St. Paul and ecumenism (Erin)
Sunday June 29, 2008
Categories: Catholicism
Pope Benedict XVI has declared that from June 28, 2008 to June 29, 2009 is the year of Saint Paul, commemorating the 2,000th anniversary of the saint's birth. His Holiness is encouraging such things as liturgical celebrations, pilgrimages to the...
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Rod Dreher is an editorial columnist for the Dallas Morning News, and author of "Crunchy Cons" (Crown Forum), a nonfiction book about conservatives, most of them religious, whose faith and political convictions sometimes put them at odds with mainstream conservatives. The views expressed in this blog are his own.
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Erin:
At the risk of offending some readers, I'd point out what seems to be the direction of this current ecumenical thrust. Who has held a secondary point of honor the past two days in Rome? Representatives of the Reformation groups? Nope. The Patriarch of Constantinople.
Apostolic Churches.
What about 2 Corinthians 12:9 (and the entire story of "the thorn") as a Paulist verse that unites Christians?
Erin, I don't know where to put this comment, so I'm hoping you'll see it here. You did a good job blogging this week. God knows I usually disagree with your conclusions, but you brought a lot of interesting issues to the table, and managed to ride herd on the discussions without (virtual) blood being shed. For the win! (Which is like the opposite of "epic fail" . . . and you know when grannies pick up slang, it's on its way out the door. I might as well say it's been groovy . . . ; ) )
Ditto to the comment by Sigaliris. Excellent week. Erin if you have your own blog, please tell us the address. More comments about ecumenism after I get back from church.
I agree with Erin (albeit from a Lutheran perspective) that it is counterproductive to downplay real distinctions and differences in belief and practice. It is neither spiritually nor intellectually honest to engage such a pretence in order to foster a pseudo-unity. In any event, however fractured the church visible may be, the church invisible (all true believers everywhere)exhibits the unity of the faith. As for St. Paul, he seems to take some distinctions pretty seriously: "But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned." Galatians 1:8
When churches place a high value on sharp exclusive lines of identity,
this can create an incentive to install leaders whose gifts are more academic, defensive, and contentious, rather than broadly pastoral. In my circle of conservative confessional protestant churches, the contentious non-pastoral pastor or elder is not an uncommon sight. I wish there could be some integrity-filled ecumenism that increases the incentive to install well-rounded shepherds, who spend more time on spiritual nurture of the congregation, rather than teaching the congregation how to 'defend the faith' against Christians from other traditions. Does Pope Benedict XVI have a specific idea for this?
I don't think there's much point in the Pope's talking about unity among the Christian churches. He claims primacy over all Christians, everywhere in the world. He claims to be infallible in his teaching authority, and he claims that no one can be validly ordained unless they received their ordination from the succession presided over by him. He insists that all Christians must bow the knee to Rome. The other Christian churches aren't going to do it. Even the rebellious Anglican conservatives are looking to Nigeria and not to Rome. The Pope will not abrogate his claim. Non-Catholics will not submit to it. Therefore, there will be no unity. So much for the prayer of Jesus that they all may be one. Man has willed it otherwise.
"He claims primacy over all Christians, everywhere in the world."
True, but in my (admittedly limited) understanding, he is much less concerned that others recognize this than a great many popes have been. He is not Innocent III. He seems open to reunion with the Eastern Orthodox, for instance, without insisting that they agree with the Roman version of papal primacy.
Now, as an Evangelical Protestant this doesn't do much for me, in that he clings to the importance of apostolic succession. But it's important to give proper consideration to others' (especially other Christians') positions in such matters.
I happened to wander over here and this caught my eye because I just blogged about pretty much the same thing and came to pretty much the opposite conclusion. I think that when we insist that there are distinctives which are more important than the unity which Jesus and Paul clearly command us to, we are engaged in idolotry. We may believe different things, but I believe it is bad for us as Christian believers and for the efficacy of the mission of our churches to think it is OK to permanently rip the church apart for the sake of preserving our differing beliefs - even deeply held beliefs which are important to us.
Anyhow, just another perspective fwiw.
theupsidedownworld.wordpress.com/2008/06/28/a-gathering-of-all-believers/
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