A less pugilistic dose of ecumenism...
Today's quote comes from the incomparable William Temple, Archbishop of Canterbury. He writes that...
we are reminded how transcendent is that theme which alone deserves the
name of Christian unity. We meet in committees and construct our schemes
of union; in face of the hideous fact of Christian divisions we are driven to
this; but how paltry are our efforts compared with the call of God! The
way to teh union of Christendom [excuse the outdated Constantinian term - CS]
does not lie through committee-rooms, though there is a task of formulation to
be done there. It likes through personal union with the Lord so deep and
real as to be comparable with His union with the Father. For the prayer is
not directly that believers may be "one" in the Father and the Son, though by a
natural error an early scribe introduced that thought. The prayer is that
they mabe in us. If we are in the Father and the Son, we shall certainly
be one, and our unity will increase our effective influence in the world.
But it is not our unity as such that has converting power; it is our
incorporation into the true Vine as branches in which the divine life is
flowing. When all believers are truly "in Christ", then our witness will
have its destined effect - that the world may believe that thout didst send
me.
Labels: Ecumenism
Ecumenism discussions, especially in some of the Orthodox circles I frequent, dead-end for me.
I would love to see Orthodox and Anglicans talk to each other, but the Orthodox sees the average protestant as that she-bishop who currently rules the Episcopal church in America. Obviously, not much to talk about.
I wish Orthodox would talk with more self-consciously Christian brothers in Protestantdom.
In the meanwhile here is some musings on inerrancy and Scripture from my LC days.
http://tesla1389.wordpress.com/2009/09/14/lets-go-write-some-scripture-today/
Posted by
Jacob |
Monday, September 14, 2009 7:23:00 AM
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