Unity or Union?

Unity is the language of an empire. I provoked many evangelicals when this book came out in 2008 because I said Paul's body metaphor is not about unity.

In 1 Corinthians 12:12-27, Paul uses a body metaphor to talk about our union with Christ and solidarity with fellow members in a beloved community. The metaphor is not about unity or concord (homonoia) borrowed from Stoicism but about creating a diverse and united community through a sense of union anchored to Christ's way of life. In other words, the gist of the body metaphor is about diversity and solidarity rather than unity, which is the language of an empire. "The body of Christ" can also be translated as "the Christic body," which refers to Christlike living and community. This understanding of the body of Christ results from an attributive genitive interpretation.

*See books I wrote about the above point of the body of Christ:

• Christ's Body in Corinth: The Politics of a Metaphor
• A Theological Introduction to Paul's Letters: Exploring a Threefold Theology of Paul
• How to Read Paul: A Brief Introduction to His Theology, Writings, and World
• Reimagining the Body of Christ