Orobator, Agbonkhianmeghe E.

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Marquette Universitye-Publications@MarquetteTheology Faculty Research and Publications Theology, Department of6-1-1996The Legacies of the Reformation for ChristianUnity: The Church One and UniversalAgbonkhianmeghe E. OrobatorMarquette University, agbonkhianmeghe.orobator@marquette.eduPublished version. Hekima Review, No. 15 ( June 1996): 69-73. Permalink. © 1996 HekimaUniversity College. Used with permission.Agbonkhianmeghe E. Orobator was affiliated with Hekima College at the time of publication.The Legacies of the Reformation for Christian Unity: the Church One and Universal . f By Emmanuel Orobator, S.J. Introduction Our Afrkan elders say: Whoever picks up quarrel with the past will lose the future. In reflecting upon the Reformation of the Sixteenth century, I do not intend to quarrel with the past. My approach is simple. It is based On the insight that, in-stead of considering the Reformation as an unfortunate smear on the history of Christianity, it should be treated as an urgent contemporary invitation to commit ourselves to the quest for that Christian unity which has eluded us till now. The thesis which r defend in this paper is that we can draw from the ecclesiologies of the Reformation period some elements which are relevant to contemporary ecu-menical discussion. In using the term "Reformation" to refer to this period, I would like to use it independently of any ideological overtones, simply highlighting, instead, some of the religious dimensions of the period. And, unless otherwise specified, I will limit my reflection to the events and theologies which are associated with Protestant continental , Reformation. 1. An undeniable component in the motivations of the .iefoEI1.1Srs was the extraordinary thirst for an im-mediate experience of God. What is remarkable about all the actors who are tagged "reformers" is the unshakeable conviction that each one had of . . Background of Reformation · Ecclesiology a .divine call to live a. more authentic Christianity grounded on the Gospel; the conviction that he was acting within the con-fines of the church, the tme church of Jesus Christ. Hence I turn my refl~ction to the various ecclesiologies of the major reformers, in search for elements that can help us overcome the separation and division within Christianity. The conception of the church which Reformation theology inherited fromthe still-dominant medieval synthesis was that of a church construed as apelfectsociety, with it own sets of rules, and a visible hierarchical authority. Arguably, againstt~ebackground ofthism~die'lal synthesis, the fir~tdir~ct con-sequence of the Reformation was a different conception of the churc~ as an iwerior reality not to be confused with any humanly contrived entity, monopolized by a few individuals or groups of the upper classes of the ecclesiasticararistocracy. 2. Luther's Position 69 In the case of Luther, his doctrine of church was based on the insight that the church was tl1ework of the Holy Spirit. Ashe himself professes: . I believe that there is only one holy common Christian Church on Hekima Re/Jiew. No .. 1 'j, Tune1996 earth - This is nothing else than the community or gathering ofthe godly, believing men on earth which the Holy Spirit gathers, preserves Luther's inclusive profession has the merit of carefully blending the church conceived as a visible gathering of Christians with the idea of the '-"'''1\,0 the invisible effect of God's gracious and gratuitous initiative. For him, in this "assembly" is not to be determined by mere confessional adherence. why, on the basis of this criterion, "the Church is sola fide perceptibilis" only by faith). 3. Zwingli's Position terial Reformers". With Zwingli we must mention the alliance which he tOS:tpr, between the church as a Christian community and the <:;1I.l:>U. civil-political entity. His approach gave to the Malgl~;tra.tes;ol:t community an important role in shaping and directing 111'-' \.1 tian's life. For this reason, he and his followers are tagged Without further elaboration, I would simply like to draw attention to "the :>Cll~~ of community" which marked the Reformation in Strasbourg, Basel and But it is the conception of the church among the so-called Radical Reltormc~rsth"ltY merits a more detailed consideration. 4. The Radical Reformation Despite the diversity of orientations among the Radical RpjCror,"';'U// ers, we can also speak of a conception of church which they "~'~"""" in common, and which presents an ecclesiology with its tinctive ecumenical features. The Radical Reformers preached a reform which change .. in the ecclesiological basis of the community. The practical CllCL'l L'I ~.~~",' > reformed ecclesiology was the elimination of what they judged to be CII'LlI.lIlL)C ',-",9> church structures, and the emergence of simple, home-based churches study groups. Today we might think of such parallels in the emphasis prayer groups, or Small Christian Communities, or the local church. There are some elements in the spirituality of those Radical Reformers vn,"""n Anabaptists, which clearly point in the direction of a broad-based ecclesiology, the decisive implication ofa salvation available to all. In various forms, their rro.nr,O>"",,. " tion of salvation holds that even though infant baptism is unscriptural, and thus discouraged, God reaches out to save all children without discrimination. In tion, some Radicals showed remarkable appreciation for the positive religious ues inherent in Islam and Judaism. To this positive appraisal of God's universal salvific action, and of the of the Radical Reformers to the values of other religions, are to be added two points: First, how the violent persecution of the Radical Reformers served as a impetus to their zealous assumption of the missionary command contained in Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20), which enabled them to recover the origirlaF meaning of "ecumenical". Their missionary vision included an enlarged HVU:>'~l1'JiU of God, that is, the whole inhabited world. EmmanuelOrobator,SJ. Secondly, and perhaps more central to present-day discussion of ecumenism . and inter-faith relationship, is the remarkable attitlideof·universaL religious tolera-tion advocated by the Radical Reformers .. , .b.·. ased onth.·.e .•• be.lie. fthat fa ... I· •.. t .......... I .. 1 ... is .....•...•.•. ·.n .. ot coer-.· .. . . .. . .. . .. . . . . . . ... ,',~ .: .: .: . . .. :... .. . .... cive. For them, faith was a direct consequence of the immediate relationship be" tween the soul and God. 5. Calvin'S Position In theory, Calvin'sconct!ption of t~e .ch~rchpro"igt!T th~ll1()S~ compelling elements for an ecclesiology .t .hat emp~~c.:Tr\Vit~()1Jt qualification the entire body of believers. I would charactt!;izT~is ecclesiology as a 'maternal ecclesiology', since, for him, the ch~rch is universal mother to all believers under the common fatherhood of God. As he affirms in his Institutes of Christian Religion: The Church is Catholic or Universal.... All the elect of God are so joined together in Christ, that as they depend on one head, so they are as it were compacted into ore body, being knit together like its different members; made truly one ' by living togetherunder the same Spirit of God in one faith , hope, and charity. In line with other Reformers, Calvin makes a distinction between the invisible church, "as itreally is before God," and the visible church; "the body of mankind," all believers in God through Christ. The 'marks' of the latter being the proclamation of the pure word ()f God, and the administrationofthe sacraments, 6. Conception of Church: A New Perspective for Christian Unity What, then, are we to. make of this data obtaineci ffom various Reformation . ecclesiologies? It is my contention that this data fllrnishes fresh material for new approaches to Cl1ristian unity. Let us begin with at least one serious objection that could be brought against my elaboration of Reforrnation ecclesiologies. This may be articulated as the dichotomy between the theoreti-cal conception of the church, together with all its theological underpinnings, and the practical application of this doctrine. In other words, there exists an inconsistency between belief and practice in the positions of those who formulated the aforementioned conceptions of the church. The charge has been brought against them that they simply did not practice what they preached. Exam-ples could be multiplied, butthat of Calvinwill suffice. In many instances Calvin holds resolutely to the inexcusability of any break with the church, not even when defects are spotted. If he took such an uncompromising stand on the question of church unity, why did he himself break withthe church? The answer is not far-fetched. 'Church' meant what Calvin defined it to be, and this on the basis of his own doctrines and understanding of Christianity. Before falling to the temptation to treat this matter along polemical lines, I recall my proverb: Who-ever picks up quarrel with the past will lose the future. But it is to the credit of the Reformation that divergences in the area of ecclesiology are minimal when compared with those Which mushroomed in the domain. of doc-trine. In fact, one of the very positive legacies of the Reformation is the rather 71 l-/ekimf1 RpIJiew. No. 1 'i. Tunc 1996 Ecumenical SymposiuWt ' widely-held conception of the church as universal (or Catholic). In generaI,ythd different formulations of Reformation ecclesiology, as we have seen, are .unanifi1Phl§:ii in pointing out the catholicity of the church based on faith in God through Christa~~/;iJ the Holy Spirit. The tenets of this faith may be interpreted differently, but, ultimat<:ly, ) its most important characteristic is the membership in Christian fellowship which it furnishes to all believers under the common and universal parenthood of God; · The line of thought implied in the foregoing finds echoes in the ecclesiologygt/'\ the Second Vatican Council, which conceives the churchas the communion ofal1 .t~~i:;i people of God brought into unity by the mystery of the trinitarian communion; T(l<' sacramental sign and instrument of this communion with God and the unit)Tofall men and women. that I~h~h~sh~~~e i~in:o~~~e~=oi~;;~if~~o:~hti~~d e~~f~~~o~o;~~:l;r~;p:r~~~r~~s~~:~j authorities. Today, we readily affirm that there is an element of mystery inthei! conception, constitution and experience of the church which underlies its structural elements. Thus the church is an unfathomable expression of the mystery of God's will for his people. This awareness ought to mitigate the tenor of contemporary . ~~~~~o~~~s~e~i~v~; ~:i~~i~n o:h~~~~~~e;~:r ; :~~;!; l;;~~~ t~~V~e~~~~I~~~I:s~~~ ;j;i attention on the essentials of religion which unite, rather than on non-essentials .; which divide. Such was the ideal of Calvin, when he made a distinction betweenthe primary matters of religion and the secondary ones, even though he reserved to himself the prerogative of defining what belonged to each of these categories. . The attitude of univers~l religious tolerance promoted by the Radical Reform<7.E~ deserves special mention. In stark contrast to the contentious position of some()ft!i~ major reformers, some key figures of the Radical Reformation opted for a r<:ligious tolerance which extended beyond Christianity to the followers of Judaism and Tsl<im. The legacy of this virtue. is a lesson for Christians. One last point needs to be considered. It concerns the centrality of the Word?r: God. That it is vital for Christian unity is not in doubt. In all the divergent streams .of the Reformation, the importance accorded to the Word of God stands out as an unmistakable element of unity. The Reformation's emphasis on the pure Word of God as a prerequisite for the emergence and sustenance of any authentic Christian ;· community is in accord with contemporary emphasis. The Significance of this insight for Christian unity is immense, because, as orie commentator holds: ... . '. - . The true unity of the Christian Church lies in its divine source - Word and rather than uniformity of liturgy and polity.l . 'Benjamin Drewery, "Martin Luther," in Hubert Cunliffe-Jones, ed.,A History o!ChHstiall Docfline (Philadelphia, 1980), p.347; 1-l0b1rY1fl 1}O1l101l1 l\Tr\ 1::; T11np lOOt<. 77 Emmanuel Orobat01; Sf. Conclusion My position at the end of this brief survey remains the same as at the outset. I formulate it as follows: The various conceptions of the church in Reformation ecclesiology a)low for or, rather, facilitate Christian unity instead of remaining a perpetual block to it. Many reasons which I have advanced in this paper com-mend this kind of optimistic conclusion. I do not, however, subscribe to a na'ive expectation . that the elements treated here suffice to achieve automatically the hitherto difficult Christian unity. Ecclesiology is but one dimension of the total panorama, the theological implications of which are more complex than might be grasped from this paper. But the central point of my position is the need to work towards a more ecumenical examination. of Six-teenth centUlY theology as a whole. It as a contribution to this task, I submit, thatthis position paper derivesits significance. (Emmanuel Orohator is a Nigerian Jesuit in his tbird year of studies at Hekima College) Bibliography Calvin, John. institutes of the Chn'stian Religion. V.2. Henry Beveridge, trans. London: James Clarke & Co., Limited . '" '. .... .... '. '.. . . . Cunliffe-Jones, Hubert, ed. A History q{ Christian Docll'ille. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1980. Dulles, Avery. Models of /he Church . Dublin: Gill and Macmillan, 1974. Flannery, Austin , ed., Vatican COLlllcilll Tbe Conciliar and Post ConCiliar Docume11ls. V.I. Dublin : Dominican Publications, 1988. Hillerbrand, Hans J" .ed. The Rfifor1Jlatioll A Narrative HistOlyRelated hy Contemporary Observers alld Pm1iCzp(l1l/s. GrandRapids,Michigan : Baker Book House, 1978. Oriandis, Jose. A Sbol1 Histol)' of tbe CatholicCbilrcb. Michael Adams, trans. Dublin: Four Courts Press, 1993. Raitt, Jill, ed., Christian Spirituality Higb /lnddle Ages and Reformation. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul. 1987. \Villiams, George H. Tbe Radical Reformation. Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1962. 7~ T-/pkin1 f1 J(PIJiew No.1 "i. Tune 1996 

The Legacies of the Reformation for Christian Unity: The Church One and Universal

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The Legacies of the Reformation for Christian Unity: The Church One and Universal

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