Mission can succeed in spite of divisions, says theologian

Professor Dana Robert addresses delegates at Edinburgh 2010, 3 June 2010


The church and the world may be more plural than ever before, but that should not hold Christians back from proclaiming the love of God revealed through Jesus Christ, says one university professor.

Professor Dana Robert, of Boston University School of Theology, told some 300 Christian leaders at the Edinburgh 2010 conference that the greater plurality of the world church today made united witness “urgent for the integrity of the gospel message”.

“We must not allow difficult theological, socio-cultural, and political issues, or disagreements over theologies of religion, to discourage us from sharing God’s love and salvation through Jesus Christ with all the world,” she said.

Ted Haggard plants new church in Colorado Springs, welcome sinners-“Everybody is welcome: Democrats, Republican, Independents, gays, straights, tall, short, addicts and recovering addicts,” he said.

Ted Haggard, second from right, the former megachurch pastor who fell from grace amid a sex scandal, his wife Gayle, right, and their children leave their house for a news conference in their yard in..


With his wife, Gayle, and three of his sons by his side, Haggard told reporters that the St. James Church that he incorporated three weeks ago will soon be an active church.

Initially, Haggard said he incorporated St. James for accounting purposes to organize payments he and his wife receive from talks at churches. He explained that they pay for their own traveling expenses and St. James would help organize reimbursements.

But about two weeks ago Haggard decided to turn St. James into a real church.

Christian Leaders Admit Church Unity Still Long Way Off

Ecumenical, evangelical and Roman Catholic leaders have conceded that there are still many obstacles to unity in the body of Christ but stress they remain committed to the journey.

Dr. Olav Fykse Tveit, general secretary of the World Council of Churches, Dr. Geoff Tunnicliffe, international director of the World Evangelical Alliance, and the Most Rev. Brian Farrell, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, were speaking to journalists on Saturday at Edinburgh 2010, a major conference taking place this week to mark 100 years since the World Missionary Conference was held in the Scottish capital in 1910.

Bishop Farrell was the least optimistic about efforts towards unity.

Should there be so many denominations?

 

Last year I moved and had to find a new church. During the search process, I found that the members of each congregation I visited were eager to share the foibles and history of their church. A simple question like “What’s the history of this church?” could easily lead to the full backstory of the building, pastoral staff, and denominational issues.