Digging Out the Embedded Church - The Maranatha Community

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CHAPTER 11 MAKING CHURCH HISTORY IN THE 21 ST CENTURY Having looked at some of the attempts to bring Christians together over the Church’s 2,000 years of history, attempts which have largely failed, what can we do now in the 21 st Century? Our main thesis is this: there is in the present century an unprecedented „kairos‟ 179 opportunity for Christians to stand in united witness to the good news of Jesus Christ. Up to now the three main divisions of the Church, Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Protestant, have gone their own ways and often been in opposition to each other. Now, for the first time in any significant way, the three traditions are listening to and even learning from each other. But we must face facts. It is clear that there can be no unity with those who hold liberal „nonrealist‟ theologies. By a „liberal‟ I mean one who is ready to break away from allegiance to a classical Christianity as seen in a commitment to the Bible as God‟s revelation to us for all times and a confession of the Creeds of the early Church. Those who do have a basis of unity find it in classical Christianity as seen in God‟s revelation in the Bible, the Creeds and, for Catholics and Orthodox Christians, in the Church‟s traditions and dogmas. That we have to talk of „liberal‟ and „classic‟ theologies at all is very unpleasant. Would it not be better to have a „unity‟ that encompassed all views? The trouble is it would not be unity as portrayed for us in the Bible as being of „one heart and mind‟ (Acts 4.32) on the central issues of the faith. It would be wrong for either side to belittle the other. Sincere and devout liberals often have insights the traditionalists ought to consider, and liberals can find in traditionalist faith inspiration for daily living, but ultimately the two sides cannot journey as one. However, there is a growing awareness of a oneness among those of all three traditions who hold to a traditionalist and Trinitarian expression of the Christian faith. A „Christendom of souls‟ has emerged as an ideal to be pursued, so that, for the first time, Christians of all traditions are able to witness and worship together openly before the world. For almost the first time Christians can celebrate unity in diversity in a practical and not just a theoretical way. Doctrines which up to now have seemed to be irreconcilable can be faced up to openly and are being found either not to be irreconcilable or not unsettling to a common basis of faith. There is evidence that, while different traditions are holding fast to their historical heritages, today the common basis of faith is found in the Nicene Creed, a confident acceptance of the Scriptures (Old and New Testaments) as the supreme authority for faith and conduct, and a personal conversion to Christ as Saviour, Lord and God. 179 Kairos: An ancient Greek word meaning the right or opportune moment (the supreme moment). Page 141
If the opportunity for the Church to stand together in an increasingly secular and perhaps hostile world is not to be lost, practical steps must be taken to facilitate united worship and witness. This should stem from a real conviction that this is what our Lord wishes for his Church, and not just an attempt to try to fill emptying churches. In this chapter we shall present evidence that Christians are now expressing their unity in ways which would not have been previously possible. SOME EXPRESSIONS OF CHRISTIAN UNITY a) The Maranatha Community Maranatha was founded in 1980 when a Methodist and a Catholic met for prayer. Unity, Healing and Renewal were the key words bringing them together. From this has grown a Community of members from very many denominations who meet regularly to pray, worship and witness their oneness is Christ. In stressing continued full loyalty to one‟s denomination or fellowship, the Community is a choice example of how the true „embedded‟ Church can be dug out and its members find each other. Maranatha is steeped in prayer, and in a quite remarkable way, Maranatha members, worshipping together across denominational lines, work together to present a united Christian voice. Simply because it is united and not seeking a party line, Maranatha can speak out effectively against the anti-Christian measures advocated by our secular society, and promote the interests of the kingdom of God. It has a very competent research team providing facts upon which to base its critique of modern society. This activity is supported by regular Trumpet Call e-mails and leaflets which alert Christians to respond to needs and issues. As I write, Maranatha is continuing its long involvement in bringing reconciliation in Northern Ireland. It is monitoring the move to legalise euthanasia. It mobilised a great army of people to protest about the continuing genocide in Darfur and the injustices being suffered in Zimbabwe. It has inspired several projects working among the homeless and has warned of the danger of cannabis to mental health (a danger the present government is at last conceding does exist). All this is done interdenominationally, with no political axe to grind. It is imperative that para-church organisations do not become hijacked by sectional interests. People with strongly held views tend to want others to conform to their way of seeing things. We have considered how Roman Catholics will have to learn to hold their views of Papal Supremacy in such a way as not to hinder manifest unity with all other Christians; Protestants will have to learn to appreciate the presence of Christ in what they may regard as strange rituals and liturgies; and the Orthodox will have to learn to value diversity and some measure of innovation in the Church as well as tradition. In the kind of unity we are thinking of here, not structural, but in witness and worship, all this should be possible. Indeed, it is already taking place within the Maranatha Community. Page 142
Page 1 and 2:
Digging Out the Embedded Church Dis
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The Maranatha Community comprises t
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Introduction CONTENTS Chapter 1 Chr
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ead, nicely browned on top. He plac
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HOW DO WE DIG OUT THE EMBEDDED CHUR
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That the Church should express this
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For Alfeyev, „Faith is a gift, th
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„heresies„ of the Early Church
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Traditionally, the Church has made
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CHAPTER 1 CHRISTIAN UNITY IN THE EA
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A certain Docetic teacher, often id
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Novatianism When the persecutions o
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The fortunes of the Arian party in
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An attempt was made in 482 AD (29 y
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was development in the interpretati
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CYPRIAN AND AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO The
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position would see baptism as not t
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The Eastern Church‟s relationship
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insisted from the second Lateran Co
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There is so much that Orthodoxy sha
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we do not talk to each other. Our t
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The question of heresy does not com
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They were missionary-minded and the
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Lollard ideas lingered in English r
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CHAPTER 4 THE SECOND GREAT SPLIT: W
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unity‟s sake in subsequent centur
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Erasmus wrote he asserts, through o
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attle-cry, is perhaps the most famo
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Regulations for the good ordering o
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Eucharist was not just a commemorat
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CHAPTER 5 QUOTATIONS ON THE THEME O
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How rare then it is to meet a man w
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are often much bigger divisions bet
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St Germanus of Constantinople - 8 t
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manner. He declared that men could
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S L Greenslade - 20 th Century: „
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CHAPTER 6 HOPES FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY
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imminent return of Christ (Komensky
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a concern that merchant adventurers
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also anti-Socinian. Calixtus himsel
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The Eastern Churches were not rent
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everyone - from outward forms to in
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Women were not usually members of t
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work in America, shows him, though
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The aim of the conference was to br
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From 1768 Harris‟s home at Talgar
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twice more to congregations of Whit
Page 95 and 96: denominations was not their distinc
Page 97 and 98: It was from the overseas Protestant
Page 99 and 100: THE OXFORD TRACTARIAN MOVEMENT Anot
Page 101 and 102: the Church of England‟s doctrinal
Page 103 and 104: „We pray that… all who desire t
Page 105 and 106: thereof, in prayer, in the remembra
Page 107 and 108: honours the Lord and his Word; the
Page 109 and 110: apostolic church enjoyed, and that
Page 111 and 112: episcopate were too radical for mos
Page 113 and 114: Denominations began to form their o
Page 115 and 116: In this Shanghai Conference‟s Rep
Page 117 and 118: With so much talk of unity and coop
Page 119 and 120: „The liturgical movement in weste
Page 121 and 122: • Sharing a corporate life of wit
Page 123 and 124: • Our acknowledgement of the Apos
Page 125 and 126: (h) The Evangelical Church in Germa
Page 127 and 128: It changed nothing in respect of do
Page 129 and 130: Some Evangelical Protestants want t
Page 131 and 132: • It is in continuity with the
Page 133 and 134: But things have changed. Richard Ma
Page 135 and 136: evangelism - (and) state what the r
Page 137 and 138: Repentance and faith are at the hea
Page 139 and 140: outcome of being justified. Agreeme
Page 141 and 142: Virgin‟s salutary influence on me
Page 143 and 144: h) Confession The sacrament of pena
Page 145: demanding way would be sin. The que
Page 149 and 150: Ministers, priests and laypeople in
Page 151 and 152: West Kirby, near to my home, the Si
Page 153 and 154: n) Shared Study Courses There is a
Page 155 and 156: Even some Protestant churches today
Page 157 and 158: Vincent de Lérins spoke of a „pr
Page 159 and 160: It is not likely, in the foreseeabl
Page 161 and 162: Christ and are trying their best to
Page 163 and 164: upon the name of our Lord Jesus Chr
Page 165 and 166: Perhaps this dying process is now b
Page 167 and 168: economic factors giving rise to suc
Page 169 and 170: deeper ecumenism, one that does not
Page 171 and 172: APPENDIX 1 THE NICENO-CONSTANTINOPO
Page 173 and 174: APPENDIX 2 FOUR BIBLICAL TEXTS ON T
Page 175 and 176: The „apostles and elders‟ of th
Page 177 and 178: „The purpose of the Reformation C
Page 179 and 180: What all three traditions have in c
Page 181 and 182: Cromwellian period, in a treatise o
Page 183 and 184: BIBLIOGRAPHY OF BOOKS AND DOCUMENTS
Page 185 and 186: Cullman, Oscar, The Earliest Christ
Page 187 and 188: McCarthy, Tim, The Catholic Traditi
Page 189 and 190: Letter concerning the civil princip
Page 191 and 192: Coptic Orthodox Church, 10 Council
Page 193 and 194: Parousia, 24, 68, 93 Paul VI, 10, 1
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