I made known to them your name, and I will make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them. (John 17:26)

Over the last couple decades we have heard critics decry what has been variously described as "civil religion," "religion in general," or "the religion of the American way of life." Recently, Dr. Robert Jenson, a professor at Lutheran Theological Seminary in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, restated the criticism this way: "The God proclaimed in American Protestantism is inoffensive - a God who makes no difference ... mainline Protestantism is to a great extent atheistic."

I think Dr. Jenson and the other critics are onto something, but I would like to state the issue a little differently. The real problem is not that we are becoming atheistic but that we are becoming a-theological! In the name of ending divisiveness and promoting unity we have tended to shy away from talking about doctrines and theological dogma. It's not that we have become thoroughly atheistic but that we are hesitant to talk about what believing in God means. At one extreme we have those who retreat blindly into traditional dogmatism, claiming that everyone must accept their particular version of believing in God ... and, at the other extreme, we have the tendency to reduce religion to a bland, moralistic blend of cliches, pop psychology, pop sociology and (sometimes) media hype. A recent TV Guide advertisement for Robert Schuller's "Hour of Power" promoted this series of messages: "Six Success Points for Parents," "Ten Tips for Teens," and "Eight Words of Wisdom for Husbands and Wives." No doubt there was much helpful material in these presentations, but they clearly illustrate the phenomenon of "a-theological Christianity."

We do not make religion more palatable and meaningful to people by diluting the message or by avoiding God-talk! We do not promote religious unity by homogenizing all religious ideas and reducing them to their lowest common denominator. What we need to do is to work with our classical theological traditions and discover anew how they relate to our own day and age! We have been doing just that as we have asked what it means to believe in Jesus, what it means to use "God-talk." Jesus says in our text that he has made God's name known and will make it known in the future. His words are being fulfilled as we continue to study what the names "Jesus" and "God" mean for us today.

Of course, what we have discovered, and what our text for today drives home, is that the name Jesus means "God will save" and that, therefore, the grace of God and the grace of Jesus are one and the same! John's version of Jesus' lengthy prayer for the unity of all ends with Jesus saying "that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them." This unifying, unconditional love, this agape, is the grace that the real Jesus channels to us all, which in turn makes us into channels of the same grace and love to others. The doctrine of grace does not build walls between people. It is the kind of theology that breaks down barriers and results in the most profound kind of unity possible. John pictures the unity of Jesus and God, in love, as a model for all of us to follow.

Professor Jenson says that the God proclaimed by American Protestant religion in general is "inoffensive." To the degree that such religion is bland, naively moralistic and a-theological (non-theological), we could perhaps agree with his assessment. But if his objection is that a theology based on grace and love is too "soft," too positive in tone, too easy-going - then we must wonder whether his real concern is to stand up for the Gospel. The Gospel of Jesus Christ does challenge us, but the Christian message does not try to be offensive just for the sake of being offensive. The fact is that while John the evangelist views "the world" both as hostile to Jesus and as the object of God's love, the overall focus is upon God's love for the world. The overall tone is positive. The theme of judgment against the world is clearly secondary. The message of Jesus is not intended to create a small, cliquish in-group of people who don't want to have anything to do with the world. The grace and love of God in Christ makes it possible for the world community to know and believe in unity and peace.

Of course, to the degree that this is a success-mad and merciless world in which many things are wrong, the world needs to face judgment. But God's desire is to convert the world, not to condemn or destroy it. God loves the world! (Remember John 3:16.)

The Church's one foundation Is Jesus Christ, her Lord ... One holy name she blesses ... Lord, save us by your grace. (Samuel J. Stone)

When Jesus says "I do not pray for these only, but also for those who believe in me through their word, that they may all be one," he is recognizing that the extension of the church, the "inclusive ministry" of the church, may threaten its unity. It was sad to see the great hymn celebrating Jesus Christ as the Church's one foundation, being sung as a rallying point for those who felt forced out of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod because of doctrinal and other conflicts. Many of the apparent divisions within the Christian Church are more accurately seen simply as expressions of the healthy diversity of the church. But, unfortunately, a sizable number of these divisions are also disturbing evidence of a lack of unity and understanding among Christians - and many non-Christians are very much turned off by this lack of unity, this in-fighting.

Using the imagery of many different flocks of sheep in one sheep-fold, of many mansions (or rooms) in his Father's house, the Jesus we meet in John's Gospel makes it clear that unity does not necessarily mean uniformity. Unity among people always has to be a "unity amid diversity." In speaking to the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod convention during the LCMS schism, Bishop David Preus of the American Lutheran Church gently chided the delegates, saying that while some people seem to view the church as a loaf of white bread, he preferred to think of the church as more like a fruitcake, where there is always room for a few nuts! The point is that the followers of Jesus should always be expanding their notion of what unity means.

The recently-coined term "inclusive ministry" challenges us to join together under the grace of God to celebrate our diversity in ethnic backgrounds, lifestyles, theological traditions, and a host of other areas. Rather than making demands and claims upon one another in the name of Christ, we need to learn from the young Roman Catholic priest suffering with AIDS who said in a newspaper interview, "I have learned that the power of the Cross came from the fact that when Jesus hung there he was totally vulnerable, totally powerless. And he was so powerless in human terms that he became irresistable and drew the whole world for all time to come to the foot of that cross ... The more vulnerable I become because of AIDS, because of my willingness to tell the truth about my life and who I am, the more I can be available to love."

Jesus is an appealing and unifying figure because he is vulnerable and "full of grace," not because he makes arrogant claims.

Some observers have said that the recent mess in the "evangelism business" has hurt the overall Christian witness. Others have noted that as media ministries parade their failings and weaknesses before the public, more people will be drawn to the less glamorous but more real community to be found in local congregations. Be that as it may, there can be little doubt that infighting among those who claim to be Christians is offensive to the world, and that this is not the kind of positive offensiveness Dr. Jenson has in mind - the offense of challenging all people to review their priorities and commitments. No. The world is legitimately horrified and repulsed when it sees Christians failing to live up to their own message of unity, love and understanding. In May of 1987 a number of major newspapers carried a cartoon showing the emperor Caesar in his box seat at the coliseum. He is telling his centurian, "Hold the lions. The Christians are eating each other, looks like."

The church is intended to be a model of how unity works. It is to show the world how we can all live together in peace despite our many differences. Christ is a symbol of our common humanity under God's love and grace. As Christians we must begin to polarize less, and dialogue more among ourselves so that Jesus' prayer for unity may be answered. Instead of dismissing each other with labels like "liberal," "conservative," "simplistic literalist" or "secular humanist," let us take each other seriously and talk together, trying to understand one another.

You might want to object and say that Jesus didn't tell us to "Go, therefore, and 'have dialogue' with all nations," but to "make disciples." True. But in this commission from Matthew's Gospel, "making disciples" is explicitly defined in terms of teaching all nations about the love and grace of God. And the best way for us to do that is to engage the world and our own various "communions" in dialogue - theological dialogue!

If you have seen the academy award winning film Ghandi, you may remember the scene where Ghandi is caught in the middle of intense conflict between Muslims and Hindus. He defuses the situation by saying "I am a Muslim, and a Hindu, and a Christian, and a Jew." This is a wonderful attitude to take, so long as it affirms the unique identities and contributions of each tradition, so long as it is a recognition of unity amid diversity rather than of superficial homogenizing of the various faiths. As we noted on Ash Wednesday, Christians in particular may need to begin paying more serious attention to the other major religions of the world. Many folks are so ignorant of anything beyond the Judeo-Christian tradition that when they do run into another faith-system they are immediately swept off their feet and become infatuated.

In the name of understanding and unity based on the grace of God, we surely need to avoid the attitude expressed by a group of parents who wanted The Diary of Anne Frank banned from the classroom because it seemed to approve of all religions without recognizing the superiority of Christianity. Ghandi's sentiment is a great antidote to such, no doubt well-intentioned holier-than-thou-ism. The Charlton Heston movie El Cid (which means "The Lord") illustrated both the horrible destructiveness of religious conflicts and the possibilities for overcoming religious-based hostility. The story of El Cid illustrates how the desire to win or claim other people for one's faith can become a prescription for cruel tyranny. Faith is shared through humble dialogue and by loving interaction, not by making claims and demands.

The relatively new faith called Bahai has looked promising to many people because it seems to have developed out of a desire to bring unity among all the religions of the world. But, unfortunately, instead of simply focusing on the great insights of all these religions, Bahai has gone in the direction of promoting its own unique ideas and organization as "The answer" to the question of religious and world unity. The problem is that whenever a group is formed to be the ultimate and final answer, it only succeeds in becoming just one more group vying for prominence among many others. Instead of leading to unity it merely adds one more voice to an already complex and confusing cacophony of claims and counter-claims.

Despairing of the possibility of ever bringing about religious unity through doctrinal, philosophical or theological dialogue, a great many people have latched onto the Golden Rule as the ultimate expression of their faith. It is provocative and inspiring to discover the remarkable universality of this ethical principle. In Hinduism it is stated like this: "Those gifted with intelligence should always treat others as they themselves wish to be treated." The Shinto version is: "The suffering of others is my suffering; the good of others is my good." In Buddhism it is: "A person can minister to friends and familiars by ... treating them as he treats himself." Taoists say: "Regard your neighbor's gain as your own gain and regard your neighbor's loss as your own loss." In Islam: "None of you is a believer until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself." For Sikhs it is: "As thou deemest thyself so deem others. Then shalt thou become a partner in heaven." In Confucianism and Zoroastrianism the rule is stated in the same way as in the New Testament except that it is couched in negative terms: "Do not unto others what you would not they should do unto you." The Jewish equivalent in Leviticus 19:18 is "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."

There is no question but that we can take heart from this remarkable agreement regarding religious/ethical principles! Religion can indeed be a unifying influence in the world and in our personal relationships. What is unique about Christianity, however, is its special focus on the attitude we are to take toward our efforts to follow any rule. No religious tradition puts more emphasis on ethics than does the Christian faith. But it is precisely because of its high calling to do good and promote justice that the Christian Gospel addresses the problem of despair and discouragement. Great expectations can lead to even greater disappointments, so it is absolutely vital that we focus on our attitude toward moral effort. The radical Christian emphasis on the grace of God as revealed in the name of Jesus, makes it possible for us to combine our sense of moral urgency with a sense of humor and relaxation, because we know that ultimately everything does not rest on our shoulders alone. In this lies the difference that God makes in our lives: we can do our best to follow the Golden Rule (or any other ethical guidance), and to share our faith, not in a desperate or conceited attempt to save ourselves and the world, but in the cheerful confidence that God is forever channeling grace to all the world. The real Jesus Christ is the ultimate symbol and reality of this divine grace.

Down through the centuries Christians have used many grand and glorious images to praise Jesus. But nothing says it better than the hymn "All hail the power of Jesus' name!" - the name that means "God will save," "God heals," "God delivers." This name, Jesus, is the name above every name, because it is one with God's name. It is the source of theology that builds no doctrinal barriers. The love we see in Jesus is God's love, and the saving love and grace of God is all that we ever really need!