The Fallacy of Ecumenism

Evangelical · 09-17-2016, 03:36 AM

There are two main ways in which Christian unity may be achieved. One way is to leave all the divisions and meet on some common ground. This is like throwing away a square peg and making a new round peg so it fits in the round hole.

The other way is Ecumenism which is basically to try and merge the divisions by squishing them closer together. This is like trying to force a square peg into a round hole. Ecumenism is "the principle or aim of promoting unity among the world's Christian Churches." It is a quest for Christian unity. In this post I will show what is the problem with it and why it cannot work, and that the kind of unity it will produce is opposed to God's plan.

The ecumenical symbol is the church portrayed as a boat afloat on the sea of the world with the mast in the form of a cross. Some of you who read my posts may recall my analogy of boats floating in the ocean. I used that analogy for good reason, because it is related to the ecumenical symbol. The symbol of the ecumenical movement is one boat in the ocean. Their goal is one boat. However currently there are many boats in the ocean. Bringing boats closer together and building bridges between boats does not change the fact that people are still "in the boats". Can building bridges between denominations bring a kind of unity? Yes! Is the kind of unity ecumenism can bring, genuine unity mentioned in the Bible? No!

Let us consider some valid reasons against ecumenism from some Protestant and Orthodox:

The pressure to compromise

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecumenism
There are some members of the United Methodist Church who oppose ecumenical efforts which are "not grounded in the doctrines of the Church" due to concerns over theological compromise.[49] For example, an article published in Catalyst Online: Contemporary Evangelical Perspectives for United Methodist Seminarians stated that false ecumenism might result in the "blurring of theological and confessional differences in the interests of unity."[50]

The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS) bars its clergy from worshiping with other faiths, contending "that church fellowship or merger between church bodies in doctrinal disagreement with one another is not in keeping with what the Bible teaches about church fellowship."[51] In keeping with this position, a Connecticut LCMS pastor was asked to apologize by the president of the denomination, and did so, for participating in an interfaith prayer vigil for the 26 children and adults killed at a Newtown elementary school; and a LCMS pastor in New York was suspended for praying at an interfaith vigil in 2001, twelve days after the September 11 attacks.[52] In 2015, LCMS Presiding Pastor Matthew Harrison excommunicated one Lutheran minister for a number of stated reasons, including ecumenism with Roman Catholics. Another conservative Lutheran body, the American Association of Lutheran Churches, is strongly opposed to ecumenical (more accurately, interfaith) dialogue with non-Christian religions and with denominations it identifies as cults.

However, many Orthodox Christians are vehemently opposed to ecumenism with other Christian denominations. They view ecumenism, as well as interfaith dialog, as being potentially pernicious to Orthodox Church Tradition; a "weakening" of Orthodoxy itself.[55] In the Eastern Orthodox world, the monastic community of Mount Athos, arguably the most important center of Orthodox spirituality, has voiced its concerns regarding the ecumenist movement and opposition to the participation of the Orthodox Church.[56] They regard modern ecumenism as compromising essential doctrinal stands in order to accommodate other Christians, and object to the emphasis on dialogue leading to intercommunion rather than conversion on the part of participants in ecumenical initiatives. Greek Old Calendarists also claim that the teachings of the Seven Ecumenical Councils forbid changing the church calendar through abandonment of the Julian calendar.[citation needed] The Inter-Orthodox Theological Conference entitled "Ecumenism: Origins, Expectations, Disenchantment",[57] organized in September 2004 by the Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki has drawn negative conclusions on ecumenism.

As some have rightly pointed out, a step towards ecumenism is compromise. Now compromise can be a good thing if the matters compromised about are within the realm of Christian freedoms. However as we will see, the compromises to be made are in the matter of light and darkness, not merely right or wrong over minor doctrinal disputes.

For this we need to look at the The World Council of Churches
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Council_of_Churches

The World Council of Churches (WCC) is a worldwide inter-church organization.

What are the leanings of the WCC?

Anti Israel:

The World Council of Churches has been described as taking an adversarial position toward the state of Israel.[63] It has also been claimed the council has focused particularly on activities and publications criticizing Israel in comparison with other human rights issues.[64][65] It is similarly claimed that it downplayed appeals from Egyptian Copts about human rights abuses under Sadat and Mubarak, in order to focus on its neighbour.[63] In 2009, the Council called for an international boycott on goods produced in Israeli settlements, which it described as 'illegal, unjust' and 'incompatible with peace'.[66] In 2013, the General Secretary was reported to claim in Cairo, "We support the Palestinians. The WCC supports the Palestinians, because they are in the right."[67] The WCC's Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI) has been criticised by the Board of Deputies of British Jews for promoting "an inflammatory and partisan programme at the expense of its interfaith relations".[68] The WCC secretariat was involved in preparing and helped disseminate the Kairos Palestine Document, which declares “the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land is a sin against God and humanity because it deprives the Palestinians of their basic human rights”,

Pro-gay marriage:

http://www.religioustolerance.org/hom_wcc.htm
The World Council of Churches (WCC) represents 332 Orthodox, Anglican and other Protestant denominations, with a total membership of about 400 million Christians. There are serious internal tensions within the group. Christian Orthodox churches are distressed at some of the increasingly liberal positions of the WCC. Chief among these are the eligibility of women for ordination, acceptance of gays and lesbians for ordination, and acceptance of committed homosexual relationships as equivalent to heterosexual.

Let us consider the affiliations of the current WCC leadership:

http://www.oikoumene.org/en/about-us...ure/leadership

WCC presidents
Rev. Dr Mary-Anne Plaatjies van Huffel, Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa
Rev. Prof. Dr Sang Chang, Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea
Archbishop Anders Wejryd, Church of Sweden
Rev. Gloria Nohemy Ulloa Alvarado, Presbyterian Church in Colombia
Bishop Mark MacDonald, Anglican Church of Canada
Rev. Dr Mele’ana Puloka, Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga
H.B. John X, Patriarch of the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch and All the East
H.H. Karekin II, the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians

Now let us consider which of these affiliations are clearly pro gay marriage:

Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa - YES
http://www.christianpost.com/news/du...cision-147554/

Church of Sweden - YES
http://www.thelocal.se/20091022/22810

Anglican Church of Canada - YES:
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/ca...from-unanimous

So a key reason why ecumenism will never work in a genuine way is because of the necessary compromises to be made on gay marriage and Israel.

Another reason is that the largest denomination is not a member although they are involved:

It is notable that "The largest Christian body, the Catholic Church, is not a member of the WCC, but has worked closely with the Council for more than three decades and sends observers to all major WCC conferences as well as to its Central Committee meetings and the Assemblies"

The Future of Ecumenism

What are the main reasons it does not work? Because it involves compromise on key issues such as Israel and homosexual marriage. It is inevitable that denominations that currently do not compromise will either compromise or leave the ecumenical movement as it continues to head towards liberalism. The ecumenical movement cannot result in genuine Christian unity because it is:
1. A compromise on key issues such as homosexual marriage and Israel
2. A waste of time, given
-the largest denomination, Roman Catholic, is not a member.
- Any efforts towards unity are countered by the fractures and splits within denominations over contentious issues - denominations are already fracturing over the gay marriage issue:
http://religionnews.com/2015/09/23/b...-gay-marriage/
3. In future, likely to result in some united liberal-focused Christian entity which is supportive of gay marriage and other aberrations. In other words, greater unity may be achieved but it will not be based on traditional Christian values and biblical principles.

2 Corinthians 6:14 says "for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness?"

09-17-2016, 03:36 AM	#1
Evangelical Member Join Date: Aug 2016 Posts: 3,965	The Fallacy of Ecumenism There are two main ways in which Christian unity may be achieved. One way is to leave all the divisions and meet on some common ground. This is like throwing away a square peg and making a new round peg so it fits in the round hole. The other way is Ecumenism which is basically to try and merge the divisions by squishing them closer together. This is like trying to force a square peg into a round hole. Ecumenism is "the principle or aim of promoting unity among the world's Christian Churches." It is a quest for Christian unity. In this post I will show what is the problem with it and why it cannot work, and that the kind of unity it will produce is opposed to God's plan. The ecumenical symbol is the church portrayed as a boat afloat on the sea of the world with the mast in the form of a cross. Some of you who read my posts may recall my analogy of boats floating in the ocean. I used that analogy for good reason, because it is related to the ecumenical symbol. The symbol of the ecumenical movement is one boat in the ocean. Their goal is one boat. However currently there are many boats in the ocean. Bringing boats closer together and building bridges between boats does not change the fact that people are still "in the boats". Can building bridges between denominations bring a kind of unity? Yes! Is the kind of unity ecumenism can bring, genuine unity mentioned in the Bible? No! Let us consider some valid reasons against ecumenism from some Protestant and Orthodox: The pressure to compromise https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecumenism There are some members of the United Methodist Church who oppose ecumenical efforts which are "not grounded in the doctrines of the Church" due to concerns over theological compromise.[49] For example, an article published in Catalyst Online: Contemporary Evangelical Perspectives for United Methodist Seminarians stated that false ecumenism might result in the "blurring of theological and confessional differences in the interests of unity."[50] The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS) bars its clergy from worshiping with other faiths, contending "that church fellowship or merger between church bodies in doctrinal disagreement with one another is not in keeping with what the Bible teaches about church fellowship."[51] In keeping with this position, a Connecticut LCMS pastor was asked to apologize by the president of the denomination, and did so, for participating in an interfaith prayer vigil for the 26 children and adults killed at a Newtown elementary school; and a LCMS pastor in New York was suspended for praying at an interfaith vigil in 2001, twelve days after the September 11 attacks.[52] In 2015, LCMS Presiding Pastor Matthew Harrison excommunicated one Lutheran minister for a number of stated reasons, including ecumenism with Roman Catholics. Another conservative Lutheran body, the American Association of Lutheran Churches, is strongly opposed to ecumenical (more accurately, interfaith) dialogue with non-Christian religions and with denominations it identifies as cults. However, many Orthodox Christians are vehemently opposed to ecumenism with other Christian denominations. They view ecumenism, as well as interfaith dialog, as being potentially pernicious to Orthodox Church Tradition; a "weakening" of Orthodoxy itself.[55] In the Eastern Orthodox world, the monastic community of Mount Athos, arguably the most important center of Orthodox spirituality, has voiced its concerns regarding the ecumenist movement and opposition to the participation of the Orthodox Church.[56] They regard modern ecumenism as compromising essential doctrinal stands in order to accommodate other Christians, and object to the emphasis on dialogue leading to intercommunion rather than conversion on the part of participants in ecumenical initiatives. Greek Old Calendarists also claim that the teachings of the Seven Ecumenical Councils forbid changing the church calendar through abandonment of the Julian calendar.[citation needed] The Inter-Orthodox Theological Conference entitled "Ecumenism: Origins, Expectations, Disenchantment",[57] organized in September 2004 by the Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki has drawn negative conclusions on ecumenism. As some have rightly pointed out, a step towards ecumenism is compromise. Now compromise can be a good thing if the matters compromised about are within the realm of Christian freedoms. However as we will see, the compromises to be made are in the matter of light and darkness, not merely right or wrong over minor doctrinal disputes. For this we need to look at the The World Council of Churches https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Council_of_Churches The World Council of Churches (WCC) is a worldwide inter-church organization. What are the leanings of the WCC? Anti Israel: The World Council of Churches has been described as taking an adversarial position toward the state of Israel.[63] It has also been claimed the council has focused particularly on activities and publications criticizing Israel in comparison with other human rights issues.[64][65] It is similarly claimed that it downplayed appeals from Egyptian Copts about human rights abuses under Sadat and Mubarak, in order to focus on its neighbour.[63] In 2009, the Council called for an international boycott on goods produced in Israeli settlements, which it described as 'illegal, unjust' and 'incompatible with peace'.[66] In 2013, the General Secretary was reported to claim in Cairo, "We support the Palestinians. The WCC supports the Palestinians, because they are in the right."[67] The WCC's Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI) has been criticised by the Board of Deputies of British Jews for promoting "an inflammatory and partisan programme at the expense of its interfaith relations".[68] The WCC secretariat was involved in preparing and helped disseminate the Kairos Palestine Document, which declares “the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land is a sin against God and humanity because it deprives the Palestinians of their basic human rights”, Pro-gay marriage: http://www.religioustolerance.org/hom_wcc.htm The World Council of Churches (WCC) represents 332 Orthodox, Anglican and other Protestant denominations, with a total membership of about 400 million Christians. There are serious internal tensions within the group. Christian Orthodox churches are distressed at some of the increasingly liberal positions of the WCC. Chief among these are the eligibility of women for ordination, acceptance of gays and lesbians for ordination, and acceptance of committed homosexual relationships as equivalent to heterosexual. Let us consider the affiliations of the current WCC leadership: http://www.oikoumene.org/en/about-us...ure/leadership WCC presidents Rev. Dr Mary-Anne Plaatjies van Huffel, Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa Rev. Prof. Dr Sang Chang, Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea Archbishop Anders Wejryd, Church of Sweden Rev. Gloria Nohemy Ulloa Alvarado, Presbyterian Church in Colombia Bishop Mark MacDonald, Anglican Church of Canada Rev. Dr Mele’ana Puloka, Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga H.B. John X, Patriarch of the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch and All the East H.H. Karekin II, the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians Now let us consider which of these affiliations are clearly pro gay marriage: Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa - YES http://www.christianpost.com/news/du...cision-147554/ Church of Sweden - YES http://www.thelocal.se/20091022/22810 Anglican Church of Canada - YES: https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/ca...from-unanimous So a key reason why ecumenism will never work in a genuine way is because of the necessary compromises to be made on gay marriage and Israel. Another reason is that the largest denomination is not a member although they are involved: It is notable that "The largest Christian body, the Catholic Church, is not a member of the WCC, but has worked closely with the Council for more than three decades and sends observers to all major WCC conferences as well as to its Central Committee meetings and the Assemblies" The Future of Ecumenism What are the main reasons it does not work? Because it involves compromise on key issues such as Israel and homosexual marriage. It is inevitable that denominations that currently do not compromise will either compromise or leave the ecumenical movement as it continues to head towards liberalism. The ecumenical movement cannot result in genuine Christian unity because it is: 1. A compromise on key issues such as homosexual marriage and Israel 2. A waste of time, given -the largest denomination, Roman Catholic, is not a member. - Any efforts towards unity are countered by the fractures and splits within denominations over contentious issues - denominations are already fracturing over the gay marriage issue: http://religionnews.com/2015/09/23/b...-gay-marriage/ 3. In future, likely to result in some united liberal-focused Christian entity which is supportive of gay marriage and other aberrations. In other words, greater unity may be achieved but it will not be based on traditional Christian values and biblical principles. 2 Corinthians 6:14 says "for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness?"