Is Ecumenism Dead?

Question

ec·u·me·nism,
noun

- A movement promoting unity among Christian churches or denominations.

- A movement promoting worldwide unity among religions through greater cooperation and improved understanding.

Does anyone believe in this anymore? Could a major worldwide ecumenical movement help in a world so divided along religious lines right about now? Or is it just selling out to the infdels?

Answer 1

You can see it in subtle ways throughout Christianity. Most Protestant Churches use the Roman Catholic order of readings, it is called the Common Lectionary. The Methodist, Lutheran and Roman Catholic services are so close that when a nearby Methodist congregation accidently ordered a Catholic Missal instead of a Methodist Order of Service, no one noticed. The Evangelical Lutheran Church and the Catholic Church are seeking formal union.

The Catholics and the Orthodox are getting closer. It is the extreme partisans that don't want it, or people like the Patriarch of Moscow who are using it partly as a negotiating chip and partly for purposes of maintaining local power.

Answer 2

No, ecumenism is not dead. The issue that people quickly learn about this is that the same issues that prevent its advancement are the same issues that divided the church in the first place. That is, to unite we would have to iron out all of the different problems that each group has with the others, whether it's a preference or an actual heresy.

For example, when one Christian denomination prevents instruments in worship, how will they gain acceptance or assimilate into an ecumenical church? Another example is the protestant refusal to accept the leadership of the Pope of Rome.

Ultimately, the church--the true church--is broadly united along specific doctrines and beliefs, but loosely connected in terms of yeilding to a specific leader or body of leadership, and I believe that is for the good. Having one person or group deciding the style, method, practice, and teachings of the entire body is detrimental to the group as a whole, because it can never micromanage well enough to minister to billions of people.

So because of these reasons, ecumenism continually fails, despite the fact that well meaning people continue trying to see it succeed.


There is a way to unite people, though, and Scripture supports it. Someone with enough power has to impose one religion on the world. (See Rev. 13:7-9) Are those days coming?

Answer 3

No it is not dead. It should be, but it still lives. The idea is to unite all Christian-like religions into one. It sounds good, but it is not. We would all have to unite under the pope-that will not happen. This movement is interested in power alone, and not changing any wrong teaching in any of the apostate churches.

Answer 4

I think it has been largely successful amongst Lutherans, Episcopalians and some Old Catholics in Europe.

Answer 5

I sure hope so....it's of the Devil.

Answer 6

No, it is still alive.