Christian Unity (the book) - The Maranatha Community

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should resemble little churches. There was to be personal and individualreform of each believer as well as a re-ordering of society.Cardinal Richelieu invited Komensky to go to France but he preferred to go toSweden. He went in July 1642 and met René Descartes, but was not taken withhim. The two philosophers parted politely but coolly. Komensky calledDescartes’ ideas ‘the most malignant of all philosophies.’ Komensky wanted todefend the link between science and religion; for Descartes the pure rationalanalysing of things sufficed. Komensky was concerned that Descartes lackedhuman sympathies.In 1645 Komensky, with Calixtus, attended the Colloquy of Thorn in Polandwhere an attempt was made to bring together Lutherans, Catholics andReformed. The time was not ripe: petty wrangling defeated the purpose of thegathering.In 1648 Komensky’s second wife died, and the next year he married JanaGajusova, the daughter of a Czech Protestant pastor. Now Komensky severedhis links with the Brethren. He subsequently had some time in Transylvania,where there was an anti-Hapsburg coalition.Komensky may have been the first educator to produce a picture book forchildren, Orbis Pictus, which appeared in 1653.From 1654 the Swedes invaded Poland and, for the second time in his life,Komensky saw his library go up in flames. This time his home was burnt aswell, as the opposing Polish soldiers sacked Leszno. Itinerant and homeless, heturned to live in the Netherlands again, where he was granted an honoraryprofessorship. In 1657-58 the Amsterdam City Council published hiscomprehensive work Opera Didactica Omnia, which reflected his passionatehope that men should form ‘one all-inclusive world society by reason ofcommon knowledge, common law and common religion’ (Panegersia, or‘Universal Awakening’).Ecumenical in spirit as he was, Komensky was uncompromising in hisopposition to the Socinians, who denied the Deity of Christ and the atoningvalue of his death. In his youth he had passed through a spiritual crisis butcame out of it with a deep commitment to the truth of the Deity of Christ. Hishopes for humanity rested on this truth and on the literal return of Christ. It isPage 95
interesting to note that the dispute between Socinians and Protestantsbrought Protestants and Catholics together.Komensky collected ‘prophecies’ uttered from time to time by peopleconnected with his circle of friends. In 1663 he wrote The Last Trombone OverGermany in which he saw the Turks as God’s punishment on a corruptChristendom. Fellow Calvinists tended to be embarrassed by his belief inprophecies and his chiliastic 57 view. In his last years he softened in tonetowards the Hapsburg Emperor Leopold I and Pope Alexander VII.At 75 years of age Komensky attended the Breda Peace Conference, which in1667 brought to an end the sea-wars between England and Holland. HisAngelus Pacis (1637) called, optimistically, for the ending of all wars.His whole philosophy of life was that mankind, learning and the universe wereone and that the Christian faith was sent to bring this about. Divisions amongChristians were therefore particularly reprehensible. He hoped for a universallanguage, a universal education and a universal religious body. He envisaged aWorld Consistory composed of Jews, Muslims, Christians and pagans. For theresolution of political conflict there was to be a World Senate and anInternational Court of Peace to meet every 10 years alternately for Europe,Asia, Africa and America. Work was not to be done on a feudal basis butthrough officials answerable to public control. In most of these plansKomensky was ahead of his time. He had a concern that merchant adventurersshould not exploit people in the markets that were opening up in the Europeancolonies overseas.The philosopher closest to Komensky was Gottfried Wilhelm Leibinz (1646-1716), a mathematician and the founder of the Prussian Academy. LikeKomensky, Leibinz worked for the reconciliation of the factions withinProtestantism and for peace between nations. The rationalists looked askanceat both of them. ‘Comenius – pointed to a more humane alternative toCartesianism as a way to the modern world.’ 58Komensky died in exile, still optimistic in spite of all he had seen and suffered,and was buried in a little Reformed Walloon Church in Naarden.57Chiliastic. Holding as doctrine that Jesus will reign on earth for 1,000 years.58Panek, Jaroslav, Comenius, Teacher of Nations, Orbis, Prague, 1991, p 80.Page 96
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Can Christian Unity be expressed ac
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‘In the Trinity the three are one
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Protestants, equally, have to be ab
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When John Wesley said that Christia
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(Geneva) Agreed Statement was issue
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While organised Christian endeavour
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Christian Unity consist?’ We shal
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CHAPTER 1CHRISTIAN UNITY IN THE EAR
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Almost all the heresies in the Earl
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interpreted as being against the la
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was raised by the Novatian schism.
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ArianismArianism was the most impor
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the Person of Christ. This was the
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Nicaea (325 AD), which asserted, ag
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He wrote:‘The ancient doctrines o
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agreement into the terms and ethics
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authority of the local bishop; Cypr
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Protestants. He was born in Tagaste
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guide the affairs of men: the Papac
Page 49 and 50: The distinction between laity and c
Page 51 and 52: ule. Christians were allowed to be
Page 53 and 54: fallen corruption and mortality but
Page 55 and 56: During the 1917 Communist Revolutio
Page 57 and 58: his repentance and restoration. The
Page 59 and 60: just before death, they might recei
Page 61 and 62: In both the East and the West heres
Page 63 and 64: The Waldensians were so named after
Page 65 and 66: CHAPTER 4THE SECOND GREAT SPLIT: WE
Page 67 and 68: Far more serious criticisms of the
Page 69 and 70: and the sacraments. He was tried by
Page 71 and 72: and his discovering that the Script
Page 73 and 74: denominational allegiances: confess
Page 75 and 76: aptism and substituting for it bapt
Page 77 and 78: Vincent de Lérins’ threefold bas
Page 79 and 80: Charles de Guise, Cardinal of Lorra
Page 81 and 82: CHAPTER 5QUOTATIONS ON THE THEME OF
Page 83 and 84: Dr Charles Malik - 20 th Century:
Page 85 and 86: Nicholas Zernov - 20 th Century:‘
Page 87 and 88: The restoration of the universal Ch
Page 89 and 90: Timothy Ware - 20 th Century:‘It
Page 91 and 92: Basilea Schlink - 20 th Century:‘
Page 93 and 94: Cardinal Basil Hume - 20 th Century
Page 95 and 96: Keith A Fournier - 20 th Century:
Page 97 and 98: concept of a contract between a rul
Page 99: harmoniously ordered society of pea
Page 103 and 104: • In the Eucharist, Komensky main
Page 105 and 106: The Conference opened with much pom
Page 107 and 108: a growing unity among Christians at
Page 109 and 110: We cannot leave the 17 th Century w
Page 111 and 112: CHAPTER 7CHRISTIAN UNITY AND THE EV
Page 113 and 114: In Dr Woodward’s account of the r
Page 115 and 116: for Whitefield’s work in America,
Page 117 and 118: the West, the North and the South.
Page 119 and 120: ‘John Wesley, displeased at not b
Page 121 and 122: formally, though it may have helped
Page 123 and 124: In view of all this, Charles Wesley
Page 125 and 126: Some of the refugees were persuaded
Page 127 and 128: Isaac Watts (1647-1748), the pionee
Page 129 and 130: CHAPTER 8VISIONS OF CHRISTIAN UNITY
Page 131 and 132: hymns and Eastern orthodox spiritua
Page 133 and 134: eplied with a series of Eirenicons
Page 135 and 136: positively wrote on grace and love
Page 137 and 138: hand that pours out sorrow’ and t
Page 139 and 140: He died in England in 1853 an ‘ec
Page 141 and 142: assembly, without much hesitation r
Page 143 and 144: ‘Loving all whom Christ loves bec
Page 145 and 146: says, the Broad Church was ‘a moo
Page 147 and 148: far greater part for the laity in t
Page 149 and 150: ehind some of the criticism of the
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came together with the clear purpos
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In subsequent missionary conference
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university formed by a federation o
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credo-baptists to accept the provis
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Horton Davies 137 points out in his
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However, since New Delhi, the WCC s
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(b) The Church of Christ in China (
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the Scriptures as the supreme autho
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In 1970 a similar scheme to that of
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indulgences, were all confirmed str
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however, at a lower level, manifest
Page 173 and 174:
In her study of the Evolution of th
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Even within the Reformed Protestant
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the publisher’s foreword to Gee
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and so I have some golden opportuni
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CHAPTER 10 THESE BRIDGES CAN’T BE
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‘Only he - only Christ - was able
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c) Justification by Faith and Works
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However, in the Credo of the People
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f) Purgatory‘Purgatory’ is a na
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The Catechism of the Catholic Churc
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who love and trust the Lord Jesus C
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However, there is a growing awarene
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encouraged to receive a blessing al
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c) Traduction Œcumenique de la Bib
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witness. There is one such Sisterho
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Practically all para-church groups
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s) Missions and CampaignsMissions a
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My Protestant friends say to me tha
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Most Christians, in all three tradi
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of God may be complete, equipped fo
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CHAPTER 12NOW WHAT?This book began
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c) For some Protestants ecumenism m
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The church at Corinth was full of C
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) It has become clear that, realist
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Christians who believe a Catholic d
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There are three confessions that ha
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‘The solution to the ecumenical i
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k) Christ has left us an example -
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day’, the Niceno-Constantinopolit
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APPENDIX 2FOUR BIBLICAL TEXTS ON TH
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of the common good, and when one’
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eaten, as idols did not exist anywa
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14. That to continue in any known s
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What all three traditions have in c
Page 241 and 242:
Calvin held that the Gospel of Jesu
Page 243 and 244:
Relations between Protestantism, Ca
Page 245 and 246:
Brandreth, Henry, R T, The Oecumeni
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Hopko, Thomas, All the Fullness of
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Rupp, E G and Drewery, Benjamin, Ma
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INDEXAAct of Uniformity, 114aggiorn
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Frame, John M, 91, 187Francis of As
Page 255 and 256:
Richardson, Paul, 239Roman Catholic
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