The Tribune

By BISHOP SIMEON HALL

Some years ago, a local church leader declared that there are more than 4,000 Christian churches scattered across this Commonwealth nation.

Of these 4,000 Christian churches, each has two or more preachers in the top leadership serving God’s people.

The vast majority of churches throughout this Bahamas carry out a fundamental purpose – Present Christ, the Risen Lord, to the world in a fashion that enables all people to better themselves socially, economically, morally, spiritually and environmentally.

That is the Christian Church’s mandate regardless of its denominational expressions.

When we read the history of the churches of the Apostolic era it is abundantly clear that Christian unity was a major priority that they pursued with much determination.

The Church in our Bahamas should ask itself, ‘How can a divided Church help to redeem a divided broken society?’

Ecumenism – The predisposition of a church or churches to engage in dialogue with and provide ways to engage in social actions with other churches.

It is safe to state that the average adult Bahamian who attends a particular church was not born into that church.

Religious freedom is strong in this country.

My mother was a Baptist, and my father was Pentecostal. As an infant I was christened/dedicated in an Anglican church. My first school was Catholic. I made a confession in a Brethren church and started preaching in a Baptist church. Indeed, for me ecumenism has always been the theological prism through which I have experienced God.

Jesus prayed “that they might become one” and it is clear that this prayer uttered by the Lord and Christ has not yet been answered.

Theologian Reinhold Niebuhr in his classic book “The Social Sources or Denominationalism” makes the telling commentary that most Christian denominations have their genesis in social, political and racial issues, rather than theological ones.

Recently I heard about a mega church in the US which suffered an irreparable split because they could not agree where to place the new rest room. Where is the spirit of love and reconciliation in that kind of ecclesiastical debacle?

Ecumenism means that churches may sheath their swords by which wounds are caused towards one another and instead work together.

In the 1990s, when we served the Bahamas Christian Council, there often was a push in that direction by that high religious body, stating “our doctrinal emphasis over dress or liturgical nuances need not impede our collective social works to the poor, the least, the lost and the left out.”

I recall the story of how a little girl some years ago was mistakenly wounded by gunshots in an area just off Wulff Road. We called our response “zones compassion”. We were successful in getting about 12 churches representing different denominations to give several hundreds of dollars to assist that little girl.

Our historical traditions might be different, and our methods of worship may be varied, but until and unless we accept that the omnipotent God must not be reduced to the smallness of our denominational insularity, we will have a divided Church. Our division is so pronounced that it impedes our Christian witness about peace, reconciliation and brotherhood.

It is time for the leaders of the Christian churches in the Bahamas to begin an interdenominational conversation on ways we can be more effective and ecumenical in our approach to National Development.

The latent religious animosity, disdain and suspicion we hold towards each other is clearly unchristian and not the spirit of Christ.

Personally, I am a Christian by my faith in the risen, living Christ. I am a Baptist by tradition. But I also embrace conversation and fellowship of other Christians especially their Leaders.

“Iron sharpens iron,” says the Word.

The God of the Bible is a global God so His Church must be global.

A church which believes it is singularly God’s gift to the Bahamas will soon see that God will not share His glory with anyone. I have seen items in the liturgy of non-Baptist chronicles that I found inspiring and informative.

The Protestant Reformation was a critical, perhaps even necessary juncture in Church history.

Ecumenists are questioning if it went too far to the right. All extremes are dangerous. As a church, we are challenged always to strive to never become like the wrong we protested and were successful in replacing.

Martin Luther, Soren Kierkegaard, John Calvin, St Augustine, Rudolph Bultmann, C S Lewis were all firm in what they believed; but in other writings they made room for verbal intellectual intercourse with others.

Generally speaking, the denominational divide is more social that doctrinal or theological, and that indeed is sad.

I have had much success with the class “The Call and Science of Preaching.” Hundreds of individuals from various Christian churches have attended this 10-week course in homiletics.

I usually challenge students to know as much as possible about their individual denominations. I also like to prompt their thinking and cause them to engage in passionate discussions.

The divisions in the Church are historical. But in search of biblical relevance we should lead the way with examples of how incidences of difference need not stop us from coming together to help a wounded human being on the side of the road.

The highest point in Christian worship takes place when partakers of the bread and the cup – in a cathedral, a chapel, a home or in a dungeon – when we eat and drink, we remember what Christ did for us all.

We must make room for those who believe in Christ as we do, but their way of expressing their belief is different. When we do that then the spirit of ecumenism which Christ predicted will begin to be embraced by our communities.