Ecumenical Bodies Reveal Lack of Evangelical, Pentecostal Presence

NEW YORK – The largest ecumenical body of churches and two other church bodies held a symposium Saturday at the Interchurch Centre in New York to discuss challenges facing the ecumenical movement in the 21st century, one of which is the marked absence of Evangelicals and Pentecostals from the ecumenical table.

|PIC1|The World Council of Churches (WCC) along with the National Council of Churches (NCC) and the Armenian Apostolic Church of America welcomed to America Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia and moderator of the Central and Executive Committees of the WCC, with a. Dozens of leaders were in attendance from the Orthodox and Reformed faith traditions for the semi-formal discussion, Oct. 22.

The ecumenical tradition has historically consisted of mainline Protestant churches, as well as Orthodox churches, but does not include evangelicals and Pentecostals.

One panelist called the inclination to not include Evangelicals and Pentecostals indicative of a “disturbing isolation from the wider Church."

This is especially true when Evangelicals/Pentecostals represent the “fastest-growing” movements within the Church, said the General Secretary of the Reformed Church in America, the Rev. Dr. Wesley Granberg-Michaelson.

“Churches that are growing the fastest are not connected to the ecumenical fabric,” he said. “Pentecostals, evangelicals are no where to be found at our meetings.”

Granberg-Michaelson notes, however, that the groups that have rejected ecumenicalism have begun social movements of their own on the same issues that the Ecumenicals are known to care for.

The Micah Challenge addresses global poverty in a cross-denominational way, and Rick Warren’s new HIV/AIDS initiative tries to remedy the social ills behind the devastating disease. He pointed out that these are new Evangelical-backed movements.

|TOP|“A growing theological maturity and self-confidence is expressed in a strong missiological commitment that embraces a holistic Gospel... and engages such issues as poverty, HIV/AIDS, and environment destruction as expressions of faith,” he said. “Many evangelicals are articulating a fresh and compelling witness on issues once thought to be only on the ecumenical agenda."

The keynote address, delivered by the Rev. Dr. Samuel Kobia, the WCC’s general secretary, touched upon the same need to include other church movements.

Kobia stated that they must seek ways of "widening the fellowship so that laity and youth as well as Roman Catholics, Pentecostals and Evangelicals who have not played a part in the WCC may feel fully welcome."

The WCC head also touched on the question of relating to people of other faiths, especially clearing away misconceptions between Christians and Muslims and to communicate and defend the Gospel in an era of pluralism. There is also the challenge of engaging with a spirituality understood as existing over and against organised religion.

“I fear that the emphasis on ‘spirituality’ in religious discourse provides more enticement to battle-weary church leaders, and members, to retreat from social action and public controversy. Then, it might be that our theology and our practice will turn inward once more.”

Despite the various challenges, Kobia ended his address with his hope in God.

“God, in your grace, transform the world” is both his prayer and the theme for the WCC’s Ninth Assembly, to be held Feb. 14–23, 2005 in Porto Alegre, Brazil.

Speakers included Prelate of the Eastern United States of America of the Armeniam Apostolic Church, Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan; General Secretary of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., the Rev. Dr. Robert W. Edgar; Moderator of the U.S. Conference for the WCC & Ecumenical Officer of the Orthodox Church in America, the Rev. Leonid Kishkovsky; Associate Director of the Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Fr. Francis Tiso, PhD; and Executive Director of the Massachusetts Council of Churches, the Rev. Dr. Diane Kessler.







Rhoda Tse
Christian Today Correspondent