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On the Path
Toward Unity
Together we put our hope and
trust in God, that he will accomplish in his
own time and his own way this great work of
unity among his people
.
by Dr. Dan Keating
Do you ever wonder what’s going on in the search
for Christian unity among the various churches
these days? Is there anything happening? Is there
good news around the corner? Or has the search for
Christian unity stalled?
There is a lot happening, far too much to describe
in a short write-up. Yes, there are some very good
things going on. No, we are probably not on the
verge of being fully united across our churches.
But we live and walk in hope, trusting that the
Lord Jesus has us all in hand, and confident that
the Spirit is constantly at work.
Let me highlight a few of the initiatives between
theologians of the churches that display real
advances in working together.
- The Joint Declaration on Justification,
2017. Many of us will recall the Joint
Declaration between Catholics and Lutherans in
1999. This was a partial but genuine step in
agreement on issues that divided the two
churches in the 16th century. What most of us
don’t know is that the World Methodist Council
signed on to this agreement in 2006. And this
year, 2017, the World Communion of Reformed
Churches also signed on to the joint
declaration. This is very noteworthy.
- Representatives of the Eastern Orthodox
churches and the Catholic church have been
meeting together for many years. The
discussions have not been easy. But last year,
the two groups produced a common statement
summing up their initial findings together.
The subject was how the various churches
related together in the first millennium, and
what this can teach about seeking unity in
this third millennium. It’s a very modest
step, but every small step is appreciated.
- I have been involved over the past four
years in the Evangelical-Catholic National
Dialogue in the United States to consider the
issue of justification. The dialogue has been
very rewarding and in fact a great deal of
fun. As a member of the Catholic team I have
greatly enjoyed getting to know the members of
the Evangelical team. We have enjoyed rich
fellowship and a clear sense of common life in
Christ.
You might ask: “What do these dialogues and
discussions accomplish? Do they ever lead
anywhere?” Well, we shall see! But it’s important
to realize that these kinds of discussions cannot
on their own produce or create full unity. This
must happen through the work of the Spirit in his
own time and way.
The discussions between theologians can, however,
remove (or lighten) obstacles and hindrances to
greater unity. They move things out of the way,
and open new avenues to walk down together. They
also forge real friendships in Christ and reveal
to us that we are all disciples, brothers and
sisters in Christ. This is an enormously important
thing. All this enables the Spirit to work more
easily and accomplish his purposes.
The work we are about in the Sword of the Spirit
is hugely important, even if it seems like a few
small steps and modest gains. Together we put our
hope and trust in God, that he will accomplish in
his own time and his own way this great work of
unity among his people. What a blessing to have
even a small share in this great work!
Dr.
Dan Keating is an elder in the Servants
of the Word and teaches at Sacred
Heart Seminary in Detroit, Michigan, USA. He
has authored a number of articles and books,
including Catholic Commentary on Sacred
Scripture: 1 Peter, 2 Peter, and Jude, by
Baker House 2011, Catholic
Commentary on Sacred Scripture: James,
First, Second, and Third John, by
Baker House 2017, and
Deification and Grace, by
Sapientia Press 2007.
 Dan Keating recently
contributed two essays in a new book
entitled, Justified
in Jesus Christ: Evangelicals and
Catholics in Dialogue.
In
2017 the National Evangelical-Catholic
Dialogue in the United States sponsored by
the United States Conference of Catholic
Bishops and the University of Mary,
Bismarck, North Dakota, completed its
four-year round of discussions on the
doctrine of justification. Sessions were
held each year on the following topics:
2014: Original sin and its effects within
the economy of salvation
2015: Initial justification
2016: The relationship between justification
and sanctification
2017: The relationship between justification
and final judgment
At
each of these annual meetings, members
presented background papers that formed the
basis of that meeting’s discussions and
became the starting point for constructing a
common statement. These common statements
and background papers comprise this book.
Quite unexpectedly, the members of the
dialogue discovered many points of
convergence on the subject of justification.
The members of the dialogue hope this book
will provide a fruitful starting point for
future conversations between Catholics and
Evangelicals.
Top photo
credit from Bigstock.com
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