"THE KINGDOM IS TO BE IN THE MIDST OF YOUR ENEMIES. AND HE WHO WILL NOT SUFFER THIS DOES NOT WANT TO BE OF THE KINGDOM OF CHRIST; HE WANTS TO BE AMONG FRIENDS, TO SIT AMONG THE ROSES AND LILIES, NOT WITH THE BAD PEOPLE BUT THE DEVOUT PEOPLE. O YOU BLASPHEMERS AND BETRAYERS OF CHRIST! IF CHRIST HAD DONE WHAT YOU ARE DOING, WHO WOULD EVER HAD BEEN SPARED?"
- Martin Luther
Jesus has only one wife, His bride the Church. He is not a polygamist. But if you talk to many people across denominations, they will tell you Jesus has many brides and many churches. They would never dream of calling Jesus a polygamist but that is essentially what they are doing in their misunderstanding of the unity and oneness of God's people.
Steven Harmon wrote a wonderful little book called Ecumenism Means You, Too (Cascade books, 2010). Harmon lists ten things you can do for the unity of the church. Here they are briefly:
1. First, pray for the unity of the church.
2. Second, pray for the unity of the church in the company of other Christians with whom you
have serious disagreements.
3. Third, commit yourself to a particular church, warts and all.
4. Fourth, embrace a particular denominational (and I will add, non-denominational) tradition.
5. Fifth, learn all you can about the "Great Tradition" to which all denominational tradition are
heirs.
6. Sixth, learn all you can about other denominational traditions.
7. Seventh, while remaining committed to your own denominational tradition, adopt another
tradition as a second tradition, much as you would learn a second language.
8. Eighth, join other Christians in sharing good news of Jesus Christ in word and deed.
9. Ninth, join other Christians in serving as advocates for social justice and environmental
responsiblity.
10. Tenth, search the Scriptures---devotionally, in the context of corporate worship, and with
study groups in your own congregation, but also with Christians from other traditions.
Harmon among other ecumenical Christian voices is calling Christians to go farther and deeper in biblical and practical unity.
- Martin Luther
Jesus has only one wife, His bride the Church. He is not a polygamist. But if you talk to many people across denominations, they will tell you Jesus has many brides and many churches. They would never dream of calling Jesus a polygamist but that is essentially what they are doing in their misunderstanding of the unity and oneness of God's people.
Steven Harmon wrote a wonderful little book called Ecumenism Means You, Too (Cascade books, 2010). Harmon lists ten things you can do for the unity of the church. Here they are briefly:
1. First, pray for the unity of the church.
2. Second, pray for the unity of the church in the company of other Christians with whom you
have serious disagreements.
3. Third, commit yourself to a particular church, warts and all.
4. Fourth, embrace a particular denominational (and I will add, non-denominational) tradition.
5. Fifth, learn all you can about the "Great Tradition" to which all denominational tradition are
heirs.
6. Sixth, learn all you can about other denominational traditions.
7. Seventh, while remaining committed to your own denominational tradition, adopt another
tradition as a second tradition, much as you would learn a second language.
8. Eighth, join other Christians in sharing good news of Jesus Christ in word and deed.
9. Ninth, join other Christians in serving as advocates for social justice and environmental
responsiblity.
10. Tenth, search the Scriptures---devotionally, in the context of corporate worship, and with
study groups in your own congregation, but also with Christians from other traditions.
Harmon among other ecumenical Christian voices is calling Christians to go farther and deeper in biblical and practical unity.
If the church is like a flower, what would happen if there was some intentional cross-pollenation?
Chris,
ReplyDeleteThanks for calling attention to the book. An online preview of the book is available here: http://ecclesialtheology.blogspot.com/2010/03/ecumenism-means-you-too-ordinary.html
Grace and peace,
Steve Harmon