Ecumenism ... Loss of Identity?

With today's announcement that the Episcopal Church and the Presbyterian Church USA will be pursuing bilateral agreements to allow for some form of interdenominational exchange of clergy, this has caused me to reflect on ecumenism and what it really ought to be. I consider this one of those .5% moments, that is about only .5% of people who call themselves Christian actually think about these things.

So what is the point of ecumenism? I hope that it isn't to achieve one big amorphous blob of a Christian Church. Albeit Christ prayed that "we all may be one" (John 17:21), I don't know that he necessarily meant one church. The implications of current and future ecumenical agreements between the Episcopal Church and other denominations present very difficult challenges to the uniqueness of denominations.

Don't get me wrong, denominationalism can be ugly and indeed evil, but there is something to retaining different kinds of expressions of the one faith. The Episcopal Church is unique among the Protestant denominations in that we are perhaps the most closely linked with the ancient practices. We were affected by the Reform, but we were not radically changed by it. As Queen Elizabeth put it, we are a mildly reformed holy, catholic and apostolic Church. In addition, the Anglicans have taken great strides to maintain the validity of the apostolic succession of its ministers, and rightly require that those presiding at its services be ordained by a Bishop with apostolic succession.

You see, while it's is nice to have the touchy feely, loving intercommunion between denominations, these kinds of movements strike at the heart of individual denominations' distinctives. For example, the Episcopal Church is known for a high eucharistic theology in its mainstream. Mainstream Episcopalians maintain some form of the real-presence doctrine, with only fringe radicals on both sides (left and right) maintaining a memorialist approach to the Holy Eucharist. Furthermore, the ecclesiology of the Episcopal Church is much different that those of the other big-box mainline denominations. We believe in a threefold Priesthood and the effectiveness of lay ministry. The Canons set forth a clear wall of separation between the ministries of the Priesthood and those of laity. In other mainline denominations, these distinctions are either heavily blurred or have been eliminated altogether.

At this point, I hesitate to call it heresy as I don't know what all is behind this and what has been proposed, however I am leaning towards it. I am definitely in the camp that opposes full communion with any denomination which does not retain full apostolic succession or will not submit to the re-ordination and/or re-consecration of all its clergy in order to conform to this. This is not to say that I do not believe in ecumenism. I believe that interdenominational dialogue is not only healthy but necessary. It helps us to understand where other Christians come from ad appreciate and respect the traditions from which their particular expressions of Christianity came.

I tend to attribute this move towards blurring denominational lines to a loss of identity among the mainline churches. Mainline churches have been under so much pressure due to continually declining numbers (at least among the Episcopalians, United Church of Christ, United Methodist Church and some wings of the Presbyterian Church USA) and the growing number of aging mainliners, that they feel compelled to pursue these interdenominational accords and agreements to keep the whole institution of mainline Christendom alive. Right now, it's barely that. It's in survival mode. Call me a pessimist, but this is like trying to use buckets to prevent a ship from sinking.

Instead of engaging in these identity-blurring exercises, denominations ought to strengthen their distinctives. Episcopalians should strengthen their focus on liturgy and theological diversity and commitment to orthodoxy, Presbyterians and Lutherans ought to focus more on the spirit of the Christian Reformers which made them what they are, Methodists ought to focus more on the spirit of the Wesleyan movement and its impact on wider society. In this context of strengthening their understanding of their distinctives, they should also engage in multi-denominational talks to seek understanding and mutual respect. If a mainline denomination does this and shows its relevance to society, it has then earned its right to survive. Otherwise, it's time to let it pass.