Christian Unity (the book) - The Maranatha Community

800 Christian leaders from many countries, 10% of whom were from Americaand 6% from the Continent of Europe. Fifty-two branches of the Church wererepresented, all, of course, Protestant. Rouse and Neill write:‘It was the one and only definitely ecumenical organization – which aroseout of the Evangelical Awakening of the 19 th Century.’ 120The only article of faith in their doctrinal basis of nine articles which could beconsidered distinctly Protestant was Article 2: ‘The right and duty of privatejudgement in the interpretation of (the) scriptures.’The Alliance promoted prayer among Evangelicals and was deeply committedto the overseas missionary movement, planting the idea of cooperation amongmissionary societies in India. It was also a voice in support of religious libertyin a variety of political situations, but as Rouse and Neill point out, it did nothave an agenda for bringing denominations together, but saw itself as a centralorganisation for a voluntary union of individual Christians of differentchurches. It was strongly Protestant and incurred some censure for its hostilityto Rome from some of its members, yet it was a step forward as an expressionof Christian unity.The only other notable ecumenical attempt in the 19 th Century was thefounding of the Association for the Promotion of the Unity of Christendom, andit held out a wider hope than the Evangelical Alliance. The Association wasfounded in 1857 as a result of Anglican and Roman initiatives, and embracedOrthodoxy as well. It had a sole object, to pray for unity, ‘that visible unity maybe restored to Christendom.’ 121 But the reactionary Pope Pius IX disapprovedof its aim and in 1864 forbade it to Roman Catholics.It was the Protestant overseas missionary movement’s concern forcooperation in the wide variety of its work and fields, by the middle of the 19 thCentury, that was to give rise to an ecumenical movement in the 20 th Centurywhich was to move even beyond the bounds of Protestant cooperation.The London Missionary Society was a pioneer among Protestant workoverseas. It was founded in 1775 when Anglican and Dissenting ministers120Rouse, Ruth and Neill, Stephen C, A History of the Ecumenical Movement, 1517-1948,SPCK, London, 1954, p 320.121Rouse, Ruth and Neill, Stephen C, A History of the Ecumenical Movement, 1517-1948,SPCK, London, 1954, p 279.Page 145