Not only are individual churches very often divided

Opening Scene – Narrated by Host
The café was quiet except for the faint sound of jazz playing in the background, blending with the soft hum of nearby conversations. The late afternoon sunlight filtered through the windows, casting long shadows across the room. Jack sat at a table near the window, his hands wrapped around his mug, but his eyes were distant. His thoughts seemed far away, caught in a conflict he hadn’t fully expressed yet.

Across from him, Jeeny watched him carefully, sensing that the quiet contemplation wasn’t just about the peaceful surroundings, but about something deeper. She waited patiently, allowing the silence to stretch just long enough before gently guiding the conversation in a new direction.

Host: The room, calm and unassuming, held the promise of a deeper conversation. Jack and Jeeny were about to explore something personal yet universal—a conversation about division, anger, and love within faith and communities.

Character Descriptions
Jack
In his early 30s, Jack was someone who often pondered the complexities of faith and community. His sharp grey eyes were usually focused on the bigger questions—about connection, belief, and what it meant to live in harmony with others. Jack’s voice was steady, but it often carried an undercurrent of frustration, especially when it came to the contradictions he saw in the world around him.

Jeeny
Late 20s, Jeeny had an understanding that seemed deeper than her years. Her dark eyes were thoughtful, always attentive to the unspoken currents between people. Her voice was calm but steady, offering clarity when needed. Jeeny believed in the power of community, but she also understood the challenges that came with it—especially when it was torn apart by division and discord.

Host
The silent observer, always attuned to the space between words. The Host knew that the conversation between Jack and Jeeny was about to move from the intellectual into something more personal—something about faith, connection, and the contradictions within religious communities.

Main Debate

Jeeny: She broke the silence, her voice soft but thoughtful. “Jack, I was reading something recently by John MacArthur, and it made me think. He said, ‘Not only are individual churches very often divided, cantankerous, full of factions, animosity and anger but it seems to me that the entire evangelical church is like that - fragmented, split up, hostile, even angry. This is a far cry from what our Lord desired when He said the world would know us by our love.’ What do you think of that?”

Jack: He looked up, his expression a mixture of contemplation and frustration. “It’s hard to argue with that. When you look at the state of many religious communities today, it’s not hard to see the division. Churches are torn apart by ideologies, petty arguments, and misunderstandings. It’s almost as if the very message of love and unity has been overshadowed by anger and division.”

Jeeny: “Yes, exactly. The way MacArthur describes the state of the evangelical church feels so familiar. It seems like faith communities have become so focused on their own in-fighting that they’ve lost sight of the love they’re supposed to represent. There’s so much hostility, so much division, and it’s far removed from the vision of unity that Christ spoke of.”

Jack: “I think what frustrates me is that, as a whole, the church is supposed to be a reflection of God’s love for the world. But instead, we’re seeing more of what’s broken in the world than what should be the healing force. There’s so much animosity, and it’s hard to reconcile that with the message of grace and forgiveness that Christianity is supposed to stand for.”

Jeeny: “I completely agree. When the church is full of division and anger, it doesn’t show the world the love of Christ. It actually makes the church seem just like any other social or political institution, where the message of unity gets lost in the noise. But the church, as Christ envisioned it, was supposed to be a place where love, forgiveness, and reconciliation were the foundations. When we don’t live that out, we’re failing the world’s perception of what faith should be.”

Host: The tension in the café was palpable as Jeeny’s words sank in. The concept of love being central to faith was simple but powerful, yet the reality of religious division was far more complicated. Jack’s expression softened, as if he were trying to reconcile the ideal with the reality.

Jack: “It’s like we’ve taken something so pure—something that’s supposed to unite—and turned it into a tool for division. If the world is supposed to know us by our love, why does it seem like the church is so bent on fighting over every little thing? We’ve lost sight of what’s really important.”

Jeeny: “And that’s the real tragedy, isn’t it? Instead of being a beacon of hope and reconciliation, the church often becomes a mirror of the divisions in the world. It’s easy to get caught up in doctrine, in correctness, in the battles over theology or political beliefs. But that’s not the heart of what faith is about. Christ’s message was about love, and when we fail to reflect that, we fail to show the world what we were meant to represent.”

Climax and Reconciliation

Jack: He exhaled slowly, his gaze moving toward the window. “I think what’s so frustrating is that we know the message, we know what we’re supposed to stand for, but when the reality doesn’t match that, it becomes a source of disillusionment. I’ve struggled with this a lot—wanting to believe in the power of faith, but seeing the church fractured and divided. It’s hard to find the love in it.”

Jeeny: “I hear you, Jack. But maybe the real work isn’t just about fixing the church as an institution—it’s about returning to what Christ taught us in the first place. It’s about making our individual lives reflect the love, grace, and forgiveness that we claim to believe in. When we can do that, maybe the divisions we see around us won’t seem so overwhelming. Maybe it starts with us—living out the love we’re supposed to reflect.”

Jack: “You’re right. The change has to start somewhere, and it might as well start with me. If we want to see a church that represents love and unity, we have to embody that love in our own actions. It’s easy to get lost in the frustration, but the true test is how we respond to the challenges.”

Jeeny: “Exactly. It’s about making sure that, despite the division, we stay true to the message of love. And even though the church might feel broken at times, it’s important to remember that the true power of faith is found in our ability to love and forgive—not just when it’s easy, but when it’s the hardest.”

Host: The light in the café seemed to grow softer, the weight of the conversation settling into something more peaceful. Jack sat back, his expression thoughtful, but the frustration had started to lift, replaced by a quiet determination. Jeeny’s words had reached him—not just as a critique of the church, but as a call to personal action, a reminder that change starts with individual choices.

Outside, the world continued its steady rhythm, but inside the café, Jack and Jeeny had found something deeper. They had touched on the frustrations and the realities of division within faith, but they had also discovered that the answer lay not in fixing institutions, but in returning to the core principles of love and unity, the principles that Christ intended. It was in those moments of love that faith would be made whole again.