Christian Unity (the book) - The Maranatha Community

‘The solution to the ecumenical impasse, Hastings argued, was forordinary Christians to take the matter into their own hands.Whatever church leaders and theologians may think, baptism marks ourentry into the one church of Jesus Christ. Baptism and Eucharist should bebound indissolubly together. The battle for Institutional Unity may havebeen lost, but this should not prevent intercommunion at the grassroots –a de facto ecumenism that in the end would transform the churches.’Richardson concluded:‘Perhaps the way forward is for us to practise “theological ecumenism,” totry to cross over into different traditions and to ask what they have toteach us. This could lead to a deeper ecumenism, one that does not glossover the depth and importance of theological divisions.’ 202‘Theological ecumenism’ and ‘de facto ecumenism’, by which ordinaryChristians take things into their own hands, are part of the ‘Now what?’needing to be acted upon today. In this survey of the history of Christian Unitywe have come across many voices saying similar things. They have been callingon ordinary Christians to take the initiative to meet fellow Christians to pray,work and worship with them. It really is an urgent matter.Orthodox, Catholic and Evangelical Protestants have become wary of high-leveltalks that do not address the real grounds of our union in Christ. We mustmake church history by moving forward to meet, recognise and work withour fellow Christians ‘embedded’ in the Churches.i) Diversity is in the nature of the Trinity and should be embraced.Our doctrine of the Trinity asserts strongly that God is One, and within theOneness is the harmonious and loving relationship of Persons. The Church ismeant to reflect this unity and diversity.Neither the leaders of the Oxford Movement nor certain of the so-called‘Exclusive’ Brethren were happy with diversity; their ideal was oneness in202Richardson, Paul, article Ecumenism’s Future, Church of England Newspaper, 6 October2006.Page 220