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US Christian leaders explore new ecumenical body
2002-100-4
4/19/2002
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[Episcopal News Service]
On April 4-6, a group of 37 religious leaders meeting in Chicago adopted a statement entitled 'Christian Churches Together in the U.S.A.: An Invitation to a Journey.' The statement is part of a conversation between Evangelical, Orthodox, Pentecostal, Mainline Protestant and Roman Catholic leaders about a new ecumenical organization for the 21st century which would include most of the Christian bodies in the US.
'In Baltimore on September 7-8, 2001, we met to pray, to listen and to seek the guidance of God on whether all who confess the Lord Jesus Christ as God and Savior according to the scriptures can talk together about how to share with the world our common confession of Jesus Christ,' the statement explained. 'We continued this prayerful conversation in Chicago on April 4-6 and sensed the Holy Spirit leading us to new possibilities.'
Lamenting that 'we are divided and that our divisions too often result in distrust, misunderstandings, fear and even hostility between us,' the document adds that 'our lack of faithfulness to each other has led to a lack of effectiveness on crucial issues of human dignity and social justice. … We lament that none of our current organizations represents the full spectrum of Christians in the United States. We long for a place, where our differences could be better understood and our commonalities better affirmed.'
“I found this second meeting very exciting,' commented Bishop Christopher Epting, deputy for ecumenical and interfaith relations for the Episcopal Church. 'There seemed to be lots of energy in the room around finding a new form of conciliar ecumenism for the 21st century, perhaps less bureaucratic, more flexible, and more inclusive than the structures we’ve inherited. The Episcopal Church will certainly want to continue to be part of this conversation.”
The statement invites 'all churches who confess Jesus Christ as God and Savior according to the scriptures' to join in the effort. There will be a follow-up meeting on January 27-29, at a site to be determined.
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