The 16th Century Reformation changed the makeup of Christendom. Not only the ecclesiastical impact, but the geopolitical and cultural forms of Western Europe were affected as well. (Due to geographic distance and a disinterest in Western Christianity, the Eastern Orthodox communities were not affected by the Protestant revolt.)
Until recently, Roman Catholics and Protestants treated each other with indifference at best or open hostility at worst. On the Catholic side, evangelicals were thought to be dismissive of good works and indifferent to church history prior to the Reformation. (There is some truth to this latter notion on the part of Catholics.)
Changes in perception
Evangelicals, for their part, accused Catholics of worshipping the Virgin Mary and misunderstanding the crucial place that faith and grace occupy in salvation. Further, Catholics pay too much attention to the pope and the departed saints. However, by the mid-twentieth century, changes began to take place in the perceptions between the two groups.Roman Catholics and conservative evangelical Protestants often found themselves fighting the same enemies; the life issues – abortion and euthanasia; the attempt to redefine marriage and the legitimization of homosexual activity and the inclusion of secularism, pluralism and moral relativism in our culture and the public schools. (All of these issues should come as no surprise to evangelicals within the mainline denominations including the PCUSA. We have been engaged in this battle as well.)
‘Separated brethren’
Consider: Vatican Council II (1962-65) was the 21st council of its kind and followed Vatican I (1869-70). It was at Vatican II that non-Roman Catholic Christians were called “separated brethren.” Also, Vatican II encouraged Catholics to join Protestants in ecumenical Bible study groups. I have had firsthand experience in such an endeavor. I was for a time on the board of directors of Logos Ministries, which presents Bible study classes in Southern California and Arizona to more than 6,000 people per week. The classes are comprised of equal numbers of Catholics and Protestants and are taught by Bill Creasy, a Roman Catholic who was a professor at UCLA and considers the late respected evangelical Bible teacher J. Vernon McGee as his role model. Go figure.
In 1980, a group of Protestant, Roman Catholic and Orthodox church leaders, scholars and lay leaders met to address ethical, moral and spiritual issues that were impacting their faith communities. They took for themselves the name “Allies for Faith and Renewal” and sponsored a number of conferences; also, books were published reproducing presentations at the conferences. Included in their statement of faith is “we are Christians who want to work together for the cause of Christ.” In spite of differences of belief and church order, “as Protestants, Roman Catholics, and Orthodox we recognize one another as brothers and sisters in Christ.”
Colson-Neuhaus project
Evangelicals and Catholics Together (ECT) is a project conceived and directed by Charles Colson, an evangelical who founded Prison Fellowship Ministries and Fr. Richard John Neuhaus, editor-in-chief of FIRST THINGS, an ecumenical journal. The endeavor has led to five documents addressing issues of concern that all believers, Catholic and evangelicals alike, have in Christ. Joining Neuhaus and other Catholic leaders were a number of respected Reformed theologians, including Anglican J. I. Packer, Gerald L. Bray and Timothy George, both from Beeson Divinity School, the late Bill Bright of Campus Crusade for Christ, Harold O.J. Brown of Reformed Theological Seminary, and many others.
In 2003, the respected evangelical American Tract Society issued a tract titled, “The Road to Heaven: According to Catholic Sources.” It uses quotations from the New American Bible, which is a version authorized by the Catholic Church, and statements from the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The format is similar to the popular “Four Spiritual Laws” tract published by Bill Bright’s Campus Crusade for Christ. “Recognize that God is holy …. Acknowledge that man is sinful …. Believe that Christ alone paid for your sin …. Repent and trust in Christ alone for your salvation …. Live your faith by good works.”
The church I attend, Mount Soledad Presbyterian Church in La Jolla, Calif., has a ministry that serves the Christian community in greater San Diego. Its mission statement includes the following: “The San Diego Christian Forum is a ministry that will address issues impacting the local Body of Christ and the wider community as well. The forum will attempt to build up and undergird individual Christians and congregations, which at the same time present the Gospel to the unchurched. … The Forum will facilitate speakers, conferences and events in which scholars impact church and society. While the form of the message will be irenic and inclusive, the content will be orthodox Christianity – what C.S. Lewis termed ‘Mere Christianity.’ We are striving to develop closer working relationships with our Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox brethren so as to present a united front to the culture at large.”
Acton Institute
Another organization that brings together serious Catholics and Protestants is the Acton Institute in Grand Rapids, Mich. Founded in 1990 by Fr. Robert Sirico, the institute aims at educating religious leaders of all denominations in economic principles and in the connection that can exist between virtue and economics. It is named after the great English historian, Lord John Acton (1834-1902). Among the Board of Advisors are Ronald Nash, Reformed Theological Seminary; Rabbi Daniel Lapin, Toward Tradition; and Senior Fellow Marvin Olasky, editor in chief, World Magazine.
The long period of interaction with believing Catholics notwithstanding, I still believe the Reformation was a tragic necessity: tragic in that it fractured the institutional church; a necessity because that church had fallen into serious moral decadence and significant theological error. In discussions with Catholics, conversation need not lead to compromise; agreement on some matters does not necessitate agreement on all issues.
Concerning our approach to Roman Catholics, Donald Bloesch suggests, “We are called to build bridges where possible and allow the cleavage to remain where it cannot be overcome.” Finally, concerning denominational differences, the late Reformed pastoral theologian James Montgomery Boice said, “God’s people need one another … whether Baptists, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Roman Catholics, Pentecostals, Methodists, independents or members of any other denominations.”
Minimalist approach
Now as to the question suggested by the title of this essay: “Ecumenism” is a negative concept to many evangelicals. The term raises images frequently associated with “mainline” Protestant churches belonging to both the World Council of Churches and the homegrown National Council of Churches. These organizations are characterized by a minimalist approach to theology, which is a result of the inroads that modernism/liberalism has made in the mainline denominations; the social gospel replaces the good news of the New Testament.
But ecumenism can be under-taken in a positive way as well. Billy Graham worked with Catholics in New York and conducted a crusade in Budapest, Hungary, with the support of the local Catholic cardinal. Ninety thousand people attended and more than 25,000 responded to Graham’s invitation to receive Christ.
In June 1988, a renewal group in the PCUSA (Presbyterians’ Pro-Life) brought Mother Teresa to address the General Assembly. Using Scripture throughout her presentation, she spoke movingly about the evil of abortion. In June 1991, Cardinal John O’Conner visited the same gathering in the PCUSA. He spoke to the issue of AIDS and the homosexual lifestyle.
There’s irony here: a Roman Catholic nun and cardinal lecturing the descendents of the Reformation about the need to stand against moral declension. Can Presbyterians and Catholics make common cause? Yes, we already have.