Pastor James E. Ward Jr. believes the growing political, theological and cultural fractures inside the Church reveal something deeper than denominational disagreement: a spiritual crisis that can only be healed through repentance and surrender to God.
“The cultural issues of our day, the sociopolitical issues of our day, have infected the Church, which has then affected the Church’s ability to be salt and light to define society and us shaping culture,” Ward, pastor and founder of INSIGHT Church near Chicago, told The Christian Post.
“The culture, in many ways, has shaped the Church, has even infiltrated pulpits, has even infiltrated our ideology, so that we’ve morphed into a form of cultural Christianity, and we need a reformation to go back to biblical Christianity, which is very much different than Christianity that is affected by the sociopolitical issues of our day.”
That conviction is at the center of “That They May Be One,” a new docudrama arriving in theaters nationwide May 19-20 through Fathom Entertainment. Inspired by Jesus’ prayer in John 17:21 — “that they may all be one” — the film explores Christian unity through documentary interviews, historical reenactments and reflections from Catholic and Protestant leaders alike.
The project features voices including Francis Chan, Catholic biblical scholar Mary Healy, Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa, Randy Clark, David Cole and Ward, author of Zero Victim: Overcoming Injustice With a New Attitude, and others.
The film features theological reflections from pastors and ministry leaders alongside reenactments depicting pivotal moments in Church history, including Pentecost, the Azusa Street revival and scenes involving St. Elena Guerra and Pope Leo.
According to the filmmakers, the dramatizations are intended to be reminders that spiritual renewal often begins when ordinary believers respond to the prompting of the Holy Spirit.
For Ward, the message behind the film feels especially urgent in today’s climate. Referencing Ephesians 4:3, the husband and father of two said Christian unity requires active participation from believers willing to humble themselves before God.
“That prayer is urgent because it’s, of course, the only unfulfilled prayer of Jesus,” Ward told CP. “The fulfillment of that prayer is based upon us surrendering and yielding to the work of the Holy Spirit.”
“You see this collaboration and this partnership, this humility and a willingness of people to yield to the work of the Holy Spirit so that that prayer can be fulfilled,” he added. “I think that’s the End Time work of the Holy Spirit prior to the coming of the Lord, which is why this film is so needed.”
Ward said he joined the project because it gathers Christians from different traditions at a time when theological, political and cultural divisions increasingly dominate conversations both inside and outside the Church. The inclusion of various voices, he said, “brings all of us into the greatness of God.”
“Even our perceptions about God, our theology about who we think God is and what we think God is doing, has to all be surrendered through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ,” he said.
Quoting the Apostle Paul’s teaching that believers “see dimly,” Ward said every Christian, regardless of background or education, possesses only a partial understanding of God’s fullness.
“From the least educated to the greatest scholar, at best, we all have a dim perspective about the greatness and the awesomeness of God,” he said. “There is a work that only God can do to unify us and bring us together.”
The pastor pointed to Ephesians 4, where Paul describes “one body,” “one Spirit,” “one Lord,” “one faith” and “one baptism,” contending that the singularity of God must ultimately transcend denominations.
“There’s one God and Father of you all, who is above all and through you all and in you all,” he said. “That greater God has to bring us into the place of unity, which is simply greater than our denominations and our factions and our theological camps within Christianity.”
Surrender, Ward emphasized, is the starting point for both spiritual maturity and biblical unity, adding: “Everything starts with the place of surrender. As we surrender to Christ and we grow closer to Him, two things happen.”
“The closer we are drawn to Christ, we begin to see how much we are not like Jesus,” he continued. “But the second thing that happens is that we’re being reformed, our character is being renewed, we’re growing in the image and likeness of Him.”
Simultaneously recognizing one’s sinfulness while becoming more Christlike naturally produces humility and dismantles pride, he emphasized.
“The antithesis to unity is that we’re kind of looking at other folks, trying to straighten other people out,” he said. “Whereas the Holy Spirit actually begins to bring conviction, repentance and humility within our own lives.”
The pastor, who is also the founder of the National Prayer Altar at Museum of the Bible, said he has witnessed that process unfold during revival meetings and reconciliation gatherings across multiple nations.
“I’ve seen the Holy Spirit bring us to a place of conviction and repentance,” he said. “Jesus even says that the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the Earth is to convict us. That creates the context and the environment from which the unity of the Spirit can begin to be established.”
At the same time, Ward emphasized that unity should never come at the expense of biblical truth. He lamented that many churches have drifted from Scriptural authority by allowing politics and culture to shape theology. Modern Christianity, he said, has in many ways become indistinguishable from political ideology.
“There’s no black liberation gospel,” he said. “There’s no MAGA Christianity. … We allow Republicans and Democrats, conservatism and liberalism, to infect the Church, which then affects the Church’s ability to really declare the truth of God’s Word without compromising.”
Ward said pastors, himself included, must take responsibility for failing to adequately disciple believers in how to engage culture while remaining grounded in Scripture.
“I don’t think we’ve been really crystal clear and razor sharp in presenting the Gospel,” he said, adding that Matthew 5 commands believers to influence society without becoming consumed by it.
“Jesus tells us, ‘You are the light of the world, you are the salt of the Earth,’” he said. “Not the light of the Church, not the salt of the Church, but the light of the world. We are to be involved in all aspects of society. But at the same time, we have to remember what Jesus said: ‘My Kingdom is not of this world.’”
According to Ward, the danger emerges when political identity begins shaping Christian identity.
“When Christianity falls into Christian nationalism, in terms of politics now affecting and shaping the Gospel and shaping our conduct and theology, that means we’re now of the world instead of just being in the world,” he said. “We have Republican pastors and Democratic pastors that don’t talk to each other. We’ve got black pastors and white pastors that are divided along sociopolitical lines.”
“There has to be a place of reconciliation and repentance for the Holy Spirit to begin the work of unity,” he said.
Ultimately, the pastor said he believes genuine unity among believers could ignite spiritual awakening across the nation.
“If Jesus’ prayer that they may all be one actually became a reality in a visible way across the Church,” Ward said, “I believe the impact would be the greatest awakening and revival that we’ve ever seen in the world.”
Pointing to Psalm 133 and 2 Chronicles 7:14, Ward said Scripture consistently links unity, humility and repentance with divine blessing and national renewal. “That They May Be One,” he added, will hopefully play a small part in bringing this kind of biblical unity to the Church.
“God always responds to unity,” he said. “Whenever we see perfect unity in the Spirit, there’s always a move of God.”
“There’s no politician healing the land,” he added. “There’s no Republican or Democrat, there’s no human that can heal our land. But God gives us a promise that He Himself will heal the land as we find that place of unity that Jesus prayed for.”
“That They May Be One” hits theaters nationwide May 19-20 through Fathom Entertainment. Watch the trailer below.
Leah M. Klett is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: [email protected]
