Christian Unity (the book) - The Maranatha Community

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CHAPTER 11MAKING CHURCH HISTORY IN THE 21 ST CENTURYHaving looked at some of the attempts to bring Christians together over theChurch’s 2,000 years of history, attempts which have largely failed, what canwe 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 goodnews of Jesus Christ. Up to now the three main divisions of the Church, EasternOrthodox, Roman Catholic and Protestant, have gone their own ways andoften been in opposition to each other. Now, for the first time in anysignificant way, the three traditions are listening to and even learning fromeach other.But we must face facts. It is clear that there can be no unity with those whohold liberal ‘non-realist’ theologies. By a ‘liberal’ I mean one who is ready tobreak away from allegiance to a classical Christianity as seen in a commitmentto the Bible as God’s revelation to us for all times and a confession of theCreeds of the early Church.Those who do have a basis of unity find it in classical Christianity as seen inGod’s revelation in the Bible, the Creeds and, for Catholics and OrthodoxChristians, 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? Thetrouble is it would not be unity as portrayed for us in the Bible as being of ‘oneheart 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 devoutliberals often have insights the traditionalists ought to consider, and liberalscan find in traditionalist faith inspiration for daily living, but ultimately the twosides cannot journey as one.179Kairos: An ancient Greek word meaning the right or opportune moment (the suprememoment).Page 189
However, there is a growing awareness of a oneness among those of all threetraditions who hold to a traditionalist and Trinitarian expression of theChristian 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 andworship together openly before the world. For almost the first time Christianscan 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 upto openly and are being found either not to be irreconcilable or not unsettlingto a common basis of faith.There is evidence that, while different traditions are holding fast to theirhistorical heritages, today the common basis of faith is found in the NiceneCreed, a confident acceptance of the Scriptures (Old and New Testaments) asthe supreme authority for faith and conduct, and a personal conversion toChrist as Saviour, Lord and God.If the opportunity for the Church to stand together in an increasingly secularand perhaps hostile world is not to be lost, practical steps must be taken tofacilitate united worship and witness. This should stem from a real convictionthat this is what our Lord wishes for his Church, and not just an attempt to tryto fill emptying churches.In this chapter we shall present evidence that Christians are now expressingtheir unity in ways which would not have been previously possible.SOME EXPRESSIONS OF CHRISTIAN UNITYa) The Maranatha CommunityMaranatha was founded in 1980 when a Methodist and a Catholic met forprayer. Unity, Healing and Renewal were the key words bringing themtogether. From this has grown a Community of members from very manydenominations who meet regularly to pray, worship and witness their onenessis Christ. In stressing continued full loyalty to one’s denomination orfellowship, the Community is a choice example of how the true ‘embedded’Church can be dug out and its members find each other.Page 190
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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
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In view of all this, Charles Wesley
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Some of the refugees were persuaded
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Isaac Watts (1647-1748), the pionee
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CHAPTER 8VISIONS OF CHRISTIAN UNITY
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hymns and Eastern orthodox spiritua
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eplied with a series of Eirenicons
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positively wrote on grace and love
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hand that pours out sorrow’ and t
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He died in England in 1853 an ‘ec
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assembly, without much hesitation r
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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 and 174: In her study of the Evolution of th
Page 175 and 176: Even within the Reformed Protestant
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: who love and trust the Lord Jesus C
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
Page 225 and 226: ‘The solution to the ecumenical i
Page 227 and 228: k) Christ has left us an example -
Page 229 and 230: day’, the Niceno-Constantinopolit
Page 231 and 232: APPENDIX 2FOUR BIBLICAL TEXTS ON TH
Page 233 and 234: of the common good, and when one’
Page 235 and 236: eaten, as idols did not exist anywa
Page 237 and 238: 14. That to continue in any known s
Page 239 and 240: 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
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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
Page 255 and 256:
Richardson, Paul, 239Roman Catholic
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