This post relates to the twelfth critical issue in Called to be One: What Now?, The Role of the Ecumenical Instruments .
This critical issue resurrects a debate I thought had been settled decades ago and manages to miss the point entirely. It seems some of those present at the consultation long for the ability of the old British Council of Churches to work outside of the churches.
The current ecumenical instruments assist the churches in their ecumenical relationships and do not initiate ecumenical activity themselves. The vision is to seek the commitment of the churches to ecumenism, rather than ecumenism pursued by a minority of enthusiasts.
The case against this culminates in the following: One view being powerfully expressed is that the instruments have been largely reduced in their capacity to act effectively even as ‘heralds’, let alone as promoters, of ecumenism, due to an over-reaction by those in the churches who were determined to have no return to ‘the old BCC ways’ of ecumenical bodies acting ‘on behalf of ’ the churches. The end result, on this view, is that there is now no effective promoter of ecumenism outside the churches themselves, many of whom are happy to acquiesce in this position.
The final paragraph does not effectively answer this criticism, merely reiterating that it is not the role of the instruments to take the lead. My answer to this is two-fold, a minor and a major point. The minor point is the claim that the instruments do not promote ecumenism to the churches is ill informed. The instruments do promote and remind the churches of their ecumenical commitments. Their focus is upon support for the churches rather than initiating work themselves. So, it is nonsense to suggest they are not effective in promoting ecumenism.
My major point is that there is an additional effective promoter of ecumenism ignored entirely in this argument: local churches. Now, it would be rash to claim they offer a coherent single message but the reality is local churches and local Christians are making their point loud and clear. They don't want the bureaucracy they associate with the national churches, they want to work together on mission and are not interested in anything that does not assist with their mission agenda.
The message may not be what some ecumenists want to hear but it is being expressed with substantial consistency and insistence across almost the whole of the country. The instruments know this; I wonder whether the people at the consultation are as aware of what is happening as they claim to be.
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