Roman Catholic and Pentecostal Rapprochement
Chapter 2 Roman Catholic and Pentecostal Rapprochement
Introduction
The previous chapter outlined the importance of studying the International Roman Catholic-Pentecostal Dialogue because of the large number of global participants adhering to each tradition, the apparently vast theological differ- ences that separate the traditions, and the nature of the topics under discus- sion in the fifth round of the Dialogue. In an effort to underscore the value of dialogue between Catholics and Pentecostals, this chapter will first focus on the development of both Roman Catholic and Pentecostal openness to ecu- menism, highlighting current ecumenical trends in each. Next, it will shift to a discussion of the basis on which the international dialogue occurs and then it will articulate the nature, importance, and purpose of dialogue between Cath- olics and Pentecostals. Finally, the chapter will outline certain contemporary challenges that Catholics and Pentecostals face in dialogue and will conclude with a general introduction to the first five phases of the Dialogue.
The Development of Roman Catholic Ecumenism
Church historians recognize the extraordinary events that arose in the twentieth-century as commemorating a new era in the life of the Church. On the one hand, it was a time that was distinguished by a focus on the super- natural and an emphasis on the enduring reality of the charismatic manifes- tations of the Spirit. On the other hand, it was characterized by a renewed and revitalized global concern for Christian unity.1 Common to each of these movements—the charismatic/Pentecostal and the ecumenical, that exerted a profound influence over the first half of the twentieth-century—was an ardent missionary impulse grounded in a belief that considered the spread of the gos- pel to be a vital and urgent task. Though these movements often embraced different perspectives on the nature of the evangelistic task at hand, the development of the Pentecostal and charismatic movements and a renewed
1 Cecil M. Robeck, Jr., “The New Ecumenism,” The Local Church in a Global Era: Reflections for a New Century, ed. Max L. Stackhouse, Tim Dearborn, Scott Paeth (Grand Rapids, mi: William B. Eerdmans, 2000), 169.
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openness to ecumenism created the bridge necessary for commencing ecu- menical dialogue between Roman Catholics and Pentecostals. On the Catholic side, the dramatic changes brought about at Vatican ii (1962–1965) marked the key historical development in the formation of a Catholic ecumenical mindset. At the outset of the Second Vatican Council, the Catholic Church deliberately chose to enter the ecumenical arena2 by declaring the “restoration of unity among all Christians”3 as one of its primary concerns. The Catholic Church confessed that “such division openly contra- dicts the will of Christ, scandalizes the world, and damages that most holy cause, the preaching of the Gospel to every creature.”4 Lumen Gentium (The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church) was a significant Vatican ii document that recognized the legitimacy of the baptism of other churches and, in so doing, radically challenged the 1928 encyclical, Mortalium Animos, previously issued by Pope Pius xi, in which all other Christians were declared separated from the “one true Church of Christ.”5 Instead, Lumen Gentium acknowledged
2 The rcc joined with many other churches that prioritized Christian unity in the years prior to the Second Vatican Council. Christian unity prevailed through such efforts as the American formation of the Federal Council of Churches (fcc) in 1908 [merged later into the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the usa (ncccusa) in 1950]. Additionally, global ecumeni- cal efforts were observed in convening the international Edinburgh Missionary Conference in 1910, and in the creation of the World Council of Churches (wcc) in 1948. 3 ur, 45 [in Austin Flannery, O.P., ed, The Vatican Collection, Vatican Council ii (Northport, ny: Costello Publishing Company, 1975, 1986, 1992, revised 1996), 2:452–455]. That the “res- toration of unity among all Christians” was a primary task of the Second Vatican Council was seen in the establishment of the “Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity” by Pope John xxiii on June 5, 1960 in preparation for Vatican ii. The rcc is currently in international dialogue with: (1) The Orthodox Church, (2) Oriental Orthodox Churches, (3) The Malankara Churches, (4) The Anglican Communion, (5) The Lutheran World Federation, (6) The World Alliance of Reformed Churches, (7) The World Methodist Council, (8) The Baptist World Alliance, (9) The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), and (10) some Pentecostal groups. They also seek “to promote meetings with Evangelicals,” and currently have twelve Catholic theologians who sit on the World Council of Churches’ Plenary Commission on “Faith and Order” (http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/chrstuni/documents/rc_pc _chrstuni_pro_20051996_chrstuni_pro_en.html, accessed September 9, 2010). 4 ur, 45. 5 In this encyclical, Pope Pius xi prohibited Catholics from participating in the ecumenical movement, because salvation could not be found outside the Catholic Church. “It is clear why this Apostolic See has never allowed its subjects to take part in the assemblies of non- Catholics: for the union of Christians can only be promoted by promoting the return to the one true Church of Christ of those who are separated from it, for in the past they have unhap- pily left it” (ma, 10).