One of the most common confusions surrounding the Christian life is on the matter of agreement.

Many Christians confuse loving one another with having to agree with one another.

I couldn’t disagree more.

Just look at the Bible. Our religious history is rife with disagreements while at the same time rich in love.

One very illuminating instance can be found in the life of Paul, who seemed to have the rather annoying habit of alienating other Christians along the way. The most cursory of readings of the Book of Acts reveals that Paul couldn’t get along with the disciples in Jerusalem nor even his best friend, Barnabas.

Did such falling out mean that Paul was not a Christian?

Of course not. What it meant was that Paul and all the others were human. They were subject to the same faults and failures as the rest of us. Yet in spite of such imperfection, they continued to love. In spite of such imperfection, the Gospel continued to be proclaimed and the faith shared.

This is a most important insight into what it means to be the church.

We are not called to agree.

We are called to love.

Such an understanding allows for diversity and difference. What a boring place the church would be if we were all the same! In the church there is room for all those who have committed their lives to loving "the Lord your God...and your neighbor as yourself."

This means that the church is a place for loving Republicans and loving Democrats, loving liberals and loving conservatives, loving feminists and loving chauvinists, loving heterosexuals and loving homosexuals and on and on and on.

Obviously, such differences will cause the church tension and occasional stress. This is life. It is the nature of anything that is alive and growing. We have nothing to fear from such tension as long as we welcome it in love. Indeed, when there is no tension, there is probably no life either.