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Back to normal. Well, more or less. Yesterday I posted the last of my comments on the passages in one light: one world. It is a Churches Together in England publication. I don't know who chose the passages or on what basis, other than they are intended to be read as ecumenical passages. Do these passages demonstrate the Bible is supportive of ecumenism?
This is not an easy question to answer. A qualified yes, perhaps? In this and the next two posts, I will focus on three themes that have emerged for me as I worked through the passages. It is not that the Bible does not support ecumenism, so much as it addresses questions different from the ones modern ecumenists are asking. This means we have to discern answers from the material we do find in the Bible.
The big positive is John 17 and the idea that unity is from the glory of God. If we understand the glory of God to be the physical evidence we witness of God at work in the world, then this makes sense. Unity is evidence of God's presence in the world. In a world of violence, a community of people who are faithful to each other and yet open to all is a convincing witness to God.
This glory is best seen where love transcends traditional divisions. To be part of the same structurally united church is not as impressive as being prepared to live and die for each other across our traditions.
Furthermore, structural unity necessarily implies excluding some who will not be a part of the one true church. These will not only be small traditions who exclude themselves for one reason or another (and not all bonkers extremists, the Quakers would most likely be in this group for example) but also those who for one reason or another find no home in the mainstream churches.
It is the poor, the destitute and the unloved who would be excluded. And let's face it, people would on current showing be excluded on grounds of sexuality.
Would there really be a place for tax collectors and prostitutes in the great world church of Jesus? I doubt it. So, we need to look again at what we're trying to achieve as ecumenists.
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