WCC Officials Look
At Macro-Ecumenism
By Al Colombo
As the world gets smaller and the political and military powers of the earth take steps to further integrate for collective security and global economic gain, no where is the advance of "internationalism" and "globalism" as obvious and blatant as the religious Christian community.
Traditionally, Jesus Christ, the Son of God is at the core of the Christian faith and has been so for nearly 2,000 years. Recently, however, Wesley Ariarajah, a Methodist seminary professor at Drew Theological School, New Jersey, stated that it's time to embrace all religions and to dispense with the traditional ministry of the narrow road. In its place, Ariarajah has suggested that ministers preach an earthly salvation where the road to God is wide with many alleyways and allowable detours. Ariarajah is a native of Sri Lanka and a former official of the World Council of Churches.
Last October, Ariarajah spoke to the United Methodist General Board of Global Ministries, at which time he urged the group to shift from a traditional Protestant stance, where Jesus Christ is center to salvation, and accept other non-Christian religions.
"Ariarajah's speech was unusual, as it explicitly rejected the traditional Christian concept of missions as evangelistic ... [Ariarajah] said the first shift is a move from exclusion, which emphasizes the centrality of Christ, to inclusion, which acknowledges the truth found in other religions" (UM Action Briefing, Winter 1998-1999).[1]
Perhaps Ariarajah attended the World Council of Churches' eighth assembly, the Jubilee Assembly, held last December between December 3rd and 14th in Harare, Zimbabwe. According to Alan F.H. Wisdom, author of Flirting with 'Macro-Ecumenism', published in Faith & Freedom, Winter 1998-1999, the theme of "bigger than Christ" was on display, although it did not play a prominent role.
According to Wisdom, high ranking officials of the WCC appear to embrace the same philosophy, which was evident in Mary Ann Lundy's address to the May 1998 Re-Imaging Revival. He quotes Lundy as saying "We are learning that to be ecumenical is to move beyond the boundaries of Christianity," Lundy is former deputy general secretary of the WCC,[2]
Another interesting quote presented by Wisdom comes from a work by General Secretary Konrad Raiser's book To Be the Church: Challenges and Hopes for a New Millennium. As follows:
"'...the exclusivism of parochial consciousness grows to a large extent out of religious beliefs, including Christianity.' He lays out his ecumenical agenda: 'Like all religions today, Christianity is challenged to reassess its long-standing exclusivist claims and to contribute to building a new culture which values and sustains plurality.' Raiser does not state what those pernicious "exclusivist claims" might be; however, one suspects they might include the affirmations of 'one Lord, one faith, one baptism' upon which the ecumenical movement was originally founded."[2]
| Acts 20:29-31 Before He ascended into the heavens, Jesus Christ told his apolstles, "For I know that after I leave, fierce wolves will come among you, and they will not spare the flock. And the time will come when some men from your own group will tell lies to lead the believers away after them. Watch, then, and remember that with many tears, day and night, I taught every one of you for three years."[3] |
[1] UM Action Briefing, Winter 1998-1999, A newsletter for United
Methodists, 1521 16th St. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036, phone 202-986-
1440, fax 202-986-3159, e-mail mtooley@ird-renew.org.
[2] Flirting with 'Macro-Ecumenism', Alan F.H. Wisdom, Faith & Freedom,
Winter 1998-1999, Institute on Religion and Democracy, 1521 16th St., N.W.
#300, Washington, D.C. 20036, phone 202-986-1440, fax 202-986-1440, e-
mail mail@ird-renew.org.
[3] Acts 20:29-31, Good News For Modern Man, American Bible Society,
1966, New York.
