In both the title and content of Tear Down These Walls, John Armstrong has penned a clarion call for unity in the body of Christ. He has spent the last several decades promoting and working for what he calls missional-ecumenism - by which he means an approach to reconciliation and unity that focuses on Christ’s mission of salvation for the world. John rightly points out that Jesus links the two in his prayer in John 17 - “May they be brought to complete unity, so that the world may know …” Here is a good distillation of his approach:
… I am persuaded this resurgence of interest in the imperative of our unity will lose its momentum if it is not vitally linked with Christ’s mission. This link can be found in missional-ecumenism, a model that brings mission and unity back together.
Tear Down These Walls began as a revision of John’s previous book Your Church is Too Small, but quickly became a new work - in many ways, a summary of his life’s work and thought. As such, it contains many stories of his journey from an up-and-coming Reformed theologian … to being confronted one day in church with his easy recitation of “one holy catholic church” … to walking away from growing fame into rejection and an uncertain career path … to finding his voice as a leading advocate in the US for missional-ecumenism.
These stories weave in and out of a careful presentation of his essential approach:
The importance of relationship first (against previous emphases on theology first)
The anchor we have in the Creeds, particularly the Nicene Creed
The problem of schismatic sectariarianism (as illustrated by the 44th-funniest joke of all time!)
The hope for a truly beautiful church to impact the world
The importance of a love for each other that is costly - “A theology of ecumenism is helpful, but love alone is indispensable”
Thomas met John Armstrong in Chicago in 2013, at the first Lasaunne Catholic-Evangelical Dialogue.
We at Christ the Reconciler should be encouraged, inspired and challenged as we read Tear Down These Walls. His practicality and emphasis on mission is a good balance to our more mystical approach that focuses on satisfying Jesus’ desire and preparing the way for the return of the Lord in glory. We have much to learn from John. I am grateful for this new expression of his life. Tear Down These Walls … Amen!