Fragmentation in Christianity and Ham Radio Emergency Communications

I'm not particularly qualified to write on the subjects of Christianity or Ham Radio Emergency Communications, but the following thoughts have been in my mind and heart--and as this is my blog, I figure I'm particularly privileged to be able to post them here.

For those who aren't aware, I should first point out that I am a Christian. That is to say, I believe that Jesus Christ lived, taught, and ensured that His words would be preserved; and that he finished all of the Father's will when he died for me on the cross so that I could live again with Him through my faith in Him and His promises. Others may define Christianity as more or less than what I've stated, and that is fine; for my part I claim and embrace the title of Christian.

Anyone with experience in or exposure to Christianity knows that it suffers from severe fragmentation. In my small Midwestern town there are somewhere between fifty and a hundred Christian churches at any given moment (without exaggeration), many within easy walking distance of one another. The quantity isn't driven by demand (most are scantily attended on Sunday), the fragmentation is a result of disagreement.

In Ham Radio Emergency Communications we face a similar problem: disagreement splits us into different groups, with different values, beliefs, goals, and understandings. Thousands of willing radio operators, who would gladly uplift and help their neighbor in an emergency, are fragmented into seemingly endless schools of thought leading to the same basic solutions. The result is that where there should be incredible strength and unity, there is confusion, frustration, and eventual lethargy.

Jesus prayed that those who follow him would be one (as recorded in John 17), and I believe in that prayer. I believe that one day it will be answered, and that Christianity will take on its true form where disagreements evaporate in the light of pure truth and Jesus' physical leadership. In the meantime, I understand that we will probably have to continue to live with the disagreements, churches on every corner, and Sunday gatherings that sometimes make us feel like Christianity is much smaller and weaker than it actually is.

Though I have no stop-gap solution to propose for Christianity, I am convinced that Ham Radio Emergency Communication does not have to remain as fragmented as it seems to be. Guided ultimately by principles that Jesus taught (whether we see them that way or not), we can reach out however and wherever we feel that we may, and help. The existence of, or membership in one or many emergency communications groups can't limit us, as long as we remain open to the ultimate interoperability of loving our neighbor, and avoid getting caught up in minutia. As in Matthew 23:23, we should focus first on the weightier matters (of being filled with charity and helping people), even if it sometimes means leaving other matters (group loyalty, policies, procedures, privacy and secrecy, and an endless list of requirements) in a less urgent position of importance.

My hope, prayer, and plan is this: To make myself as useful as I can, to as many groups and individuals as I can (regardless of whether or not they view the world or the word the way I do), with the resources that God has given me. I invite you to do the same, and hope to meet with you on the air, waterfall, or anywhere there is a need.