Religious Unity in Sight?

“We are witnessing a significant day in the history of our churches,” said Christian Krause, president of the Lutheran World Federation. Similarly, Pope John Paul II spoke of “a milestone on the uneasy road for the reconstruction of full unity among Christians.”

These enthusiastic proclamations were prompted by the signing of an Official Common Statement on October 31, 1999, in Augsburg, Germany, confirming the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification. Timing and location of the event were well chosen. It is said that on October 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of the castle church in Wittenberg, thereby setting off the Protestant Reformation. Augsburg, of course, was where the Lutherans in 1530 presented their basic tenet, the Augsburg Confession, which was rejected by the Catholic Church, leading to the irreconcilable rift between Protestantism and Catholicism.

Will the Joint Declaration be a decisive step in overcoming the division of the church, as it is claimed? Not all parties were optimistic. Over 250 Protestant theologians signed an opposing petition, warning against being taken over by the Catholic Church. Protestants were also irritated when the Catholic Church declared a special indulgence for the year 2000, the very practice that precipitated the rift some 500 years ago. And since both the Augsburg Confession and the Catholic rebuttal by the Council of Trent are still in place, unity is far from ensured.

The division and disagreement within Christendom are far greater than what the signing of any joint declaration can mend. Furthermore, unity in faith hinges on beliefs based solidly on God’s Word, the Bible. (Ephesians 4:3-6) Rather than coming through compromise, true unity comes from learning and doing what God asks of us. “All the peoples, for their part, will walk each one in the name of its god,” declared the faithful prophet Micah, “but we, for our part, shall walk in the name of Jehovah our God to time indefinite, even forever.”​—Micah 4:5.

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© Ralph Orlowski/​REUTERS/​Archive Photos