But could Presbyterians tithe their Sundays to the Church of Ireland, i.e. go to the Church with the Anglicans rather than with their fellow-Presbyterians some five times a year? Could a member of the Church of Ireland reciprocate this ecumenical gesture or do likewise with the Methodists, worshipping with them on the occasional Sunday and also transferring the tithe of their support for the Church Missionary Society to the Methodist Missionary Society? Could Roman Catholics transfer a tithe of their support for Trócaire to Christian Aid? And sometimes buy and read the Church of Ireland Gazette instead of the Irish Catholic or Catholic Herald? Could Roman Catholic ordinands tithe their theological studies to another Church? In other words, could they study and live with Anglican, Orthodox or Presbyterian ordinands for a part of their course?
Source: Fr Michael Hurley - Christian Unity: An Ecumenical Second Spring? (Dublin: Veritas), p. 83-84, as quoted by Gladys Ganiel in her blog post "Fr Michael Hurley on Ecumenical Tithing", 5 November 2011, http://www.gladysganiel.com/irish-catholic-church/fr-michael-hurley-on-ecumenical-tithing/
Identificational Repentance
As for the non-indigenous leaders who grieve over the way elements of Christian civilisation have misrepresented Christ, like the British intercessors who came to Rukumoana Marae, they are found in increasing numbers living out the biblical practice of identificational repentance.
This is a neglected protocol that can open floodgates of healing. Identification, as used in this sense, signifies the act of consciously including oneself within an identifiable category of human beings. Sometimes modern peacemakers begin this process by organizing events and ceremonies in which representatives of offended sub- cultures have an opportunity to express regret and /or extend forgiveness.
While recognizing that the human story is filled with complex issues and that today’s generation has inherited the task of both honouring righteous ancestors and seeking forgiveness for ancestral sins, it is their hope that their children will not have to deal with the hatred and alienation that have marked the experience of this and past generations. The inclination of these people is to uncover the ancient and modern wounds of injustice, pride and prejudice and to heal them in a biblical way - that is to say without self-righteous accusation or dishonest cover up.
Source: John Dawson - "Ngā Tapuwae / Following in their Footsteps: Stories of the Indigenous Missionaries of the Pacific", Ch. 8 "Kaitiakitanga – The Guardians Arise"
From "The Porches Of Holly"
Dylan thought about how odd it was that even after Jesus was resurrected from the dead, He bore the scars that humanity pounded into His body. He pondered how God could carry the scars of angry men, yet release them from His judgment. 'Father, forgive them.' While men ripped the body of God to shreds, He submitted Himself to their sin, yet did not hold their wrongs against them. 'What kind of insanity was that?' Dylan wondered. 'If only I could do the same," he muttered.
Source: Traci Vanderbush - From her novel The Porches of Holly, as quoted on Facebook by the author on 18 June 2020
"Feet From Her Killer"
His daughter was murdered. This is why he sat down feet from her killer and forgave him:
The pair had last seen each other two decades earlier in court, but Lacy said Smith avoided eye contact with him then.
On this day, that wouldn't be an option. They would be sitting feet apart in a room at San Quentin prison, where Smith was incarcerated.
Following the mediator's lead, they each shared what they hoped to accomplish through the conversation.
As they both choked back tears, Lacy said three words that transformed both of their lives: "I forgive you."
Smith was in shock.
"It was almost like I didn't hear it. It's like he had to say it a couple of times for it to really register," he said.
Walking out of that room in San Quentin, Lacy felt "100,000 pounds lighter."
Source: Drew Kann - "His daughter was murdered. This is why he sat down feet from her killer and forgave him.", ESPN, 10 May 2019
https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/27/us/redemption-project-donald-lacy-christopher-smith-forgiveness/index.html
Ask Yourself:
We are almost at the end of octave of The Week of Prayers for Christian Unity🙏🙏🙏 which is dedicated to the meetings and prayers of Christians from different denominations💒⛪️💒 for the unity of those whose Jesus is the Lord.
Prayer for unity is also in the heart of TJCII however we see strongly the key role of Israel🇮🇱 and repentance😥 in the work of healing and reconciliation of the Body of Christ. These are elements which are sometimes overlooked in the ecumenical initiatives.
What we discover in the TJCI journey🛤🛣 is that the beginning of all reconciliation and unity work lies in humility, repentance and deep sorrow over the division💔😥.
❓Ask yourself: Is your heart weeping because the Body of Messiah is broken❓
Source: TJCII Europe - Posted on Facebook, 24 Jan 2020
The Bishop of Malta
Why did the Bishop of Gozo make this gesture? Here are a few thoughts:
1) Jesus prayed to the Father that Christians would be one in him and the Father is answering this prayer. (John 17)
2) There is a rising tide of Christians from all traditions whose passion is to offer themselves to see this prayer of Jesus become a growing reality in our day.
3) The Holy Spirit is breaking down barriers and opening up unimaginable possibilities.
4) This Bishop is simply following the example of Pope Francis.
Source: Ryan Thurman - "Signs of Hope: A Lenten Surprise", A2J Blog post on 2 March 2017, http://www.a2jphoenix.org/blog/signs-of-hope-a-lenten-surprise
Patty's Story
When I was a teenager I displayed my history and theology geekery to its fullest during Halloween. As everyone walked around in various levels of dazed sugar highs and dressed as alter egos, I would proclaim to anyone interested or listening, “Happy Reformation Day!”
It was on October 31, 1517 that Martin Luther posted his 95 theses on the door of Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. This simple act done by a Catholic monk and theologian was a pivotal act in history that sparked the Protestant Reformation. 2017 marks the 500-year anniversary of this event.
It was significant to me as a youth because I had undergone a reformation of my own. Against all odds as a Thai American, I grew up in a family of Christian faith. It’s estimated that there are only 300,000 Thai Catholics worldwide. Thailand is a Buddhist country and less than 5% of its population counts itself as something other than Buddhist. Thanks to French missionaries that came to Thailand in the 1700s, I count it a privilege that my family has worshipped at St. Xavier Parish in the heart of Bangkok for generations. I also need to thank my tenacious maternal grandmother who had the forethought to ensure one condition in my parents’ informal prenup - all of their children were to be raised Catholic.
I’m also a member of a living community of people who have had a sublime, metaphysical, faith experience. In some cultures, people refer to this as being “born again”. Whatever those connotations, I can at least affirm that it was a life-changing experience for me. In fact, it happened to me while I was in junior high. Since I attended a school that was grades 7-12, when I graduated, I was voted “most philosophical” as well as “most changed.” It’s a memory that is real, and deeply personal. It changed me then, and continues to shape who I am now.
For example, I love science fiction. I often think that I find this genre appealing because the idea of an alternate reality or a portal to another world isn’t so far-fetched to me. Even though I’m an intelligent, rational person, I touched, saw, and experienced something other. Not only do I believe in a God, I believe God is good and mysteriously powerful enough to care about me personally and still manage to handle the weight of the world.
It was after this experience that my faith and worldview began to expand beyond my Catholic upbringing. After meeting God in such a visceral way, I had an unquenchable thirst to know more about the God that I’d met. My family went through a lot of grief as they watched me go through a “rebellious” stage as I began to question things at the parish I attended, at my Confirmation classes, and in my family. I went through a vitriolic apostasy phase. At age thirteen I found myself sitting in the reference section of the city library reading extremely large, bound, hard copies of the Encyclopedia of Religion. I am thankful to many friends who invited me to different churches and youth groups of various non-denominational and mainline Protestant churches. That was my first experience with non-Catholic Christians and it felt foreign. It was in that environment of welcome while feeling a sense of alienation that I had an epiphany about a fundamental aspect of my Christian faith - I could own it. What did this Thai American have in common with Latin and German speaking, white, male monks like Luther or Augustine? Same God, same faith, same family, same tradition. I could own it like I owned my family tree.
Through providential circumstances I also attended a small evangelical Christian college in the Midwest. I was culture shocked in more ways than one. As a native Southern Californian, I learned the definitions of the words “cold” and “autumn”. I learned that “15 miles from downtown” meant something completely different in the Midwest than it did in LA. I learned that evangelical Christian culture is a world of its own and also imperfect. As I entered a new phase of apostasy with evangelical Christianity, I found myself making peace with my Catholic tradition. In an evangelical environment that I wanted to disown, I found myself taking refuge in Catholic liturgy that spoke to the inexpressible mysteries of faith in my heart. After much heartache and wrestling, I eventually made peace with my faith “families” both Catholic and Protestant.
The problem with this is that I feel like the child of divorced parents. Along with my personal journey, my love of history makes me aware of centuries of bad blood between Catholics and Protestants, Protestants and Protestants, Christians and Jews . . . The list goes on. I can’t disassociate myself from these traditions because I’ve been adopted into this family, and even if it’s not my fault that there are skeletons in the closet as well as skeletons paraded around public discourse, it’s my family and so I own it and take responsibility for it. And when I examine my own life, I know that I’ve been guilty of closing the door to keep those skeletons from view.
This makes me all the more grateful to be here in this time and place. Today, I write this from a hotel in Berlin, Germany. I have the privilege and honor of serving on the Board for Wittenberg 2017, a movement dedicated to reconciliation through prayer, repentance and unity. Rather than culminating in 2017, the goal is to be a springboard for healing and unity as we gather an international and ecumenical group comprised especially of Catholics, Protestants and Messianic Jews.
While there is a vast amount of diversity within the Church community, most everything that divided us in 1517 doctrinally is no longer an issue. Yet the Church today faces a new set of issues. It is still seen as fragmented rather than diverse, scandalized rather than transforming, hurtful rather than healing.
As we approach 2017 we are truly in a kairos moment. In Greek, “kairos” refers to a moment of indeterminate time in which something special happens. Growing up, preachers referred to pregnant women about to give birth as a kairos moment. Another example can be found in physics. This morning I read an article about the physics lab in Cern, Switzerland. Regarding the results of the Higgs mass measurement, there are scientists who believe that our state of the universe is at its least stable. That we are on the verge of a “phase change.” The article made the analogy to “supercooled water poised to freeze or superheated water on the point of boiling.” Like the pregnant woman analogy, one minute you’re pregnant and the next minute you’re not. That’s a kairos moment phase change.
What phase change will the Church undergo post-2017? That is a question I find myself dreaming about and imagining almost daily.
Source: Wittenberg 2017 - "Patty's Story", from the Wittenberg 2017 (US) website
http://www.wittenberg2017.us/pattys-story.html
A Reformed Theologian Honoring ... a Catholic Bishop
I want to share a simple story of friendship this month. One of my greatest joys in my work of ecumenism has been the deep and abiding friendships I have been afforded. One of my real friends is the well-known Catholic teacher and evangelist Bishop Robert Barron. If you do not know the ministry of Word of Fire I heartily urge you to tap into their many resources. Yes, it is Catholic. But it is a Christian ministry that exalts the Lord Jesus Christ and the gospel. Every Christian will benefit if you are humble and teachable.
I first heard Bishop Barron on Chicago radio about fifteen years ago. As I drove to preach at a church about twenty minutes from home each Sunday I listened to Fr. Barron. I was delighted by his Christ-exalting exposition of the Gospel text for the day. He almost always spoke directly to both my heart and mind. Later, I met Fr. Barron and a friendship developed. Fr. Barron and I have done presentations in many diverse settings, including Catholic and Protestant audiences. I have never shared a pubic meeting with him without being more determined to love Christ better. He once told me I was a Barnabas. I am not sure that is true but it gave me grace to continue in the work of teaching and encouragement.
Source: John Armstrong - November 2020 Friends Letter, 4 Nov 2020
https://mailchi.mp/f0592e0aa9ae/november-2020-friends-letter?e=4c0e810bbb
A Catholic Recognition of the Pope's Prayer Answered In ... a Protestant Church
On January 1, 1901, Pope Leo XIII prayed to the Holy Spirit. He sang the Veni Creator Spiritus by the Holy Spirit window in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. That same day, in Topeka, Kansas, at the Bethel College and Bible School, the Holy Spirit came upon a group of Protestants who had been praying to receive the Holy Spirit as the early Church did in Acts chapter two. Agnes Ozman prayed in tongues, and people began to welcome the Holy Spirit to work in them as in the early Church with healings, miracles, deliverance, and power to effectively evangelize and help people convert to Jesus Christ. This beginning of the charismatic renewal highlights its ecumenical nature that continues to be experienced over 100 years later. The commonly shared experience of being filled with passion and love for God has been a major way that the charismatic renewal helps bring Catholics and Protestants together to build relationships and learn to recognize many common areas of Christian living.
Source: Catholic Diocese of Arlington - "Our History" page, http://www.arlingtonrenewal.org/about.html
The Lutheran Church Repenting For ... the Lutheran Church
Norway's state Lutheran Church has condemned the anti-Jewish legacy of Martin Luther, the 16th century German theologian who started the Protestant Reformation.
In a statement issued Friday ahead of next year's 500-year anniversary of the Reformation, the Church of Norway's General Synod said some of Luther's writings were later used in anti-Semitic propaganda, including in Nazi Germany.
Noting that such propaganda was also spread in Nazi-occupied Norway during World War II, the synod said that "in the Reformation anniversary year of 2017, we as a church must clearly distance ourselves from the anti-Judaism that Luther left behind."
Source: Norway's state Lutheran Church - As quoted in "Norwegian church denounces Luther's anti-Jewish writings", YNET news, 25 Nov 2016, http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4884355,00.html
Pastors In Covenant, Austin TX
I’ve been in a Pastors in Covenant Group, with three black pastors and two white pastors. We spent about a year and a half listening to each other’s stories. We shed a lot of tears and made several apologies. In the end, we built a great deal of trust.
Source: Geno Hildebrandt - "I Want To Do More", Sermon on 7 June 2020
https://hope.org/sermons/2020/06/one-anothering-3/
Gozo, Malta
Yesterday, during the Ash Wednesday service in the Anglican church here in Gozo, we were all surprised, including the priest, to find out that the Catholic Bishop of Gozo had written a letter to us, and sent his secretary to read it on his behalf. In this letter the Bishop shared with us that during this season of Lent he was calling on all the Catholic churches in Gozo to take up a special Lenten offering that would go to the Anglican church to help with the very costly and necessary renovations of St. Paul's Church in Valletta where the Anglican church has been worshipping for 175 years. Can you imagine this? How did this happen when Catholics and Anglicans have such a painful past, each having deeply wronged the other and both historically viewing the other “with suspicion and hostility,”
Source: Ryan Thurman - "Signs of Hope: A Lenten Surprise", A2J Blog post on 2 March 2017, http://www.a2jphoenix.org/blog/signs-of-hope-a-lenten-surprise
Fr. Peter Hocken
One area which Rome for a long time did not recognize was the charismatic work for Christian unity, according to Fr. Peter Hocken, an English priest long involved in the CCR.
The Renewal was born ecumenical - the fruit of Catholics being prayed over by Pentecostals - and from the start went beyond the conventional theological dialogue model that came out of the Second Vatican Council.
Hocken calls this extra element “charismatic ecumenism,” because it involves discerning the action of the Holy Spirit in - and recognizing the gifts poured out by the Spirit on - other denominations. One of its “striking hallmarks,” he says, is “the radical equality of all those baptized in the Holy Spirit,” one that “requires a new formulation of our convictions.”
Source: Austen Ivereigh - "Jubilee in Rome highlights charismatic fruits in Francis’s Pentecost papacy", Crux, 3 June 2017, https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2017/06/03/jubilee-rome-highlights-charismatic-fruits-franciss-pentecost-papacy/
St. Ephrem the Syriac
The lessons scripture taught were simple and clear. God did not play favorites. His love was bigger than all the controversies people invented to divide and destroy: “Our Lord,” Ephrem reminded anyone who would listen, “spoke gently to teach his followers the power of gentle words.”
Source: Joseph P. Amar - St. Ephrem the Syrian – “Harp of the Holy Spirit”, The Maronite Voice, 21 June 2019
https://www.maronitevoice.org/articles/2019/6/21/st-ephrem-the-syrian-harp-of-the-holy-spirit
Andrew
Andrew later told me that everything in him resisted making such a confession. He feared he would lose the respect of the congregation and destroy his credibility as a pastor and preacher. But as he had prayed about it, several Scripture passages had come to mind and moved him to go against his feelings and do what he knew was right.
Of course his confession had exactly the opposite effect from what he feared. Instead of diminishing his congregation’s respect for him, his humble obedience to God catapulted him to a new level of credibility and trust in the eyes of the people God had called him to serve. In fact, years later when visitors asked what kind of pastor he was, his people would often describe this incident as an example of his character.
Once again, Jesus made good on his promise: “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 14:11).
May God help each of us to remember Andrew’s example the next time we’re tempted to conceal, deny or minimize our own sin, and to trust God’s promise to bless those who humble themselves under his mighty hand.
Source: Unknown
Fr. Symonds
Father Symonds was to be the first Catholic priest to give a sermon at Ballymena’s Methodist church for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity Jan. 18-25.
“I love working here,” he said. “I’ve made great friendships, both within my own congregation and within the Protestant communities. Members of the Presbyterian Church have been particularly supportive of my ministry. I am convinced that I am doing what God has wanted me to do.”
Source: Catholic Review - "English priest receives awards for work in Northern Ireland", 5 Jan 2008, http://www.catholicreview.org/article/faith/vocations/english-priest-receives-award-for-work-in-northern-ireland
Concrete Expressions of Repentance
From a story of revival in Möttlingen in 1844, with Johann Christoph Blumhardt:
In Möttlingen there was little of the emotionalism of most religious revivals - no exaggerated proclamations of wickedness or public avowals of repentance. What happened there was too quiet and sober for that. Pierced to the heart, people from all walks of life were suddenly able to see themselves in all of their shabbiness, and felt compelled from within to break out of old ways. Most significant, this movement went beyond words and emotions and produced concrete expressions of repentance and forgiveness. Stolen goods were returned; enemies were reconciled; infidelities were confessed and broken marriages restored. Crimes, including a case of infanticide, were solved. Even town drunks were affected, and stayed away from the tavern.
Source: Johann Christoph Arnold - Why Forgive?, pp.172-173
Chip Gaines
Our family wants to fight for a world that knows how to lovingly disagree. We believe it starts when we operate from a position of love in all things. If your position only extends love to the people who agree with you, we want to respectfully challenge that position. We propose operating with a love so real and true that you are willing to roll up your sleeves and work alongside the very people that are most unlike you. Fear dissolves in close proximity. Our stereotypes and vain imaginations fall away when we labor side by side. This is how a house gets unified.
Source: Chip Gaines - "Chip's New Year's Revelation", Magnolia Market, 2 Jan 2017, https://magnoliamarket.com/chips-new-years-revelation/
Buzz Leonard
It reminds me that we can learn from one another if we don’t condemn a person based on their opinions. For example, I know these two guys who are great friends. One is a Calvinist, the other an Arminian. They’ve been friends for 20+ years. The one thing I’ve noticed is that they really enjoy learning why the other has come to form their belief. They’ll agree to disagree without demonizing the other friend. Civility does that... Love does that. Guys, Stay the Course!!!
Source: Buzz Leonard - Posted on FB, 7 Feb 2020
Catherine of Siena
620 years ago, April 29 1380, CATHERINE of Siena died. In 1970 she was made a Doctor of the Church, an uncommonly bestowed title for a woman. What many do not know is that she was a major ECUMENICAL figure in the 14th century, authoring hundreds of letters appealing for UNITY in the church. Her appeals were addressed to Pope, bishops, and civic leaders. She did not suffer fools gladly, calling out the chicanery of manipulative political and financial schemes among church authorities. We should celebrate her today, and pray that women like her be raised up in our time to lead in a church caught in the grip of its own institutional dysfunction, not least in the arena of women's roles. St Catherine, pray for us!
Source: Ut Unum Sint (Facebook Group) - Posted on the Ut Unum Sint Facebook page, 29 April 2020