Why can't we all just...

“Why can’t we just get along?”
An alluring question, isn’t it? A question that always seems to be asked in times of conflict. A question that is asked by people who are willing to go to great lengths to have a form a peace. A question that was on the marquee of a United Church of Christ in Des Peres, Missouri.

I saw this sign on the way to work last week. Now, in general, I’m not a big fan of those cutesy signs. I usually think they are pretty corny and more than a little pathetic. But this one was more than corny or pathetic; it was totally revolting to me.

Why is that? I don’t think the Holy, Catholic Church of Christ should ever ask such a simplistic and, frankly, retarded question. There is a reason we can’t all get along, that reason is truth. Christ is the Truth. When we are confronted, as Christians, with anything that opposes Christ, i.e., Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, or the UCC, we cannot get along. We are sanctified only in the Incarnate Word of Truth and when presented with anything other than that holy and life-giving Word, there is no unity and no “getting along.”

So what is the answer to “why can’t we all just get along?” Because we are not all in Christ, because we are all sinful, because the time for that has not come. We cannot all get along because there is great evil in the world and that evil sets itself against Christ and His Church.