Using the theme, "On Being Christian Together," nearly 400 participants made the journey to Oberlin College in Ohio to discuss the ecumenical movement in North America. Along with representatives from the 35 member denominations within the National Council of Churches USA (NCCCUSA) were those from the Church of God in Christ, International Church of the Foursquare Gospel, Mennonite Church USA, Seventh-day Adventist Church, American Bible Society, Christian and Missionary Alliance, Alliance of Baptists, Society for Pentecostal Studies, Free Methodist Church, Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, and the Wesleyan Theological Society.

The first Conference on Faith and Order held in Oberlin took place in 1957. This was nine years after the World Council of Churches (WCC) was organized. While the Roman Catholic Church has not yet become a full-fledged member of the WCC, it was granted full membership in the Faith and Order Commission.

An address on "The Ecumenical Significance of Oberlin" was given by Dr. Donald W. Dayton. He is a Wesleyan Methodist, whose denomination is in the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE), yet he himself is also the representative of the American Holiness Movement on the Faith and Order Commission of the National Council of Churches (NCCCUSA).

Dayton spoke of Charles Finney as "The great evangelist who dominated early Oberlin, and became the second president of the College. Finney is to Oberlin as Dr. Billy Graham is to Wheaton College, founded in imitation of Oberlin. And Decision magazine would be the modern counterpart to The Oberlin Evangelist. The early years of YWAM (Youth with a Mission, often described as the largest mission agency in the world) did show the profound influence of Finney's theology. Houghton College was itself modeled after Oberlin."

With a gentle rebuke to the representatives of the liberal church bodies, Dayton spoke of the fact that "Most ecumenists really ignore the American Holiness movement, which is now within the top ten of Christian communions world-wide. Some churches of this movement (most notably the Salvation Army, and the Church of God [Anderson], which was at Oberlin in 1957 and represented at Faith and Order meetings ever since) have continued to be involved in Faith and Order work. The Pentecostal movement has become in many ways the most important movement in Christianity in the last century."

Dayton believes the Pentecostals produced the Vineyard and Calvary Chapel movements. He continued, "One should not forget the Metropolitan Community Church (MCC) formed around the gay issue. While the National Council of Churches has denied membership to the MCC, it has permitted MCC participation in Faith and Order."

Just prior to the conference in Oberlin, Pope Benedict XVI reasserted the historic Roman Catholic claim to theological supremacy by stating that all other churches were not true churches. And that they cannot be called a church "in the proper sense" of the word.

In an almost "Believe It or Not" declaration, the staff head of the NCC's Faith and Order Commission reacted to the Vatican statement by calling it "an opportunity of hope." Dr. Ann Riggs said, "That statement is responding only to some very specific questions about the Catholic doctrinal position on some Christian churches and is not a blanket statement on all non-Catholics....Rome is certainly not saying the door is closed on ecumenical dialogue but we see there is still a lot more to talk about."

Riggs completely ignored what the Second Vatican Council stated, "The church founded by Christ subsists in the Catholic Church, but elements of sanctification and truth are found outside the Catholic Church's visible confines."

For the most part the meeting in Oberlin "tiptoed around the tulips" by minimizing and nearly ignoring the major statement that had been made recently by Pope Benedict XVI. Monsignor John A. Rodano of the Vatican Council for Promoting Christian Unity did speak but he said nothing about what comprises a "proper Church." However, he suggested that instead of churches having a "Reformation Sunday," they have a "Reconciliation Sunday." He further encouraged his listeners to move away from the "Reformation Reflex" with its persistence of division, to an "Ecumenical Reflex" to strive for "The Unity of Christians."

The Banquet address was delivered by Dr. Martin Marty, former senior editor of the liberal "Christian Century" and professor at the University of Chicago. Marty has received 75 honorary doctorate degrees, written 50 books and more than 5,000 articles. He began by saying, "The things you are talking about these days are extremely important."

Marty, himself a Lutheran minister, acknowledged that there were some "sticky points" among the churches and most of them rotated around sexual and authority issues and these are hard to define. "Instead," he said, "You must engage in action that does change things. Remember these differences divide groups and keep Christians from sharing the common Eucharist." He did not identify those who refuse to share the Eucharist (the Lord's Supper), but it was clear he was acknowledging that the ecumenical unity quickly disappears whenever the Orthodox leaders refuse to observe that Sacrament with anyone other than the Orthodox.

He concluded by telling everyone, "Do not whine or weep for we must take note of the increased role of women in the ecumenical movement." It was obvious that women presently are in places of leadership in the NCC, for a number of the sessions were moderated by women clergy. Several others brought major addresses and also served on the panels that were offered.

In a private conversation, Dr. Marty shared how much he had enjoyed speaking at the annual convention of the National Association of Evangelicals in 2003, and recalled how he was welcomed there. A similar reception was given to him at Oberlin with a standing ovation.

At an Inter-Confessional Orthodox Prayer Service in Oberlin, a number of icons (religious images venerated by Eastern Orthodox) were on the platform. Included in the printed program for that time were these words spoken by the priest who led the service-"Remembering our most holy, pure blessed and glorious Lady, the Theotokos and ever-virgin Mary, with all the saints." The congregation responded, "Christ, help me to polish a pleasing prayer to bring before your Father on high." The ending words by the priest were "May Christ have mercy on us and save us through the intercessions of his most pure and holy Mother."

Faith and Order leaders reached out to some "big time" names to be on the program. This was an expensive event, but it was announced that corporations picked up the cost. Avery Cardinal Dulles, S. J., son of the late John Foster Dulles, former Secretary of State and an elder in the National Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C., was one of them. Avery Dulles rejected being a part of the Presbyterian Church and became a member of the Roman Catholic Church. He was created a Cardinal of the Catholic Church in Rome in 2001 by Pope John Paul II and was the first American-born theologian who was not a bishop to receive that honor.

This Jesuit ecumenist expressed his pleasure that the conference included delegates from so many different churches. Referring to the dialogue between Orthodox, Anglican, Lutheran and Catholic leaders, he insisted that these took the historical-critical method concerning the Bible. "This worked well for these groups but many others do not rely on the critical approach to Scripture as normative. Catholics themselves profess many doctrines that enjoy little support from Scripture. They draw on tradition for their authority. As a result, such Catholic doctrines as papal primacy, the Immaculate Conception, the Assumption and Purgatory have been pushed to the sidelines."

The Cardinal also said, "Many doctrinally conservative Christians have abstained from ecumenical involvements on the ground that they lead to doctrinal compromises. But the Roman Catholic Doctrine of the Faith asserts that the Church of Christ, his Body and his Bride are identical with Catholicism, and that outside the Catholic Church there are only elements or fragments of the true Church. For some years I have been urging an ecumenism of mutual enrichment."

Dulles went so far as to say, "We Catholics might want to hear from the churches of the Reformation why they put Scripture over tradition, Christ over the church, grace over cooperation and faith over works. And also to hear from Evangelicals about their experience of conversion and from Pentecostals hear about the free action of the Holy Spirit. Let me add the Orthodox might tell us about the sacred mystery of the Eucharist and their style of leadership. We Catholics would want to emphasize the primacy of the pope as the successor of Peter. The successor Peter, we believe, is intended by Christ to be the visible head of all Christians."

The Rt. Rev. C. Christopher Epting, Deputy for Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations in the Episcopal Church, made statements that declared the Word of God to have less authority than Jesus Christ. He said, "The authority of Scripture can be misleading. Scripture itself speaks of God as the authority. Jesus declared that authority is not given to books that his followers would write, but to Himself." Epting said concerning the Anglican Church that its practices proceed in this manner, "Scripture is read, tradition is received, worship is practiced, and the historic character of apostolic leadership is retained."

Defending same-sex relations, he declared, "It seems very likely that there was no phenomenon of same-sex relations in the time of the biblical writers that is what we now have of Christians who have the same gender living together in faithful and committed lifelong relationships. Our cultural context is different from that of a given biblical writer's context."

What Epting did was to place culture above the Word of God. It should not then be a surprise when he creates a sharp division between the living Word (Christ) and the written word (the Bible).

The Assembly of God denomination, a part of the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE), was represented at this Faith and Order Conference as well as other Pentecostal/Charismatic/Evangelical groups. Dr. Lewis S. Mudge from Regent University spoke on "Christian Ecumenism and the Abrahamic Faiths." Then Dr. Cecil M. Robeck, Jr., of Fuller Theological Seminary used the platform to rehearse his credentials and experiences in the Assembly of God Church.

Robeck recounted his relationship with Dr. Tom Zimmerman, formerly the head of the Assembly of God Churches and who at one time served as president of the NAE. Dr. Zimmerman helped to lead his denomination to adopt a resolution that forbid their ministers to participate in the liberal National and World Councils of Churches. Dr. Zimmerman had even identified the NCC and WCC as "the whore" of Revelation 17:1. In defense Dr. Robeck said, "The Lord spoke to me in a vision that I was to get involved in the Ecumenical Movement." He also mentioned that at one time he was faced with people carrying picket signs because of his identifaction with the liberal church bodies.

However, the Assembly of God denomination has finally "learned the truth" and two years ago removed the statement that was critical of cooperating with the ecumenical movement. He told of a meeting held on the campus of Fuller Seminary in 1986 which included Pentecostals, Evangelicals and representatives of both the National and World Council of Churches. Other such meetings have been held and are scheduled for the future.

A panel dealt with "Issues Facing Ecumenism." A nun, Sister Donna Geernaert, moderated the session. Others on the panel were Bishop C. Christopher Epting, an Episcopal clergyman, Msgn. John A. Radano of the Vatican and Dr. Kevin Mannoia, formerly the president of the National Association of Evangelicals and presently Graduate and Faculty Chaplain at Azusa Pacific University, a member school of the NAE.

Dr. Mannoia chose "Kingdom Chaos: The Joy of Finding Unity-An evangelical perspective on the future of ecumenism" as the title of his address.

This speaker, who has served as a bishop in the Free Methodist denomination, did refer in a small way to those who deny the authority of the Word of God. "The Scriptures are the trustworthy word of God and their primacy is authoritative in matters of truth and life," he said. But then he acknowledged that "Any threat to the authority of the Bible usually is discerned only when a position is taken that breaches generally accepted thinking among those who are ‘truly evangelical' and ‘believe the Bible.' So this fear of compromise often places evangelicals in a reactive mode which smacks of Fundamentalism, which it is not. In reality, the issue of the authority of the Bible is more a hermeneutical issue influenced by tradition, heritage, education and church community."

This Pentecostal leader also said, "It is quite interesting that the emergent churches are exploring the history, tradition, icons, rituals, and thinking patterns that are foreign to most 20^th century evangelicals. These are not afraid of compromise. I serve with four others on the board of one of the largest churches in America and fast growing. My pastor does not even have a clue what I do at such meetings as Faith and Order. But once in a while I open a small window as I describe someone in mainline, Orthodox, or Catholic circles that is spiritually vibrant, passionate about Christ, and powerfully effective in ministry. Often I am met with doubt and a glazed look."

Mannoia went on to say, "In most contemporary evangelical circles any mention of, say, the United Methodist Church, is accompanied by derision for the perception that the UMC has fallen prey to the ‘slippery slope of liberalism.' Yet I venture to say that a majority of UMC pastors are as evangelical as the local Nazarene, or Free Methodist pastor. Only in recent decades have Catholics in North America been blessed to be included by most evangelicals in the circle of privilege as ‘Christian.' There are probably many more evangelicals in this room than many evangelicals may think."

Giving his understanding of history, he said, "Contemporary evangelicals trace their roots to a relatively recent past. They find their formation in the energy of the modernist/fundamentalist debates of the late 19^th and early 20^th century. Out of a hotbed of controversy over eschatology, and the nature and mission of the church, a group in the middle began to identify themselves as ‘not Liberals' and ‘not Fundamentalists.' Evangelicals are neither liberals nor fundamentalists. Thankfully a transition has begun in the periphery of evangelical circles, largely among the emergent generation, and from my perspective especially in the Wesleyan-Holiness segments. Evangelicals need to move from bounded-set thinking to center-set living. The evangelical movement is not a theological movement as much as it is phenomenological. Having no theology, it only finds theological credibility when drilling into the various heritages or traditions commonly claiming a place in the movement."

Dr. Mannoia concluded by saying, "I believe the unity of the church is not only possible, but is increasingly necessary as more and more evangelicals seek deeper understanding and partnership in the cause of Christ in the world."

The closing session at Oberlin featured Dr. James Forbes, who recently retired after 18 years as senior minister at Riverside Church, New York City. He told his audience, "You of the Faith and Order movement are the salt of the earth. Faith and Order has nourished a consciousness of a larger church. If there ever was a time for a new Great Awakening to happen in our nation the time is now....I therefore urge you to return to your denominations and organizations to be truth and light at a time of darkness."

Observations by this reporter:

1. Given an opportunity to interview Dr. Kevin Mannoia after the session where he had just spoken, he was asked, "Do you feel comfortable on the platform of Faith and Order with an Episcopal leader who minimized the authority of Scripture, a Roman Catholic representative from the Vatican, a liberal Methodist woman clergy person and a Roman Catholic nun?" Mannoia replied that while he did not agree with many of their statements, he really hoped that his presence and message would have "some redeeming value." Apparently it would be by the process of osmosis, for this evangelical leader at no time challenged in a forthright way the heretical statements made by those on this panel. Since he was the final speaker on that panel, he could have easily exposed the religious heresy presented as truth, but he kept silent.
   
   When asked about a statement made at this session that "It is not a belief in Christ that matters, but a belief in the belief of Christ that matters!" Mannoia agreed that was "way out in left field" and he rejected it.
    
2. A reminder was given to Dr. Mannoia that when he was the president of the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE), he attempted to change the NAE so that entire National Council of Churches in Christ (NCCCUSA) denominations could be received into membership. The denomination he wanted to become a part of the NAE was the Reformed Church in America. (Individual churches in the NCC/WCC are already in the NAE but he wanted entire denominations also welcomed.) At that particular NAE meeting in Dallas, Texas, there were a number of sessions that were closed to those of us who were members of the press. However, it was later learned that Dr. Mannoia was finally asked to resign. One denomination, the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), threatened to leave the NAE if Mannoia's plan was accepted. In Oberlin, Dr. Mannoia acknowledged those were difficult days but he said, "God had other things for me to do." He also believed the NAE would survive the Ted Haggard scandal and he sees the NAE as a powerful force in Washington, D.C., regarding political matters.
   
3. Several times during the conference in Ohio positive references were made of the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA), which has a membership of 420 million around the world. (The NAE is one of the groups in the WEA.) Yet in the same month as the Faith and Order meeting in Ohio, it was announced that the WEA, the WCC and the Vatican held a meeting in France at which they all have agreed to a "code of conduct" in seeking to win converts. A leader from the Church of God said that the "code of conduct" is not about whether Christians evangelize, but "how they do it." He proposed "a dialogical evangelism, ecumenically oriented and marked by an ethical approach".
   
   The general secretary of the Council of Churches of Malaysia and co-moderator of the WCC's Faith and Order commission, Rev. Dr. Herman Shastri declared, "Religious preachers need to be told that no religion has a monopoly on the truth, that there are many ways to find salvation."
   
   Also, another WEA leader said this "code of conduct" should express "repentance for past wrongdoings so as to make clear that the superior mentality in regard to other religions has been overcome.
   
   Such "evangelicals" fail to realize that the way to God's heaven is very restrictive and narrow. Christ Himself said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me" (John 14:6).

Without the WAY there is no going
Without the TRUTH there is no knowing
Without the LIFE there is no living

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