Recently Glenmary Home Missioners, a Catholic religious community where I serve as the Director of Ecumenism, hosted a dialogue on the topic of justification. For some, the relevance of this topic may seem outdated, but for the communions I reach out to, the topic is as necessary and immediate as it was at the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. Bringing together scholars from Catholic, Lutheran, and Baptist traditions, we invited each to share on their communion’s theology of salvation — a rather heady affair. We planned a hymn-sing utilising the songs representative of the various communions and we worked with the local Catholic archdiocese to host this event in the cathedral hall. Still, we were not sure, though the topic being of interest to so many, if anyone at all would come.
As guests began to file into the room, our fears shifted from whether anyone would attend to whether or not we would have enough room to meet the demand! As the hall quickly came to capacity, I met many Baptists who said that they had never been in a Catholic parish before and that they were glad a Baptist theologian would be present to represent their views and community. Many Catholic seminarians, donning cassocks and green with curiosity, looked on with interest to learn from the other communions present. The Lutherans, of whom the Missouri Synod were the predominant community, shared both their great appreciation for the conversation and their particular disagreements with the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification.
After papers were given by the scholars, we took the opportunity to receive questions from the audience. I had the great pleasure of receiving these questions via written responses and read them to the panel of theologians. I will never forget one card that read, “So what exactly is the difference between our understanding of salvation?”. I believe this question was less due to the technical rhetoric of the presenters causing confusion and obfuscation and more, as I learned throughout the night, that it was the response generated from years of caricature being wiped away.
The night ended with myself and the rector asking people to leave so we could lock things up. The topic, which clearly was of interest, had expanded out to an interest in one’s ecumenical other, allowing the conversations to grow beyond what our event planning could ever anticipate. Before leaving, I spoke with a Catholic young man who thanked me for the event. He noted that he and his wife are Catholics and that his parents are Reformed. For them, this topic was of the utmost importance and they had engaged in it often, even with shouts and hurt feelings. He thanked me that we could model how to have this conversation in such a way that truth is sought, clarity is given, and communion between churches might grow.
This experience has taught me two things. First, Christians are interested in difficult topics, even, and most especially topics of theology. Second, the issue of Christian unity isn’t simply an issue between institutions, but between families. In speaking with this Catholic man, I realised again that our divisions do not stop at theological difference, episcopal leaders, or histories. Instead, they go all the way down, even dividing families. I can attest to this being the only Catholic within a family of Protestant members. Recognising this helps us to see that ecumenism isn’t ancillary to the work of the church, but central. It is the calling all Christians have received as ministers of reconciliation, yes to the world, but also to the church.
Nathan Smith is the Director of Ecumenism for Glenmary Home Missioners and a consultant for the US Conference of Catholic Bishops. He is completing his PhD at Durham University. He is married with two children and resides in the United States where his ministry seeks to enhance understanding, reduce alienation, and foster reconciliation between Pentecostals, Evangelicals, and Catholics.