Disunity: A Branding Problem

By Jerry Cisar

"The church in America has a brand problem.... For a people claiming to follow the Prince of Peace, the polarization, fragmentation, and endless infighting seem especially problematic.” (Michael Gulker, All Things Hold Together in Christ, preface.)

Given that the church is more known for its inability to stay together, we have a brand problem to be sure. Believers in Jesus profess that “in [Christ] all things hold together” (Col. 1:17), and yet we can’t demonstrate that we ourselves as His people are held together in Him. This is a branding problem and for the sake of His name, we need to do something about it.

More Than a Branding Problem

The first request in the Lord’s Prayer is “Hallowed be Thy name.” This is not merely a way of starting our prayer with praise. It is a request – you could almost say a demand[1] - that God’s name would be hallowed because of us rather than blasphemed or slandered. In other words, the first priority in our praying is that God’s name would be hallowed.

Throughout Scripture God’s people are called to live in a way that the nations might look on and glorify God or consider His name holy. Yet too often it is blasphemed (e.g. Rom. 2:24, Isa. 52:5; 1 Tim. 6:1). This branding problem might not be such a big deal if it were only the church’s brand that was being ruined, but it is God’s name that is being slandered because of our disunity.

Strategic Brand Alteration

Some might opt to give up on the church altogether, conceding defeat. It is, in effect, saying that “all things” do not hold together in Christ.

What needs to be done? How might God’s name be honored because of us? We need to put on Jesus Christ!

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. 15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.

If we want the unifying peace of Christ to rule in our hearts, we must begin by putting on (clothing ourselves with) compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. If in disagreements we came clothed in compassion for all in the conversation, kindness toward them, humility (thinking more highly of others and less highly of ourselves), gentleness in our manner, and patience (the ability to patiently bear provocation), can you imagine what a difference it would make?

Clothing is mostly what people see when they look at us. What should people see when they look at God’s people, the church? They should see Jesus Christ, for that is who this list of attributes describes.

How might all this reflect on God’s name? I believe we’d have the answer to our first prayer request: God’s name would be hallowed. And I believe we’d have begun to solve our branding problem.

Conclusion

We really have no option but to seek to solve this branding problem. It is God’s branding problem, but our responsibility. If we are going to solve our branding problem, we must pray that His name would be hallowed and then we must change our clothes. We must clothe ourselves in Jesus Christ in how we deal with one another in disagreements.

[1] The form of the verb in the Greek text is one we don’t have an English equivalent for: the 3rd person imperative. It has the force of an imperative (command). It might be captured something like, “Your name must be hallowed.”