Together Again: Restoring Unity in Christ After a Century of Separation

Bob Russell and Rick Atchley have done profound justice to their topic and plea that two church fellowships, having FAR more that connects them than keeps them apart, should make every effort to rally around their shared platform and join forces once more. Separated since 1906 over differences in how worship should be offered to God (whether with or without accompaniment), the Independent Christian Churches and Churches of Christ are urged to consider humbly and prayerfully the need to set aside their minor differences to better make an impact on an unbelieving world (John 17:21). Neither driven by syrupy sentiment nor any kind of "mandate" originating from the authors themselves, Atchley and Russell weave their way through example after example and point upon point of the biblically-based unity that exists already between the two churches and, in the spirit of Paul's words in Romans 14, makes a solid and persuasive argument for a grassroots level movement to occur where the two can accomplish far more good together than apart. This not only should happen, it is decades overdue. Indeed, two are far better than one (Ecclesiates 4:9-12). Dan Blanchard, M. Ed.

I just finished this book and would highly recommend to any member of either type of congregation. The book only has a few chapters and can be read in 3 hours or less. I love the point that the authors make regarding the wide spectrum between topics that the bible addresses clearly and topics that the bible does not address. If we classify everything as a black or white, wrong or right, then we are being naive and over simplistic. This is not post-modernism -- this is just common sense.