A lot of people don't really know who Jesus was or is. They think they do, and even have the audacity, gall, and intestinal fortitude to depict Him as a Caucasian, blonde-haired, and blue-eyed who identifies with the white power structure of Euro-America. Where that notion comes from is beyond me, considering the biblical accounts of where He was born, lived, and ministered. That picture of Jesus is not only distorted and convoluted, but also an outright falsification of history.
Please read and evaluate for yourself a contemporary and contextualized version of the Gospel according to Luke 2: 1-7:
In those days a decree went out from President Donald Trump that there should be a nation-wide census. This was the first census to take place while Vladimir Putin was President of Russia. All went to their cities and towns to be registered. Joseph, who was a black man of African descent, went to San Juan to be registered. He went to be registered with Mary, and indigenous Puerto Rican, who was living in San Juan, and pregnant. While they were living there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in any hospital or hotel. This is the Word of the Lord, thanks be to God!
Upon reading this you will probably ask "Say what? That's not how the text reads!" Again, this was a contemporary and contextualized reading of the text.
But you might ask, " Why does the contemporary version read that Jesus was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico?" Well, the biblical Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea, a city in Israel, which at the time was a colony of Rome. The contemporary Jesus was born in Puerto Rico, a colony of Spain in the past, and now a colony of the United States. And Joseph, His stepfather, was of African origins, whose ancestors were brought to Puerto Rico as slaves during the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. His ancestors had survived the Middle Passage.
You say "This is too much for me to handle. I can't fathom an Afro-Puerto Rican." Well, maybe we need to reread and recontextualize history, especially biblical history. If Jesus had been born in the 21st century, I doubt very much that He would have been born in any of the European countries. An account of Him being born of an indigenous Puerto Rican, married to an individual of African background, fits in more with the Gospel accounts.
Jesus was the child of oppressed parents. Mary's people, the indigenous people of Puerto Rico, and the rest of the Americas, had their land taken away from them by Europe and the United States. Then they were annihilated by contrived illness and overwork. Joseph's people had been brought here in chains, to labor for the Europeans. The length of their servitude was almost parallel to that of the Hebrew slaves, i.e. 400 years.
Yes my friend, Jesus is Afro-Caribbean, take it or leave it. Can you deal with that? Can you still take this descendant of oppressed peoples as Lord and Savior of your life? I hope you can.
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen!
Rev. Dr. Juan A.Carmona
Tuesday, January 3, 2017
Sunday, January 1, 2017
Silence is Golden: Really?
When my children were growing up, every time we engaged in a conversation that resulted in their boredom, they would say to me "Dad, silence is golden." That was their way of telling me to put an end to conversation, at least for the moment.
While I fully agree that there are times when it is better to leave certain things unsaid, I also believe that there are times when issues need to be addressed. That is especially in regard to the Church's role in society and in the world.
There have been times in history when the Church has been aligned with the "powers that be," and that because of this alignment, it has remained silent in the face of injustice. And then there are other times that the Church has spoken out and found itself a victim of both political and social hostility.
In the class which I am presently teaching at the Tainan Theological College and Seminary in Taiwan, the issue of the role of the Church has come up several times. Even though the focus of the class has been on Latin America, the students have been very adept at seeing how Liberation Theology is also applicable to Asia in general, and to Taiwan in particular. The Presbyterian Church in Taiwan has played a very active role in promoting the sovereignty of Taiwan. And, in other places of the world, the Church has risen to the occasion and raised its voice in protest against social injustice.
Today we ask, what is the role of the Church relative to the social ills of classism, colonialism, homophobia, racism, sexism, and xenophobia? Do we hide in our cocoons while the world "goes to to pot?"
In our country, the U.S.A. a new government will be installed at the end of the present month. It does not take a rocket scientist to know that we are facing one of the most critical moments in U.S.A history. This is not merely a change of Presidents or government with a different political ideology. This is the beginning of a government that will be guided and ruled by a very dangerous and demonic mindset. We will encounter a government that is hostile to certain religious beliefs, and that is also hostile to those whose political ideology is different. It would not be surprising at all if we witness a massive holocaust of people based on ethnicity/race, religion, sexual orientation, and country of origin. There are many that believe that this is difficult, if not impossible, given our form of government. Some of us suffer from historical amnesia, forgetting what happened in Germany, and what has happened in other countries, where people who are different for whatever reason, are the victims of governmental contempt.
What should be the role of Christ's Church? As followers of Jesus Christ, we cannot subscribe to the adage that "silence is golden." We cannot sit by and just let things happen. As has been argued and correctly pointed out by the Scriptural and prophetic witness, silence is another form of complicity. Doing nothing about injustice is another way of letter it fester and en fin, contributing to it. Is silence golden? Hell no! The voices of protest need to be heard, and we must learn how to pray with our legs.
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen!
Rev. Dr. Juan A. Carmona
Wednesday, December 28, 2016
Doing Theology in a White Supremacist Nation-State
From its earliest days, the Christian Church has had to carve out its theology in the face of adversarial and hostile socio-political systems. During the first four centuries, the major challenge for the Church was to affirm its belief in the Lordship of Christ in the midst of an environment where it was believed that Caesar was the final and supreme authority. The Church's affirmation that "Jesus is Lord" was considered both a threat and an act of sedition. The Church was persecuted by a system that had tolerance for a wide diversity of religious expressions, but that nevertheless had no tolerance for any affirmation that the authority of the Emperor was a secondary and subordinate authority. In other words, the theology of the Church was carved out while the Church was, for lack of a better term, "on the run."
In the modern day U.S.A. the Church is faced with the challenge of carving out its theology in a white-supremacist nation-state known as a colleague of mine would call it "Slavetown, U.S.A." Many well-meaning and well-intentioned Caucasian would take offense with both the idea that the U.S.A. is referred to as a "white supremacist nation-state," and also with the nomenclature "Slavetown, U.S.A." This essay is not intended to overlook many of the positive things that we have in our country. Nor is it intended to disrespect or offend any justice-loving or peace-loving Caucasian person. This essay is designed to draw attention to certain realities that exist in our country, and that in some way, overshadow the positive things that we do have in the U.S.A.
Let me begin by saying that contrary to the notion that this nation was founded on "Christian principles," the historical reality is that it was not. History would bring out the reality that this nation was founded on the triple pillar of genocide, slavery, and land-grabbing. And I would add, that contrary to what many people believe, our country's supposed "greatness" is nothing more and nothing less than an empire built on the backs and the exploitation of not only the slaves, but also the working class in the U.S.A. and also the exploitation of the so-called "Third World Countries.," especially Latin America. Neither can we overlook the fact that this white supremacy is extended into the Middle East, where our Palestinian sisters and brothers have been uprooted from their homeland due to an imposed immoral and illegal occupation by a state-terrorist government supported by the U.S.A.
There are many in our country, I'm sure that would take offense and even be incensed when confronted by these realities. They would even get into a strong denial mode. But to deny this reality, one would have to be either naive at best or totally dishonest at worst. And may I add, that there are many who suffer from arthritis of the cerebellum and cannot think straight regarding the realities of this issue.
Why do I refer to our nation as a "white supremacist nation-state?" Those who are totally familiar with American history will know that the socio-economic and political structures and policies were primarily designed to favor Caucasian people. Some may want to argue that non-Caucasians (African-Americans, Hispanics, etc.) have benefited from this system. And others may want to argue that the limited benefits that so-called "people of color" make them "well-off" in comparison to non-Caucasians in other parts of the world. While I would not argue that point, the reality is that the primary beneficiaries of the "good of the land," as well as political power have been Caucasians who have dominated this country for many centuries after eliminating the original inhabitants of the land, and relegating their offspring to living in reservations.
No honest person can deny that the system (including so-called "law enforcement") has been established to maintain non-Caucasians in a position of secondary and even tertiary status. The mere fact that non-Caucasians make up the greatest number of incarcerated persons (African-Americans 60%, Hispanics 30%, others 10%) points to this reality. And the mere fact that non-Caucasians (especially African-Americans and Hispanics) have been "the last to be hired and the first to be fired," relative to employment, is a witness of how our country is ruled and run by the preponderance of Caucasian people in power.
Why do I refer to the U.S.A as "Slavetown, U.S.A?" I'm sure there are many who take offense at this, especially those who argue that slavery is an institution that no longer exists in the U.S.A. And while that may be true, the reality is that all U.S.A. citizens (African-American and Hispanics to a much greater degree) are enslaved by an economic system (capitalism) which is designed to benefit the few at the expense of the many. The majority of people in the working class work for the minority who benefit from their labor and are paid "chicken feed" in comparison to the value of the labor that they produce. Black and Hispanic people as a whole are caught up "working for the man night and day," giving their blood, sweat, and tears, and not reaping the fruit of their labor in comparison to their Caucasian counterparts.
We can, furthermore, take into consideration, our Latin-American sisters and brothers who migrate to the U.S.A. from countries that were once their own, and stolen under Spanish colonization and American neo-colonization, in order to survive with dignity. They are forced to migrate because of our country's foreign economic policies. Many people in the U.S.A are not even aware of how our nation has exploited the living hell of our Latin American countries by having their private corporations "set up shop," in these countries, causing uprooting and forced migration. And just like the white slave masters who believed that their black slaves should be "grateful" that they had food on the table and a roof over their heads, the leaders of the U.S.A, and even many citizens who are not aware of what is going on, believe that our undocumented sisters and brothers who come here should be "grateful."
Now we are coming into 2017 when a President-elect who obviously shares the white-supremacist mentality, and is naming people with white-supremacist background, will govern the U.S.A. for the next four
He has openly declared war on non-Caucasians, and like Hitler in Germany with the Jewish people, on Muslims. There are many in the U.S.A. who believe in the concept of "give the man a chance." It takes a great deal of blindness and naivete not to see what we are headed for, and what is going "down the pike."
Meanwhile, "back at the ranch," the Church of Jesus Christ in Slavetown, U.S.A. is faced with the challenge to have a theology that will define its call and guide its mission in such an environment. Like in Hitler's Germany, we need a Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer who will be a protagonist of resistance. Like in South Africa, we need an Archbishop Desmond Tutu who will say "hell no" to the apartheid system which is being constructed under the new incoming leadership. Like in El Salvador, we need an Archbishop Oscar Romero who will ask the U.S.A government to stop financing injustice with military weapons. We need a Rev. Dr. Jeremiah Wright who will say "God damn America," as long as she remains entrenched in its embedded institutional, structural, and systemic racism.
En fin, we, as Christians need a theology which will address both the present and the coming realities. We need a theology which will guide us in the struggle against racial and all other forms of social injustice. We need a theology that will move us away from rhetorical noise and into concrete action that will not only identify and unmask the demonic forces, but also exorcise them, and continue to work for the creation of just social structures.
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Rev. Dr. Juan A. Carmona
In the modern day U.S.A. the Church is faced with the challenge of carving out its theology in a white-supremacist nation-state known as a colleague of mine would call it "Slavetown, U.S.A." Many well-meaning and well-intentioned Caucasian would take offense with both the idea that the U.S.A. is referred to as a "white supremacist nation-state," and also with the nomenclature "Slavetown, U.S.A." This essay is not intended to overlook many of the positive things that we have in our country. Nor is it intended to disrespect or offend any justice-loving or peace-loving Caucasian person. This essay is designed to draw attention to certain realities that exist in our country, and that in some way, overshadow the positive things that we do have in the U.S.A.
Let me begin by saying that contrary to the notion that this nation was founded on "Christian principles," the historical reality is that it was not. History would bring out the reality that this nation was founded on the triple pillar of genocide, slavery, and land-grabbing. And I would add, that contrary to what many people believe, our country's supposed "greatness" is nothing more and nothing less than an empire built on the backs and the exploitation of not only the slaves, but also the working class in the U.S.A. and also the exploitation of the so-called "Third World Countries.," especially Latin America. Neither can we overlook the fact that this white supremacy is extended into the Middle East, where our Palestinian sisters and brothers have been uprooted from their homeland due to an imposed immoral and illegal occupation by a state-terrorist government supported by the U.S.A.
There are many in our country, I'm sure that would take offense and even be incensed when confronted by these realities. They would even get into a strong denial mode. But to deny this reality, one would have to be either naive at best or totally dishonest at worst. And may I add, that there are many who suffer from arthritis of the cerebellum and cannot think straight regarding the realities of this issue.
Why do I refer to our nation as a "white supremacist nation-state?" Those who are totally familiar with American history will know that the socio-economic and political structures and policies were primarily designed to favor Caucasian people. Some may want to argue that non-Caucasians (African-Americans, Hispanics, etc.) have benefited from this system. And others may want to argue that the limited benefits that so-called "people of color" make them "well-off" in comparison to non-Caucasians in other parts of the world. While I would not argue that point, the reality is that the primary beneficiaries of the "good of the land," as well as political power have been Caucasians who have dominated this country for many centuries after eliminating the original inhabitants of the land, and relegating their offspring to living in reservations.
No honest person can deny that the system (including so-called "law enforcement") has been established to maintain non-Caucasians in a position of secondary and even tertiary status. The mere fact that non-Caucasians make up the greatest number of incarcerated persons (African-Americans 60%, Hispanics 30%, others 10%) points to this reality. And the mere fact that non-Caucasians (especially African-Americans and Hispanics) have been "the last to be hired and the first to be fired," relative to employment, is a witness of how our country is ruled and run by the preponderance of Caucasian people in power.
Why do I refer to the U.S.A as "Slavetown, U.S.A?" I'm sure there are many who take offense at this, especially those who argue that slavery is an institution that no longer exists in the U.S.A. And while that may be true, the reality is that all U.S.A. citizens (African-American and Hispanics to a much greater degree) are enslaved by an economic system (capitalism) which is designed to benefit the few at the expense of the many. The majority of people in the working class work for the minority who benefit from their labor and are paid "chicken feed" in comparison to the value of the labor that they produce. Black and Hispanic people as a whole are caught up "working for the man night and day," giving their blood, sweat, and tears, and not reaping the fruit of their labor in comparison to their Caucasian counterparts.
We can, furthermore, take into consideration, our Latin-American sisters and brothers who migrate to the U.S.A. from countries that were once their own, and stolen under Spanish colonization and American neo-colonization, in order to survive with dignity. They are forced to migrate because of our country's foreign economic policies. Many people in the U.S.A are not even aware of how our nation has exploited the living hell of our Latin American countries by having their private corporations "set up shop," in these countries, causing uprooting and forced migration. And just like the white slave masters who believed that their black slaves should be "grateful" that they had food on the table and a roof over their heads, the leaders of the U.S.A, and even many citizens who are not aware of what is going on, believe that our undocumented sisters and brothers who come here should be "grateful."
Now we are coming into 2017 when a President-elect who obviously shares the white-supremacist mentality, and is naming people with white-supremacist background, will govern the U.S.A. for the next four
He has openly declared war on non-Caucasians, and like Hitler in Germany with the Jewish people, on Muslims. There are many in the U.S.A. who believe in the concept of "give the man a chance." It takes a great deal of blindness and naivete not to see what we are headed for, and what is going "down the pike."
Meanwhile, "back at the ranch," the Church of Jesus Christ in Slavetown, U.S.A. is faced with the challenge to have a theology that will define its call and guide its mission in such an environment. Like in Hitler's Germany, we need a Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer who will be a protagonist of resistance. Like in South Africa, we need an Archbishop Desmond Tutu who will say "hell no" to the apartheid system which is being constructed under the new incoming leadership. Like in El Salvador, we need an Archbishop Oscar Romero who will ask the U.S.A government to stop financing injustice with military weapons. We need a Rev. Dr. Jeremiah Wright who will say "God damn America," as long as she remains entrenched in its embedded institutional, structural, and systemic racism.
En fin, we, as Christians need a theology which will address both the present and the coming realities. We need a theology which will guide us in the struggle against racial and all other forms of social injustice. We need a theology that will move us away from rhetorical noise and into concrete action that will not only identify and unmask the demonic forces, but also exorcise them, and continue to work for the creation of just social structures.
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Rev. Dr. Juan A. Carmona
Saturday, December 24, 2016
Is Jesus Really the Only Way to God?
Dogma and enclosed ideology is not unique to the Christian faith. In all religions, one finds that there are a set of beliefs and practices that one must adhere to in order to be considered a bona fide member of that particular community. In most religious communities, people believe that their particular faith group and their particular beliefs are the only way to have a valid relationship with God.
Christianity is not exempt from that display of enclosed ideology. Christians are just as dogmatic and opinionated as people from other communities of faith. In addition, Christians are just as closed and narrowed-minded as people from other religious traditions. And like people from other faith groups, Christians believe that they are doing God a favor by adhering to certain affirmations of faith and excluding and rejecting all beliefs contrary to theirs.
A perfect example of Christian narrow-mindedness is the belief that Jesus is the only way to God. They will make use of certain Scriptures in order to justify this belief. Among other passages that they quote in support of their position are the following:
John 14:6, where Jesus says "I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through me."
Acts 4:12, where the Apostle Peter says "There is no other name under heaven given to humans whereby we must be saved."
1 Timothy 2:5, where the Apostle Paul states "There is only one God, and one mediator between God and humans, the man Christ Jesus."
There are many other passages of Scripture that Christians base themselves on to believe that Jesus Christ is the exclusive way to God. And, while this writer (yours truly) believes in the message of the Bible, I find the following difficulties in this approach. Among the difficulties that I find, are the following:
1. Biblical literalism- Christians tend to take every passage of Scripture literally without taking into account and weighing both the external and internal context in which those passages appear. They believe that just by merely citing a Scripture passage, they have resolved the theological issue at hand.
2. The use of cliches-Christians believe that they are demonstrating faithfulness to God by subscribing to the cliche "The Bible says." They equate this cliche with Scripture itself.
3. Christians are very prone and quick to dismiss interpretations of Scriptures which do not resonate with theirs. In other words, they treat their own understanding of Scripture as if their understanding alone were God-given
4. Christians are very prone to judge other religions beliefs on the basis of their own Scriptures. In other words, Christians believe that there is no divine truth, whatsoever in other sacred scriptures.
5. Christians fail to see that though God was incarnated in a Jewish man, born in Bethlehem of Judea, that this God-man Jesus was not, is not, and cannot be restricted to a particular set of beliefs and practices. The God of Scripture, and especially the God of the Christian Scriptures (the New Testament), is a universal God who transcends all ideologies and all systems, including those that are economic, political, religious, and social in nature. They fail to see the Cosmic and Universal Christ who is revealed, not only in the Scriptures of the Judaeo-Christian tradition, but also in those scriptures and faith groups which existed long before the Judaeo-Christian community came into existence, and long before the Scriptures of the Judaeo-Christian traditions were written.
6. Christians fail to see that by restricting God exclusively to one mode of revelation, they are, in effect, denying and nullifying the biblical doctrine of divine sovereignty, i.e. that God reveals Godself how, when, and to whom God wants. They wish to put God "in a box" if you will, and believe that God does not exist outside of that box.
The question for us, is then, how does Jesus become the exclusive way to God? How can we, on the one hand, affirm that Jesus is the exclusive way to God, and on the other hand not take that to mean that non-Christians cannot have a relationship with God? Jesus's own affirmation of being "the way," was not intended to exclude people of other faith traditions or to require that they affiliate with the Christian Church in order to be in a right relationship with God. Throughout the entirety of the New Testament, it is very clear that following Christ does not mean subscription to a particular set of dogmas, but rather commitment to one's neighbor, and to the pursuit of social justice.
As we remember Emmanuel (God with us), let us also remember the transcendence and universality of the God who comes to us in a variety of ways which God chooses. Let us remember that God is over and beyond our beliefs, doctrines, and ideas.
In the Name of the Creator, and of the Word, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
Rev. Dr. Juan A. Carmona
Christianity is not exempt from that display of enclosed ideology. Christians are just as dogmatic and opinionated as people from other communities of faith. In addition, Christians are just as closed and narrowed-minded as people from other religious traditions. And like people from other faith groups, Christians believe that they are doing God a favor by adhering to certain affirmations of faith and excluding and rejecting all beliefs contrary to theirs.
A perfect example of Christian narrow-mindedness is the belief that Jesus is the only way to God. They will make use of certain Scriptures in order to justify this belief. Among other passages that they quote in support of their position are the following:
John 14:6, where Jesus says "I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through me."
Acts 4:12, where the Apostle Peter says "There is no other name under heaven given to humans whereby we must be saved."
1 Timothy 2:5, where the Apostle Paul states "There is only one God, and one mediator between God and humans, the man Christ Jesus."
There are many other passages of Scripture that Christians base themselves on to believe that Jesus Christ is the exclusive way to God. And, while this writer (yours truly) believes in the message of the Bible, I find the following difficulties in this approach. Among the difficulties that I find, are the following:
1. Biblical literalism- Christians tend to take every passage of Scripture literally without taking into account and weighing both the external and internal context in which those passages appear. They believe that just by merely citing a Scripture passage, they have resolved the theological issue at hand.
2. The use of cliches-Christians believe that they are demonstrating faithfulness to God by subscribing to the cliche "The Bible says." They equate this cliche with Scripture itself.
3. Christians are very prone and quick to dismiss interpretations of Scriptures which do not resonate with theirs. In other words, they treat their own understanding of Scripture as if their understanding alone were God-given
4. Christians are very prone to judge other religions beliefs on the basis of their own Scriptures. In other words, Christians believe that there is no divine truth, whatsoever in other sacred scriptures.
5. Christians fail to see that though God was incarnated in a Jewish man, born in Bethlehem of Judea, that this God-man Jesus was not, is not, and cannot be restricted to a particular set of beliefs and practices. The God of Scripture, and especially the God of the Christian Scriptures (the New Testament), is a universal God who transcends all ideologies and all systems, including those that are economic, political, religious, and social in nature. They fail to see the Cosmic and Universal Christ who is revealed, not only in the Scriptures of the Judaeo-Christian tradition, but also in those scriptures and faith groups which existed long before the Judaeo-Christian community came into existence, and long before the Scriptures of the Judaeo-Christian traditions were written.
6. Christians fail to see that by restricting God exclusively to one mode of revelation, they are, in effect, denying and nullifying the biblical doctrine of divine sovereignty, i.e. that God reveals Godself how, when, and to whom God wants. They wish to put God "in a box" if you will, and believe that God does not exist outside of that box.
The question for us, is then, how does Jesus become the exclusive way to God? How can we, on the one hand, affirm that Jesus is the exclusive way to God, and on the other hand not take that to mean that non-Christians cannot have a relationship with God? Jesus's own affirmation of being "the way," was not intended to exclude people of other faith traditions or to require that they affiliate with the Christian Church in order to be in a right relationship with God. Throughout the entirety of the New Testament, it is very clear that following Christ does not mean subscription to a particular set of dogmas, but rather commitment to one's neighbor, and to the pursuit of social justice.
As we remember Emmanuel (God with us), let us also remember the transcendence and universality of the God who comes to us in a variety of ways which God chooses. Let us remember that God is over and beyond our beliefs, doctrines, and ideas.
In the Name of the Creator, and of the Word, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
Rev. Dr. Juan A. Carmona
Monday, December 19, 2016
Ecumenical Relations-Can the Church of Jesus Christ be United?
Since almost the time of its inception, the Christian Church has had to contend with the reality of division and factionalism. I remember my Church History professor at New Brunswick Theological Seminary, Dr. John Beardsley, who taught us that even in the early Church, there were "denominations, if you will." Having experienced attendance at Lutheran (Wed. afternoons for religious instruction) and Methodist (Sunday School and worship) churches in my childhood, and then growing up in a Pentecostal church during my adolescent years, being a Pentecostal minister and Bible teacher for 11 years, and then finally being a Reformed Church minister since 1978, I have always wondered what it would take for the Church of Jesus Christ to supersede both its external and internal divisions.
In my experience, there have been several factors that have kept the various churches apart. They are:
1. Doctrinal and theological differences. Each church believes that it has, not only the best, but the "correct" doctrine and theology, and that the doctrines of other churches are either false or only partially true. The Catholic and Orthodox churches claim antiquity as the basis for claiming that they are the Church that proclaims "the faith once delivered to the saints." The Protestant churches claim to base their doctrines on Scripture, but each one has a different interpretation of Scripture which they claim to be the "correct one."
2. Fear of compromise and doctrinal erosion. There are many churches that fear that if they collaborate and cooperate, fellowship with others, that they will run the risk of having their particular teaching, which they consider unique, to be eroded, and that they will end up compromising what they consider to be God's truth.
3. Loss of power. Many Church leaders, especially those who hold positions of leadership at the upper echelons of their denominational structure, fear that if their church unites with others, they stand to lose their hold on power. The question then becomes "Who is going to end up being Bishop or Overseer of the uniting churches? Who is going to be the main theologian?
Is there a way out of this theological conundrum? What can we do to bring Christians together in the unity that Christ prayed to His Father for? There are no easy answers, as everything that can be considered as worthy of attempted unity has been tried and tested, with only limited results. I will make some recommendations, some of which have been made and tried before, in the hope that even if we don't achieve perfect unity, we can at least keep the momentum of struggle for.
1. Continue emphasizing the Christ, not any of us, is Lord of the Church, and that to Him and Him alone, we owe our full devotion and allegiance. All other positions of authority within the Church are secondary and subordinate to Him.
2. Continue the effort to achieve doctrinal clarity so that we can know not only what we believe, but why we believe it. One of the many reasons why doctrine divides the Church of Christ is because we are careless and sloppy in our use of the Scriptures and of the traditions of the Church.
3. Finding areas of common ground to collaborate. The National and World Council of Churches, since their inception, have focused on areas such as global, social, and world justice. In doing so, they put aside their doctrinal differences without abdicating or surrendering their particular theology, and focus on how we as a church can make the world a better place to live in.
These have been, but a few of the many steps that we can take to achieve unity in the Body of Christ. Our call is to march on to that perfect unity.
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen!
Rev. Dr. Juan A. Carmona
In my experience, there have been several factors that have kept the various churches apart. They are:
1. Doctrinal and theological differences. Each church believes that it has, not only the best, but the "correct" doctrine and theology, and that the doctrines of other churches are either false or only partially true. The Catholic and Orthodox churches claim antiquity as the basis for claiming that they are the Church that proclaims "the faith once delivered to the saints." The Protestant churches claim to base their doctrines on Scripture, but each one has a different interpretation of Scripture which they claim to be the "correct one."
2. Fear of compromise and doctrinal erosion. There are many churches that fear that if they collaborate and cooperate, fellowship with others, that they will run the risk of having their particular teaching, which they consider unique, to be eroded, and that they will end up compromising what they consider to be God's truth.
3. Loss of power. Many Church leaders, especially those who hold positions of leadership at the upper echelons of their denominational structure, fear that if their church unites with others, they stand to lose their hold on power. The question then becomes "Who is going to end up being Bishop or Overseer of the uniting churches? Who is going to be the main theologian?
Is there a way out of this theological conundrum? What can we do to bring Christians together in the unity that Christ prayed to His Father for? There are no easy answers, as everything that can be considered as worthy of attempted unity has been tried and tested, with only limited results. I will make some recommendations, some of which have been made and tried before, in the hope that even if we don't achieve perfect unity, we can at least keep the momentum of struggle for.
1. Continue emphasizing the Christ, not any of us, is Lord of the Church, and that to Him and Him alone, we owe our full devotion and allegiance. All other positions of authority within the Church are secondary and subordinate to Him.
2. Continue the effort to achieve doctrinal clarity so that we can know not only what we believe, but why we believe it. One of the many reasons why doctrine divides the Church of Christ is because we are careless and sloppy in our use of the Scriptures and of the traditions of the Church.
3. Finding areas of common ground to collaborate. The National and World Council of Churches, since their inception, have focused on areas such as global, social, and world justice. In doing so, they put aside their doctrinal differences without abdicating or surrendering their particular theology, and focus on how we as a church can make the world a better place to live in.
These have been, but a few of the many steps that we can take to achieve unity in the Body of Christ. Our call is to march on to that perfect unity.
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen!
Rev. Dr. Juan A. Carmona
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