Blest be the tie that binds
Our hearts in Christian love
The fellowship of kindred minds
Is like to that above

A man named John Fawcett wrote the words to that hymn in 1782. Mr. Fawcett obviously had no way of knowing what the church would be like in the year 2000. Today the "fellowship of kindred minds" is under a great deal of stress.

The Methodists are still upset about their newest hymnal, mostly over the exclusion of some old favorite hymns. The average Catholic lay person continues to wage a war of conscience over the church’s teachings on abortion, contraception, divorce, and the role women are allowed to play in the life of the church. Episcopalians are still not content with their new Book of Common Prayer, and with the fact that some of their bishops are ordaining to ministry p…