Agency acts cautiously on Christian Churches Together
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Bishop William B. Oden |
Sept. 27, 2005
By Linda Bloom*
SEATTLE (UMNS) — In the
wake of concerns expressed by the historically black Methodist
denominations, United Methodists continue to take a cautious approach
regarding involvement in a new ecumenical organization.
Differing viewpoints
about the organization, called Christian Churches Together, were
expressed at a panel discussion during the Sept. 22-25 annual meeting of
the United Methodist Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious
Concerns.
While the United
Methodist Church has opted for provisional membership in Christian
Churches Together, the African Methodist Episcopal Church and African
Methodist Episcopal Zion Church have decided not to join at this point.
The Christian Methodist Episcopal Church is requesting observer status.
All four denominations
are part of the Commission on Pan-Methodist Cooperation and Union.
Noting that connection, the Commission on Christian Unity passed a
resolution recommending the Pan-Methodist members “act together in
respect to membership in the Christian Churches Together and that the
United Methodist Church take no further steps toward full membership in
the CCT in the absence of substantial concurrence by the other
denominations in the Commission on Pan-Methodist Cooperation and Union.”
United Methodist Bishop
William B. Oden of Dallas, the denomination’s ecumenical officer, told
United Methodist News Service that the church is committed to
traditional ecumenical structures but is also open to new entities.
The choice of
provisional membership, he explained, “affirms that a broader table is
needed in our time but also affirms continued close ties to the historic
black Methodist churches.”
The purpose of
Christian Churches Together is to draw closer together in Christ for the
sake of the world, according to the Rev. Wesley Granberg-Michaelson,
chief executive of the Reformed Church in America and chairperson of the
Christian Churches Together steering committee.
The National Council of
Churches represents only about a third of U.S. churches, and Roman
Catholics and most evangelicals and Pentecostals won’t join,
Granberg-Michaelson explained.
“For the sake of our mission and witness, we have to seek those broader avenues of unity,” he said.
Church leaders began
exploring the idea of a “broader table” in September 2001 and issued a
vision statement of Christian Churches Together the following April.
Since then, 31 churches and national Christian organizations — including
mainline Protestants, Orthodox, Catholics, Pentecostals and
evangelicals — have formally decided to join.
But a launch of the
organization was delayed last June “to continue the productive and
positive conversation with churches and organizations actively
considering joining,” according to a statement from the June 1-3 meeting
in Los Altos, Calif.
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File photo by John C. Goodwin Bishop Thomas Hoyt of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church is president of the National Council of Churches.
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Bishop
Thomas Hoyt oversees the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church in
Louisiana and Mississippi and serves as president of the National
Council of Churches. A UMNS file photo by John C. Goodwin. Photo
#05-649. Accompanies UMNS story #539. 9/27/05 |
The CME church is one
of those still on the fence, according to Bishop Thomas Hoyt, who
oversees the denomination in Louisiana and Mississippi and serves as
president of the National Council of Churches.
He believes that
Christian Churches Together will be good for a lot of people, “but for
the black church, there is still a sense of suspicion.” That suspicion
is based, in part, on concerns that some of the religious groups do not
recognize the ministry of women, have not sufficiently dealt with issues
of racism and social justice, and do not understand the black church
and “where we are hurting.”
The black Methodist
denominations have joined many ecumenical organizations, such as the
NCC, and Hoyt said he had trouble seeing the need to start another just
to “unite with organizations that won’t join with us (in the NCC).”
AME Bishop E. Earl
McCloud of Atlanta, a member of the Commission on Christian Unity and
chairperson of the Pan-Methodist commission, agreed with that sentiment.
“I am clear that
Christian Churches Together is going to weaken the National Council of
Churches,” he said. “I’m clear that another ecumenical body is going to
overflood an already flooded ecumenical landscape.”
McCloud referred to
Christian Churches Together as “a bunch of white men” with a
conservative agenda, but Granberg-Michaelson disputed that
characterization.
Established ecumenical
groups, such as the NCC, “are unable to be a place that is inclusive of
the wider Christian community,” Granberg-Michaelson said. “Millions of
Christians feel marginalized by that.” Creating a new table is the only
way to broader diversity, he said.
Oden noted that while
there are “many questions” about Christian Churches Together, the new
organization provides an opportunity to dialogue with groups the United
Methodist Church has never had an opportunity to dialogue with before.
At the same time,
United Methodists remain totally committed to the NCC and Pan-Methodism.
“We have no other choice because we’re family,” Oden said.
*Bloom is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in New York.
News media contact: Linda Bloom, New York, (646) 369-3759 or newsdesk@umcom.org
Audio Highlights
The Rev. Wesley Granberg-Michaelson: “We had not had sufficient dialogue.”
Bishop Thomas Hoyt: “The church has been keeping people in subjection.”
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Resources
Christian Churches Together
Commission on Christian Unity
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