Pioneer Christian Monthly - April, 1993

Finally Beloved
Jonathan Gerstener

A recent obituary of national significance caused a deep sorrow for me. Though I had never met the individual, the tragedy of his life was prominently presented in the press. Yet it was a sorrow that many would miss.

The individual who had passed away at a ripe old age was a former moderator of one of our sister churches. He was noted in the press for having been one of the first Canadian church leaders to openly deny the resurrection. The inspired words of St. Paul kept running through my

mind "If Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation has been in vain and your faith has been in vain. If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people the most to be pitied." (I Corinthians 15:14,19)

What a pitiful tragedy. Even if the person s theology were correct, his death would be a tragedy. Since this theology was incorrect and a denial of the Gospel, his death is even more tragic, for the Scriptures present a terrible bodily resurrection for unbelievers.

There are few communions in which one cannot find unbelievers in high echelons of authority. Archbishops and professors of virtually every denomination have evidenced the same tragic views of the departed colleague who inspired this article. To put it simply, almost every denomination has at least some who are openly non Christian. (Ie. Denying essential Christian doctrines) in high echelons of leadership.

At this Easter season we need to realize that belief in the bodily resurrection is an essential point of the Christian hope. Yet we also need to realize that there are within the church as well as- those outside. If we are to live as Easter people, know the living Christ, and living out of eternal life, we need to realize as well that we need to be willing to defend that Gospel within as well as without the church.

We thank the Lord that the Reformed Church has been spared so far from leadership which denies the bodily resurrection. Yet we need to be constantly on guard for unbelieving leaders can come in so quickly. The unbelieving leader is usually a nice person, and may be a seminary or college classmate, even a relative. To speak the truth in love and work to remove the person from leadership and membership in the Christian church is a la hour of love which will be at times thankless but always essential.

Have we been faithful to the resurrection ecumenically'.? Part of my sorrow was the realization that while this deceased colleague was moderator of his church and openly presenting his rejection of the bodily resurrection, to the best of my knowledge no one from the Reformed Church said anything. No one called him to repentance. No one pointed out that a sister Christian church had no right to promote a denier of essential Christianity to leadership. Perhaps we even sat at the same table, giving every impression we thought of him as a believer. Our deafening silence cries out against us.

Our failure to be prophetic makes us co-conspirators with the forces of evil in the destruction of this fellow human made in the image of God.

If we would live in the light of the resurrection, we need to be aware that this spirit of unbelief has also, in some cases, reached the local parish. One will find local pastors who are following their leaders away from the resurrection. We can no longer assume church attending neighbours have heard or understand the Gospel. They may well be part of our local mission field, just as much as those who have no relationship with any church.

At the leadership level of the Reformed Church in Canada,, we need to recommit ourselves To prophetic ecumenism. In this climate in which many sister churches are drifting from core Christianity, we need to care enough to risk criticism to call them back. We heed to call our whole de-nomination to follow our lead, not wait for them to move first. Even the constitution of the Canadian Council of Churches clarifies that we as Canadian churches are called to evidence ecumenical autonomy. We cannot pass the buck if we have been silent to apostasy in sister churches.

Can hope come out of this tragic death? Thank God for the truth of the resurrection! Even as we may hone against hope that God called this individual to a death bed conversion, we need to care enough to learn from his tragedy to revitalize, indeed resurrect, a Christian prophetic ecumenical vision. The living Christ has been in the business of converting non-Christian religious leaders ever since the calling of St. Paul. If we faithfully proclaim the Gospel, we have to believe that the Reformed Church in Canada may be used by His Spirit to bring new life to non-Christian church leaders in our land. May our Lord roll away the stone from the hearts of spiritually dead church leaders and their followers to resurrect His church.