World Christian Meeting

Published by The National Herald, May 16, 2005

World Christian Meeting Cites Obstacles To Religious Unity In 'Fragmented' World

AGIOS ANDREAS, Greece May 15 (Associated Press)- The "evil spirits" of violence and religious intolerance continue to hinder efforts for greater cooperation between Christian churches at a crucial time when the faith is being influenced by growing African and Asian congregations, a statement from a global gathering of more than 700 clergy, theologians and activists said Saturday.

But delegates at the weeklong conference, organized by the World Council of Churches, failed to reach consensus on the text of the final message. A WCC panel meeting next week hopes to complete the document the group's most sweeping assessment on the future of Christian dialogue in nearly a decade.

The draft statement acknowledged the serious differences between the dozens of mainstream Christian denominations and other evangelical movements in "a fragmented and broken world." But it noted that the meeting held at a seaside site northeast of Athens managed to bring together one of history's most comprehensive assemblies of Christians to discuss common goals.

The conference was represented by the core of the WCC membership, including Protestants and Christian Orthodox. Also present were delegates not fully in the structure of the Geneva-based group: Roman Catholics, Pentecostals and evangelicals.

"It is a source of pain to us to recognize that God's mission is distorted by the divisions and lack of understanding that persist among the churches," said the draft document.

It did not cite specific rifts within Christianity, but called attention to the Holy Land clashes between Israelis and Palestinians.

Conference speakers, however, touched on many of the fault lines across Christianity: quarrels among Protestants, tensions over aggressive proselytization by some evangelical missions and disputes between the Vatican and Orthodox churches on issues such as outreach in the former East Bloc.

"There are evil spirits, too, active in the world as they are in all our communities and in all our histories," the text read. "These are spirits of violence, of oppression, of exclusion, of division, of corruption, of self-seeking, of ignorance, of theological failure and of fearful silence in the face of injustice."

The message also noted a significant change under way for nearly all mainline Christian churches: stagnation in traditional cradles in Europe and North America and rampant expansion in Africa and Asia. Conference participants said the full force of the shift could be felt in coming decades with new models of worship and greater emphasis on social activism, fighting AIDS and anti-poverty measures.

"We stand now at a particular moment in the history of mission," the draft document said. "While their centers of power are still predominantly in the global North, it is in the South that the churches are growing most rapidly."

The WCC includes more than 350 member Christian churches and is one of the leading organizations promoting Christian unity and dialogue. The Vatican is not a full member, but collaborates on many WCC panels and initiatives.



Volume 7 Number 20 - Tuesday, May 17th, 2005	A Publication of the ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN LAITY