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table
of personhood
169
and “talk to” each
other,
rather than “at” each
other, our Lord is
present.
Whenever the
Holy Spirit
is
present,
be
prepared for the
surprises.
Leonard Lovett, Pastor
Church at the Crossroad
(COGIC) 9216 Parmalee Avenue
Los
Angeles,
CA 90002
logical Seminary,
Editor’s Note: Dr. Lovett was founding Dean/President of Charles H. Mason Theo-
the Church of God in Christ seminary, with membership in the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, Georgia. This was the first accred- ited seminary established by North American Pentecostals.
A
Response
to the
Report
Classical Pentecostals
Perspectives
its ecumenical
posture.
on the
Dialogue
Between and Roman Catholics
on Koinonia
Christians:
A most
significant
transformation in contemporary
There
began
some decades awareness
among evangelicals
of all
stripes
that
they
realize that
they began
to
Evangelicalism
is
ago
a
growing
were not the
only there were “other” Christians.
engage
Focus was
placed
on the
relational,
not
conceptual aspects
of
theology and a dialogue developed. For
example, evangelicals began talking
“ecu- menical
evangelism”
in the 1950s when
Billy
Graham was able to
mainline denominations and Catholics in cooperative
evangelism ventures.
evangelicals
existing dialogue will indicate.
Many
have ventured into these bilateral relations. Some
groups
of
have not
gone beyond
the initial
stage
i.e. Southern
Bap- tists. Others have continued
beyond
the initial
stages
as this
report
on the
between classical Pentecostals and Roman Catholics
‘
logue
The
report
before us
brings things
that are old and
things
that are new. Old is the familiar
agenda
and
conceptual arguments
of the
original
dia-
between
Evangelicals
and Roman Catholics. New is the
promise of “fresh winds of the
Spirit
which have
begun
to blow in the Church universal.”
The
report
also
brings things
that are subtle and
things
that are obvi- ous. Subtle are Pentecostals who seek to be ecumenical under the banner of “cooperation without
[the] compromise”
of their distinctive and
sepa- rating dogmas.
Subtle also are Catholics who still adhere to the Vatican II definition of the one true Church of Jesus Christ which “subsists in”
. the Roman Catholic Church which
implies
an “ecumenism of return.”
Obvious, however, is the resolve toward Christian unity which both
1
170
costals)
(1)
the
imprecision
Ministry,
where
many
rations
(2) (3)
to accommodate
Equally
obvious are the
theologi-
(e.g.
in
Baptism,
Eucharist and
parties
exhibit in these conversations.
cal and
pastoral
difficulties which
Evangelicals (and
here classical Pente-
and Catholics still encounter over ecumenical
theology:
of its
language
indicative statements
express
ideals or
aspi-
rather than
realities);
abuse of biblical terms and
concepts (peace, salvation, life, etc.);
its
quest
for consensus rather than
truth,
made inevitable
by taking
the churches’
standpoints
rather than the Bible as it basis
(i.e.
the
both infant and believers’
baptism
as
alternatives” within one church, rather than to persist
with the
question
whether infant
baptism
is biblical and primitive);
the subtle
pervasiveness
in the
pursuit
of a world
community,
soft-pedal evangelism
as liable to interfere with
inter-religious
tendency “equivalent
‘
(4) ‘
embrace other faiths
of universalist
assumptions, tending
to
and so
dia-
(5)
logue ;
..
the social
gospel sometimes
reconstituting protest
and
pressure;
which
equates
biblical
justice
with
socialism,
it as a “theology of
hope” promoted by
cepts
differ.
Consequently, has
replaced competition, apologetics.
Specifically,
But then
again
there is a new dimension which is herein introduced as the
Perspectives
on Koinonia
points
to a new ecumenism-a
spiritual ecumenism. It
brings
to focus the
uniting
factor
brought
about
by
the experience
of the
Holy Spirit (32).
For that reason,
principles
are
being formulated to govern such
meetings.
Realities
are.being
discussed rather than
systems. Understanding
is taking place even when words and con-
dialogue
has
replaced polemics, cooperation
and bilateral consultations have
replaced
to their
in the Roman Catholic
ecumenical in its
and Roman
classical Pentecostals have added “the
experience
of the Spirit” (64-69)
and the “communion of the Saints”
(95-101) ongoing
conversations with Roman Catholics. This is a vital contribu- tion
especially
in view of what is
happening
Church which is more
deliberately
and
intentionally
ecclesial
practice
than ever before in its history.
The aims of the
dialogue
between classical Pentecostals
minimize the scandal caused
by
the visible disunity
of
Christianity.
It will take
many
factors to fulfill its mission. Two of these come to mind
(1)
the
principle
of
homogeneity
and
(2)
the
Catholics are
lofty,
that
is, to
principle
of pluralism. These conversations must continue to build on
and
they
stood and evaluated must be In this
particular
began
within a principle of homogeneity
it. A
large
measure of the success of these conversations is due to this
principle.
A
concept
to be properly under-
done from within a homogeneous context.
case,
the
Holy Spirit
is that
standpoint
of
agreement.
2
171
The
phrases
“Both Pentecostals and Roman Catholics believe : ..”
(e.g. 29)
and “Both Roman Catholics and Pentecostals
agree …” (e.g. 30) appear repeatedly throughout
the document which exhibits an internal
understanding
of some
theological
traditions.
A second
principle
is important if these conversations are to go beyond the
preliminary stages-that
is, the principle of pluralism. A key concept in the development of relations within a global village is the understand- ing
of pluralism. Already some of the critical
questions
discussed within Christianity
are those related to Christian
liberty
and cultural
diversity. Both classical Pentecostals and Roman Catholics face a challenge on the
home-front,
not the least of which is pluralism. While
dealing
with diversity
from
without, they
face
problems
due to the
diversity
from within its own ranks. These include:
1. The
continuing
internal divisions at the level of doctrine and church government
which leave the
separate
factions short of the
unity
in belief and
life;
2. The ethnic and confessional
origins
which
produced
favored Protestant denominations and are now
facing
the Catholic church are again testing
Christian
liberty;
and
3. The differences in ecclesiastical vision as to what
(or who) really constitutes the
unity
of Christians and of the church have
brought
a need for
practical
models of unity.
Both the U.S. Catholic church and the classical Pentecostals in the
U.S. are
caught
between two identities, that is, between the achievement of the
mainstreaming process
of an older
community
and the
challenge of a new
migration.
Earlier
immigrants
assimilated and soon became like other Americans. On the other
hand,
new arrivals
today
have chosen not to discard their ethnic
heritage
and refuse to follow the
expected
“normal pattern”
of assimilation or traditional
liturgy.
Concerning
the
impact
of the
Hispanic population
on the Catholic church,
Allan
Figueroa
Deck, says:
“There can be no
greater priority
for the
Church,
her
priests, pastoral
ministers and teachers than the flesh and blood
people (Hispanics)
who will constitute the
majority
of the Catholic faithful in the U.S. in the
very
near future.”
Then there is the Pentecostal revolution in Latin America and
among Hispanics
in the U.S. This
spiritual
revolution is incredible, but so is the way
it has been
ignored
and remains
massively
invisible.
Increasingly, classical Pentecostals are
becoming
middle-class and
leaving
their Hispanic counterparts searching
for new
ways
and
paradigms
for a bib- lical
expression
of Christian
unity,
of koinonia.
In
conclusion,
the
goal
of these
dialogues
should not be an abstract or dogmatic
notion of
unity
or a principle of
purity
and
renunciation,
but meeting
the needs of others. The continuation of these
dialogues
and the possibility
of reaching “accord” will
depend
on
understanding fully
the concept
of koinonia in the Bible.
3
172
Perspectives
on Koinonia lacks the total dimension of koinonia
by which the Christian
community
is described in
Scripture. Fellowship, brotherhood and inner
disposition
of
goodwill,
toward other members of the
group among
other
things
is all well and
good,
but what Acts 2:42 says
is not
simply
that there were
good relationships
within the com- munity.
The
passage
in Act 2:42 is not
speaking
about a brief
idyllic moment in the
early
life of the church.
Thus, “invisibilist”
concepts which see all true Christian
spiritually
united in Christ and are
missing the more concrete
bonding
of Christ’s
body,
lack the total
“Perspectives on Koinonia.”
Luke’s
perspective
in Acts 2 and 4
was
the
understanding
of the Christian koinonia that had been at the
very
heart of Paul’s
ministry.’For Paul the
goal
is
equality (2
Corinthians
8:13-15)
and the method is commonality
of
goods (Acts
2 and
4). Therefore,
koinonia means “partnership,”
as in a common business venture. More than a feeling of fellowship,
it involves
sharing goods
as well as
feeling.
It is a total sharing
that includes the material as well as the
spiritual.
Total
sharing
is only possible through perfect
obedience.
Dr. Jesse
Miranda,
District
Superintendent Pacific Latin
American
District
Assemblies of God
645 S. Fifth Avenue
La
Puente,
California 91746
Perspectives
on Koinonia: A
Response
The
report “Perspectives
on Koinonia” marks the end of the third five year phase
of the Roman Catholic-Pentecostal
dialogue (1985-1989).
It is more a
catalogue
of
differing perspectives
than the record of an emerging
consensus or a statement of agreement. Indeed some substan- tial differences remain. From the
beginning,
the
primary purpose
of the discussions has been to develop a climate of mutual
understanding (5). But the fact that for the first time several of the Pentecostal churches sent officially appointed representatives
to participate in the dialogue indicates a
growing acceptance
of the
dialogue by
the worldwide Pentecostal community (4).
The choice of the
topic
koinonia was a most
happy
one, for
it raises the ecumenical
question
of Christian
unity.
As the report recognizes, the theme of koinonia has
proved especially
fruitful in the
on-going
reflec- tion of the various churches on their own identities and self-understand- ings (9).
A footnote observes that the Lutheran World Federation after its
Eighth
General
Assembly
in
February
1990 now describes itself as “communion of churches,” (10) a term which also
captures
the self-
.
4
