The Church is One

Today I’ll review LCMS Rev. Richard Bolland‘s book, The Church is One: Recapturing the Lost Unity Christ Intended for His Church on Earth. To be honest, I’m able to do so many reviews this week because of long drives to and from a family funeral. So I’m sorry if this review is particularly affected by that.

The Church is One Review

This is a particularly difficult review to write. The truth of the matter is that people have divided the church and it’s painful. It is something that I grieve, and, although many have forgotten that a unified church is possible, our Lord hasn’t.

If you have ever wondered why people get “hung up on church politics,” then this may be the book for you! It goes through many break away movements that, well, too often became mainstream!

This is an informative book, but I wouldn’t call it especially academic. There aren’t many footnotes and some places are written in a particularly heartfelt manner. My heart goes out to both the author and all the rest of us who recognize the wayward steps of the earthly church.

This is written from the perspective of a pastor of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, so some of the book’s recent history focuses there. Even so, all Christian churches should turn once more to God’s Word and the unity in teaching and Spirit given so graciously there.

The Holy Spirit gives unity. Sadly, congregations and various levels of leadership may not value the Spirit’s gifts and teachings in Scripture.

I wish another chapter could have been added to this addressing how God works in spite of us in our sinfulness, but I think the author accomplished what he set out to do. He even has some of his own suggestions for fighting against our temptations.

Thank you, Rev. Bolland, for your services to the church!