unitydiversity

Unity/Diversity Debate

    Debate has always been the context challenging the ecumenical spirit. It was true from the time of the first Church Council in Jerusalem (Acts 15) which argued about the need of circumcision for gentiles, to the 2000 General Conference arguing homosexuality. The heart and head of Christians on all sides of issues are taxed by polarities such as: truth at all costs vs. unity at all costs; competing integrities; how we know (revelation, epistemology); the one and the many; unity/diversity; compatibilists and incompatibilists, and the person's and group's comfort zone or feeling of vulnerability when faced with the challenges of boundary limits (--a boundary to enhance an identity vs. permeable hospitality boundary to open the group to others..
     We suggest some documents which help the process of discernment.
     John Wesley's Sermon The Catholic Spirit
     Common Ground - Roman Catholic A document advanced by Cardinal Bernardin to create dialogue around some of the church-dividing issues among Roman Catholics
     In Search of Unity - A document growing out of dialogues on how to handle controversial issues.    Dialogues were sponsored by our General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns among United Methodist leaders of varied persuasion.
     Unity is Possible A sermon given by the Archbishop of Canterbury Most Rev. George Carey at the General Conference 2000.
      One of the tools for discerning has been the Wesley quadrilateral: Scripture, Tradition, Experience and Reason. For a critical view of the quadrilateral, see William Abraham, Waking From Doctrinal Amnesia. See also The God We Never Knew by Marcus J. Borg for an alternative way to read scripture.
    An ecumenical insight is that discernment and action in controversial moral issues involve both scripture and eccelsiology (the nature of the church) Therefore, the NIC CCUIC is proposing a 2002 workshop with Bruce Robbins of the GCCUIC on Scriptural Authority growing out of In Search of Unity. Another GCCUIC resource is, One in the Bond of Unity. Let us know if you are interested in such a workshop.

UNITY AND DIVERSITY QUESTIONS These issues arise in both church and civil groupings. Religious pluralism, both between religions, and within religions, is a fact of life in American culture. E pluribus unum and in God we trust mottos on coins signal a complex relationship of diversity, unity, faith and civic association. Click here for instructive materials on this interface Mixed Metaphors: Religious and Civil

Church and State relations
are a specific context in America for ecumenical and interreligious diversity.

Faith based initiatives issue was addressed by the UM boards of Church and Society, Global Ministries and Council on Finance and Administration Guidelines 2001

Dominus Iesus - Vatican Document "Are all religions are equal?' The Vatican document illustrates the pendulum swings between the unity/diversity, universalism/particularism poles. The September 8, 2000 Methodist Reporter gives the reaction of United Methodist, Lutheran and Anglican church leaders. Methodist Reporter article on the Vatican Declaration To see valuable clarification on the document click Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago web page in Ecumenical Links (below). Other issues include debate within the Catholic church about authority and the relation to councils and bishops (see a book by John Quinn: Reform of the Papacy.

ANGLICAN RIFT OVER HOMOSEXUALITY

In 2003 the ordination of Rev. V. Gene Robinson to be bishop of New Hampshire caused a rift within the Anglican Communion because of his being openly homosexual. Whether this will cause a schism is unknown. But several Episcopal bishops and others started a network of those opposing this action. They state their position on http://www.anglicancommuniondioceses.org