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Pioneer
Christian Monthly - December, 1982
A Prayer For Christian Unity
Rev. Peter De Jong
A prayer for Christian unity - a very important subject, but not an easy one. Perhaps 'we could start by bringing to memory the words said by our Lord in His "high priestly prayer", offered on behalf of His church and recorded in Chapter 17 of the Gospel of John: "Father, keep them in thy name, which thou hast given me, that they may be one, even as we are one". Three times in that prayer we find Christ (the Head of the Church) praying for the unity of the church: "that they may all be one"! Christ is telling us that there must be a great oneness of Father, Son and Church as a witness to the world; a witness of the love the Father who has emptied Himself in the Son. The unity of the Church was thus very strongly present in the mind of Christ when He prayed for His Church. We ask ourselves, "What has become of this prayer for unity?".
Historical Reminiscence
When we look at the history of the Christian church we discover, to our shame, a tremendous disunity rather than unity among her ranks! The church did not remain in unity very long after Pentecost. Already in Biblical times we read of divisions, but the first great schism took place in the year 1054 between the Greek and Latin churches, with the Greek churches rejecting the authority of the Pope in Rome. The second great division came at the time of the Reformation, when Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses on the doors of the cathedral in Wittenberg. Luther, of course, had no idea that the church he challenged would later split into many branches. John Calvin did not foresee the schism between the Church of England and the Church of Rome; and later the formation of Methodist, Baptist and Congregational churches in the British Isles and Old Catholic, Mennonite and Remonstrant churches in Europe; and Disciples of Christ, independent Baptist and Pentecostal churches in North America. One sometimes wonders what Luther or Calvin would say if they were to see all of these different branches of the church for whom our Lord prayed: "that they may be one".
For many years these churches lived their separate lives in their own self-contained world, practically unconcerned about each other. It wasn't until after World War II that Theologians in the West and Orthodox Christians in the East began to care for one another. Working together in a common witness to the world was an almost unknown and foreign concept up to the turn of the century. Slowly, however, the disgrace of division dawned upon the church and her leaders. The situation became intolerable!
The birth of the Ecumenical Movement
"Evangelism of the world in this generation" - that was the theme of the great Missionary Conference held in Edinburgh, Scotland in 19 1 0. The focus of this conference and others was on "missionary co-operation". The main question asked was: How can we best work together in missionary outreach? These conferences finally culminated in the formation of the World Council of Churches, established in 1938, but not officially constituted until ten years later in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, due to the Second World War and its agonies. The dream of the early pioneers had been fulfilled - the creation of a worldwide body which would give visibility to unity among the different churches. This was a great achievement in history, for it was not easy to overcome the powers tending to division and enmity, and they certainly haven't achieved it all yet, for there is still a lot of criticism towards this world body of churches. Some Christians view this body as an agent of communism, whereas, ironically, Moscow still often regards the same as an instrument of "American imperialism". We also have our critique towards this world body; the failure to condemn certain Eastern governments who don't allow any free discussion about social, economic and political problems, and who sometimes discriminate against people who hold different ideological or religious views; support given to certain groups in Rhodesia, etc.; the suspension of membership of the white churches in the Republic of South Africa by the World Alliance of Reformed Churches. These are things which go against me, but then again we do not grant the term "infallibility" to be applied to our Councils. And let us not forget all of the other activities of the W.C.C. and W.A.R.C. We think, for example, about all of the inter-church aid given to churches and refugees, and the support given to millions of projects throughout the world.
Canada has been privileged this year to be the host to the World Alliance of Reformed Churches which met in Ottawa. I had the privilege of being a delegate to this Council, and it certainly was a delightful experience to see so many Christians together, from all parts of the world, all wrestling with the problems of our day.
Next year, Canada will host the World Council of Churches as they meet in Vancouver, B.C. Instead of always criticisms these Councils, let us pray for them when the churches come together in the name of our God and Saviour. (For where two or three are gathered in my name I shall be in the midst of you Matt. 18:20). And where Christ is present, it is difficult to believe that nothing changes! No, of course, I don't mean to say that all differences between churches will soon be taken away so that a complete unity among churches will be recognized (we know better), but let us thank God that churches are on their way to realizing how responsible they are for each other's church life and for the continuance of the Gospel in the world. It is a common task, so let us do it together!
Our Churches in Canada
Christ's prayer for unity also concerns the work of our churches in Canada. The question is: "What are we doing together as churches? Do we feel responsible for each other?" Sometimes one gets the feeling that churches are all separate entities, all living in their own environment, unconcerned and, sometimes, even antagonistic toward other Christians of similar faith and beliefs. I think here of our conversations with the Christian Reformed and Presbyterian churches. We need to support and pray for each other as Christ prays for us al . No, we do not go along with the slogan : Eendracht maakt macht, for the church knows of no other power but the power ( f Christ, all other powers are to be rejected. In a world which is adrift and which has lost all of its certainties, let us thank God for the Church. Let us pray for the Church that she may be one! Real ecumenity will only begin if together we bow before the Child in the manger, the suffering Christ on the cross, and adore Him as our eternal King.