--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We should think of the church as an…" description: "\"We should think of the church as an orchestra in which the different churches play on different instruments while a Divine Conductor calls the tune.\" —..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/948/william-ralph-inge-6819_church_we-should-think-of-the-church-as-an-orch_240904.png" --- # We should think of the church as an orchestra in which the… ![“We should think of the church as an orchestra in which the different churches play on different instruments while a Divine Conductor calls the tune.” quote by William Ralph Inge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/948/william-ralph-inge-6819_church_we-should-think-of-the-church-as-an-orch_240904.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/948/william-ralph-inge-6819_church_we-should-think-of-the-church-as-an-orch_240904.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/948/william-ralph-inge-6819_church_we-should-think-of-the-church-as-an-orch_240904.png) > “We should think of the church as an orchestra in which the different churches play on different instruments while a Divine Conductor calls the tune.” [William Ralph Inge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ralph-inge/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Different churches contribute uniquely to a divine harmony, guided by a higher purpose. **In simple terms:** Churches work together under divine direction. Key Takeaway Seek unity in diversity. Themes religion community spirituality Mood hopeful inspirational Type theological motivational When to use this quote - interfaith dialogue - community building - worship planning - social service - education Key Concepts ecumenism collaboration divine guidance Questions to Reflect On - How can we honor distinct traditions while pursuing unity? - What role does divine guidance play in modern faith? A Different Perspective Uniformity may suppress individual traditions and autonomy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church/) [Conductor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conductor/) [Divine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divine/) [God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god/) [Music making](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music-making/) [Orchestra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/orchestra/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [The whole world is a theatre for the display of the divine goodness, wisdom, justice, and power, but the Church is the orchestra, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/the-whole-world-is-a-theatre-for-the-display-of-the-divine-goodness/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [I basically love classical music. I love a lot of musicians playing together and the whole culture of that whether it's Indian or it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-r-rahman/i-basically-love-classical-music-i-love-a-lot-of-musicians-playing/) [A. R. Rahman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-r-rahman/) > [There are a few great orchestras in the world, thank goodness. Although some people do put them in ranking order, it's not like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-rattle/there-are-a-few-great-orchestras-in-the-world-thank-goodness-although/) [Simon Rattle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-rattle/) > [You have to change your mind with every orchestra because every orchestra has a different character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-masur/you-have-to-change-your-mind-with-every-orchestra-because-every/) [Kurt Masur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-masur/) > [We all go to different churches or no churches, we have different favorite foods, different ways of making love, different ways of doing all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/we-all-go-to-different-churches-or-no-churches-we-have-different/) [Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/) > [“Ah, you Americans. A hundred different churches and one kind of gravy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/german-cook-in-the-seminary-dining-room/ah-you-americans-a-hundred-different-churches-and-one-kind-of-gravy/) German cook in the seminary dining room > [I felt like I was growing up with two different churches, in a sense. And that's always stayed with me - not just the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-isaac-chung/i-felt-like-i-was-growing-up-with-two-different-churches-in-a-sense/) [Lee Isaac Chung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-isaac-chung/) > [The first time I ever went out of the country, it was to London. I was with the choir from my college, and we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/the-first-time-i-ever-went-out-of-the-country-it-was-to-london-i-was/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) > [Every orchestra is different. Sometimes, you're blown away by a particular musician. If I'm playing the Brahms concerto, it's crucial to have a great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-bell/every-orchestra-is-different-sometimes-you-re-blown-away-by-a/) [Joshua Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-bell/) > [The conductor wielded the orchestra like a blunt instrument.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lydon/the-conductor-wielded-the-orchestra-like-a-blunt-instrument/) [John Lydon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lydon/) > [The symphony orchestra had played poorly, so the conductor was in a bad mood. That night he beat his wife--because the music hadn't been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/the-symphony-orchestra-had-played-poorly-so-the-conductor-was-in-a/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [Today's parents have little authority over those others with whom they share the task of raising their children. On the contrary,most parents deal with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-keniston/today-s-parents-have-little-authority-over-those-others-with-whom/) [Kenneth Keniston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-keniston/) > [I admire Tom Ades: he's a brilliant conductor, and he gets just the right hard, brilliant sound from the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-hazlewood/i-admire-tom-ades-he-s-a-brilliant-conductor-and-he-gets-just-the/) [Charles Hazlewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-hazlewood/) > [On the other hand, when I give it closer thought, I realize I'm not enough of a dictator to conduct an orchestra because it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eberhard-weber/on-the-other-hand-when-i-give-it-closer-thought-i-realize-i-m-not/) [Eberhard Weber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eberhard-weber/) > [I don't feel that the conductor has real power. The orchestra has the power, and every member of it knows instantaneously if you're just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/itzhak-perlman/i-don-t-feel-that-the-conductor-has-real-power-the-orchestra-has-the/) [Itzhak Perlman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/itzhak-perlman/) ## More by William Ralph Inge > [The world belongs to those who think and act with it, who keep a finger on its pulse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ralph-inge/the-world-belongs-to-those-who-think-and-act-with-it-who-keep-a/) [William Ralph Inge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ralph-inge/) > [They who will live for others shall have great troubles, but they shall seem to them small. Those who will live for themselves shall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ralph-inge/they-who-will-live-for-others-shall-have-great-troubles-but-they/) [William Ralph Inge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ralph-inge/) > [The vulgar mind always mistakes the exceptional for the important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ralph-inge/the-vulgar-mind-always-mistakes-the-exceptional-for-the-important/) [William Ralph Inge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ralph-inge/) > [The game of life is worth playing, but the struggle is the prize.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ralph-inge/the-game-of-life-is-worth-playing-but-the-struggle-is-the-prize/) [William Ralph Inge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ralph-inge/) > [It is becoming impossible for those who mix at all with their fellow-men to believe that the grace of God is distributed denominationally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ralph-inge/it-is-becoming-impossible-for-those-who-mix-at-all-with-their-fellow/) [William Ralph Inge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ralph-inge/) > [Beneath the dingy uniformity of international fashions in dress, man remains what he has always been; a splendid fighting animal, a self-sacrificing hero, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ralph-inge/beneath-the-dingy-uniformity-of-international-fashions-in-dress-man/) [William Ralph Inge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ralph-inge/) > [The Devil deserves zero tolerance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ralph-inge/the-devil-deserves-zero-tolerance/) [William Ralph Inge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ralph-inge/) > [Originality is undetected plagiarism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ralph-inge/originality-is-undetected-plagiarism/) [William Ralph Inge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ralph-inge/) > [Each generation takes a special pleasure in removing the household gods of its parents from their pedestals, and consigning them to the cupboard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ralph-inge/each-generation-takes-a-special-pleasure-in-removing-the-household/) [William Ralph Inge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ralph-inge/) > [Literature flourishes best when it is half a trade and half an art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ralph-inge/literature-flourishes-best-when-it-is-half-a-trade-and-half-an-art/) [William Ralph Inge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ralph-inge/) > [No healthy civilization can ever be reared on a foundation of devitalized work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ralph-inge/no-healthy-civilization-can-ever-be-reared-on-a-foundation-of/) [William Ralph Inge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ralph-inge/) > [Public opinion, a vulgar, impertinent, anonymous tyrant who deliberately makes life unpleasant for anyone who is not content to be the average person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ralph-inge/public-opinion-a-vulgar-impertinent-anonymous-tyrant-who-deliberately/) [William Ralph Inge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ralph-inge/) > [Deliberate cruelty to our defenceless and beautiful little cousins is surely one of the meanest and most detestable vices of which a human being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ralph-inge/deliberate-cruelty-to-our-defenceless-and-beautiful-little-cousins-is/) [William Ralph Inge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ralph-inge/) > [The great discovery of the nineteenth century, that we are of one blood with the lower animals, has created new ethical obligations which have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ralph-inge/the-great-discovery-of-the-nineteenth-century-that-we-are-of-one/) [William Ralph Inge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ralph-inge/) > [The statistics of suicide show that, for non-combatants at least, life is more interesting in war than in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ralph-inge/the-statistics-of-suicide-show-that-for-non-combatants-at-least-life/) [William Ralph Inge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ralph-inge/) [Explore all 97 William Ralph Inge quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ralph-inge/) ## More Church quotes > [While the 1963 Birmingham church bombing is the most historic, there also was a series of church burnings in the 1990s. Recognition of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthea-butler/while-the-1963-birmingham-church-bombing-is-the-most-historic-there/) [Anthea Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthea-butler/) > [If I had my brothers I think with just a little bit of the correct marketing, I'd like to be almost exclusively in small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-bozzio/if-i-had-my-brothers-i-think-with-just-a-little-bit-of-the-correct/) [Terry Bozzio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-bozzio/) > [Turn over the pages of history and read the damning record of the church's opposition to every advance in every field of science. . . .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/upton-sinclair/turn-over-the-pages-of-history-and-read-the-damning-record-of-the/) [Upton Sinclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/upton-sinclair/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Jeff Chu's pilgrimage across America to discover his own place as a gay man in the Christian church as well as attitudes about being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-freitas/jeff-chu-s-pilgrimage-across-america-to-discover-his-own-place-as-a/) [Donna Freitas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-freitas/) > [God is not calling us to go to church; he is calling us to be his church, the hope of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-groeschel/god-is-not-calling-us-to-go-to-church-he-is-calling-us-to-be-his/) [Craig Groeschel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-groeschel/) > [The emerging church movement has come to believe that the ultimate context of the spiritual aspirations of a follower of Jesus Christ is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samir-selmanovic/the-emerging-church-movement-has-come-to-believe-that-the-ultimate/) [Samir Selmanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samir-selmanovic/) > [ T\]he church is not a place. It's not a building. It's not a preaching point. It's not a spiritual service provider. It's a people… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/t-he-church-is-not-a-place-it-s-not-a-building-it-s-not-a-preaching/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [There could be no more powerful argument against mixing religion and government than the success of independent African American churches in placing racial segregation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jacoby/there-could-be-no-more-powerful-argument-against-mixing-religion-and/) [Susan Jacoby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jacoby/) > [Worship is not about personality, temperament, personal limitations, church background, or comfort. It is about God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wimber/worship-is-not-about-personality-temperament-personal-limitations/) [John Wimber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wimber/) > [A beggarly people, A church and no steeple.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-b-macaulay/a-beggarly-people-a-church-and-no-steeple/) [Thomas B. Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-b-macaulay/) > [Pound St. Paul's Church into atoms, and consider any single atom; it is to be sure, good for nothing; but put all these atoms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/pound-st-paul-s-church-into-atoms-and-consider-any-single-atom-it-is/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [The religion of art, like the religion of politics, was born from the ruins of Christianity. Art inherited from the old religion the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/the-religion-of-art-like-the-religion-of-politics-was-born-from-the/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [The minute you walk outside of your church on Sunday you're in mission territory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-barron/the-minute-you-walk-outside-of-your-church-on-sunday-you-re-in/) [Robert Barron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-barron/) > [I'm not ashamed of the things I believe and why I believe them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-huckabee/i-m-not-ashamed-of-the-things-i-believe-and-why-i-believe-them/) [Mike Huckabee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-huckabee/) [Browse all 9,430 Church quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We should think of the church as an orchestra in which the different churches play on different instruments while a Divine Conductor calls the tune.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William Ralph Inge" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ralph-inge/we-should-think-of-the-church-as-an-orchestra-in-which-the-different/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Church" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ralph-inge/we-should-think-of-the-church-as-an-orchestra-in-which-the-different/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/948/william-ralph-inge-6819_church_we-should-think-of-the-church-as-an-orch_240904.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/948/william-ralph-inge-6819_church_we-should-think-of-the-church-as-an-orch_240904.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/948/william-ralph-inge-6819_church_we-should-think-of-the-church-as-an-orch_240904.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We should think of the church as an orchestra in which the different churches play on different instruments…” — William Ralph Inge", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "William Ralph Inge", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ralph-inge/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We should think of the church...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ralph-inge/we-should-think-of-the-church-as-an-orchestra-in-which-the-different/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ralph-inge/we-should-think-of-the-church-as-an-orchestra-in-which-the-different/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```