RESOURCING THE CHURCH FOR ECUMENICAL MINISTRy A ...

olstering old forms of domination unless constantly
coupled with a commitment to just relationship.
The unity we have in Christ is one in which
those who have been marginalized find a home. On
the other hand, the justice we seek is not merely the
coexistence of separated communities, but a new
community in which those who were estranged or
marginalized now live together.
Both groups think they are the heart
of ecumenism—and there is almost
no overlap between them.
Needless to say, this tension between unity and
justice is difficult to maintain—to the point that
today the ecumenical movement is itself in great
danger of fragmenting. A good example comes every
Spring. In March, several hundred persons gather
in Washington DC for Ecumenical Advocacy Days
in order to bear common witness interdenominationally
on issues of justice and peace. Then, in
April, several hundred persons gather somewhere
in the country for the National Workshop on
Christian Unity in order to reflect on theological
dialogues aimed at advancing the goal of eucharistic
communion. Both groups, I know from experience,
think they are the heart of ecumenism—and
there is almost no overlap between them.
Of course, Disciples history also demonstrates the
difficulty of holding this tension. To use an obvious
example, Alexander Campbell took a vigorous stand
against slavery in the early 1830s, but moderated his
posture a decade later out of a desire to preserve
church unity. In the same way, Campbell was an
outspoken pacifist—in times of peace. But during the
Mexican war of 1846 he refrained from calling for an
end to the violence lest such a call prove divisive for
Disciples fellowship. The contemporary ecumenical
emphasis on justice only increases the challenge.
Interfaith Relations and Unity
There is, in this era, and evident and increasing
appreciation for the importance of interfaith
relations. Again, I trust we affirm that this is good
news, for reasons that will undoubtedly be discussed
later in this conference. The danger,
however, is that interfaith will be seen as an
alternative to ecumenical—and that, in my judgment,
is disastrous.
Kinnamon • A Century of Witness, a Journey of Wholeness
6
Once more, I need to say this clearly to avoid
misunderstandings. Dialogue and cooperation with
people of other religious faiths belong on the
ecumenical agenda for several obvious reasons:
a. A movement concerned with the problems
and future of the oikoumene (the whole world)
will surely want to pursue peace or justice or
ecological responsibility alongside neighbors
of other faiths. The issues of this world are too
large to be dealt with by Christians alone.
b. Interfaith dialogue is something that the
churches properly do together. It makes little
sense to talk about Disciples-Buddhist
dialogue!
c. The question of the place of other religions in
God’s plan of salvation is still one that
generates great controversy within
Christianity and, therefore, must be on the
agenda of a movement concerned with
overcoming divisions within the church.
At the same time, ecumenism and interfaith
relations should not be confused or collapsed
because they have different goals, reflecting
different theological foundations. Ecumenism
seeks to make visible the communion, the intensity
of shared life, that Christians have with one
another through Christ. Interfaith relations also
have a compelling theological foundation: humanity’s
common creation in the image of God.
The goal, however, is not koinonia, but cooperative
partnership on behalf of the human future.
My point is not that one is “better” than the other,
but that they are different—and that we need both.
If I am not mistaken, however, many people in our
churches now regard the search for Christian unity
as passé, even exclusivist, seeing interfaith relations
as the more significant (and more exotic)
alternative. Others apparently think that moving
from Christian-Christian to, say, Christian-
Muslim dialogue is simply a matter of expanding the
circle.
I will add, although it almost goes without saying, that
it is easier to relate to open-minded Jews or Muslims
or Buddhists or Hindus than it is to relate to many of
the narrow-minded jerks who insist on calling
themselves Christian! Work for Christian unity is
often harder than interfaith work. And it will be a real
challenge not to minimize (or give up on) the one in
order to concentrate solely on the other.