One day at a city gate two women were arguing over a baby. King Solomon said, “Well, first take a sword, cut the baby into two equal pieces, and give each mother a half.” Of course, you could only divide the baby by destroying it.

The most vital items in our faith are like that. You can only divide them by destroying them. They are entities, not quantities. The Holy Spirit is an entity. Each part belongs to every other part. The Bible itself is an entity; it is an organic whole. In our modern mindset, hinging often on the primacy of specialization, we are tempted to affirm the expression, “Divide and Conquer.” Faith wants to underscore a unity that transcends diversity, division, and specialization.

The biggest and best aspects of the Christian faith cannot be halved or divided. The good…