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Ecumenism Today: Scotland and the Wider World

February, 2008

Text of a Newman Association lecture delivered in February 2008 by Stephen Smyth fms, General Secretary of Action of Churches Together in Scotland (ACTS), and former ecumenical officer of Glasgow Churches Together.

The goal of ecumenism is the full visible unity of the one church of Jesus Christ.

This is not some small project for a few ecumenical enthusiasts from different churches to potter away at in their spare time. Full visible unity is a huge, demanding project for the whole church. Working towards full visible unity is integral to what it means to be Christian and to be church today.

The aim is founded upon the prayer of Jesus to his Father ‘that they may all be one’ (John 17:21) – a favourite text for the ecumenically minded. Jesus makes this prayer in the course of the Last Supper, just before his Passion, Death and Resurrection. The full text of the verse reads: ‘that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I in you, may they also be one in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.’ The purpose of the unity of Jesus’ followers then is to witness to the world so that people come to believe in Jesus, the Son of God, our Saviour and Brother.

We believe that Christian Unity is a Gospel imperative; and, a gift from Jesus to his followers, the church. Also, we believe that the ecumenical movement is God’s initiative, not ours. We believe this movement was initiated by the Holy Spirit as an answer to a need in our time. The call to ecumenical activity comes from God – the response is up to us, as communities and as individuals.

Download the full 30-page lecture as a pdf ...