LETTER FROM THE ECUMENICAL MODERATOR
Home Thoughts from Abroad
Murdoch MacKenzie
February 1998
This morning I visited the Bishop of Kottyam who had just received a fax informing him of the death of Bishop Lesslie Newbigin at 6.30 am on 30 January – the fiftieth anniversary of the death of Mahatma Ghandi. Anne and I were devastated as for the past 32 years Lesslie has been our mentor and guide. But we praised the Lord that one of the outstanding Christians of the twentieth century had been received into eternal glory.
Bishop Newbigin was possibly the most important leader of the missionary movement and of the ecumenical movement this century. For him the two went hand in hand and the ecumenical imperative was towards evangelism. In an ecumenical city like Milton Keynes we must never forget that the Church exists by mission as fire exists by burning, and that the proclamation of the good news of the salvation of Jesus Christ to everyone in Milton Keynes, both with our lives and with our lips, is what we are all about.
Each individual Christian and each loyal congregation is called to this task as a priority and I am sure we are each in our own way being inspired by the Holy Spirit to pray for, and to witness to our neighbours.
We have excellent examples to follow in some of the Milton Keynes churches and through the resources of the Milton Keynes Christian Council Missions Commission we can receive practical help to enable us to fulfil the great commission (Matthew 28:18-20). Not only do we have the services of our Mission Commissioner Convenor, the Rev Mike Houston, but particularly of our Evangelism Enabler, the Rev Richard Davis. Please contact Richard for full details.
Being ecumenical should give us a flying start for the work of evangelism. From time to time we are criticised, sometimes rightly, for our failure in evangelism and in some mysterious way the blame for this is attributed to our being ecumenical. Such a notion was always challenged by Bishop Newbigin. In ‘God’s Reign and our Unity’ he and others wrote: “Some affirm that concern for unity deflects attention from the more urgent business of evangelism” and they (correctly) point out that groups less interested in unity are often among the most successful in achieving numerical growth.
To this it must be replied that if the Church were an end in itself then it would follow that multiplication of members would be the criterion by which priorities should be judged. But if the Church is a sign and first-fruits of reconciliation of all things in Christ, the fruit of evangelism should be communities reconciled to one another r in Christ. If we have been “reconciled to God in one body through the cross” (Ephesians 2:16) then to break into fractions is to commit the enormity of dismembering the body of our Saviour (1 Corinthians 1:13). The mere multiplication of cells, unrelated to the purpose of the body, is a sign not of life and health, but of cancer and death.
One aspect of this was placarded across the pages of the Indian newspaper of 1 January 1998. The headline read “Fears of new massacre by Loyalist hardliners in Ulster”. As far as Hindu India is concerned, the deep division between Catholics and Protestants continues to promote violence and bloodshed. In the Constitution of the Church of South India top priority is given to the evangelistic task and mission of the nation. Every bishop and every diocesan council was asked to chalk out a programme for intensive evangelical work. How can this be done effectively by the myriad churches in India which are so obviously divided – especially Roman Catholic and Protestants? If we would honour Bishop Lesslie Newbigin let us renew our prayers for unity and mission.
Grace and Peace!
MURDOCH
31 January 1998
February 1998
This morning I visited the Bishop of Kottyam who had just received a fax informing him of the death of Bishop Lesslie Newbigin at 6.30 am on 30 January – the fiftieth anniversary of the death of Mahatma Ghandi. Anne and I were devastated as for the past 32 years Lesslie has been our mentor and guide. But we praised the Lord that one of the outstanding Christians of the twentieth century had been received into eternal glory.
Bishop Newbigin was possibly the most important leader of the missionary movement and of the ecumenical movement this century. For him the two went hand in hand and the ecumenical imperative was towards evangelism. In an ecumenical city like Milton Keynes we must never forget that the Church exists by mission as fire exists by burning, and that the proclamation of the good news of the salvation of Jesus Christ to everyone in Milton Keynes, both with our lives and with our lips, is what we are all about.
Each individual Christian and each loyal congregation is called to this task as a priority and I am sure we are each in our own way being inspired by the Holy Spirit to pray for, and to witness to our neighbours.
We have excellent examples to follow in some of the Milton Keynes churches and through the resources of the Milton Keynes Christian Council Missions Commission we can receive practical help to enable us to fulfil the great commission (Matthew 28:18-20). Not only do we have the services of our Mission Commissioner Convenor, the Rev Mike Houston, but particularly of our Evangelism Enabler, the Rev Richard Davis. Please contact Richard for full details.
Being ecumenical should give us a flying start for the work of evangelism. From time to time we are criticised, sometimes rightly, for our failure in evangelism and in some mysterious way the blame for this is attributed to our being ecumenical. Such a notion was always challenged by Bishop Newbigin. In ‘God’s Reign and our Unity’ he and others wrote: “Some affirm that concern for unity deflects attention from the more urgent business of evangelism” and they (correctly) point out that groups less interested in unity are often among the most successful in achieving numerical growth.
To this it must be replied that if the Church were an end in itself then it would follow that multiplication of members would be the criterion by which priorities should be judged. But if the Church is a sign and first-fruits of reconciliation of all things in Christ, the fruit of evangelism should be communities reconciled to one another r in Christ. If we have been “reconciled to God in one body through the cross” (Ephesians 2:16) then to break into fractions is to commit the enormity of dismembering the body of our Saviour (1 Corinthians 1:13). The mere multiplication of cells, unrelated to the purpose of the body, is a sign not of life and health, but of cancer and death.
One aspect of this was placarded across the pages of the Indian newspaper of 1 January 1998. The headline read “Fears of new massacre by Loyalist hardliners in Ulster”. As far as Hindu India is concerned, the deep division between Catholics and Protestants continues to promote violence and bloodshed. In the Constitution of the Church of South India top priority is given to the evangelistic task and mission of the nation. Every bishop and every diocesan council was asked to chalk out a programme for intensive evangelical work. How can this be done effectively by the myriad churches in India which are so obviously divided – especially Roman Catholic and Protestants? If we would honour Bishop Lesslie Newbigin let us renew our prayers for unity and mission.
Grace and Peace!
MURDOCH
31 January 1998