Ecumenism, a new word not found in older dictionaries, is the cry of the
day

Ecumenism, a new word not found
in older dictionaries, is the cry of the day. What does it mean? As it applies
to the Church it means a church of world-wide influence and scope. Ecumenism is
the spirit of the day attempting to reunite Christendom.

 

The Church, as man sees it, is
divided into many fragments such as denominations. These divisions have
occurred from basic differences in teachings from the Bible, various practices
in conduct, acts of discipline not acceptable to all, and a host of other
reasons. Each division serves to mar the unity of the outward testimony of the
Church. The lack of unity in Christendom causes shame to every humble Christian
as well as adds perplexity to the earnest inquirer. We can surely say with the
householder, "An enemy hath done this."

 

Many attempts have been made
toward Christian unity. Until recent years these have generally met with
failure and resulted in added confusion. However, in recent years various
national and world councils of churches have been formed giving a broad basis
for co-operation and partial unity of action. The apparent success of at least
a partial unity has been widely acclaimed as a great stride in Christian
brotherhood. We are supposed to believe that heaven is pleased with the progress
toward unity so far realized here on earth. Certain church mergers have been
consummated; others are in progress, and who knows what is in the planning. We
recognize all these mergers as efforts to make the church more world-wide or
ecumenical. The obvious end, when the goals are realized, will be a Babel-like
unity representing all Christendom under one head — not Christ in Heaven but a
presumptuous earthly vicar.

 

There is little cause for fear
that Bible-believing, God-fearing Christians will be ensnared in the more
glaring apostasies and the more obvious unholy alliances. Yet, we have
perceived "ecumenical movements" among just such groups of Christians.
The spirit of the day is one of uniting human forces, instead of casting
ourselves on God, in order to combat the influence of the National Council of
Churches and the larger World Council. Even these smaller church councils seem
willing to unite with too many in order to increase the power of their voice.

 

We have said little of the place
the Word and truth of God are given in these unitings. We rarely, if ever, hear
of an occasion where God-wrought repentance and confession of error form the
basis for such comings together. The common basis of merger seems generally to
be that a political face-saving is arranged by the hierarchy, and the doctrines
stated so broadly as to encompass both previously opposing views on various
issues.

 

Confessing, as we must, our part
in the failure of the Church as committed into the hands of man, we can only
lament all these compromises between truth and error, uniting the precious with
the vile, under light so dim as to make the difference between sheep and wolf
hardy perceptible. What shall we say, however, when the leaven of the spirit of
ecumenism has influenced some among the Lord’s people such that one
occasionally hears the plea to forget the past (and it does cause distinct
sorrow to review or remember it), letting bygones be bygones, and come together
or unite simply as Christians?

 

The history of the Church cannot
be reviewed without a sense of sorrow as to the many failures of God’s people.
But let us not be tricked by subtle conceit to think that our presence in
earlier days would have altered the course of events. We who are perplexed by
present problems are not in any wise inherently more immune to repeating past
failures than those who were involved in them. That certain separations between
Christians should never have happened, most readily admit. But it is another
matter to confess our part in that failure in much humiliation and repentance.
God in His sovereignty may see fit to bless such penitent confessors with a
true healing of some of the breaches of the past. But we cannot return the
testimony of the Church to the earlier pristine brightness and unity of
Pentecost. The word of God to Rehoboam as to the division between Israel’s tribes was, "This thing is from me" (1 Kings 12:24). Although not
pleased with the resulting division in itself, we are persuaded that God
allowed it. It also seems that the Lord will suffer the blemishes of division
to remain on the visible Church until He raptures His own to Himself,
presenting His bride then without spot or wrinkle or any such thing as
division.

 

In the
meantime, while He tarries, as we watch and wait, may our hearts be enlarged to
love and help all who are fellow members of that body while keeping our feet in
the path of separation and ourselves free from the spirit of the day — even
ecumenism.