Your Church is Too Small

One of the criticisms that non-Christians have about the church is that we are so divided.  If we cannot get along as Christians, why would anyone want to join us?  John Armstrong, in his book Your Church is Too Small, deals with this very issue.  Armstrong takes us through his own journey of becoming catholic.  By catholic, he does not mean Roman Catholic, but feeling a sense of belonging to the universal church.  Armstrong, a strong evangelical, has reached out to Christians of other traditions, to the criticism of fellow evangelicals.  But in this, Armstrong is following the instructions of Jesus that we be one.  Armstrong does not just leave this as a personal testimony.  He investigates the issues by examining both the Bible and church history in order to have a fuller understanding of the forces at work.  He wrestles with the difficulties of having fellowship with other traditions that have radically different views on different doctrines.  Armstrong takes the time to work out what the essentials are in which we can find unity.  We should not ignore our differences but we should work within our common faith and be open to learn from one another.  It is very unlikely that the entire Christian church will unite into one organization (I can’t imagine even all the Baptists coming together) but there are things that we can do.  Armstrong provides some practical suggestions to help each one of us become more catholic in our faith.  If you have ever struggles with the divided church, Your Church is Too Small is the book to help you see the bigger picture of the church.