Will We Ever Be One?

[RyanL]

A simple thread, seeking opinions on whether or not Christian unity will ever be reached…

Anglican/Catholic Joint statement “Mary: Grace and Hope in Christ”: anglicancommunion.org/acns/articles/39/75/acns3978a.cfm

The 1.1 billion Catholics and 77 million Anglicans make up the world’s two largest organised churches.

Lutheran/Catholic Joint Declaration of Faith:
vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/chrstuni/documents/rc_pc_chrstuni_doc_31101999_cath-luth-joint-declaration_en.html

Total number of Lutherans worldwide climbs to nearly 66 million
religioscope.info/article_265.shtml

Will we ever be one again?

 

[Steve_Andersen]

hmmm I thought that there were 90 million of them

but no matter, Yes we may one day be one…

 

[AlanFromWichita]

When Christ comes back.

Until then I expect things to get more divided.

 

[jax8686]

looks like any faithful Catholics have some work to do till then…

 

[DavidFilmer]

We were once One… we will be One again…

Our Lord prayed for this. Will the Father not answer this prayer?

 

[slinky1882]

RyanL:

A simple thread, seeking opinions on whether or not Christian unity will ever be reached…

Anglican/Catholic Joint statement “Mary: Grace and Hope in Christ”: anglicancommunion.org/acns/articles/39/75/acns3978a.cfm

Lutheran/Catholic Joint Declaration of Faith:
vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/chrstuni/documents/rc_pc_chrstuni_doc_31101999_cath-luth-joint-declaration_en.html

Will we ever be one again?

Hmmm, I am curious as to why the Orthodox Churches aren’t seen as bigger than the Anglican’s considering the divisions among them regionally.

Yes, as Creation began from One, so it will end in One. Thanks and God bless.

 

[Hesychios]

slinky1882:

Hmmm, I am curious as to why the Orthodox Churches aren’t seen as bigger than the Anglican’s considering the divisions among them regionally.

Yes, as Creation began from One, so it will end in One. Thanks and God bless.

The Orthodox churches combined are somewhere between 200 million and 280 million depending upon how one chooses to estimate the numbers.

To my way of thinking, they should be the first focus of dialogue. The Orthodox churches share Apostolic origins and teach no heresies. The natural conservatism of the Orthodox places them very close to their own origins, and relatively close to Catholic origins as well.

Only a reunited Orthodox-Catholic communion can serve as a credible model for Christian reunion. A unilateral move toward reconciliation with mainline Protestant churches (as encouraging as that may seem) risks “dumbing down” the Catholic position and sealing an unbreachable wall between the Eastern churches and the Western.

The situation is bad enough as it is between the Orthodox and Catholic churches. If Catholics are serious about reunion, every effort to reconcile these two church groups should be attempted, even to the point of revisiting/defining or withdrawing some of the superfluous changes the Western church has introduced over the last 1000 years.

 

[jimmy]

Hesychios:

The Orthodox churches combined are somewhere between 200 million and 280 million depending upon how one chooses to estimate the numbers.

To my way of thinking, they should be the first focus of dialogue. The Orthodox churches share Apostolic origins and teach no heresies. The natural conservatism of the Orthodox places them very close to their own origins, and relatively close to Catholic origins as well.

Only a reunited Orthodox-Catholic communion can serve as a credible model for Christian reunion. A unilateral move toward reconciliation with mainline Protestant churches (as encouraging as that may seem) risks “dumbing down” the Catholic position and sealing an unbreachable wall between the Eastern churches and the Western.

The situation is bad enough as it is between the Orthodox and Catholic churches. If Catholics are serious about reunion, every effort to reconcile these two church groups should be attempted, even to the point of revisiting/defining or withdrawing some of the superfluous changes the Western church has introduced over the last 1000 years.

I agree completely. The focus should be on the Eastern Orthodox. They are naturally alike to us. We should all be one.

 

[Stylteralmaldo]

Yes, we will be one again!

Pray pray pray…

Personally, I think the denominations that are furthest from the Catholic Church are more likely to rejoin the Catholic faith first.

Once the historical elements become clear to those that are furthest from Catholic truth…they will come to realize that their current form is not how Christians saw Christianity from its beginnings.

The reason I feel this way is because I find it seems a bit odd looking from afar that the more liberal Lutheran Churches (ELCA) are looking for reunity moreso than the more conservative branches (MO Synod; WELS) for example.

With the Orthodox, re-unity almost seems like pulling teeth…we’re so close to being the same…yet why the hold up? Because of the similarities, they feel that they are already following how the early Christians did…so why is it important to make that leap?

It’s important alright…it’s just convincing them why that is the challenge.

 

[ScottH]

Note the universal presuppositions.

1. Protestants think that a “Regathering” requires Roman Catholics to become just like them.
2. Roman Catholics think that a “Regathering” requires Protestants to become Roman Catholics.

Neither side is willing to admit mistakes or errors in judgement in their history.

How then do we proceed?

 

[Stylteralmaldo]

ScottH:

Neither side is willing to admit mistakes or errors in judgement in their history.

How then do we proceed?

But the Catholic Church has acknowledged mistakes from its past…but not doctrinally…the Catholic Church has not made doctrinal errors…errors in judgement…YES…there is a distinction.

Pope John Paul II did ask for the Church’s forgiveness regarding Galileo (for example).

 

[Hesychios]

Stylteralmaldo:

Yes, we will be one again!..

…With the Orthodox, re-unity almost seems like pulling teeth…we’re so close to being the same…yet why the hold up? Because of the similarities, they feel that they are already following how the early Christians did…so why is it important to make that leap?

It’s important alright…it’s just convincing them why that is the challenge.

Whatever else one might think, I admire the Orthodox for their own zeal in preserving the Apostolic Faith.

One must remember that the Protestant reformation began in the West, under conditions unique to the West. Protestants and Roman Catholics very nearly speak the same language, even in their disagreements. The two groups always know what the other means when they state something, the ground rules of discussion are set.

For example, disputes about the nature of justification derive from the Western notions of Original Sin among other things. We could place Augustine, Anselm, Aquinas, Luther and Calvin together in a room (might as well include Erasmus, John Knox and Cranmer) and they could probably go round and round debating in classical Latin indefinately. Imagine a big food fight with haggis, baguettes, salamis and bratwurst all flying across the room!

This isn’t true for Eastern Christians. Many Orthodox have come to believe that the Roman Catholic church is the first Protestant church! As shocking as that sounds it might explain some of the reticence the Orthodox have toward cozying up to Rome. The thinking is so different that the East and the West often do not share the same frame of reference.

From the Eastern point of view, the teachings of Anselm, Aquinas and Luther really have no place. It would take a whole lot more than I could say in this thread to explain all of this, and I am not quite the man for the job.

+T+
Michael

 

[st_julie]

We will all be one at Gods’ good pleasure.We must be faithful in our attempt to be unitive. The more I am united to Jesus the more I am united to my neighbour.

st julie