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Blake Alling: Unity with Diversity (Philippians 2:1-5)
Blake Alling, senior pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Port Acres, asked, “Can we have unity if we’re all still different? … What does unity look like if we’re all different?” He then quoted social media posts criticizing Christianity as an affront to pluralism for its exclusivity.
Alling joined Paul in critiquing the veracity of pluralism. He described the “cultural conflict” between the claim all religions are equal and Christianity’s claims about Jesus. The world’s definition of unity is in conflict with Paul’s description of unity in the church.
Jesus is the unifying factor for and in the church, bringing together great diversity. Paul describes this diverse church as being like a human body—different parts serving their needed functions for the one purpose of God’s glory.
This sermon was delivered Nov. 7, 2021, for the morning worship service of Calvary Baptist Church in Port Acres.
A sermon manuscript is available here.
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