McDonald's has fast food down to a science. Every store looks basically the same with exceptions dictated by regulations or regional influences. By the time my son, Max, hit age two he knew what the iconic golden arches meant. (And no, we didn't/don't visit that often.)
Your experience at every McD's should be pretty similar. The tile and paint are the same. The trim and wallpaper always matches the McDonald's three blocks away. The "friendly" cashier greets you in their visor with the big M. There's a special McDonald's language ("Do you want fries with that?" and "Would you like to Supersize your meal?" [At least they used to ask these.]) And as far as I can tell they still haven't gotten the memo about how creepy the giant fiberglass clown with ketchup-red hair watching you order is.
Your fries are supposed to taste the same. The shakes should all have the same consistency. Your burgers are made the same. Your experience at McDonald's in NY should be no different than in LA, ATL, KC, CHI or the bustling metropolis of Truth or Consequences, NM. (I hear that place really is bustling.) In other words, once you've been to one McDonald's, you really have seen just about all of them.
Some people view church and Christians like McDonald's (on so many levels). They expect every church to be the same. Every Christian is supposed to think just like them, dress just like the, talk the way they talk and, generally, experience God the way they do.
There are certainly standards of unity to be followed by God's people. And since they are His people, God sets those standards, not His people. God calls us to unity in His Spirit which leads us into all truth. His Spirit will lead us in all truth.
God also loves people from every tribe, tongue, nation and people. He has people in all churches and even people in no church at all. God isn't out to just save a select few. God is trying to save every person. Unfortunately, Christ said it wouldn't happen. (Matthew 7:21-23)
I wish the church could be more like McDonald's in this way: we all offered the same experience despite our different perspectives and cultures. Jesus told us the world would identify us as His by our love. Not our cantankerous attitudes, gossiping, sour faces, pious actions or frumpy clothes.
Unfortunately people meet one or two or ten Christians who lay the smack down as the fashion police, food patrol or music troopers (or whatever else is their thing) and they believe Christ must be the same way. We're used to uniformity in organizations. And if we are burned enough times we don't go back (and we tell all our Facebook friends about how awful it was).
If you're a Christian it's time you started letting Christ put the love in your heart. If you're not a Christian and you've been burned before, believe Christ when He says even Christians make mistakes. Let Christ love you and lead you to Christians who have figured out the love thing. Let Jesus lead you in all truth.
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