand here before you. All who wish to join A church come with Brother A." Twenty arise and stand with him. Brother B is introduced and twenty stand with him. Brother C rejoices inwardly because he thinks he is to get the remaining forty. But when he is introduced, only twenty stand with him.
At this point there is an air of perplexity about the remaining twenty. The chairman inquires of them, "Aren't you going to join a church?"
"No," they respond, "we are in the church already."
"How can that be?" the chairman asks.
"So far our preacher has preached the gospel like Peter did on Pentecost. When people were baptized for the remission of sins then, they were saved, being baptized into Christ and his one body which is the one church. We have done only what they did and we trust that we are in the same church that they were added to. Now you are going beyond the scriptures in urging us to join divisions. All eighty of us are in the one church, being added by the Lord himself. To join different groups now and to wear names to distinguish us from one another is to become divided and denominational."
"Well, you are starting a new church, are you?" the chairman asks, not quite able to grasp the explanation.
"No, we are just remaining in the one the Lord added us to. We will not exclude the other saved persons or wear a distinguishing name."
"What, then, are you going to do?"
"We will meet together in fellowship and worship after the New Testament pattern. We will follow that pattern in our personal lives, congregational organization, name, and group activity. We invite the other sixty saved persons to be with us in this undenominational fellowship. To divide into groups as you have done is sinful, and we can recognize no fellowship with you unless you come with us."'

Can we identify the church in this illustration? Since, in its essence, the church is the saved people, the eighty persons are in it. Meeting in separate groups locally would not alter that. Meeting together holding identical scruples was not a condition of their salvation nor the essence of the church/saved.
Since their fellowship is in Christ rather than in doctrinal agreement, the disciples composing these groups accept all the others as fellow-disciples without condemning them for differences in understanding. That is, all are accepting except the last group! Those in the last group reject and condemn all other disciples! They become sectarian. Although they claim undenominational status, they become a separate group with a distinguishing name. They become the divisive ones!

The saved ones are in the various groups. They are not saved by being in the distinctive groups but in spite of it. They are united in Christ. There can be unity in diversity. In fact, there can be no other kind!
The Stone-Campbell Movement was begun in an effort to cause disciples to accept each other across their party lines. Those reformers had a better concept of the identity of the church than most of the heirs of their heritage today.

While many think that Campbell started the church of Christ, he did not. Christ establised His church about 33 AD. There were churches of Christ before Campbell was born. Please read the following link: http://tcoc.atspace.org/whatisthechurchofchrist.html.
The church of Christ does not follow Stone-Campbell as your site suggests, but follows the teachings of Christ as taught in the New Testament. Plain and simple.

• Alexander Campbell - co-founder of Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement and the group which became the Churches of Christ
• Max Lucado - best-selling author of non-fiction Christian books (minister at Oak Hills Church of Christ, San Antonio, TX; former CoC)
• John Cornyn - Republican Senator from Texas (2002-present)
• Ted Poe - U.S. Representative from Texas (2005-present)
• James Hahn - mayor of Los Angeles, California
• Byron Nelson - professional golfer
• Kenny Perry - professional golfer
• Fred Thompson - former U.S. Senator (Repub.) from Tennessee; now actor, who plays the District Attorney on the TV series "Law and Order" (raised in CoC)
• Gene Tormohlen - former professional basketball player (Atlanta Hawks, Phoenix Suns); now chief scout for L.A. Lakers
  
• Dwight Yoakam - singer, songwriter, actor
• Randy Travis - country music singer
• Glen Campbell - country music singer (raised CoC)
• Weird Al Yankovic - comedic singer, entertainer famous for his satirical spoofs music videos and lyrics (Vegan)
• Roy Orbison - country music singer
• Brandy (Norwood) - R&B singer, actress (raised CoC)
• Kathryn Morris - actress best known as the star of the 2000s CBS TV series Cold Case (raised CoC)
• Laurie Anderson - performance artist (raised CoC)
  
• Pat Boone - singer (former CoC member)
• Janis Joplin - singer (raised CoC)
• Robert Rauschenberg - painter, sculptor, and graphic artist known for helping to redefine American art in the 1950s and '60s (raised CoC)
• Sidney Rigdon - early preacher/leader in "Campbellite Church" (1818-1930), until conversion to Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), where he became a major LDS theologian and leader
• Ted Welch - millionaire real estate developer, conservative activist (raised CoC)
• Kenneth Starr - lawyer, judge; chief Independent Counsel charged with investigating Pres. Bill Clinton, leading to the President's impeachment
• Paula Barbieri - model best known as football player/murderer O.J. Simpson's long-time girlfriend
• Jeffrey Dahmer (1960-1994) - infamous gay serial killer based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; killed 17 young men between 1978 and 1991
  
• William Kay Moser - author, conscientious objector during Korean War
• Gary Freeman - author of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Heaven
• Vachel Lindsay - (1879-1931) American poet known as the "Prairie Troubador"
• Steve Cropper - guitarist Blues Bros. and Booker T.
• Meatloaf - singer, actor (real name Marvin Lee Aday)
• Jeff Martin - TV writer for David Letterman and "The Simpsons" (raised CoC)
• The Cowsills - sang "Indian Lake" and "Hair"
• Jim Ryun - Congressman, Olympic miler, 4 min. (may be ICC member)
• George Pepperdine - Western Auto, Pepperdine University
• Loretta Lynn - country singer
• Sonny James - country singer
• Don Williams - country singer
• Marty Roe - lead singer, Diamond Rio
• Amy Grant - singer
• Mark Wills - country music singer (raised CoC)
• Waylon Jennings - country music (raised CoC)
• Ray Walker - Jordannaires, back up for Elvis
• David Robinson - NBA, San Antonio Spurs
• Clyde Lee - NBA
• Fred McGriff - baseball
• Gene Stallings - Alabama football coach
• Wimp Sanderson - Alabama basketball coach
• Bill Bates - Dallas Cowboys
• Jim Morris - baseball player depicted in movie "The Rookie"
• Rick Parros - running back Denver
• Jim Jenkins - creator of the cartoon "Doug"
• Lynette Cole - 2000 Miss USA
• Doug Poling - CBS newsman
• Mike Adams - President U of Ga.
• Joe Johnson - President of University of Tenn.
• Bill Banowski - ex-president of Oklahoma U. and Gaylord Corp.
• Fred D. Gray - attorney who defended Rosa Parks
• A.M. Burton - Founder of Life & Casualty Insurance Co.
• Gwen Shamblin - founder of Weigh Down Workshop; founder of The Remnant Church (former)
• Bill Elliott - NASCAR driver
• Montgomery Gentry - singers; two-man country band consisting of Eddie Montgomery and Troy Gentry
• Kitty Wells - queen of country music
• Ronnie Dunn - singer, of Brooks and Dunn (former)
• Holly Dunn - country singer
• Kenny Bill Stinson - musician
• Pat Sajak - Wheel of Fortune host
• Dee Presley - Elvis Presley's stepmother
• David and Richard Stanley - step-brothers of Elvis
• Jessie Brown Pounds - (1861-1921) composer, songwriter
• Dale Clevenger - musician
• Tillit S. Teddlie - (1885-1987) hymnodist
• Lloyd O. Sanderson - hymnodist
• Phoebe Lewis - accomplished opera singer (raised CoC)
• Scott Hamilton - U.S. figure skater, Olympic gold medalist (convert)