Workshop Considers Celebration and Struggle of Visible Unity
Episcopal News Service. April 13, 1978 [78111]
TULSA, Okla. -- "We all need to go home from here with a new resolution to involve many more of our people -- especially the laity -- in both the struggle for visible unity and in the celebration of every manifestation of it."
So said Mrs. Cynthia Wedel, a President of the World Council of Churches, in the keynote address at the fifteenth National Workshop on Christian Unity, held here April 10-13. The 1978 theme was "Visible Unity: Celebration and Struggle."
She told the more than 400 registered participants -- of whom more than half were equally divided between the Episcopalians and the Roman Catholics -- that "a meeting like this is both a cause of celebration, and in itself a celebration which must bring joy to the heart of the Creator."
Though she said she is very optimistic, to get churches working together is not an easy accomplishment. She cited certain struggles ahead for the churches: "to overcome the apathy and inertia of many Christians, both lay and clergy... to finance and resource ecumenical endeavors in a time of difficulty in financing any church activities... and to learn how to deal as Christian brothers and sisters, with really controversial issues."
Mrs. Wedel posed a question to which she gave no final answer: "Does 'organic' or 'visible' unity necessarily involve structural and organizational unity?"
She spoke especially about two models of unity -- the Consultation on Church Union and the conciliar model.
In the early centuries, "when the need arose -- and it did several times -- a Council of the Church could be called." A characteristic of the early Church, she said, was the mutual recognition of all baptized persons as Christians -- a position which the 10 churches of COCU have officially accepted.
However, she said, "the next step of mutual recognition of ministries will be far more difficult, because we then begin to deal with our different polities -- which are that which caused (or justified) our dividing in the first place. " She said that the problems involved in such recognition are not only theological; they are also historical and sociological.
She pointed out that "it has taken many centuries to achieve our present divided state -- a few decades to pull us back together may not be too serious."
The following day a five-man panel of respondents reacted to Mrs. Wedel's address, largely supporting her positions. Dean Lewis Mudge of McCormick Theological Seminary, Chicago, Ill., representing the Christian Church, the United Church of Christ, the Presbyterian Church in the U.S., and the United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A., said, "Today the most important question is the social, visible being of the Church in the world. " Visible does not fundamentally mean an organization, he said, but the "gracious presence of the Church in the world."
The Rev. William B. Lawson, Lynn, Mass., an Episcopalian, said that while he agrees with the concept of conciliary unity, he hopes the Church will not lose sight of organic unity. "Are we using conciliary unity as a dodge for organic unity?" he asked.
The Rev. Alex Brunett, Archdiocese of Detroit, and President of the Roman Catholic's National Association of Diocesan Ecumenical Officers, said, "It is possible to come to deep understanding theologically in dialogue. But moral issues have a potential for dividing."
A mutual recognition of mission as well as members and ministry was emphasized by the Rev. Glenn A. Igleheart, Atlanta, Ga., Director of the Department of Interfaith Witness, Southern Baptist Home Mission Board. Even if the churches are brought together in community, this may not bring in the 40 percent in the community who are not members, he said.
The Rev. Lloyd Applegate, Neptune, N.J., a United Methodist pastor, said that he found intriguing the suggestion that we must rethink the meaning of organic unity. He also said that future discussions must deal with controversial issues.
Dean Mudge suggested that a special celebration be planned by councils of churches which would involve the entire Church of Christ in the year 2, 000. Mrs. Wedel responded that she thought this was a significant suggestion. "The Christian Church could in some glorious way celebrate what has happened in these first 2, 000 years. This could be a great milestone."
The speaker at the fifteenth anniversary celebration of the National Workshop on Christian Unity was the Rev. Richard W. Rousseau, S.J., Dean of Weston School of Theology, Cambridge, Mass., and the originator of the Workshop in 1963.
After rehearsing the history of the evolving of the National Workshop, Fr. Rousseau said that the organization has worked for 15 years because of certain balances which have been maintained: between national planning and local initiative; between Roman Catholics and Protestants; between church officials and the laity; between the theoretical and theological on the one hand and the pragmatic and ethical issues on the other; and between general meetings and denominational meetings.
"The denominational mix," he said, "produces the greatest unity."
The Workshop has succeeded, he said, "because we do actually work together here -- by listening hard, unthreatened by building structures, by talking -- and even arguing -- and by mutually recognizing each other as ministers of the Gospel. Yet we preserve our own integrity as members of a particular church," he said.
Another presentation in a plenary session was an address by the Rev. Jim West, staff person for the Native American Staff Project of the Joint Strategy and Action Committee, the National Council of Churches, and IFCO, on "Cultural Learning Experience: Native Americans."
Mr. West gave a brief summary of the history of Native Americans before and after the white man came to this continent. He said there were one million Indians here when the white man came but by 1910 there were only 240,000 left. He spoke about some of the serious problems facing Indians today: $1,500 average annual income, 40 percent higher alcoholism rate, and an above average suicide rate.
He cited several of the contemporary issues for Indians in the U.S.: the Non-Intercourse Land Act of 1790, the ruling of the U. S. Supreme Court that the Indian nations have no jurisdiction over non-Indians in their territory, sterilization abuse, and various anti-Indian racist movements.
The National Workshop on Christian Unity opened with a worship service at First Baptist Church in Tulsa with a sermon by the Rev. Claude U. Broach, director of the Ecumenical Institute at a Baptist and a Roman Catholic institution -- Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, N.C., and Belmont Abbey College, Belmont, N.C.
Speaking on "Be Not of Doubtful Mind," Dr. Broach told the ecumenists, "You are a rather special breed within the Christian family, and at times you fall into the category of an 'endangered species.'"
He said, "The goal of ecumenism is nothing less than the unity of mankind...." He said that "we need to think of how we may develop something more than the ecumenical church: we need the ecumenical man, woman, individual."
Dr. Broach said such an ecumenical person will be certain about the uniqueness of the Christian faith, will accept the moral authority of Jesus Christ as Lord, and will be one who loves the Church.
The ecumenical person will believe "that ecumenism is not just an option for a few eccentrics but an imperative for true disciples."
The closing worship service was held at Holy Family Roman Catholic Cathedral with the Rev. William J. Wiseman, First Presbyterian Church of Tulsa, preaching.
"Ecumenism is a protestant word meaning catholic," Mr. Wiseman said.
"The great question of our time," he said, "is what does it mean to be human?... The nature and destiny of humanity is still before us."
He said that we can applaud President Carter for pursuing human rights. But, he pointed out, "it is not possible to look at human rights apart from a global context," especially in such areas as world hunger and the "suicidal arms race."
"The nature and destiny of true humanity is the acceptance with God of human freedom," he said.
The authentic humanity, he said, is "related to God irrevocably in Jesus Christ.... God honored humanity by identifying with it in the incarnation."
The authentic humanity is for all people. "We tend to exclude; the Spirit tends to unite and include," he said. "God intended that all life should be redeemed."
Six general seminars were presented three mornings each so that participants could attend three. These seminars emphasized current ecumenical concerns.
1. "Alerts to Supports and Obstacles to Christian Unity."
Dr. Jorge Lara-Braud, Executive Director, Commission on Faith and Order of the National Council of Churches, conducted a look into the potentially divisive issues in local congregations as well as new supports for Christian Unity in the ecumenical movement.
He explained that out of the Consultation on Church Union, much theological progress and liturgical study had developed. But the dominating concern was the "unity of Churches, at the expense of unity of Christians and the unity of humanity," he said. This shortcoming has been recognized.
Now, certain issues that perplex local Christian bodies must be dealt with, he asserted. Matters concerning race, the role of sexes, institutionalism, exclusive attitudes, all are sources of internal and local alienation.
Within the theological idiom, there has been much agreement, he said. At this point, the mission must enlarge so that stresses in individual denominations may be helped. "We have not wanted to face this fact," according to Lara-Braud. We must see that this stress within divided churches is a hindrance to the ecumenical movement. While much work needs to be done in theology, an in-depth study of the endemic racism, sexism, institutionalism, and exclusivism must be undertaken, he concluded.
Other locally divisive problems mentioned included aid to schools and abortion, both of which find people within congregations and judicatories divided.
2. "Community of Women and Men in the Church."
This seminar was led by a husband/wife team of United Presbyterian ministers, the Rev. Margrethe B. J. Brown, Executive Presbyter, Genesee Valley Presbytery, New York, and the Rev. William E. Brown, Jr., former Associate for Synod Ministries, Synod of the Covenant. The team led the participants in exploring the potential within the Church for new mutuality among women and men.
After exploring the teachings of Old and New Testament passages dealing with relationships between the sexes, the Browns led the participants in a survey of factors that have helped create the present situation. They cited the melting pot forces in the U.S. society that developed the compulsion for uniformity, together with the individualism and self-reliance of the frontier spirit. These two factors are buttressed by certain economic structures which have tended to discriminate against women.
In the discussion that followed the presentation the question of how ordained women can adopt new models of ministry was raised. Lay ministry was also emphasized as essential.
3. "Community Concerns: Forms of Ecumenical Evangelization."
The Rev. Alvin Allig, leader of the discussion on forms of ecumenical organization, stated that "everyone needs evangelization; that the form depends on the community one is in; that each brings his own talents to the task; and that the 'how' in any given situation is constantly relevant."
Father Allig is Executive Director of the Catholic Bishop's Ad Hoc Committee on Evangelism. He noted that the Roman Catholics have established for themselves a landmark in setting up an Evangelism Committee.
He began his presentation with an examination of the religious makeup of the citizens of the United States. There are 49 million Roman Catholics; 73 million Christians who are not in full unity and with whom Roman Catholics seek a continuing ecumenical dialogue; 11 million who adhere to non-Christian religions and "to whom we should take the word.... This is a delicate matter, sometimes." And there are some 12 million fallen away Roman Catholics.
"But the large number, 68 million, unevangelized persons in the United States, must be reached and we must keep them in mind," he said. Ecumenism is to mend together believing Christians, the 125 million or so. But we cannot leave out of ecumenical evangelism the 80 million or so United States citizens who are not Christian -- especially the 68 million non-religiously connected.
In terms of the ecumenical movement, we can concentrate on the people who have no church family. We can offer them our several denominations and communions. But the offer should be made. "Here we are, try us. " And if that doesn't work, another should try -- "Do try us."
Folk are considered unchurched if they have less than two regular worship contacts with a church, temple, or synagogue per year, he said. "We must look on this with a spirit of venture," Father Allig concluded.
4. "Evangelizing the Unchurched: Texas as a Model."
In this seminar there was a review and evaluation of two recent evangelization programs in Texas in 1977.
The Rev. L. L. Morriss, Director of Evangelism, Baptist General Convention of Texas, described the Baptist-sponsored program, "Good News Texas," which was a media campaign throughout Texas on behalf of the state convention.
An agency was employed to plan and carry out the campaign after a poll indicated that the Baptist churches were largely in good standing in the state.
The media campaign, on the theme "Living Proof," was supported by congregational Bible study, evangelism conferences, Sunday School action programs, and organizations of women and men.
The specific campaign -- involving radio, television, billboards, transit ads, and newspapers -- was planned after the specific problems were identified and the desired approach to the solution was accepted.
The Rev. Harry Winter, OMI, Associate Director, Texas Conference of Churches, shared the results of that conference's study on evangelization in relation to spirituality. The study grew out of the thirteenth Texas Faith and Order Conference last November, which featured the Rev. Egon W. Gerdes and the Rev. Colin W. Williams as speakers.
5. "Christians and Jews in Dialogue: Today and Tomorrow."
"How can we talk to each other if we don't understand each other's positions?" So asked Rabbi Walter Jacob, D. H. L., of Rodef Shalom Temple, Pittsburgh, Pa.
While in the past generation many Jews have seen in Christianity much that is Jewish, and some even go so far as to see Jesus as a Zionist, the movement has been slow and not meant to be a converting one.
The big problem in Jewish-Christian dialogues is the fact that both tend to "talk by each other" and not directly to each other, the rabbi said. Underlying this is the fact that the Old Testament is read differently by Jew and Christian. The Torah is emphasized by the Jew. Prophecy gets more attention by the Christian because the New Testament is seen as fulfillment of prophecy, he pointed out.
Even separate incidents of the Old Testament are given different readings, he asserted. For example, the sacrifice of Isaac is seen as a test of faith by the Jew but for the Christian is a prototype of the crucifixion. Similarly, Sinai is a reaffirmation of the ancient covenant for the Jew. For the Christian, it is a new Law which will be superseded at a later time, as is pointed out in the epistles of Paul, he said.
Preaching, too, reflects the differences. The Jewish citation of the law and ancient Halakah and other authorities is vital and without exception while Christian reference to the 19th century Biblical and theological study is more common than reference to the Church Fathers of the 4th century or the Bible itself, he feels.
There is nothing comparable in Judaism to the 19th century Christian studies of Bible and theology. The Jews turn back, not to theologians, but to their history and to their past, seeking direct continuation with the past in a way in which chronology is not important. Identification with the past is an ever present factor. "All of these considerations make conversations interesting, but sometimes they are not good communication," Rabbi Jacob said.
6. "Models of Local Ecumenism."
Dr. Arleon Kelley, Associate Director of the Commission on Regional and Local Ecumenism, National Council of Churches, led a seminar on several models of ecumenism on the local level, with the Tulsa Metropolitan Ministry as the feature.
Dr. Kelley said, "The scale of where you want to develop ecumenical life, what you want to do and who you want to do it with will determine the model of ecumenical life best for your locality. There is no one all-occasion model of local ecumenism."
The Rev. Bruce Theunissen, Executive Director of the Tulsa Metropolitan Ministry, described how that organization works through task forces for theological awareness education, Jewish-Christian relations, hunger concerns, and institutional change.
He also spoke of the way the Ministry works with congregations and coalitions as a facilitating and coordinating agency.
Dr. Kelley said that regardless of the local model, ecumenism development begins because someone is concerned.
For such a model to begin and develop there must be "a cadre of people who share concerns and trust each other," he said. These persons become a creative nucleus as they seek to overcome social, economic, and theological differences, he added. "The group has to do some visioning and to dramatize that vision," he said.
After the objectives are dramatized, he said, "others can buy into it. " Then "an organization with staying power comes out of this."
"The best ecumenical organization," he said, "has both strong lay and strong clergy leadership."
"Local ecumenism is taking on new life especially in clusters," Dr. Kelley said. "We may see a whole new generation involved."
Several of the church groups presented denominational programs as developed by the ecumenical officers of the particular churches. These programs were open to all participants regardless of affiliation. Some of the seminar topics included: Organizing for Ecumenical and Interreligious Concerns; The Ecumenical Covenant -- Its Meaning and Challenge to the Churches Today; The Spiritual Life and an Ecumenical Ministry; The Bilateral Conversations -- What Do We Do With Them; Educating for Church Unity; Can We Dialogue on Moral Issues Ecumenically?; The Unification Church; The Consultation on Church Union -- Its Present and Future; Orientation for Diocesan and Parish Ecumenical Personnel; Jewish-Christian Concerns; What is a Local Church Truly United and Charismatics and Christian Unity.
The Rev. Thaddeus Horgan, S.A., of the Graymoor Ecumenical Institute, Garrison, N.Y., was chairman of the 1978 Workshop planning committee. The host organization was the Tulsa Metropolitan Ministry.
The next National Workshop on Christian Unity is scheduled for April 23-26, 1979, in Birmingham, Ala.
Registered participants were from the following churches: American Baptist Churches; American Lutheran Church; African Methodist Episcopal Church; Christian Church (Disciples of Christ); Church of the Brethren; Episcopal Church; Presbyterian Church in the U. S.; Roman Catholic Church; Southern Baptist Convention; United Methodist Church; United Presbyterian Church in the U. S.A.; and the United Church of Christ.
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