Pan-Christian Conferences

PAN-CHRISTIAN CONFERENCES. — Protestants clearly distinguish three classes of conferences called world, pan-Christian, or pan-Protestant conferences. Those which dealt with confronting social, economic, and international problems are designated by the name of Conferences of “Life and Work” (Life and Work); those whose purpose was the study and examination of doctrinal divergences and ecclesiastical discipline, with a view to a possible union desired as a precept of the divine will, are called Conferences of “Faith and Order” (Faith and Order); finally, those devoted to missionary questions are included under the name of World Missionary Conferences (World's Missionary Conference). It should be stated once and for all that no official representatives of the Catholic Church took part in any of these conferences, whereas delegates of the Eastern schismatic Churches were present at some of them. Almost all were carefully prepared; all the sessions were preceded and followed by some religious act performed jointly, and all the conclusions (findings), before acquiring force or authority, had to be submitted to the decision of the individual sects, which were free to accept, modify, or reject them.

SUMMARY: I. Conferences of “Life and Work.” — II. Conferences of “Faith and Order.” — III. World Missionary Conferences.

I. CONFERENCES OF “LIFE AND WORK.” — This is the name given to the two Conferences of Stockholm (1925) and Oxford (1937). Their purpose was to study Christ’s thought “as it was revealed in the Gospel” in relation to the great social, industrial, and international questions, in an attempt to lay the foundations of a Christian-social doctrine to which all the sects might subscribe; for this reason, every dogmatic question was carefully avoided.

1. Conference of Stockholm (19–30 Aug. 1925). With the aim indicated, more than 600 delegates and guests from 31 Christian “communions,” including some Eastern schismatic ones, gathered in Stockholm under the presidency of the Lutheran archbishop of Uppsala, Natan Soderblom (1866–1931). The questions addressed were: a) the Church and economic and industrial questions; b) the Church and social and moral questions; c) the Church and international relations; d) the Church and Christian education; e) methods of cooperation and federation among the Churches. Among the dissertations and studies presented at the conference, there were some of genuine relevance and importance, both in subject matter and in development. Two currents could be observed in the discussions: the Lutheran current, which indeed wanted the spirit of the Gospel to permeate all social questions, but without descending to concrete problems; and the Anglo-Saxon current, which wanted to apply the ethics of the Gospel to particular cases, such as the condemnation of war, approval of the League of Nations, and so forth. Some distressing questions also arose, such as that of responsibility for the war of 1914–18, which the president adroitly set aside by recommending prayer for the reconciliation of peoples. Some expressed pessimism about the final result of the conference, because of the lack of a common creed, the absence of the Roman Church, the apathy of many Churches toward social questions, and so forth. The congress refrained from offering precise solutions to the questions proposed and from confirming the results of the discussions by vote. Protestants have compared this conference to the Council of Nicaea, but without the anathemas. To continue the work of the conference, a “Continuing Committee” was established.

2. Conference of Oxford (12–26 July 1937). Twelve years later, the second Conference of “Life and Work” met at Oxford. Approximately 400 delegates and guests attended, belonging to 117 Christian “communities,” among them 26 delegates from 13 Eastern autocephalous Churches. The conference was presided over by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Cosmo G. Lang. The Jewish conflict, which had arisen in various nations, the doctrines and theories that had developed around the concepts of nation, State, race, and totalitarianism (which was confused with authoritarianism), and the repercussions that all this had in the international social sphere contributed to the new conference’s concentrating chiefly on these problems. The subjects addressed were: a) the Church and the nation; b) the Church and the State; c) the Church, the nation, the State, and the economic order; d) the Church, the nation, the State, and education; e) the universal Church and the economic order. As at the preceding conference, very well-prepared dissertations were read and studies presented. This time, certain conclusions were formulated, among which the following appear, summarized in the final message: “There must be no questions of race within the Church; the Church must assert the right to provide her children with Christian instruction and education; the Church cannot recognize any earthly authority as supreme.” Two currents were also noted at this conference: that of the Barthians, who, with their doctrine that the Church is a gift of God without human participation, shied away from any sociological acceptance of the Gospel; and that of those who tended to reduce Christ’s message to a canon of social action. At this conference, an error into which the promoters of the Conferences of “Life and Work” had fallen was corrected. Since Protestants tend to separate what is united, viewing Christianity in sectors and not in its totality, they had thought it possible to separate sociology (“Life and Work”) from eschatology and dogmatics (“Faith and Order”). This mistake was amended by the decision to propose at the next congress of “Faith and Order,” which was to be held that same year at Edinburgh, the union of the two movements.

II. CONFERENCES OF “FAITH AND ORDER.” — This is the name given to the two world Protestant Conferences of Lausanne (1927) and Edinburgh (1937). Their immediate purpose was not the doctrinal union of all Protestants, but the presentation, examination, and discussion—not in the manner of a dispute or controversy, but “in the effort of mutual understanding, esteem, and love”—of the points of disagreement, in preparation for the future union of all the sects and Churches into one. By the term union or reunion, Protestants do not mean submission to the center of unity, teaching authority, and government headed by the pope; indeed, they exclude II. In fact, the final item of the official outline of the questions to be addressed at the Conference of Lausanne says: “Questions concerning the necessity of a central authority are certainly of the greatest importance; but the Conference, while recognizing this importance, considers it inadvisable to include them in its program.” Once this essential foundation for unity of faith and discipline is removed, it follows that, for Protestants, the word union has different meanings. For some, it is the grouping or federation of all existing Christian religions, each retaining its own doctrines and ecclesiastical government, and united with the others only by a certain federal bond; for others, it means a union achieved through compromises, agreements, and comprehensive interpretations, so that under a single formula of ambiguous words each sect may preserve its own doctrine; and there are not a few who understand it as a reunion on the basis of a minimum of beliefs accepted by all, such as those proposed in the “Lambeth Quadrilateral” (v. CONFESSIONI DI FEDE PROTESTANTI); finally, others would desire organic union, that is, in faith.

1. C. of Lausanne (3–21 Aug. 1927). On the appointed day more than 400 delegates and guests, belonging to more than 100 Christian “communions,” gathered at Lausanne under the presidency of the bishop of the Episcopal diocese of Western New York, Carlo H. Brent. There were also 14 representatives of as many autocephalous Eastern Churches. The Catholic Church had forbidden its faithful to take part. Indeed, “pro bono pacis,” all the competing sects and Churches were placed on an equal footing, as though each were the true Church of Christ; but all had to be prepared, should this be necessary for the coveted union, to renounce some doctrine or to reach some doctrinal compromise with the others—something that the Catholic Church, which is the one true Church of Christ, absolutely could not accept. The topics discussed were: a) the appeal to unity; b) the Gospel, the Church’s message to the world; c) the nature of the Church; d) the confession of faith common to the entire Church; e) the ministers of the Church; f) the Sacraments; g) the unity of Christianity and the relationship among the existing Churches. The preparation and organization of this first C. of “Faith and Order” were carried out with the greatest care; many of the studies presented were noteworthy from a Protestant standpoint, and the allusions to the Catholic Church were rather respectful and expressed regret that it had not accepted the invitation to participate. All clearly confessed that the divisions among the Churches were contrary to the will of Our Lord Jesus Christ. But then, in practice, they approved a kind of appendix comprising the opposing doctrines, concluding that “each of the Churches shall continue to make use of its special profession of faith.” The Easterners, steadfast in their refusal of compromises in matters of faith and conscience, and the Quakers showed themselves opposed. Pope Pius XI, in the encyclical Mortalium animos (6 Jan. 1928), clearly demonstrated that the path being followed did not lead to unity. This displeased Söderblom, who replied (29 Jan. 1928) with an article whose light and even ironic tone contrasted with the grave tone of the encyclical. In it Söderblom showed that he had not properly grasped either the meaning of the encyclical or the true problem of union.

2. C. of Edinburgh (3–18 Aug. 1937). After the C. of Lausanne, the “Faith and Order” movement underwent new development. Various partial unions took place among divisions within the same sect, such as those among the English Methodists (1932) and the Scottish Presbyterians (1929), and even among different sects, such as those from which the United Church of Southern India, whose plan was approved in 1933, and the Church of Christ in China (1927) resulted. The problem of union prompted Catholic authors (Congar, Pribilla, etc.) and Protestants (Mackenzie, Douglass, etc.) to write interesting books; indeed, some difficult points left unresolved at the Congress of Lausanne also occasioned important writings on Grace (various authors), the Eucharist (Brillioth), and ministers and Sacraments (Headlam). To all this must be added the proposal, already indicated by the C. of Oxford, to unite the two movements, “Faith and Order” and “Life and Work.” Under the direction of the Anglican archbishop of York, W. Temple, 414 delegates and guests from 120 different Churches gathered at Edinburgh to discuss the proposed topics. Twenty-six delegates from the Eastern Churches took a prominent part in the discussions. The topics discussed were: a) Grace; b) the Church of Christ and the word of God; c) the Communion of saints; d) the Church of Christ, its ministers and Sacraments; e) the unity of the Church in life and worship. As at the preceding c., the preparation, study of the topics, organization, etc., were carried out with great accuracy; the Catholic Church was spoken of with respect, and some showed genuine regret at its absence; the Catholic observers who attended, though without taking part, were treated with great kindness; emphasis was placed on the harm caused by doctrinal divergences and on the need to return to unity. Unfortunately, in order to satisfy all the Churches represented at the c., the same thing was done as at the C. of Lausanne: the dissenting opinions were included in the conclusions as an appendix, and agreement was obtained through the use of certain vague and abstract expressions. Finally, the C. of Edinburgh approved, as the one at Oxford had requested (and according to one of the congress participants, this was perhaps the c.’s only practical result), the creation of the worldwide Council (Council) of Churches, uniting the “Life and Work” movement with the “Faith and Order” movement into a single body. According to the text of its constitution, this council was to be for the Church a bond of union and a coordinating center, and was to provide the Christian world with an organ that would enable all the Churches to “speak with one voice.” There was no lack of Protestant critics who, with a certain horror, discerned in such a council a kind of Protestant papacy (v. ECUMENISMO PROTESTANTE).

1. Conference of Edinburgh (14–25 June 1910)

More than 1,000 delegates or guests took part, from 46 English, 60 North American, 41 continental European, 12 Australian, and South African missionary societies, and no representative of the Eastern Churches. Giovanzi R. Mott was elected president of the Conference from the very first session. The subjects discussed were: a) preaching the Gospel to all non-Christian nations; b) the Church in the missions; c) education as a means of Christianizing national life; d) the missionary message and non-Christian religions; e) missionary preparation; f) the nurseries (Home Base) of the missions; g) missions and governments; h) cooperation and the promotion of union. In general, all the subjects were treated thoroughly, and the first one provides important and curious documentation on the state of Protestant missions throughout the world in 1910. The stumbling block that always emerges in these conferences is that of union and cooperation. The difficulty was clearly set forth and discussed; the counsels given are good in a Protestant sense, but the conclusion is that the solution to so complex a problem «can be approached only in a spirit of penitence and prayer; of penitence for the arrogance of sin and the lack of foresight, through which a situation has been perpetuated that so greatly delays the progress of the Kingdom of Christ; of prayer because human wisdom sees no solution». It should be noted that in this conference too the word Church seems to be used as though the Church of Christ were constituted by the aggregate of all the sects or Churches. One of the practical results of this conference was the establishment of a «Continuation Committee», to continue its spirit, promote its conclusions, and prepare others. This committee was to be a center for consultation and counsel, but with no authority other than that deriving from the intrinsic value of the services rendered.

2. Conference of Jerusalem (24 March–8 April 1928)

The Continuation Committee, after various vicissitudes, was replaced in 1921 by the International Missionary Council, which proposed that a new world conference be held in Jerusalem in 1928. It was to be composed of an equal number of delegates from the missionary countries (sending countries) and the missionized countries (receiving countries). On the appointed day, 250 delegates and guests from 44 different nations gathered, and there were numerous representatives of the Chinese, Japanese, and Indian Protestant Churches; several Filipinos and Latin Americans were also present. The Eastern Churches, since they had no missions, were not invited. The presidency was again assumed by the dynamic and optimistic G. R. Mott. The subjects discussed were: a) Christian life and message in relation to non-Christian systems of thought and life; b) religious education; c) relations between the new and the ancient Churches (mother Churches and daughter Churches); d) the Christian mission in the light of racial conflicts; e) the Christian mission in relation to industrial problems; f) the Christian mission in relation to rural problems; g) international missionary cooperation. On the first point, excellent studies were presented on Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Islam, recommending that all missionaries «give force» within these religions to those doctrines that were closest to Christianity. Points d), e), and f) dealt with subjects proper to the Conferences on «Life and Work», but applied to the missions. The same error as in other conferences was committed, namely, concerning the meaning of the word Church. The final subject of the two conferences was common to both, but at Jerusalem a step further was taken with the establishment of national secretariats, in which all the missionary societies of each nation were to participate. These secretariats were to remain in continual contact with the «International Missionary Council», which at this conference was organized in all its parts and, according to one of the conclusions, «was to serve a new Christian union, corporate life, and solidarity of aims and purposes among all those who work to extend the Kingdom of God».

3. Conference of Tambaram, Madras (12–29 December 1938)

The third Protestant world missionary conference, convened by the International Missionary Council, met in British India in 1938. During the ten years between the Conference of Jerusalem and this one at Tambaram, several important events had taken place in the Protestant world, such as the two Conferences of Oxford and Edinburgh, the union of the two movements «Life and Work» and «Faith and Order», and the famous «Laymen’s Inquiry», with the publication of several volumes on the Protestant missions of the East and, above all, the work Rethinking Missions, rather unfavorable to Protestant missions and one that aroused great agitation in their missionary world. Four hundred and seventy-one delegates and guests took part in the Conference, coming from 59 nations, including various Catholic countries. This time too the presidency was held by the indefatigable G. R. Mott. Because of the breadth and importance of the topics treated, the general subjects and the various studies carried out on each are given: a) the authority of faith (a series of studies on the controversy arising from the publication of Kraemer’s book, The Christian Message in a Non-Christian World), that is,

the faith, by which the Church lives; b) the growing Church: the nature and function of the Church; the unfinished evangelical task; the place of the Church in evangelism; c) evangelism: the Church’s witness to non-Christian religions; practical questions; the method and discipline of the Church’s witness; d) the life of the Church: the inner life of the Church; national ministers; Christian education; the health ministry; the importance, function, and preparation of the missionary future; a programme of Christian literature; e) the economic foundations of the Church: the Church, social changes, and the economic order; the Church and the international order; f) Church and State, cooperation and unity. It should be noted that the first four topics were devoted to the question of the Church, an inescapable necessity in the missions confronting pagan religions, with which the missionaries had to establish contact. The desire to reach some agreement even in the doctrinal field led to the formulation, in the conclusions on the first point, of a kind of Credo of nearly 850 words, precise enough to distinguish Christianity from every other religion and sufficiently vague to be acceptable to the great majority of the sects. The breadth with which the questions of the education of ministers and of the economic foundations were treated demonstrates that the serious accusations made by the laymen in their “Inquiry” were very much in view. In this c. the missions among the Catholics of Latin America were also discussed. Particularly noteworthy was the sincerity and force with which the daughter Churches pressed the mother Churches to “put an end to the scandalous effects of the divisions.” They were able to do so with all the greater insistence because they did not bear the historical disadvantage of the mother Churches. Catholics cannot fail to recognize that the aim of converting the pagans to the Christian Church, as it is understood by Protestants—that is, to the aggregate of all the Protestant Churches—is impossible, because such a Church was not founded by Christ and does not exist.