Bible Student Ministries

Proclaiming the Herald of Christ,

as Bridegroom, Reaper and King

Ecumenism
One World Church
Catholic and Protestant, Modernist and Fundamentalist, Charismatic
and Conservative, the Christian church is splintered into numberless
subdivisions today. Christianity is a far cry from the simple united
religion of Jesus and his small band of followers.
The inspiring life of the Man from Galilee, his fantastic miracles and his
radical new religious concepts all combined to ignite a flame of
religious fervor in the hearts of his hearers. That flame was so intense
that after his death on the cross of Calvary, it erupted into a new
movement—the Christian church—based upon his teachings.
Despite rigorous persecution from both Romans and fellow Jews alike,
the fledgling movement continued to grow steadily and rapidly into
world-wide proportions. Except for a few scattered dissidents it was a
united body.
Some 300 years later, under the converted Roman emperor
Constantine the Great, Christianity became the state religion. With its
new political arm, the church assumed immense organizational power.
For the next 1200 years there was virtually one church with few
schisms of any consequence. Divisions were simply not allowed.
There was one world church. Church unity was a reality, but it was an
enforced unity, the unity of a totalitarian state. Freedom of thought
was repressed. Liberty of expression if it was divergent from
established orthodoxy was curtailed. The church was in a veritable
pressure cooker.

By 1517 expanding religious thought had built up a full head of steam.

It burst the bounds of what Martin Luther called "the mighty monolithic
church." Religious reformers appeared everywhere—Luther in
Germany, John Calvin in France, Huldrich Zwingli in Switzerland, John
Knox in Scotland . . . and many others.
The unified Christian church began to disintegrate into various
protesting—or "Protestant" denominations. Then these denominations,
in turn, began to divide over various disagreement concerning Biblical
interpretation. Then these again sub-divided, like some cancerous cell
gone wild, until we come to the over 800 denominations of the
Christian church that are in the world today.
The ever-escalating rate of division began to concern, and then to
alarm, many. By the 1840’s a new trend began—to reunite splintered
Christendom. After a particularly painful rupture in the Presbyterian
Church of Scotland, steps were initiated to prevent further divisions.
The first of these steps, in 1846, was the formation of the Evangelical
Alliance.
The Evangelical Alliance
This alliance represented some 50 major denominations and was
designed not so much to form a giant unified church as to encourage
dialog and co-operation between the various sects. Several other
developments, also during the latter part of the 19th century, created
both a desire for a more binding form of united church, while
simultaneously providing further divisive pressures.
MODERNISM: The rise of the twin philosophical concepts of
rationalism and humanism found their religious counterpart in
modernism. This concept removed the claim of inspiration from the
Bible. Substituting the theory of evolution for the doctrine of creation,
denying the pre-existence and virgin birth of Jesus, they replaced
simple faith in the Scriptures with textual criticism.
By removing the authority of the Bible as the inspired Word of God a
veritable Pandora’s box of new religious concepts was opened up. In
order to accommodate this flood of new ideas, liberalism was needed.
Former doctrinal differences were made to seem petty, and thus no
barrier for church union.
THE SOCIAL GOSPEL: The Industrial Revolution with its resultant
urbanization of society brought immense social problems to the
forefront. Such diverse injustices as child labor, rampant poverty, the
exploitation of the working classes became more and more apparent.
The stresses of industrialized living brought with it not only
psychological problems, but a rapid increase in divorce, immorality,
and social diseases brought with them the side-effects of unwanted or
orphaned children.
Christian leaders began to sense a certain responsibility to join the
battle to correct these inequities. This task of social uplift became the
dominant theme in the minds of many prominent Christian leaders.
The Bible-oriented themes of Scripture study and evangelism appeared
relatively inconsequential and increasingly irrelevant. The emergence
of this "Social Gospel" proved to be a tremendous spur to the cause of
ecumenism.
WORLD MISSIONS: World missionary results slackened noticeably in
the mid-19th century as a rising perception of social justice among the
non-Christian peoples of the world exposed the inconsistency of the
ideals of Christianity with the reality of the lives of many claiming to be
Christians. They were also disillusioned by the hopelessly divided state
of Christendom. This
"shame of division" was yet another prod to accelerate unity activities
on the part of the Christian community.
In the Western world interest in religion had rebounded from an all-
time low at the onset of the 19th century to a fever pitch some fifty
years later under the "Great Awakening" and the revivals of Dwight L.
Moody, Charles Haddon Spurgeon and others. Renewed missionary
efforts sprung up around the globe under the slogan "Win the world for
Christ."
INEFFICIENCY: The lack of efficiency inherent in such a Babel of cults
was curtailing the activity of organized religion. Not only did world-
wide evangelism and increased social services require great resources,
but an ever deteriorating relationship with the governments of the
earth dictated a regrouping of the Christian Church.
Further Steps Toward Unity
For all of these reasons, and more, a better vehicle was sought to
united the separated branches of Christendom.
In 1893 a World Parliament of Religions was convened. Not only were
the various elements of Christianity brought together, but also
Buddhists, Shintoists, Hindus, Moslems and other great world religions
invited. The aim was not so much unification, but open dialog to gain a
better understanding of the spiritual forces in a world growing
continually smaller.
By 1908 the International Evangelical Alliance had virtually dissolved.
A new alliance, the Federal Council of Churches, was formed with some
30 denominations. Modernist denominations held a distinct majority,
causing their more fundamentalist brothers to
form a parallel institution—the National Association of Evangelicals.
By 1950 the Federal Council of Churches regrouped once again under
the title National Council of Churches, and, world-wide, The World
Council of Churches.
No longer was the aim to merely seek co-operation between disparate
denominations, but to actively encourage, where possible, actual
organic union by merging various sects. The goals was to eventually
form one world church.
Theological discussion threatened to hinder this desired growth. Thus
theology was sidelined in favor of perceived more pressing needs such
as correcting the social inequities that were so rampant around the
globe.
The Social Revolution
Liberalism became Christianity’s creed. The vast financial resources of
this religio-political conglomerate became available for the financing of
the ongoing social revolution.
The social turbulence of the 1960’s furnishes a livid example.
According to the October 1971 Readers’ Digest, member churches
donated $10,000 to the Angela Davis defense fund, $25,000 for Black
Panther defense, $40,000 to assist a quasi-guerilla movement seeking
to establish a Chicano nation in the Southwestern United States and
$200,000 to the Black Manifesto movement.
The drive for efficiency led to the forming of comity committees of the
National Council working in certain localities with local zoning boards
to limit the issuance of building permits for new churches to those
designated by the council. In another area the Council sought the co-
operation of the electronic media to restrict broadcast time to material
approved by the Council.
The resultant conflict between activities in the political and religious
spheres reached a crisis point on June 30, 1955 when the National Lay
Committee of the Council of Churches, under the leadership of J.
Howard Pew, resigned en-masse.
In their letter of resignation they succinctly stated their reasons: "Our
Committee believes that the National Council of Churches impairs its
ability to meet its prime responsibility when, sitting in judgment on
current secular affairs, it becomes involved in economic or political
controversy having no moral or ethical content, promoting division
where unity of purpose should obtain,
nor do we believe that the National Council has a mandate to engage
in such activities."
While this phase of the ecumenical movement continues to progress, it
is interesting to note in passing that the more conservative, Bible-
oriented, fundamentalist churches, while protesting these ecumenical
developments, formed a federal of their own in 1941—the National
Association of Evangelicals. Some 40 denominations with one and half
million members are represented.
This group has formulated a statement of faith based upon the historic
creeds of Christendom to define the boundaries of its unity.
Still another, more conservative, ecumenical organization—the
American Council of Churches—contains only denominations which
are, in their entire membership, separate from the National Council.
The Bible View
So much for the history of these movements, what does the Bible have
to say on this important topic of Christian unity. The concern which
Jesus felt over the proper development of his church is noted in his
prayer just before entering the Garden of Gethsemane on the last day
of his life: "That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I
in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe
that thou hast sent me."—John 17:21
No greater motivation should be needed by Christians than this strong
desire of their leader and Lord. But it was not just unity for which Jesus
prayed. It was a particular kind of unity—"that they may be one as
Thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they may also be one in
me."
This unity was to spring from the indwelling presence of Christ in his
church, even as his own unity with the Father sprang from God’s
indwelling presence in the Son.
How does Jesus dwell in his followers? He himself explains how in John
15:7: "If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what
ye will, and it shall be done unto you."
The basis for this oneness, the basis for true Christian unity, then, lies
in the heart acceptance of the words and teachings of Jesus. A unity of
belief, a unity of Christian practice, is the glue that holds the Christian
community together.
In Amos 3:3 the prophet puts it simply: "Can two walk together, except
they be agreed?"
Two individuals from different geographical locations journey to attend
the same conference. They are both motivated by their common desire
in the same subject. The nearer they get to that conference the nearer
they get to each other. So it is with true Christians. Their goal, their
destination, is Jesus and a desire to be like him—Christ-likeness. They
begin their individual journeys at the same starting point, their
common interest in this important goal. The nearer they become to
that goal the nearer they become to each other. This is true Christian
unity—unity of purpose, unity of belief, unity of goal.
The only goal that will bring this type of unity to Christians is a
common goal to be more and more like Christ. To do this requires
study, the study of the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. This
study begins with one’s acceptance of Christ as their personal Savior
and goes on to learning about his life and then copying it. The only
authoritative place to study his life is in the book that tells about it—
the Bible, the Word of God.
Yet it can be argued that Bible study has done more to separate
Christians than anything else. The main reason for the many diverse
religious organizations today is disagreement over one point or
another of Scripture teaching. Some have suggested, therefore, that it
is better to skip over these matters of difference and get together over
the work and mission of the church.
Such union, however, is artificial. It is organizational and external only.
The unity of which Christ spoke, on the other hand, is spiritual and
internal.
Jesus himself told us that his teachings would be misunderstood. He
also told us why this would be so. When his disciples queried him as to
why he so often taught in parables and dark sayings, he answered:
"Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not;
and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand."—Matt. 13:13
In times of war embattled nations will send their secret orders in code,
not identifiable except through a decoding device. Thus enemy spies
may hear the orders transmitted but will misinterpret their real
meaning, while the intended recipient, decoding the message, will
both hear and understand.
So it is with the Christian church. Jesus communicates in the code
language of parables and prophecies, of types and symbols, confusing
and conflicting to many who hear but clear and very forceful to those
who possess the decoding device of the holy spirit.
Jesus promised his followers the holy spirit for just such a purpose in
John 14:26: "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Spirit, whom the
Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all
things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you."
The discernment of God’s will for his church would come through a
"renewing of the mind" as described by the Apostle Paul in Romans
12:2. "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by
the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and
acceptable, and perfect, will of God."
In order to have their minds renewed, the early followers of Jesus
understood the need to study the Bible regularly. The early church at
Berea were praised by Paul for such diligent study. "These were more
noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with
all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those
things were so."—Acts 17:11
Again, notice the admonition in 2 Timothy 2:15, "Study to shew thyself
approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed,
rightly dividing the word of truth."
The principle of Bible study which Paul hear suggests is called
"dividing"— "rightly dividing the word of truth." This implies that some
features apply at one time and some at another; that some apply to
one person or group and some to another; that some apply literally
and others symbolically.
The Doctrine of Salvation
It is for this reason that it is helpful for Christians to study the Bible
topically in addition to verse by verse reading of Scriptures. Follow one
subject throughout the Bible. For instance, let us look at the topic of
salvation.
The key to the doctrine of salvation lies in one simple statement in 1
Corinthians 15:22: "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be
made alive."
First of all, this tells us that the cause of all death lies in Adam.
Romans 5:19 adds to the thought: "For as by one man’s disobedience
many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be
made righteous."
It was, then, the sin or disobedience of Adam that caused death. The
contrasting results of that sin and of the righteousness of Jesus Christ
are brought to our attention in Romans 6:23: "For the wages of sin is
death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
To sin, therefore, is to die. To die is to cease to live, to slip into the
unconscious sleep of death where, as Ecclesiastes 9:5 says, "the dead
know not anything."
But God has a remedy for death. "For God so loved the world, that he
gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should
not perish, but have everlasting life."—John 3:16
The universality of this redemption is spelled out in John 5:28: "Marvel
not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the
graves shall hear his voice."
But all do not rise simultaneously. "But every man in his own order:
Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming."—1
Corinthians 15:23
"Christ the firstfruits" is in the plural and includes not only Jesus but
also his faithful followers who, because they were faithful to him during
the present period when evil predominates, will live with him in
heaven, as it is promised in Romans 8:17: "If so be that we suffer with
him, that we may be also glorified together."
But others—those who "afterwards" are "Christ’s at his coming"—will
be raised to live again forever on this earth. This dual nature of
salvation—one heavenly and one earthly—is attested often in holy
Writ.
"But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his
own body. . . . There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial:
but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is
another . . . As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as
is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly."—1 Corinthians
15:38, 40, 48
"Thy Kingdom Come"
This resurrection of the others—all others—will be in the time
Christians pray for when they repeat their fervent desire "Thy kingdom
come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:10)
This is the time during which Peter says all things will be restored,
calling it in Acts 3:21 "the times of restitution of all things which God
has spoken of by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world
began."
This is the time when, as we read in Zephaniah 3:9, God "will turn to
the people a pure language that they may all call upon the name of
the Lord to serve him with one consent."
This is the time described in Isaiah 11:9 when "they shall not hurt nor
destroy in all my holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the
knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea."
This is the time when "they shall learn war no more" and "every man
shall sit under his own vine and fig tree." (Micah 4:3, 4)
This is the time when "God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes;
and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither
shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed
away."—Revelation 21:4
In other words, this will be time for the rectifying of all the social ills
that have marred earth’s present society, This is the time when God
will accomplish the social reform that modern churches, uniting, are
trying to accomplish by themselves today.
The Divine Purpose
The divine principle is clear. This kingdom is God’s. This kingdom must
be established by God. It cannot be established by man, no matter
how well intentioned. It cannot be established by the Christian church
before the time God has ordained for it.
Christendom tried to establish this kingdom back in the days of
Constantine when they first united church and state. After completing
this union in the days of Charlemagne (800 A.D.) they instituted a
1000-year kingdom upon the earth—a reign of terror, of repression, of
inquisition, of persecution.
No kingdom devised by man, no matter how beautiful in theory, has
the power to fulfil the conditions of "Thy kingdom come." Legislative
attempts to end social injustice are certainly commendable; but as
man replaces legal injustice with "de facto" injustice the results are the
same. The point is re-emphasized. You cannot legislate paradise. Only
God can bring in the promised reign of peace because only God can
change the stony, bigoted, hearts of men for hearts of flesh—hearts of
love, hearts of compassion.
In the meantime the fear of political incursions of Utopias by
Communism, Socialism, humanism or any other "ism" continues to
push Christendom forward to compete with their own "ideal state,"
their own "new world order."
But the message of God’s word is in sharp contrast to the rush to such
ecumenism, to such organic joining of churches or states: "Say ye not,
A confederacy, to all them to whom this people shall say, A
confederacy; neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid. Sanctify the
LORD of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your
dread."—Isaiah 8:12, 13
To the true Christian, then, the Scriptures clearly teach that the
present mission of the church is the perfecting of the saints for their
future work of service, to develop in herself every grace, to be God’s
witness to the world, and to prepare to be kings and priests in the next
age.
Ecumenism in Prophecy
Seeing then what the Scriptures say about the unity of the Christian
church and its present mission, let us examine what the Bible has to
say about the future of the one world church.
The book of Revelation deals with matters of the end time, the period
just preceding the establishment of God’s kingdom on earth. This book
begins with the statement that it will show what the spirit "signifies"—
or tells in signs or symbols —to the Apostle John. The various object in
this book, therefore, are not to be interpreted literally, but as symbols
or pictures of prophetic truths. Once again the Bible speaks, as it so
often does, in code language waiting to be decoded by the holy spirit
with "Scripture interpreting Scripture In the thirteenth chapter of
Revelation we are introduced to a leopard-like beast that many
scholars of the Bible identify with an apostate church system.
Shortly another beast, this one with two horns, looking like a lamb but
speaking like a lion, rises on the scene and oversees the making of an
image to the first beast. He later gives it life and, with life, persecuting
power.
A mark of endorsement is then forced upon all people of the earth,
those not receiving this "mark" being forbidden to buy or sell. The
progression seems to be that an apostate church system would be
joined by a similar system which, though innocent in appearance,
would speak with the same oppressive authority. This similar, though
protesting system, would construct a third, united, system modeled
after—"in the image of"—the first system.
One 20th Century Bible commentator, Arthur S. Maxwell, a Seventh
Day Adventist, in his book Time Running Out put it this way: "Does this
mean that all professing Christians will return to the `mother church?’
By no means. There are many who, though fully in sympathy with the
reunion movement, will feel that they cannot go so far as to admit the
primacy of the pope. These will find their spiritual home in a non-
Roman, but pro-Catholic body, such as the
World Council of Churches.
"These two bodies . . . `Roman Catholic’ and `Catholic and
Reformed’ . . . will then move on in parallel courses, both so alike in
purpose and method that sometimes it will be difficult to tell them
apart. One will be the replica of the other; so much so that the
recalcitrant minority of Bible-loving Christians, looking from a distance
upon this much published `religious revival,’ will suddenly recognize
`the beast and his image’ so vividly described in symbolic and
picturesque language by the apostle John."
This same "unity movement" is described in Revelation 16:13 where
the same beast of Revelation 13 is seen in connection with the false
prophet (the image of the beast after it has been given life) and the
dragon, a symbol in Revelation of political power.
There, united, these three issue certain proclamations described as
being unclean, "like frogs." These have the effect of bringing the
nations of the earth into the Battle of Armageddon, the climactic battle
of the ages, which will fully introduce the blessings of God’s kingdom
of peace.
The final destiny of this great united church—joined with various
governments of earth—is shown a few verses later, in Revelation
16:19, when, during the final conflict, or last plague, the alliance is
broken into its three constituent parts—"and the cities of the nations
fell."
This break-up however, only serves to pave the way for the
establishment by God of that very kingdom which they sought to
establish without God.
The first feature of this kingdom will be to put down all opposing forces
of evil as described pictorially in Revelation 20:2 when Christ "lays hold
on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil and Satan, and
binds him a thousand years."
Then, with evil bound and sin removed, the work will begin of raising
the billions of earth’s dead—"all that are in their graves."
That this work will not be done by Jesus alone is attested in Revelation
20:4 where we see the followers of Christ, those who have been
figuratively "beheaded for the witness of Jesus" living and reigning with
him for the thousand years.
This will be the time when God will establish his one world church.
They will be the followers of Jesus—his "bride," his "church"—now
exalted with him in heaven. They will help their Lord raise the dead of
earth and instruct them in the laws and rules of that kingdom, leading
them, as the prophet Isaiah says, up a highway that leads to holiness.
(Isaiah 35:8-10)
Unity of the Spirit
In the meantime the lesson is clear to those truly desiring to be
Christians: "say ye not a confederacy"—steer clear of organizational
unity not based upon a unity of the spirit.
Instead strive for that unity of the spirit that exists between all true
Christians, that oneness described by the Apostle Paul in Ephesians
4:3-6— "Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of
peace."
For there "is one body"—the body of Christ, composed only of those
who have devoted their whole lives entirely to him in a full surrender
of their own wills.
There is "one Spirit"—the holy spirit that leads the sincere believer into
 "all truth."
"Even as ye are all called in the one hope of your calling"—the hope of
obtaining Christ-likeness and ruling with him in the heavenly realm.
"One Lord"—the Lord Jesus Christ.
"One faith"—for which all true Christian diligently search the Scriptures
daily.
"One baptism"—submerging out wills completely into God’s will.
"One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in
you all"—Jehovah, "the Lord your God is one God."
To attain this end, then, let us continue daily feeding on the Word of
God as ancient Israel fed on Manna in the wilderness, proving all things
and holding fast to that which is good. (1 Thessalonians 5:21) Let us
unite, indeed, with other like-minded Christians, comparing our
thoughts on Scripture with theirs, drawing closer to them in the bonds
of Christian love as we are both drawn closer to our mutual goal—Jesus
Christ himself.
Let us leave the solution of the world’s problems to God, knowing that
he has adequately prepared for that solution, in that time for which we
continue to pray, "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is
in heaven."
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