Christian Unity (the book) - The Maranatha Community

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There is a danger here, however. The current pursuit of ‘spirituality’ has, insome cases, led to an indiscriminate acceptance of anything vaguely‘spiritual’. Some Churches Together projects and aspirations which are notdeeply rooted in Scripture have embraced almost ‘New Age’ concepts.The hallmark of the Christian spirituality which I would advocate is found inthe Biblical revelation:• It is an expression of devotion to the Person of Christ in his full Deity andManhood and is dependent on his atoning work on the Cross.• It is in continuity with the ‘spiritualities’ of the Church throughout theages, which have similarly been rooted in the Scriptures and the Personof Christ. It is indeed wonderful how these very different spiritualities,from the days of the Early Greek Fathers, through the mystical writers ofthe Middle Ages, to Lutheran and Puritan spirituality, have all, almostwithout exception, had something of the same ‘fragrance’ in them thatdrew C S Lewis to the Christian faith.• It is cooperation in local witness, especially over the Easter period. It isthe considerable cooperation of denominations in the work of ChristianAid.• It is shared prayer and worship occasions, often using modern songs andchoruses which have come out of the charismatic movement. TheWomen’s World Day of Prayer draws many denominations together.Churches Together brings many groups of Christians together in theyearly Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.The Week of Prayer began in 1908 when an American Episcopalian and anAnglican clergyman began to pray for Christian Unity in the week of 18-25January (from the feast of St Peter to the feast of St Paul). Their hope was fora return of churches to Roman Catholicism as the way to achieve unity ofChristians. Later, in the 1930s, a French Roman Catholic priest, Paul Couturier,widened the hope of the Week.He did not believe that it was necessary for all Christians to become Catholics.He said, ‘We must pray not that others may be converted to us but that wemay all be drawn closer to Christ.’ This week of prayer is now observed bymany denominations, and since 1966 it has been backed by both the RomanCatholic Church and the WCC.Page 169
Even within the Reformed Protestant tradition there is evidence of a desire torethink formerly entrenched positions. John M Frame, writing in 1991 asassociate professor of apologetics and systematic theology at WestminsterTheological Seminary-West in Escondido, California, speaks of openness amongmany Christians to see their denominational allegiances in perspective. Hewrites:‘I am convinced that such openness will in time be used by God to bring hischurch to a oneness beyond anything we have experienced in our day – aoneness not based on doctrinal indifference, but on a fuller understandingof God’s word than any of our present groups can claim to have.’ 157Frame is thinking primarily of unity among Protestants, but there is evenopenness to the Catholic Church in his book, which is missing from manyReformed writings. For example, he tells of his wife attending a women’s Biblestudy for all denominations, which harmoniously included Roman Catholics.He points out that the Protestant Reformers did not believe that ‘the RomanCatholic Church had totally lost all the characteristics of a true church. Theydid not, for example, re-baptize people who had been baptized as RomanCatholics.’ 158In the last chapter of his book Frame gives 34 practical steps that can be takento further unity among Christians. 159 Here are a few which are relevant to thetheme of the present book:• Avoid a partisan spirit when thinking of your denomination.• Pray for God’s plan for the reunion of his Church to come about.• Get involved in local interdenominational Bible studies.• Be open to the teaching of other denominations than your own.• Respect the discipline of other denominations.• Read what others say about your denomination.157Frame, John M, Evangelical Reunion; denominations and the Body of Christ, Baker BookHouse, 1991, p 83.158Frame, John M, Evangelical Reunion; denominations and the Body of Christ, BakerBook House, 1991, p 37.159Frame, John M, Evangelical Reunion; denominations and the Body of Christ, Baker BookHouse, 1991, pp 165-169.Page 170
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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
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The distinction between laity and c
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ule. Christians were allowed to be
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fallen corruption and mortality but
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During the 1917 Communist Revolutio
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his repentance and restoration. The
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just before death, they might recei
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In both the East and the West heres
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The Waldensians were so named after
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CHAPTER 4THE SECOND GREAT SPLIT: WE
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Far more serious criticisms of the
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and the sacraments. He was tried by
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and his discovering that the Script
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denominational allegiances: confess
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aptism and substituting for it bapt
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Vincent de Lérins’ threefold bas
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Charles de Guise, Cardinal of Lorra
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CHAPTER 5QUOTATIONS ON THE THEME OF
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Dr Charles Malik - 20 th Century:
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Nicholas Zernov - 20 th Century:‘
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The restoration of the universal Ch
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Timothy Ware - 20 th Century:‘It
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Basilea Schlink - 20 th Century:‘
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Cardinal Basil Hume - 20 th Century
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Keith A Fournier - 20 th Century:
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concept of a contract between a rul
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harmoniously ordered society of pea
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interesting to note that the disput
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• In the Eucharist, Komensky main
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The Conference opened with much pom
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a growing unity among Christians at
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We cannot leave the 17 th Century w
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CHAPTER 7CHRISTIAN UNITY AND THE EV
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In Dr Woodward’s account of the r
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for Whitefield’s work in America,
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the West, the North and the South.
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‘John Wesley, displeased at not b
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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
Page 151 and 152: came together with the clear purpos
Page 153 and 154: In subsequent missionary conference
Page 155 and 156: university formed by a federation o
Page 157 and 158: credo-baptists to accept the provis
Page 159 and 160: Horton Davies 137 points out in his
Page 161 and 162: However, since New Delhi, the WCC s
Page 163 and 164: (b) The Church of Christ in China (
Page 165 and 166: the Scriptures as the supreme autho
Page 167 and 168: In 1970 a similar scheme to that of
Page 169 and 170: indulgences, were all confirmed str
Page 171 and 172: however, at a lower level, manifest
Page 173: In her study of the Evolution of th
Page 177 and 178: the publisher’s foreword to Gee
Page 179 and 180: and so I have some golden opportuni
Page 181 and 182: CHAPTER 10 THESE BRIDGES CAN’T BE
Page 183 and 184: ‘Only he - only Christ - was able
Page 185 and 186: c) Justification by Faith and Works
Page 187 and 188: However, in the Credo of the People
Page 189 and 190: f) Purgatory‘Purgatory’ is a na
Page 191 and 192: The Catechism of the Catholic Churc
Page 193 and 194: who love and trust the Lord Jesus C
Page 195 and 196: However, there is a growing awarene
Page 197 and 198: encouraged to receive a blessing al
Page 199 and 200: c) Traduction Œcumenique de la Bib
Page 201 and 202: witness. There is one such Sisterho
Page 203 and 204: Practically all para-church groups
Page 205 and 206: s) Missions and CampaignsMissions a
Page 207 and 208: My Protestant friends say to me tha
Page 209 and 210: Most Christians, in all three tradi
Page 211 and 212: of God may be complete, equipped fo
Page 213 and 214: CHAPTER 12NOW WHAT?This book began
Page 215 and 216: c) For some Protestants ecumenism m
Page 217 and 218: The church at Corinth was full of C
Page 219 and 220: ) It has become clear that, realist
Page 221 and 222: Christians who believe a Catholic d
Page 223 and 224: 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
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Calvin held that the Gospel of Jesu
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Relations between Protestantism, Ca
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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
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Richardson, Paul, 239Roman Catholic
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