Notes

Christian Unity in accordance with Internet
Following are 30 questions that relate with Christian Unity that I'd like you to reflect upon for the edification. In fact,, these questions could be used in your Bible class as you discuss Christian Unity, which is so much needed today.

QUESTIONNAIRE ON "HOW TO DEAL WITH CHRISTIAN UNITY"

A) AMONG CHURCHES THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE CONSIDER CHRISTIAN

1- What do you think causes Christian Divisions? A) Is denominationalism (Christians dividing)
a sin?

2- What's Christian Ecumenism and how do you feel about it?
A) Do you believe for Christians to possess complete spiritual unity, you need some form of Church Organizational Unity?

3- How can you think we should proceed in our controversies over the Lord's Supper or Holy Communion?

A) How would you interpret the Lord's Supper?

B) Do you think that in interpreting the Lord's Supper, we're really using different words expressing the same thing, which, to a certain extent, will always remain an earthly mystery?

C) Who can you believe should take Holy Communion? How often? And how important may be the use of both elements (bread and wine) in Holy Communion?
D) How essential is the Lord's Supper, Holy Communion or the Mass to Salvation?

4- How can you think we ought to proceed in controversies over Baptism?

A) How can you interpret Baptism?

B) Should Baptism be limited to those who are capable of belief, for believers and infants of same, or not necessarily be an outward ceremonial act?

C) Just how many Baptisms can you have, and is "Baptism of the Holy Spirit", where speaking in tongues is an essential manifestation, yet another Baptism?

5- What is a sacrament, and just how many activities do you recognize as such? Is this issue an important component in virtually any ecumenical dialogue?

6- So how exactly does Free Will and Predestination fit into your over-all belief system?

7- What does it mean to be in the ordained ministry?

A) Who do you believe can perform Priestly functions (Baptism, Holy Communion, etc.)?

B) Do you feel that the ordination of Christians could eventually disappear because it divides Christians into two distinct classes?

8- How will you feel we have to proceed in our controversies on the organizational structure of the many churches, if we're searching for organizational unity?

A) Could you eventually accept the Pope because the head of the entire Christian Church?

B) Do you believe that a United Organizational Church should be strongly controlled with limited diversity or loosely controlled with a wide selection of diversity?

9- Do you believe that the idea of Evolution can to some degree be appropriate for God's Doctrine of Creation? From what extent? Why or why not?
A) Is creation still taking place?

10- Do you believe that the Bible literally describes the finish of time? Give some examples. What might be some other interpretations of these examples?

11- May be the debate among Christians on the beginnings and the future of life really that important; and really should not our concentration become more on today's and how we can serve God now?

12- Do you believe that the Bible may be the Word of God or provides the Word of God? Martin Luther once compared the Bible to a baby carriage with the infant inside. There may be errors in the carriage, but not with the baby. Does the term of God go beyond what's contained in the Bible?

A) What's your interpretative approach to Scripture? Can you believe the Bible is infallible in accordance with each word that's written, or the message it includes?

B) What part does tradition play in your interpretation of Scripture?

C) What part does experience play in your interpretation of Scripture?

13- Do the Christian conservatives (literalists) and Christian liberals (contextualists) need one another for the church to flourish? (see below)

Conservative Emphasis

1) Scripture is authoritative

2) Creeds and Confessions are valuable and Vibrant Expressions of Faith

3)The Gospel changes lives

4)Personal Piety is a reaction to God's Grace without being legalistic

5)Stewardship is a Joyous Responsibility

Liberal Emphasis

1)The Gospel must engage contemporary culture.

2)Christians must invite change in the non-essentials.

3)The Gosspel is really a force for social change.

4)The Gifts of most Christians must be claimed by the Church.

5)Christians must be Ecumenical in Dialogue

14- What part does traditions play in your Belief System?

15- Do you think Priests should have the proper to marry?

16- Would you accept a Pastor who is divorced and remarried? If that's the case, under what circumstances? Because of the trend in increased divorces within society, do you feel an answer might be long-term comprehensive pre-marital counselling sessions?. Or even, how do you feel we should deal with so many divorces?

17- How do you think we should proceed to dialogue with a Church that emphasizes Mariology and the Saints?

A)What is a Saint in line with the Bible?

18- How does Sanctification (making someone Holy or Good) and Justification by Faith rank in order of priority in your belief system?

19- Do you consider organizational unity ought to be a major goal to experience Spiritual unity within the Christian Church? Do you know the advantages or disadvantages of Christian organizational divisions?

read more - What role do you feel women should have in a church organizational structure?

I strongly feel that the future trend in churches will undoubtedly be churches which are Christian non denominational. What do you think?

B) AMONG CHURCHES THAT MOST CHRISTIANS CONSIDER AS SECTS

1. How will you think we have to proceed with those Christian Sects (Christians Scientists, Jehovah Witnesses, Mormons, etc.) that deny the Trinity (one in three persons and three in a single person) once we understand it? Can you have confidence in the trinity?

A) Are there any other factors that determine whether a Christian Church is often a Christian Sect?

2. How do you feel we have to proceed with an ecumenical dialogue with the Christian Scientists?

3. How will you feel we have to proceed with a more active dialogue with the Jehovah Witnesses, particularly when their belief dictates that Jesus, The Word, and God are completely separate beings, but in the Jehovah Witness's own Scripture it states in John 1:1a "In the beginning the Word was, and the Word was with God". WHEN I understand it from my interpretation of their Scripture it seems to indicate that Jesus and God are one, but as well two separate beings as well, which contradicts the basic Jehovah Witness' doctrine. What do you think about this and other Jehovah Witness' doctrine?.

4. How do you feel we have to proceed with a far more active dialogue with the Mormons, especially when you realize that in the Book of Abraham in the Pearl of Great Price, one of the three books combined with the Bible that has equal authoritative status, you find that God told Abraham to lie, which suggests that, if this were true and even though God could do anything He wants, He would be going against His very own nature? In the Bible, it only states that Abraham lied without God being involved at all (Gen 12:12-13). How do you cope with this latter concern along with other Mormon doctrines.

5. Which Christian Sect would be most difficult to deal with?

6. What can we study from the Christian Sects? What do you think they can study from us?

7. Would a more effective way to create a more active dialogue with the Sects be to invite members of the Sects to a Christian discussion group, or a Bible study group?

8. Is it possible to disagree with someone and still respect their opinion considering the fact that you almost certainly are speaking from two different backgrounds?

9. What would your reaction be if someone said to you "Are you born again?"?
A) How do you look upon Salvation?

10.How else might you enhance Christian Unity among the Christian Churches?

1st Internet Question: IS ORGANIZATIONAL CHRISTIAN UNITY REALLY HAD A NEED TO HAVE SIGNIFICANTLY MORE EFFECTIVE SPITITUAL UNITY?

THE RESPONSES COME FROM 3 CHRISTIAN WEBSITES

1) Stephen says: Organizational unity is for me a complete no, no,. Spiritual unity can be an absolute necessity.

2) Corbin says: I feel it's important to have organizational Christian unity, but only when it leads to true Spiritual unity.

3) Tom says: Humans are social, yet we frequently fear organization. How come this so? Empowerment Through Education fear that which we need. Spiritual unity can only be accomplished if you have an organization which allows us ahead together and seek it. My understanding of organization is simply a defined space where everyone understands and follows exactly the same rules during that space. Without this common ground how do we create sacred space to share that which will bring about unity. Do we fear organization since it calls us to check out rules? Without rules spirituality is impossible.

4) Anne says: I are usually somewhat an anarchist and rebellious in mind and belonging to a church is actually problematic for me. I belong to one now and what brought me back was having small kids. I had the need to bring them up in the traditions and teachings of the church, feeling that I needed community support along with what I taught them. I guess I have already been very fortunate in that I haven't experienced any terrible horror stories as far as churches are worried, but I know of suffering due to some churches with church people going awry

5) Shirly says: Today we Jehovah's Witnesses are organized to handle Jesus' command to preach the good thing of the kingdom worldwide. We have been united spiritually in a way that no other group claiming to be Christian can compare. Regardless where you might go on the planet, Jehovah's Witnesses believe a similar thing doctrinally. We remain people with many differences concerning culture. likes, dislikes, etc. Yet we are a genuine brotherhood. We do not mix with the politics of the planet and do not use up arms against our brothers of any nation.

6) Jimmy says: I agree with Shirly about her organization, but I strongly disagree with her about her doctrine.

7) Barbara says: This is not a"one size fits all" issue. The solution to your question lies in the level of faith of the Christian. We all have been at different levels-the purpose of a Church organization is to give teaching, support, strength, and most importantly, fellowship by example, to those weak within their faith. Those folks who have a solid faith and have found the Truth have a stewardship toward those that struggle still to get the "mustard seed". We should answer the decision of our Lord and go where He directs us, to administer to His Sheep, our siblings in Christ. This may, or may possibly not be, in a Church organization. Actually we should all achieve Spiritual unity before organizational unity can be achieved.

8) Johnny says: This appears to be a movement towards a shallow unity at the trouble of truth, which may be based largely in part on the protest movements of the 60s and 70s. True unity must involve both an inner change of heart and life with doctrinal and practical uniformity.

2nd Internet Question: WHAT WOULD BE THE BIGGEST PROBLEM IN ORGANIZED CHRISTIAN UNITY - THE LORD'S SUPPER, BAPTISM, CHURCH
GOVERNMENT STRUCTURE, WOMEN ISSUES, BIBLICAL INTERPRETATIONS, THE PAPACY, ETC.?

1) Corbin says: I really believe it would be the Papacy because how does one cope with the infallibility of the Pope on moral issues.

2) Johnny says: That's really an interesting question, You've definitely picked a big obstacle for Protestants, Corbin, with papal infallibility. Especially because the Catholic Church condemned a lot of the Reformational ideas and reformists. Then there's the Evangelical's emphasis on being "born again" and all they mean theologically with that. On the main one hand, it is encouraging that the Episcopaleans and Lutherans worked out ways to accept one another in unity, in a position to supp together and administer all rites together. On the other hand, 20+ years of dialogue seems terribly long to resolve together two denominations that most of the world can't even tell apart. Personally, I believe they all need to recognize that there are plenty more grey areas of doctrinal interpretation than they realize. Thank you for the question that deals with a matter that is near my heart - the need for much more Unity of the Spirit between the brethern.

3) Melvin says: The pope has only been infallible because the 1800s and that was as the pope said he was infallible, which means nothing if he could be fallible. Besides, nobody knows what that means. I think that sharing communion is approximately the best that we can hope for.

4) Johnny says: Although it has never been stated until the 1800s, I believe the infallibility of the Pope was implicitly understood since the beginning of the Papacy.

5) Bernard says: The biggest problem for me is that organizational unity can never be real in heart, it must
by its nature be coercive.

6) Mary Anne says: I agree Berny. Organizations are naturally, static and ultimately death-dealing to the life span of the Spirit. Spirit moves. It really is fluid, dynamic, and changeful. Box it up in a pile of laws and statutes and codes and contracts and pretty soon it's dead as a doornail. Unity I do not support. Love and wonder and appreciation in diversity I do. Love your individualism. I am hoping it's contagious.

7) Morgan says: I recall a vintage saying which went "in essentials, unity; in non-essentials, diversity; in every
things, charity". I believe there is a lot to be said for that. I work ecumenically, and I find that valuable and worthwhile. But ecumenism, and for example, multi-faith understanding, has never been about seeing what is the cheapest common denominator which to base a spurious unity, but an appreciation of the diversity of faith and the celebration of that diversity, alongside a recognition of where we can connect with one
another whilst retaining our differences.

8) Jane says: For me personally, the largest obstacle to any kind of human unity is the humans themselves. I don't have to look further than my own front door to see that. So far as Christian unity goes, it seems that the next biggest obstacle to unity may be the definition of what this means to be Christian. I have seen so many definitions of this and it can be quite confusing.

9) Debbie says: The principal problem with Christian unity is that of differing traditions/doctrines/and/ beliefs. Each of them cannot be correct; however, they all could be wrong, but it's impossible for all to be right regarding the nature of God and Salvation.

10) Mary Jane says: I have to agree with those who say that disunity in the understanding of Scripture is probably the biggest problem in the form of unity. Listening to Empowerment Through Education about what this verse means and what that verse means makes one believe 99% of folks have bitten the apple if you know what I mean. That's, suffered the effect of a kind of self pride that enticed us to eat of the tree of the data of good and evil and today we all seem to think we are gods and we can decide what's right and wrong and why is one a Christian and what can't possibly make one a Christian, and what is or isn't essential to believe. Another term to spell it out this is original sin.

11) Herbert says: Jane, your feet are not only wet, you're really swimming now.

12) Samuel says: The only real Christian unity that may come will be at the end of time.

13) Clifford says: I believe the biggest problem would be looking to get everyone to agree on what is the correct thing to believe. There are so many various kinds of churches today because whoever started them had a slightly different idea about how something should be interpreted, and when another person agreed with him, it started a new church, So how do you get them all to believe the same thing?

14) Celeste says: I agree with Cliff. I think that is impossible, therefore i think we should try to build our unity on
love and respect despite the differences, which is something I believe can work, because we all want to love God and God reveal to love one another.

15) Corbin says: Another problem could be the meaning of Apostolic Succession. The Roman Catholics think that Apostolic Succesion just came from Peter, but I believe Apostolic Succession actually originated from all the Apostles in order that every Christian is representing Christ here on the planet with the Bible as our guidebook.

3rd Internet Question: ONE ANSWER TO CHRISTIAN UNITY MAY BE FOR CHRISTIANS TO ORGANIZE AN ECUMENICAL CHRISTIAN CHURCH WHERE THE CHURCH WOULD RECRUIT ALL CHRISTIANS, INCLUDING ROMAN CATHOLICS, TO BE MINISTERS TO WHOMEVER NEEDED HELP. WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER?

1) Jim says: This can be a nice idea. Unity is obviously what the world needs today. And the branches of Christianity started out with this idea in mind, the issue being that with each new one, even with the unification of Christianity in mind, it is just adding itself to the set of branches of Christianity. THE PLANET Christian Encyclopedia estimates that in 1900 there have been 2000 sects of Christianity whereas in 1990 there were 21,000. Almost 5 new ones every year.

2) Stephen says: My experience of ecumenical endeavors is that the mainstream churches generally work well together whilst recognizing our various traditions do create differences, but these can be a source of positive diversity and richness.

3) Corbin says: I'm a member of this type of church down within Argentina, and we're really one big happy family as far as Christian unity is concerned. Of course we've our family squabbles like all families do, but this is strictly in-house

4) Melvin says: Corbin, I believe this sort of church sounds like a dream. I've heard of other churches like it and I think that when we can get it to work in more places, it will definitely be a big step in the proper direction for your of Christianity.

5) Miichael says: I believe that would be a good idea. We Christians then could work a lot more efficiently in solving Global Issues.

The names of the commentarians have been changed to protect the privacy of the web contributors, but their comments are accurate.

AN AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

I was born in New York City in 1931, was raised on Long Island, graduated from Roanoke College in Virginia with a BA in Political Science, and from New York Theological Seminary with a Masters in Religious Education. I became a committed Christian in 1958, and following a period of time became a committed Ecumenical Christian. I worked as an accountant in a variety of companies for about 25 years in New York City, then moved down to Argentina and worked for about 21 years as a Business English conversationalist teacher with some of the top managers. I also became a Stephens Minister (trained counselor) while down here. I was married twice (the final to an Argentine), widowed once, no children, and one cat. If you want to contact me, you can write to me via ([email protected]).
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