At the last supper Jesus fervently prayed for his apostles and all those who would come to believe in Him through their preaching. \u00a0He prayed that they may be one, as He and the Father are one.<\/p>\n
Living in the South, all we have to do is drive down any road for five minutes to realize that the disciples of Christ today are not united. \u00a0We quickly observe a variety of churches along the road. \u00a0What a scandal, that the disciples of Christ are not one! \u00a0Division and at times open hostility exist between them. \u00a0These weaken the credibility of the Gospel message and are in direct contradiction to the prayer of Jesus. \u00a0Unity on the other hand strengthens the witness of the Gospel and follows Jesus\u2019 command that we may all be one.<\/p>\n
Last week the priests of the diocese gathered in Savannah for the annual clergy conference where Dr. Michael Root, a professor at Catholic University who specializes in ecumenism, gave a series of talks on Christian unity and dialogue. \u00a0Dr. Root began with a historical account of the major divisions in Christianity followed by the emergence of the ecumenical movement in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries when mostly Protestant missionary groups came together to coordinate efforts and unite in order to proselytize more effectively. \u00a0He explored the approach to ecumenism by the Catholic Church and her initial cautious involvement in the movement. \u00a0The Second Vatican Council opened the doors to ecumenism to Catholics while retaining the enduring doctrines of the Church, primarily that Christian unity already exists in the Catholic Church and that Christian unity requires unity in doctrinal teaching and church governance. <\/p>\n
Having participated for many years in Lutheran-Catholic dialogue and having actively participated in the elaboration of the Joint Statement on the Doctrine of Justification by the Lutheran World Federation and the Catholic Church, Dr. Root shared his had first-hand experience in dialogue between Christians. \u00a0This joint statement is a breakthrough in dialogue because both Lutherans and Catholics together professed that \u201cby grace alone, in faith in Christ\u2019s saving work and not because of any merit on our part, we are accepted by God and receive the Holy Spirit, who renews our hearts while equipping and calling us to good works.\u201d \u00a0Though Catholics and Lutherans expressed agreement on salvation, the document also describes where disagreement remains. \u00a0Dr. Root asserted that the challenge lies on how much difference we are willing to allow within the larger unity that exists. \u00a0In other words, is it permissible to agree to disagree on certain issues as long as the core doctrines are upheld by all? \u00a0This type of arrangement has already occurred in the history of the Church.<\/p>\n
Though he admits his theological work in ecumenism is like building canals in the desert while waiting for rain, Dr. Root expressed optimism in dialogue between the Catholic Church and certain Christians while great pessimism with others. \u00a0Ultimately Christian unity it is the work of the Holy Spirit present in his Church calling all those who believe in Christ to be one as He and the Father are one.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
At the last supper Jesus fervently prayed for his apostles and all those who would come to believe in Him through their preaching. \u00a0He prayed that they may be one, as He and the Father are one. Living in the South, all we have to do is drive down any road for five minutes to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2533,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-262","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n