Christians have been teaching basic principles that have helped people work together for the past 2000 years, but until recent decades the words “team” and “teamwork” were rarely used in the Christian context. The team concept is a powerful concept because it requires carefully defined and understood goals. In the case of Christianity, the goal has not been as clearly understood as it needs to be for effective teamwork. Most Christians, if asked what the goal of Christianity is, would likely say “personal salvation.” That goal, however, tends to focus on the individual and can even be divisive instead of team building. To outsiders the history of Christianity often appears to be a history of conflicting denominational views over who is qualified to get into heaven.
There is another goal that emerges when studying the Bible and the history of Christianity that tends to be more unifying. That goal is assisting God with continuing creation. The vast improvements in communication, transportation and human health remind us again that creation is a continuing process. With the aid of science, Christians have and can continue to play a vital role in continuing creation and improving the quality of life for all. It seems to me that seeking forgiveness and living in God’s grace we are free to work together as Christ’s Team to create a better world and can leave our destiny after death to faith in our loving Creator. In any case the future of Christianity in our complex world will surely depend upon how clearly it can define and understand its goal.
Robert C. Frank
