I see a Catholic monk from the hills of Kentucky standing alongside a Baptist evangelist from the streets of Los Angeles and together offering up a sacrifice of praise.
Source: Emmanuel Katongole & Chris Rice - Reconciling All Things, p. 275
Duane's Story
It’s hard to believe it has been three decades since that memorable church service. At the time I was a young youth minister and I remember the steady stream of phone calls flooding our church office. Caller after caller asked the same question: “Is it true that Henri Nouwen is speaking at the Presbyterian Church in Santa Ana?” “Yes, at 7:00 this coming Sunday evening,” our church receptionist Maggie kept responding.
What was striking about the surge of phone calls was that they weren’t coming from our church members or Presbyterians in Southern California. They were coming from Catholics. The callers’ first response to hearing that Father Nouwen was in fact speaking on Sunday evening was a quick, “Great!” But nearly all callers followed with the same second question: “Why is Henri Nouwen speaking at a Presbyterian church and not a Catholic church? He IS a Catholic priest after all!” Maggie graciously answered, “You’ll have to ask Father Nouwen that question.”
On the Sunday Henri Nouwen was scheduled to speak, our pastor explained in the morning worship services that seating would be limited for our special evening service as we expected a large crowd. Henri Nouwen had just returned from his extended time in Latin America and our church was one of the first churches in the United States where he would be speaking and sharing his experience. On the church patio that Sunday morning were a lot of perplexed Presbyterians wondering who this Catholic priest was and why was he speaking at our church.
I was not perplexed. Our Associate Pastor Bob had introduced me to Nouwen’s work and Bob was instrumental in bringing Nouwen to our Presbyterian church. I was excited and in awe that I would meet Father Nouwen, having read many of his books. I was deeply moved and influenced by his book Wounded Healer. The book profoundly influenced my thinking about being a servant leader. Decades later two quotes still resonate within me:
For one man needs another to live, and the deeper he is willing to enter into the painful condition which he and others know, the more likely it is that he can be a leader, leading his people out of the desert into the promise land. For we are redeemed once and for all. The Christian leader is called to help others affirm this great news, and to make visible in daily events the fact that behind the dirty curtain of our painful symptoms there is something great to be seen: the face of Him in whose image we are shaped.
I arrived early to the Sunday evening service and was glad that I did. Lots of people arrived early in order to ensure a seat. I took a seat with friends and they commented that there were a lot of “new” faces at the service. My friends remarked that they suspected the majority of the new faces were Catholics. We were delighted to see such a variety of people in church.
As I observed the people with the “new” faces I noticed two things: 1) Their faces looked unhappy; and 2) Most of them sat with their arms across their chests as if they were holding onto something internally. I happened to know lots of happy Catholics and none of them sit with their arms across their chests. It was clear to me that any unhappiness experienced that evening centered on the fact that they were displeased that Henri Nouwen had chosen to speak in a Presbyterian church rather than a Catholic church. He WAS a Catholic priest after all.
But I also observed the faces of Presbyterians seated throughout the sanctuary. They didn’t seem comfortable in their familiar pews. They had the look of perplexity, uncertainty, and diffidence, as if their faces involuntarily blurted out “What is going on here? I’m not sure I’m comfortable with this.”
The church was packed that Sunday evening. People who arrived late had to stand in the back. Into this odd mix of people and emotions our Pastor welcomed all, introduced Henri Nouwen, and offered a prayer. Father Nouwen then rose and in his gentle, humble, and gracious manner shared of what God had shown him in Latin America, what God had impressed upon him, and as a result, his increased sensitivity to the work of the Holy Spirit in his and others’ lives.
As Henri Nouwen spoke the atmosphere in the church changed. Metaphorically speaking, an awakening dawn interrupted the evening service. Into the darkness of discomfort and distrust beamed a transforming light. Into the cool air blew a warm breeze of faith. Onto the unhappy and perplexed faces of those gathered that night emerged smiles like sunrises spanning across the sanctuary. By the end of the service there were no arms across chests, but rather arms extended and hands clasped, Catholic to Protestant, brother to sister. We concluded the evening by singing, “We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord,” and for many of us gathered that evening, it was our first experience of what that Oneness could look like and feel like. It was powerfully inviting, energizing, and unforgettable.
The memory of that service is vivid three decades later. The decades have taught me that God’s power is real and accessible. Therefore it is NOT hard for me to believe that the Spirit of God can remove barriers, heal wounds, upend history, transform hearts and communities. That night, and many others since, have convinced me that the work of Wittenberg 2017 and its call to prayer, repentance, reconciliation, and unity is a worthy pursuit and holds the promise of being a transformative experience. It prompts me to recall another quote of Henri Nouwen from Wounded Healer, when he wrote: It is exactly in common searches and shared risks that new ideas are born, that new visions reveal themselves and that new roads become visible.
Source: Wittenberg 2017 - "Duane's Story", from the Wittenberg 2017 (US) website
http://www.wittenberg2017.us/duanes-story.html
From Conflict to Communion
“The meeting in Lund stems from a process of dialogue spanning several decades,” said the Rev. Michael Bjerkhagen, official chaplain to the king of Sweden. “A milestone in this process was the document, ‘From Conflict to Communion,’ signed in 2013. In this document Lutherans and Catholics express sorrow and regret at the pain that they have caused each other, but also gratitude for the theological insights that both parties have contributed.”
Source: Catholic News Service - "Sorrow and joy: Marking the Reformation with honesty about the past", 28 October 2016, https://cnstopstories.com/2016/10/28/sorrow-and-joy-marking-the-reformation-with-honesty-about-the-past/
2017
With respect to 2017, [Catholics and Lutherans] should renew their effort with gratitude for what has already been accomplished, with patience and perseverance since the road may be longer than expected, with eagerness that does not allow for being satisfied with the present situation, with love for one another even in times of disagreement and conflict, with faith in the Holy Spirit, with hope that the Spirit will fulfill Jesus' prayer to the Father, and with earnest prayer that this may happen.
Source: Lutheran - Roman Catholic Commission on Unity - Conflict to Communion: Report of the Lutheran - Roman Catholic Commission on Unity, p. 88
Eastern Orthodox Response to The End Of Protestantism
Given that I am Orthodox, I can't follow Leithart's vision for the future of the Church. But the notion that the unity of Christians is unacceptably utopian and that Christian division is something to be celebrated is foolish. Christians believe in more than contingent historical circumstances cementing division. Christians believe in the immanent providence of God, animated by the Holy Spirit, who overcomes the sin of man in order to create a new humanity in Christ: and Scripture absolutely reviles disunity. That there is disunity doesn't entail that we should be reconciled to it, any more than pervasive sexual immorality entails that we should reconcile ourselves to it because of the sinful tendencies of fallen man.
Source: Kabane - Youtube comment from "Kabane", an Eastern Orthodox believer, in response to Dr. Peter Leithart's preview of his new book, The End of Protestantism
https://youtu.be/jUYFftPlfyI
Revealing The Wound
The extension of Pope Francis’ trip to Sweden by one day to accommodate a papal Mass for the nations’ Catholics does not detract from the ecumenical power of the trip, but actually highlights the need for Christian unity, said the general secretary of the Lutheran World Federation.
Initially, Pope Francis had planned to make a day trip to Sweden Oct. 31 to take part in two ecumenical events launching a year of commemorations of the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. But at the urging of local Catholics, the pope decided to spend the night and celebrate Mass Nov. 1 before returning to Rome.
The Rev. Martin Junge, general secretary of the LWF, told reporters at the Vatican Oct. 26 that the Lutherans fully understand the desire of Catholics in Sweden to have Mass with the pope and the pastoral responsibility of the pope to fulfill that request.
“Of course,” he said, “it is also going to reveal that we are not yet united; it is going to reveal a wound that remains there” since the divisions between Catholics and Lutherans mean that in general Eucharist sharing still is not possible.
While Rev. Junge and other Lutheran leaders have accepted an invitation to attend the Mass, the fact that they will not receive Communion “is going to be a strong encouragement to continue working toward unity,” he said.
Source: Catholic News Service - "Ecumenical papal trip will also show pain of division, Lutheran says", 27 Oct 2016, https://cnstopstories.com/2016/10/27/ecumenical-papal-trip-also-will-show-pain-of-division-lutheran-says/
Olivier-Maurice Clément
Olivier-Maurice Clément (1921-2009) was one of the foremost Orthodox theologians of the 20th century. He actively promoted the reunification of Christians (he was friends with Pope John Paul II), dialogue between Christians and people of other beliefs, and the engagement of Christian thinkers with modern thought and society. As a history professor, he taught at the Louis-le-Grand lyceum in Paris for a long time. As a professor of the St. Sergius Orthodox Theological Institute (Institut Saint-Serge) he became one of the most highly regarded witnesses to Orthodox Christianity, as well as one of the most prolific. He was a founder of the Orthodox Fellowship in Western Europe, and was the author of thirty books on the life, thought and history of the Orthodox Church, and their meeting with other Christians, the non-Christian religions and modernity. He was responsible for the theological journal, Contacts, and became a Doctor honoris causa at the Institute for theology in Bucharest and at the Catholic University in Louvain.
Source: New City Press - Author page for Olivier Clément
https://www.newcitypress.com/authors/clement-olivier.html
George Miley on OM's Ships
Both during my years in India and those with the ships Logos and Doulos, I found myself in a different church most Sundays, often as the speaker. As a team, we felt a strong sense of unity with and submission to the churches we visited. There were times with the ships when we had a clear idea of the kind of program we wanted to arrange in a particular port city, but local church leaders asked us to adjust it. We always honored their requests. As long as we were in that city, we were part of the body of Christ there. We would never intentionally do our own thing.
While in a port city, we ministered with our brothers and sisters from the churches there. Local believers translated for us in the conferences and evangelistic events. They greeted the visitors to the ship. They served with us in the kitchen, engine room, and other non-public areas. They were part of our prayer meetings and group devotional times. We experienced God together, moving in and through us.
Sometimes hundreds of them came to the quayside just before the ship's departure to say goodbye. It was not unusual for the tugs to be slowly pulling the ship away from the quay while people on the shore and on the ship waved to each other and wept softly. We had been joined together in the work of the kingdom for only two to three weeks, and yet an incredibly powerful bond had been established between us. Doing ministry together tends to do that. We knew indeed that we were one family, one body.
Source: George Miley - "Loving the Church, Blessing the Nations", Ch. 13 "Apostolic Organizational Structures", pp. 143-144
German Lutherans
[Pope Francis] encouraged Catholics and evangelicals to work “to overcome the existing obstacles” by persevering with “insistent prayer” and “every [other] effort,” including “intensifying the theological dialogue and reinforcing collaboration between us.”
...
He recognized that progress has been made “in the spirit of reconciliation,” adding that the churches are working together “to seek the way forward to an even greater Eucharist fellowship.”
[Bishop Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, the chairperson of the Council of the Evangelical Church (Evangelische Kirche in Deutschland, abbreviated E.K.D.) in Germany] said the issue has been raised in the various dialogues with the Vatican. Cardinal Marx confirmed this effort at a press conference in Rome with the German evangelical leaders that followed the meeting with the pope. He said both sides are working together “to figure out if we can reach a common line.”
Source: Bishop Heinrich Bedford-Strohm - Bishop Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, the chairperson of the Council of the Evangelical Church (Evangelische Kirche in Deutschland, abbreviated E.K.D.) in Germany, as quoted by Gerard O'Connell in "German Evangelical Church issues historic invite to Pope Francis", America : The Jesuit Review, 6 Feb 2017
http://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2017/02/06/german-evangelical-church-issues-historic-invite-pope-francis
What brought Methodist, Anglican, and Catholic leaders together in Malaysia?
It all began with the case of the missing pastor.
On the morning of 13 February, Raymond Koh was exiting a highway in the leafy suburb of Kelana Jaya just outside of the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur.
A widely circulated CCTV clip appears to show what happened next. A convoy of black SUVs and motorcycles is seen swooping down on his car and boxing it in by the side of the road.
Then, several men jump out and run to Mr Koh. There is a flurry of activity, and the convoy moves off - along with his car. It is allegedly the last time anyone sees him.
...
The heads of Malaysia's Methodist, Anglican and Roman Catholic churches attended a prayer service for Mr Koh last week.
Source: BBC - "A missing pastor and the disappearances chilling Malaysia", Tessa Wong, BBC News, 12 April 2017, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-39252139
Russell Moore
Conservative Christians, and especially Southern Baptists, must be careful to remember the ways in which our cultural anthropology perverted our soteriology and ecclesiology. It is to our shame that we ignored our own doctrines to advance something as clearly demonic as racial pride. And it is a shame that sometimes it took theological liberals to remind us of what we claimed to believe in an inerrant Bible, what we claimed to be doing in a Great Commission.
Source: Russell Moore - "How Martin Luther King Jr. Overcame ‘Christian’ White Supremacy", TGC - The Gospel Coalition, 2 Feb 2015, https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/how-martin-luther-king-jr.-overcame-christian-white-supremacy
Hanna's Story
My name is Hanna Zack Miley. My father’s name is Markus Zack. My mother, Amalie Zack, was his second wife. For the last 73 years of my life, I have not seen my father. I could not embrace him. The only material object that I could touch, and physically connect with him was the gravestone of his first wife located in the Jewish cemetery in Gemünd. On June 23, 2013, that changed.
When I first laid my fingers on the smooth granite that my father certainly touched decades earlier, it was early in my journey towards forgiveness and reconciliation. Rightly would my father and mother have also had gravestones in the Gemünd cemetery. But they had no gravestones at all. They were Jews in Nazi Germany.
In the winter of 1938, our little family of three moved from Gemünd to Cologne. I am not sure if we left under duress or voluntarily, looking for anonymity in a big city.
In Cologne my parents saved my life by placing me on the Kindertransport, number 8,814 of 10,000 Jewish children allowed to leave Germany. In 1942, they too left Cologne on a train – but not one bound for Great Britain, where mine had taken me. They went to the Jewish ghetto in Lodz, Poland. Unknown to its inhabitants, this ghetto was only a stage in their eventual extermination. Markus and Amalie Zack were gassed to death in nearby Chelmo. There was no gravestone. There was no grave. Their bodies were unloaded into a pit, only to later be dug up and burned. Their ashes scattered in the forest fulfilled the chilling promise that, “The Jews will make good fertilizer.”
Now it is June 23, 2013. I am on the stage of the Kurpark Hall in Gemünd. Four hundred Germans in the hall are celebrating the opening ceremony for the 800th anniversary of the founding of their home town. I am anticipating something special, because they have asked me to stand with my husband George as F. A. Heinen, a local journalist, walks towards us holding in his hands a wrapped, rectangular object.
On this Sunday afternoon, I have already been recognized as the patron of this meaningful celebration. I have already seen the only known photograph of my father projected on to a large screen – the camera capturing a moment of dignity before the Jews were ejected from Gemünd. I have already heard a German high school student read his name aloud, in honor rather than in horror. I have imagined tracing his name carved into his Stolpersteine, a brass paving stone that will be laid in front of his house, our house, on the main street of Gemünd, so that any passerby who stoops or kneels can read, “Died, May 3 1942, Chelmno.”
George and I stand on the stage, the wrapping paper is whisked away from the mysterious object and F. A. Heinen, a big burly man, cannot hold back his beaming smile as he hands me a framed document. What is it? Heinen is the author of numerous books detailing the history of the region under National Socialism, and in his research sifting through the district’s archives, he discovered a document, a rental agreement for one of the many pieces of land my father owned in the area.
My father’s signature jumps towards me as I look down at the copy of the document.
A signature uniquely represents the person. I already possess a poem my mother quoted when her pen touched the page in the autograph book belonging to Ruth, a fellow Jewish survivor from Gemünd. Eight years ago Ruth tore out the page and gave me the poem with my mother’s actual signature. Now it has been joined by this flowing script displaying my father’s identity. His hand is strong, the lines firm and confident. I am lost in wonder as I consider the late-in-life gift of a second material connection to my father.
I think about the courage of the local group, composed of students, teachers, business people, retired citizens, government officials and the Roman Catholic and Lutheran churches. They have researched and planned for months to honor the former Jewish citizens of Gemünd by placing their story at the center of the 800th anniversary. I think about the pain they must have experienced digging down into the evil of their own story, and I marvel at God’s mercy, that He would visit Gemünd with such healing mercy. Just moments before, I had read in German my carefully prepared speech to the citizens of the home town which expelled me as a seven year old girl. Holding my father’s document, the words I had spoken now take on deeper significance:
I am here representing the silenced Jews. For many years, there was a veil of silence, but in the last few years there has been a willingness to learn the truth about the past. I believe that the celebration today and the laying of the eleven Stolpersteine are public acknowledgements of the wrongs done by our ancestors. When such acts of repentance take place, they open the way for God’s healing, forgiveness and redemption. The darkness and evils of the past can be washed away, and we as citizens can stand upright, free from our burdens of the past.
As I consider the approaching anniversary of the Reformation and the commemoration through Wittenberg 2017 I believe there are valuable connections between the laying of the Stolpersteine and healing the wounds of division that have persisted throughout church history as well as other historical “spaltung” (division). Below are a few principles for reconciliation to consider.
The descendants of those bearing the guilt of past wrongs must take the initiative and lead in acts of repentance.
We who are the descendants of those who have been sinned against are uniquely placed to pray for the hearts of those who have wronged us. The love of God melts hard hearts. We must ask God for the miraculous gift of forgiveness.
A significant part of the story is personal relationships. The Lord led us to individuals from Gemünd's past and present and gifted us with deep, healing friendships.
Through 13 years of intercession there were many discouragements and failures but we slowly learned God's way of doing things. Now we stand awed by God's mercy.
Source: Wittenberg 2017 - "Hannas Story", from the Wittenberg 2017 (US) website
http://www.wittenberg2017.us/hannas-story.html
"A Catholic Spy"
Then I caught sight of a Catholic spy in the Protestant camp: a gold cross atop the pole of the church flag. Adoring Christ required using that symbol. The alternative was the froth. My gratitude to the Catholic Church for this one relic, this remnant, of her riches, was immense. For this good Protestant water to flow, there had to be Catholic aqueducts. To change the metaphor, I had been told that reliance on external things was a "crutch!" I now realized that I was a cripple. And I thanked the Catholic "hospital" (that's what the Church is) for responding to my needs.
Source: Peter Kreeft - Hauled aboard the Ark, http://www.peterkreeft.com/topics/hauled-aboard.htm
Peter Kreeft - Bridges
Ever since, I've found that this choice to come aboard the ark is just about the best thing I ever did. I've ever since thought of it as my main vocation, to build bridges between Catholics and non-Catholics. I was a signer of the Evangelicals and Catholics Together statement, and support that very strongly. I love somebody like C. S. Lewis whom almost all evangelical Protestants love, and almost all faithful Roman Catholics love. St. Augustine's another one; Catholics and Protestants both love him.
Source: Peter Kreeft - Conversion to Catholicism, Catholic Education Resource Center, http://www.catholiceducation.org/en/religion-and-philosophy/apologetics/dr-peter-kreeft-s-conversion-to-catholicism-part-2.html
School of Prayer
SCHOOL OF PRAYER will encompass courses online, prayer workshops and sessions/meetings to develop lay prayer spirituality that suits families and singles. Topics and themes will go around prayer, intercession, praise and worship and chanting, prophetic, creative expressions, meditation, contemplation, various traditional spiritualities’ prayer approaches: Desert Fathers and Benedictine with Lectio Divina and contemplative aspects, Dominican with the contemplative, Carmelite with the prophetic, supernatural and contemplative aspects, Jesuit with meditation and discernment aspects, Franciscan with mystical and creational aspects etc. New and Old expressions of prayer combined will bring a new sound of praise.
When we learn how to cultivate the Presence in our hearts which is the temple of the Holy Spirit, we can start communal worship practices of Liturgy the of the Hours (Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer, Night Prayer), Adoration with silence, singing Lectio Divina (also known as Worship with the Word in a harp and bowl model of prayer), Intercession, contemporary praise and worship with its charismatic/contemplative expressions.
Source: Stone to Flesh Community - School of Prayer page on the Stone to Flesh / MajorChange website
https://stonetoflesh.org/school-of-prayer
Adam's Story
I had never heard of the Wittenberg 2017 movement until just yesterday, when a friend from a church we used to attend in Austin, TX asked my wife and I to share our story among a small gathering of friends. You see, Julia is a non-denominational Protestant, and I a Roman Catholic - both of us practicing Christians, happily married for four years.
Having read Amy Cogdell's story, I am struck to my heart; the pain felt by our Lord over the disunion of the Church on Earth is an all-too-present tension felt by the two of us. Still, we continue to thrive in faith with Christ Jesus together, by attending both Mass and church services every Sunday together. Though we have few theological disagreements and rarely let our emotions over our beliefs conquer our tongues, we continuously pray for union and peace from God for the whole Church to overcome the powers of division.
Source: Wittenberg 2017 - "Adam's Story", from the Wittenberg 2017 (US) website
http://www.wittenberg2017.us/adamrsquos-story.html
Mateo Calisi
"Mateo Calisi…developed contacts in Argentina with local Evangelical and Pentecostal leaders, with whom a new body was formed; the movement known as CRECES (literally, Renewed Communion of Catholics and Evangelicals in the Holy Spirit). From the beginning, Catholic archbishop of Buenos Aries, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, SJ, now Pope Francis, supported CRECES. Cardinal Bergoglio played a regular part in CRECES gatherings, and was prayed over by leading Pentecostal pastors.... Pope Francis is the first bishop of Rome to have had regular and warm relationships with Evangelical and Pentecostal leaders. This closeness is reflected in the welcome given to Cardinal Bergoglio's election as bishop of Rome by a leading Argentinian Pentecostal, Dr. Norberto Saracco: 'Bergoglio is a man of God. He is passionate for the unity of the church—but not just at the institutional level. His priority is unity at the level of the people.'"
Source: Norberto Saracco - As quoted by Fr. Peter Hocken in Pentecost and Parousia, p. 69
Sagging Fences, Dilapidated Name Badges
The living God has reached into the post-Reformation Church and has begun tearing apart the sagging fences that have mapped our territories and discarding the badges that have named us. This is happening to the entire Church, and for that reason we should not be talking about the future of Protestantism but about the Church of the future. If we focus on the future of our particular enterprise, we perpetuate the tribalism we should renounce. If we rebuild what God is destroying, are we not transgressors?
Source: Peter Leithart - First Things, "The Future of Protestantism: The Churches Must Die to be Raised Anew", August 2014, https://www.firstthings.com/article/2014/08/the-future-of-protestantism
Growing Up w/ Living Side-by-Side
With the benefit of hindsight, Fr Magill (53), one of the region’s best known priests and a regular broadcaster and tweeter, thinks that his love for ecumenical endeavour stems from his upbringing in the religiously mixed townland of Ballymacilhoyle close to the international airport at Aldergrove.
“Where I grew up it was normal for Catholics, Presbyterians, Church of Ireland and Methodists to live side by side.”
Source: Martin O'Brien - "A Quiet Peacemaker", The Irish Catholic, 11 Dec 2014, http://www.irishcatholic.ie/article/quiet-peacemaker
What made them "one in heart and mind"?
On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David:
‘Why do the nations rage
and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth take their stand
and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed One.’
... Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. All the believers were one in heart and mind.
Source: Bible - Acts 4:24-30