So today's continuing preliminary skirmish on ecumenicity, preliminary to some, hopefully, more meaty thoughts about what makes up the ecumenical sandwich in the 21st century, is a Warning to follow yesterday's Preface.
The warning comes via Damian Thompson, arguably the youngest looking curmudgeon in the Roman blogosphere. In this post and comments below it, we have a neat view of how division among Christians breaks out, even in the otherwise monolithic Roman church. One thinks one thing, another thinks differently, a third challenges the authority of the leadership, either because it supports one thing or it fails to support that thing, then threats are made that a new church may need to be schismatically formed in order that one thing (or another thing) is fostered, with the bonus of being free of the supporters of the other thing which is so disagreeable.
Occasionally (as in the comments to Damian's post) someone steps out of the battle to observe that (e.g.) this is all about a relatively few remarried divorcees receiving communion. No one is proposing to increase the Trinity to four or deny that Jesus was fully human.
Meanwhile, in the battlefield now littered with metaphorical corpses, a few people plaintively, if not foolishly, ask whether we might not do better at unity. The sight of the corpses is a warning about how hard the road to
All is not unwell. Bosco Peters reminds us of an item recently circulating in the news: friendly relations between Old Catholics and Roman Catholics. Given the full communion existing between Anglicans and Old Catholics, this has to be good ecumenical news!
"One thinks one thing, another thinks differently, a third challenges the authority of the leadership, either because it supports one thing or it fails to support that thing, then threats are made that a new church may need to be schismatically formed in order that one thing (or another thing) is fostered.."
ReplyDelete- Dr. Peter Carrell -
Precisely, Peter. But that has already happened within the Provinces, dioceses and parishes of the Anglican Communion
It's not just the threats to move, but actual schismatic activity, that has caused our present situation. You speak of Christ's prayer for unity - which, to my mind, should have a priority in our own Church - before seeking Unity with other Churches.
In my book, the very formation of the GAFCON group; ACNA; and other assorted schismatic bodies, is a direct denial of Christ's prayer for unity; cutting one's self off from the parent Body.
It seems difficult to long for unity with Rome or Constantinople when we can't agree to stay together in our own little portion of the Body of Christ.
There are many challenges Ron, including the challenge, when schism occurs, of determining who has cut off whom from who. Methinks you over-simplify the state of division in the AC. There is no parent body per se but a union of individual churches (which in turn have interesting make ups re whether they are unions of dioceses or dioceses belonging to a grand central body). When church X does something which puts itself out of sync with church Y (or diocese X ... diocese Y), it becomes an interesting question whether X or Y has schismed first!
ReplyDeleteDespite the algebra; we cannot escape the fact that someone moved out of fellowship - by an act of schism. That requires an act of repentance.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of ecumenicalism I have been learning recently with humility with stories from the persecuted Church.
ReplyDeleteBob Fu from China gives an account about how when entering the USA he had to click which of over 30 denominations he belonged to, he was totally confused not knowing any of them so ticked independent. And he had evangelised, been tortured and imprisoned, and risked his life for his faith and fellow christians. He was a Christian, period, he knew of nothing else.
Richard Wurmbrand who suffered more than a decade of prison and extreme torture in communist Romania for his faith called the discussions Western christians have 'trifles' compared to the knowing of Christ. He said there is Truth - Jesus, Truth - the Bible and Truth - Theology, but when one is persecuted and even the bible can not longer be remembered only the one truth remains:
"We didn't remember Bible verses anymore. We remembered about God because we experienced it. With great humility we can say with the apostles, "What we have seen with our eyes, what we have heard with our ears, what we have touched with our own fingers, this we tell to you."[4]
I think Paul Butler (in the link of the previous post) wrote with respect, humour and insight. And the Pope's quoted as saying 'what we share now is the shed blood' is wisdom. For this is what we forget to often.
I do not think we are looking at evolution towards Christian unity but de-evolution, a return to the most essential common bond between Christians, Jesus - crucified and risen. The bond between the early christians and persecuted christians of today.
The question remains of course how do we make disciples for whom this is the greatest common denominator in the place God puts us, greater than any theological or traditional differences? - please note I am not keen to advocate torture nor should I say to receive it.
All the Best, Jean