Will we ever be ONE again?

[Vanny]

Will the schisms between East and West,
Rome and Wittenburg, Geneva ,and Canterbury ever be healed?
Are the differences so great that we will remain separated until Jesus Returns?

What is the current status of the Lutheran/Catholic dialogue?
Is their such a thing as Orthodox/Protestant dialogue?

 

[Seraphim73]

Is their such a thing as Orthodox/Protestant dialogue?

There used to be an official Orthodox/Lutheran dialogue and an Orthodox/Anglican dialogue. They have both ended since both of those Protestant groups began ordaining women to the episcopacy.

 

[Seraphim73]

There used to be an official Orthodox/Lutheran dialogue and an Orthodox/Anglican dialogue. They have both ended since both of those Protestant groups began ordaining women to the episcopacy among other things. Here are a couple of official statements of the Russian Orthodox Church by Metropolitan Hilarion.

“The introduction of the institution of female bishops will lead to the elimination of even a theoretical possibility of the Moscow patriarchate recognizing the church hierarchy of the Anglican church.”

“A full-scale theological dialogue with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, as it was in previous decades, has proved impossible today."

And an interview of the Metropolitan by Der Speigel on the cessation of dialogue with the Evangelical Church in Germany.

Question: Because the Council of the Evangelical Church in Germany elected a woman as chairperson in the person of Margot Kaessmann, you have broken off your dialogue…

Answer: It was the way in which some mass media presented the situation, whereas I only said that we cannot continue theological dialogue in the former forms.

Question: Which boils down to the same thing after all. You do not want to have talks with Ms Kaessmann?

Answer: So far we have had meetings between Heads of our Churches, that is to say, between the Patriarch and the chairman of the Council of the Evangelical Church in Germany. Now such a meeting has become impossible.

 

[Vanny]

Interesting Seraphim.
the church I belong to (Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod) will never ordain women. We are strongly pro-life and pro family. I’m assuming our objection on our side is soteriology(justification and sanctification). I’ve been looking both at Orthodoxy and Catholicism for a church home but I’m still Lutheran for now because of those issues.
I would love to see the church become one some day but I’m not so sure it’s possible.
And yes , now there are issues such as womens ordination, same sex marriage blessings, ect. in the more liberal protestant mainlines. The breaking up of Lutheranism bothers me.

 

[Seraphim73]

Interesting Seraphim.
the church I belong to (Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod) will never ordain women. We are strongly pro-life and pro family. I’m assuming our objection on our side is soteriology(justification and sanctification). I’ve been looking both at Orthodoxy and Catholicism for a church home but I’m still Lutheran for now because of those issues.
I would love to see the church become one some day but I’m not so sure it’s possible.
And yes , now there are issues such as womens ordination, same sex marriage blessings, ect. in the more liberal protestant mainlines. The breaking up of Lutheranism bothers me.

There have been some positive contacts between the Orthodox Church in America and the Anglican Church in North America. I think it’s just the case that the Orthodox Churches view some things as so far outside Apostolic Christianity that dialogue is useless.

 

[benjohnson]

The breaking up of Lutheranism bothers me.

The breakup of the church defiantly makes me sad - but frankly, I expect it per 2 Corinthians 4:8-12*

Frankly, despite our differences, we living in exciting time - The Orthodox church commissioned icons for a Lutheran church here in Seattle, and there one of it’s treasures.

This January, Catholic have invited us Lutherans to join them on the pro-life rally and we’ll be marching together in one group.

-Ben

…

• We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you.

 

[Vanny]

There have been some positive contacts between the Orthodox Church in America and the Anglican Church in North America. I think it’s just the case that the Orthodox Churches view some things as so far outside Apostolic Christianity that dialogue is useless.

Are you talking about the conservative Anglican church not the Episcopal Church?
I assume so since I think they are quite conservative and don’t ordain women?

 

[Vanny]

The breakup of the church defiantly makes me sad - but frankly, I expect it per 2 Corinthians 4:8-12*

Frankly, despite our differences, we living in exciting time - The Orthodox church commissioned icons for a Lutheran church here in Seattle, and there one of it’s treasures.

This January, Catholic have invited us Lutherans to join them on the pro-life rally and we’ll be marching together in one group.

-Ben

…

• We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you.

I"m assuming you mean the LCMS?
To be honest, I was was raised confirmed in the LCMS and they are more my speed than the WELS( but we live in rural upped Midwest(with harsh winters) The closest LCMS is about 30 minutes away. ( And the closest Orthodox church is about 100 miles away)
I plan to visit a (EO) service someday.
I do love our WELS church congregation though.

 

[Picky_Picky]

Are you talking about the conservative Anglican church not the Episcopal Church?
I assume so since I think they are quite conservative and don’t ordain women?

ACNA has some parts that ordain women, some that don’t.

 

[PaulfromIowa]

There have always been schisms among Christians. There is no reason to think that schism will ever end as long as there is sin in this world.

 

[Seraphim73]

Are you talking about the conservative Anglican church not the Episcopal Church?
I assume so since I think they are quite conservative and don’t ordain women?

I don’t understand how Anglicanism works but it is some conservative Anglican group.

 

[chero23]

The breakup of the church defiantly makes me sad - but frankly, I expect it per 2 Corinthians 4:8-12*

Frankly, despite our differences, we living in exciting time - The Orthodox church commissioned icons for a Lutheran church here in Seattle, and there one of it’s treasures.

This January, Catholic have invited us Lutherans to join them on the pro-life rally and we’ll be marching together in one group.

-Ben

…

• We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you.

That’s a great, I love it

 

[chero23]

There have always been schisms among Christians. There is no reason to think that schism will ever end as long as there is sin in this world.

That’s true, but I don’t think we should be 36,000 or 45,000 churches divided.

 

[Randy_Carson]

Will the schisms between East and West,
Rome and Wittenburg, Geneva ,and Canterbury ever be healed?
Are the differences so great that we will remain separated until Jesus Returns?

IMO, when the Anti-Christ begins to persecute Christians, we will put aside our differences.

 

[chero23]

IMO, when the Anti-Christ begins to persecute Christians, we will put aside our differences.

That’s what normally happens. I hope we could do it now, and it is not to say your wrong, and your wrong, but we are right, but because when that day comes, and we have our backs against the walls we are standing together as 1.

 

[Eric_Hyom]

There is ‘One God’ and ‘One Jesus Christ’ we should show a certain amount of oneness. Our lack of unity is probably one of the biggest arguments against Christianity.

I am a Street Pastor, this brings together Christians from eight denominations in our town every week, we pray with each other and for each other. Our voluntary role takes us out on the streets until around 3 or 4 am, we come into contact with anger, drunks, drugs, depressed people, fights and many wonderful people.

Together, we try and spread the love of Christ on our streets in a practical way, we give out flip flops to girls who can no longer walk in their high heels, we walk drunks home, we intervene in fights and listen to people. Virtually every time we go out strangers will thank us for being there and caring, we have had many profound experiences.

Although we do not go out to preach, people will ask us about God, they ask us which church we go to, when we say we are from different churches, they seem genuinely amazed.

Blessings

Eric

 

[Took2Long]

All my life, my answer to your question would have been a resounding “NO!” I have been, if not reconsidering, at least thinking about the possibility that a uniting of faiths could happen. In the past several decades, there has been less animosity between the Christian faiths. We finally seem to be able to focus more on what we have in common, then to focus on what separates us. When I was a child, there was a level of anti-Catholicism that I don’t find anymore. If you told me as a child, there would be Catholic Churches being built all across the South, I would have called someone insane for suggesting such a thing. I understand the largest driver of that is actually Northern “snow birds” moving south, but it has allowed the bigotry that once existed to finally begin to evaporate. I doubt it could ever happen in my earthly time, but who’s to say that it can never happen. Through Him, all things are possible. Maybe we are fortunate to be able to see the beginning movements of a reuniting. I now wonder if I’m not watching God’s plan of uniting beginning to unfold. Whether it happens in 100 years, 1000 years, or never-I’ve finally reached a point where I accept God may be moving us back together as believers.

 

[Sy_Noe]

Will the schisms between East and West,
Rome and Wittenburg, Geneva ,and Canterbury ever be healed?
Are the differences so great that we will remain separated until Jesus Returns?

What is the current status of the Lutheran/Catholic dialogue?
Is their such a thing as Orthodox/Protestant dialogue?

There have always been differences and the nature of faith is that it can’t be proven. So realistically I have little hope for a complete unity on matters of faith and belief on this earth until if in faith Christ comes again and we truly know. Until then I can only walk by faith not by sight.

 

[Vanny]

IMO, when the Anti-Christ begins to persecute Christians, we will put aside our differences.

I agree. I’ve often wondered if countries where Christians are actively persecuted if they are able to work together?

 

[Vanny]

That’s what normally happens. I hope we could do it now, and it is not to say your wrong, and your wrong, but we are right, but because when that day comes, and we have our backs against the walls we are standing together as 1.

In a way I think we’ve seen some moving together in common purpose(i.e. the pro-life Marches, the pro family movement)as our culture becomes more secular and hostile to Christianity.