Christ is the only Truth, the only Way we enter into Life with God. Yet, obviously there are many ways to Christ. Some Christian believers are attracted by the goodness and righteousness of God. It has always made sense for them to believe in God. Others come to faith as a result of experiencing breakdown in their life: they know what it means to be made whole through forgiveness of sin, through the reconciled relationship God offers us in Christ. Others are attracted by the love and compassion of Christ, and see the gospel message as inaugurating God's kingdom of justice and righteousness. All of us gaze at the gospel of Christ through slightly different windows. We find wonder and appeal through different facets of the one faith.

At the same time, because we all tend to gaze through different windows, we bring different understandings to our faith. On different questions of belief, our understanding may or may not ignore important areas of scripture's teaching, may or may not be fully attentive to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Then again, differences in our humanity predispose some of us to think more conservatively, be more liberal or more moderate on issues where the church is not always in agreement. Personally, I would hope that we might always seek to conserve the essential truths of Christian faith, always be liberal when it comes to understanding God's judgment in Scripture, always express moderation in those things we are called upon to work out for ourselves.

The present divisions in The Episcopal Church over human sexuality have caused us to label each other as traditionalist or conservative, as moderates, as liberals. One example of what this means, and how we might move beyond such labels was presented at a 3 day Reconciliation Seminar led by the Rev. Brian Cox in our diocese recently. Everyone divided up into the above groups (Conservative, Moderate, Liberal). Each group then asked itself how they felt hurt and labeled by others, and how they might have been guilty of labeling and hurting other groups. These three different group findings were then shared among all of us. What this did was break down walls of hurt. We better understood other people's feelings. This in turn helped us address, in kinder and more sensitive terms, underlying differences of thinking. Naturally, the question still remains, as Episcopalians: whether we can move beyond those differences into the deeper Gospel that we share.

One reality we all need to accept is that "presenting issues" such as Human Sexuality are often only the surface issues. What presenting issues usually cloak or cover up are very real differences of thinking at deeper levels. For instance, in The Episcopal Church differences that still haven't been properly addressed: (1) the level of respect we should give to God's Word written; (2) in what way, and how far, questions of human justice should be allowed to reformat Christian faith; (3) how the one gospel speaks to different cultures in today's world. Have we really spent time exploring such differences and at such levels?

In the early 1930's when Albert Einstein came to America, the one question every small town news reporter wanted answered was: "Can you explain in one sentence your Special and General Theories of Relativity?" After first sidestepping such questions with his famous humor, he finally came up with a standard reply. "I would be pleased to give you a one sentence answer, but it will take us three days to write out that sentence." In other words, there is value in the effort but it would take time. There is indeed value in giving title or short answer to difficult problems, including theological differences, but not if they become labels that pigeon-hole people, or slogans/weapons with which to dismiss ideas. Are we really prepared to spend the time getting alongside those whose Christian understanding so differs from ours, so that we understand what is important to them?

Scripture gives us help in this regard when it talks of "reconciliation." 2 Corinthians ch. 5 tells us that if anyone is in Christ he becomes a new creation. God through Christ has reconciled us to himself. Through Christ God has reconciled the world to himself. Yet, even Christian terms as important as "reconciliation" can become trivialized, as when we assume they mean that God just wants us all to get along or tolerate each other's differences. This misses the point. It is not as though our differences with each other are the main problem, people whom God needs to come alongside and knock heads together until agreement is reached. It is not which side God is on, but whether we are on God's side. Similarly, we get it wrong if we simply think that Christ wishes to build bridges among us. The whole point is that we need to be reconciled to God, we need to find the bridge that takes us back to Him. Jesus is our Reconciler, not in the sense that God wants to reconcile himself with us, but that Jesus comes to be the bridge that leads us back to God. He IS the bridge: He IS the Way. Only through Him lies the Truth and Life that is in God.

2 Corinthians 5 tells us that the important reason for us being made new creatures in Christ is so that we can become ambassadors for Christ, reconcilers for him, God entrusting to us the message of reconciliation, God making his appeal through us. One cannot help wondering if, on the basis of later church experience and history, the Holy Spirit might not have had second thoughts on the wisdom of having St. Paul tell us that we are God's ambassadors. What a risky strategy! God entrusting to us the ministry of reconciliation, entrusting to us the extension of his Kingdom? That, however, is the way God insists on doing things. That is the way he insists that his ministry of reconciliation be brought about.

Another amazing fact, according to Romans ch. 5, Is that it is while we were yet sinners that God showed his love for us, and Christ died for us. In other words, God set about reconciling us to himself before we were even interested in it, let alone interested in being reconciled with each other! 2 Corinthians 5 shows us the world vision God has for us as individuals, and as a church, in being fully reconciled to himself in Christ. Yet, how on earth can such a reconciling vision be both God's ideal, and God's practicality for us?

On that note, and as a concluding thought, may I suggest a verse from last Sunday's Epistle Reading (a verse from a recent Sunday Epistle Reading). It speaks of a moment in the early church when rival Christian factions were consumed by disagreement. For himself, Paul sees only one road ahead. He expresses it as follows: "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2:20.) For me, that is one of the great verses of the New Testament. I would suggest that this is a verse right up there with John 3:16, or Revelation 3:20. The only way we can ever see reconciliation among ourselves, or truly be reconciled to God in Christ, is if in our hearts Christ becomes both our inmost director and guide. It is in such total submission to Him that Christ's sacrificial death actually crucifies all that prevents us being reconciled to God, and reconciled to each other.

---The Very Rev. Peter J.A. Cook, M.A. Ph.D is rector of St. Michael & All Angels Episcopal Church, in Lake Charles in the Diocese of Western Louisiana. He write an occasional column for VirtueOnline.