Exploring Ecumenism: Diversity

Abide in Me as I Abide in You

This is part of a series of posts based on the Churches Together in England publication one light: one world. If you click on the link you will find the biblical texts. This post of the same name covers the purpose of this series.

John 15:1 - 16

This is the first passage in the last sequence. These passages cover a variety of images of 'Life in Fellowship'. I will focus on each image and its impact and on relationships between Christians, rather than institutions.

The branch is entirely dependent upon on the vine, or Jesus himself. The branch has no purpose separate from the vine and those branches that do not bear fruit are removed.

The imagery changes from verse 12 and focuses upon friendship. Love defines friendship and the greatest love is to be willing to give up life for friends. Just as Jesus himself gave up his own life for his friends.

This makes the image of vine more meaningful of course. To be a part of the vine, means Jesus' example becomes available to us. Of course, some might feel uncomfortable about the need to lay down our lives for one another. It can mean violent death, I am sure, but it also means a life of service. Our call is to live for others, just as Jesus did.

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No Dissension Within the Body

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This is part of a series of posts based on the Churches Together in England publication one light: one world. If you click on the link you will find the biblical texts. This post of the same name covers the purpose of this series.

1 Corinthians 12: 12 - 31

The 'more excellent way' is featured earlier in this series. Here I compared the various traditions to stepping stones. In this current passage we are invited to compare them to parts of the body.

But let's take care here. It's hardly credible that Paul was writing of institutions as members of the body.

I posted a series some time ago about Yung Suk Kim's thinking about the Body of Christ. Kim's point is, to paraphrase it, the united community of all the traditions would necessarily be exclusive of those who are on the margins. This would be a result of institutional unity.

But the image of the Body of Christ is of a body divided. This allows space for those who would otherwise be marginalised. The point is not that we all have something to offer but that in Christ's broken body there is room for all.

Maybe some traditions exclude those they don't approve of. If so, then the body is necessarily broken and it is broken because God accepts all, whether or not church leaders agree with God.

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Put Up with the Failings of the Weak

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This is part of a series of posts based on the Churches Together in England publication one light: one world. If you click on the link you will find the biblical texts. This post of the same name covers the purpose of this series.

Romans 15: 1 - 2

This passage follows on from Romans 14, dealt with in an earlier post in this series. There I drew parallels between the 'strong' and so-called liberal traditions and the 'weak' and fundamentalist Christians. I made the point this parallel seems counter-intuitive because we tend to see certainty as strong and doubt as weak.

I suppose those who doubt are strong because they hold to faith in spite of their doubts. For the weak, their faith is to some degree contingent because they believe it depends upon on their belief in propositions, some of which are threatened.

So, Paul is saying the strong, amongst whom he includes himself, have to put up with the failings of the weak. We have to put up with their poor theology and intolerance, even though we find it painful. Our aim should not be to please ourselves because the weak need to be built up.

I suppose, loss of faith can be devastating to a weak Christian. But it is at times of crisis we all find ourselves at a crossroads between despair or moving on to a deeper understanding of God. Therefore, a crisis always needs careful handling by other Christians, rather than mockery!

I can't say I'm thrilled by what Paul is saying here but the logic is hard to fault.

As far as Protestants are concerned there is possibly no greater division between Christians than those between fundamentalists and the rest of the churches. Paul's message in these chapters in Romans may well be helpful but I'm not sure they resolve the issue entirely. I have to ask myself whether some of the excesses of fundamentalist Christianity are in fact Christian. Beliefs in the rapture, the role of Israel, the acceptance of religious violence and creationism are so far outside of mainstream Christian theology they might invalidate any desire for unity. Whilst the advice to put up with the failings of the weak might be sound, we still face real issues about the limits of what it is to be Christian.

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Righteousness and Peace will Embrace

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This is part of a series of posts based on the Churches Together in England publication one light: one world. If you click on the link you will find the biblical texts. This post of the same name covers the purpose of this series.

Psalm 85: 10 - 11

So, our calling is to be united, not in the sense of establishing a single church under one authority but in the sense of us learning to love one another despite our differences. There are still intractable prejudices but the ecumenical movement's higher calling is to effect reconciliation in the Holy Spirit between all those who look to Christ as saviour. And of course this is a precursor to that greater Oikoumene, the reconciliation of all things to God.

This psalm is intriguing because it suggests, during the Old Testament period there were some who saw the need for reconciliaiton between God and humanity and the real possibility of effecting it.

We've come a long way since this psalm was written and to many it might seem we have moved further from this vision.

But the point is, we are not alone and despite the failure of our best efforts, we still experience God as prepared to meet us more than half way.

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Welcome One Another

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This is part of a series of posts based on the Churches Together in England publication one light: one world. If you click on the link you will find the biblical texts. This post of the same name covers the purpose of this series.

Romans 15:7

Following on from what I wrote yesterday, something else needs to be spelled out. As far as other Christians go, we have no choice in the matter. We must welcome one another. This is what baptism means.

And this welcome means Christians must be welcomed as full members of the church, even if not of my particular tradition.

The tragedy is, there are some who are not accepted. I read somewhere the other day, why if a church is unable to ordain homosexuals, does it baptise them? The logic is that we do not baptise those we would not ordain. I hope most Christians would baulk at such a denial of baptism. For those who practice infant baptism, it would mean they would have to wait until the adult announced their sexuality. Baptism would no longer be a mark of unconditional acceptance into the faith.

It is shameful there is any group of baptised people not fully acceptable to some Christians. It seems for some it is essential to have other Christians we do not welcome.

At one time Catholics and Protestants excluded one another; exclusion has been, and perhaps in some places still is, on the basis of race. By and large, most prejudices have been outed and so those who need someone to hate have decided to hold fast to sexuality.

I wonder whether we will ever be free of such prejudice? Over 2000 years, our shameful divisions have also been the way the church has been learning its high calling, to be a place wherein the whole of humanity might be reconciled.

It is precisely those who live in the margins who need to be welcomed. Jesus died for the marginalised and we do well not to forget it. To understand ecumenism as reconciliation between mainstream Christian traditions, is to ignore the real pain of those who are rejected by these same churches. I suspect many homosexuals would argue the mainstream churches are united in who they choose to reject. Ecumenism cannot happen independently of justice.

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Pursue Peace with Everyone

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This is part of a series of posts based on the Churches Together in England publication one light: one world. If you click on the link you will find the biblical texts. This post of the same name covers the purpose of this series.

Hebrews 12: 14 - 15

I'm not sure what is meant by 'see to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God'. Let us remember though, the idea that unity is the glory of God. Perhaps this is a specific steer towards ensuring God's grace is present in our relationships.

So, let's think for a moment about baptism. This passage is about the Christian community; it is not about how Christians relate to non-Christians.

We are all baptised (this is not 100% true but near enough for the purpose of this argument). Whilst baptism remains controversial in some respects, there is a significant degree of recognition of one another's baptisms. Baptism is once and for all in most traditions and most recognise each other's baptisms. There are exceptions but we need to and can accept a Christian is baptised whatever route they took to get there. Broadly, this is where the mainstream traditions are at.

We are according to this passage, to make the effort to ensure all the baptised receive the grace of God. That is our task and our success at that task is marked by our experience of the glory of God.

We cannot experience God's glory until we are able to welcome one another, despite our differences. It may be true that for example fundamentalists and liberals can't get on; our task is to see to it that we do, that there is no root of bitterness between us.

Failure to do this means many will become defiled.

We don't have to agree with one another but we must love one another.

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Never Put a Hindrance in the Way of Another

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This is part of a series of posts based on the Churches Together in England publication one light: one world. If you click on the link you will find the biblical texts. This post of the same name covers the purpose of this series.

Romans 14: 13 - 18

It is worth reading the whole of Romans chapter 14. It seems to me this passage is far more significant for ecumenists than John 17, for example. Paul hits the nail on the head and drives it home.

The context is food sacrificed to idols. Some Christians will not touch it because it has been sacrificed to false gods; others argue that as these gods do not exist, there's no harm in eating the meat.

First, the use of the terms 'strong' and 'weak' to describes these two positions is counter-intuitive. It is the ones who eat meat who are strong and those who do not who are weak. Paul counts himself amongst the strong.

But then he drops his bombshell. The strong are not to despise the weak, nor are the weak to condemn the strong. Apparently the weak thought the strong would go to hell for eating meat, and the strong thought the weak stupid.

Amongst our most intractable present day divisions, is that between fundamentalists and non-fundamentalists. This is Paul's advice. It is incredibly difficult advice to follow! So, I shall restrain myself from elaborating on why fundamentalists are weak in honour of Paul's insight.

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First be Reconciled to Your Brother or Sister

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This is part of a series of posts based on the Churches Together in England publication one light: one world. If you click on the link you will find the biblical texts. This post of the same name covers the purpose of this series.

Matthew 5: 21 - 24

This reading falls foul of a difficulty I have remarked upon several times during this series of posts. These passages are addressed to individuals, quite rightly. However, our divisions are institutional rather than individual.

Of course, individuals identify with institutions and so may be divided at a personal level from those who believe differently. Nevertheless, there is little we can do to change our institutions.

So, if I take my offering to the altar and then remember my neighbour has the fact that I'm a Methodist against me, what then? I might have tried many times to be reconciled. I might have considered changing my tradition. The problem is, of course, when do you stop? Do I change my tradition every time I meet someone who is convinced theirs is the only one that's valid?

But to treat the traditions as a series of lifestyle choices means, I will never identify with one tradition for long enough to be formed by it.

So, the problem is the remedy in this passage is not really a solution to the problems we face. By all means if I've fallen out with someone, I need to do something about it. But what more can I do about our institutional differences? It's frustrating because we're supposed to be free of the powers and principalities but are still held tight by our institutions.

Still, the least we can do is watch we don't allow our institutional differences to sour personal relationships.

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Consider Others Better Than Yourselves

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This is part of a series of posts based on the Churches Together in England publication one light: one world. If you click on the link you will find the biblical texts. This post of the same name covers the purpose of this series.

Philippians 2: 5 - 11

This is the final passage in a section entitled 'Living in unity'. In considering this section, I have spent a lot of time reflecting on the role of institutions. Whilst we read of the requirement to love one another, we tend to personalise it and so fail to acknowledge our divisions are largely institutional, rather than personal.

In my last post, I wrote about the passing away of all things except faith, hope and love. Lest we should think our calling is to wait for the inevitable dissolution of our institutions, this passage suggests we need to abandon them voluntarily.

Jesus 'though he was in the form of God', left all that behind. The invitation is to all of us, who believe our tradition is sufficient, to voluntarily live in relationship with others. This call is not to structural unity; it is to a unity that sees shared love of Jesus Christ as primary.

Like Jesus we are all called to let go and enter into new relationships, whatever the cost. As a Christian I am formed as a Methodist, but must find ways to relate to Christians of other traditions. Indeed, the call goes beyond that because all Christians are called into the fallen world.

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God's Gift of the Spirit

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This is part of a series of posts based on the Churches Together in England publication one light: one world. If you click on the link you will find the biblical texts. This post of the same name covers the purpose of this series.

Ephesians 3: 14 - 16

The author prays for the church, that according to the riches of God's glory ... you may be strengthened ...

God's glory is the means by which we know God is present. God's glory is in the united community. To overcome divisions and function as a community, despite very real differences, is a sign of God's real presence.

We sometimes expect God to be manifested in miracles, defying the laws of nature. With these expectations, we lose sight of what God is actually saying or doing. When belief in miracles or hell becomes more important than the love we have for one another, something is wrong. When I criticise someone for being literalistic about the Bible, I am forgetting the pre-eminence of love.

The challenge, and the reason we all need to be strengthened, is learning to love with integrity. It is easy to feel I need to compromise my beliefs for others. Our challenge is to love others whilst remaining faithful to the vision of God each of us has experienced.