This week, I am in St. Louis attending a denominational conference covered by my school scholarship. I had never been to the Midwest before, and due to the chaotic nature of my summer, I mistakenly thought the conference was in Chicago until a few weeks before my visit. You can imagine my surprise when I realized the city’s monument was not the well-known Chicago Bean but instead a shining metal arch.
As a new friend drove me into the city from the airport, I noticed the iconic, curved structure. Reflecting the glow of the city, the arch seemed to wink at me, welcoming me into my week’s adventures.
The next day, after my meetings, I made the trek from my hotel toward the bridge-like monument I had seen the night prior. And when I arrived, I found that underneath the arch lies a museum that tells the stories of it and St. Louis.
I learned that the Gateway Arch was not only expensive—$13 million in 1965—but also controversial and time-consuming, taking two decades to finally come to life. However, what I found most intriguing was the number of people it took to pull something like this off. Engineers, local officials, welders, trailblazers, lawyers and architects alike came together to make the Gateway Arch happen.
In my enlightened state, I was also saddened to read on museum signs that Eero Saarinen, the famous designer and architect of the arch, had passed away two years before its construction. As a history buff and a deeply contemplative person, I quickly drew connections between the denominations of our Christian faith and the origin story of this well-known St. Louis attraction.
Protestant churches continue to split and divide over varying theological differences and biblical interpretations. In fact, it was a split between Baptist churches that led me here this week, allowing me to attend a Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF) assembly, a sect of Baptists with which I align fairly closely.
However, while Protestant churches continue to disband over issues that matter to both sides, I hope we’ll still remember God’s collective call for peace and unity.
Fear and loathing drive tribalism. We will never know who we are or who God is calling us to be if we’re only focusing on the things we’re not.
Remaining in our newly constructed denominational branches can feel like the safest option, especially after witnessing others suffer on behalf of harmful teachings or even experiencing trauma ourselves from the people and churches that we once claimed as our home.
Even still, our theological alignments and schools of thought become extremely dangerous when we identify more with them than we do with God. Operating in an us vs. them mentality will continue to cause greater rifts in meaningful and authentic belief systems, leading us further away from holy and healing common ground and closer to the imminent destruction of Christianity.
The Gateway Arch represents unity and innovation. I have to wonder if, in these uncertain times in our world, we could benefit as Christians from a little more unity and innovation.
Like the arch, the collaboration of denominations will take time, energy and effort across the various communities that people like you and I are a part of. And yet, I have hope that it’s possible, even if we don’t see it finished to completion.
Can you see the winking bridge between us? Can you see a healthier version of Christianity beckoning us closer to one another?
Will you have the courage to move toward them? Yes, even “them?”
Saying “yes” to God’s invitation to unity will cost something. It may mean relinquishing positions of influence or power, taking risks in our sanctuaries, engaging in difficult conversations or separating our theological preferences from long-held spiritual beliefs.
Nevertheless, I think even whispering “yes” while stepping forward in our denominations will help us become the church everywhere, for everyone.
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Anna Parish, originally from Auburn, Alabama, earned a B.S. in Applied Health Sciences from Troy University and is currently in her second year of the M.Div. program at Campbell University Divinity School. She serves as an intern at Hayes Barton Baptist Church in Raleigh, North Carolina, where she enjoys walking alongside people of all ages as they explore their callings. Anna is passionate about cultivating authentic communities through holistic spiritual development. She is pursuing a vocation in hospital chaplaincy and authorship and is interested in religious social science research and preaching.