Ut Omnes Unum Sint: The Case for Visible Church Reunion in the Ecclesiology of Bishop J.E. Lesslie Newbigin M. Scot Sherman Submitted to the University of Wales in fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy University of Wales, Lampeter 2010 CONTENTS ABSTRACT i DECLARATIONS AND STATEMENTS ii DEDICATION iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iv ABBREVIATIONS vii INTRODUCTION 1 1. THE MAKING OF AN EVANGELICAL ECUMENICAL (1909-1939) 7 1.1. Introduction 7 1.2. Early Life and Influences 7 1.3. The Clue of the Cross 9 1.3.1. Ecumenical Clues 11 1.3.2. Evangelical Clues 16 1.4. Missionary to India 10 1.5. The Significance of the Tambaram International Missionary Conference (1938) 22 1.6. Conclusion: An Evangelical Ecumenical 25 2. EVANGELICAL ECUMENISM IN SOUTH INDIA 29 2.1. Introduction 29 2.2. Back to India (1939 – 1947) 30 2.2.1. The War Years (1939-1945) 30 2.2.2. Union Negotiator and Defender (1942-1947) 32 2.3. A Vision for Unity in South India 34 2.3.1. William Carey: A Missionary with a Dream 34 2.3.2. 19th Century Evangelical Protestant Missionaries: Unintentional Ecumenists 35 2.3.3. Edinburgh 1910 38 2.4. The Formation of the Church of South India 39 2.4.1. Indian Presbyterians Form a United Synod 39 2.4.2. The Congregationalists unite and join the Presbyterians: The formation of the SIUC General Assembly 40 2.4.3 Federalism 43 2.4.4. The Anglicans Take the Initiative 45 2.4.5. Tranquebar 1919 47 2.4.6. Lambeth 1920 50 2.4.7. The Pledge 53 2.4.8. The “Fresh Impetus” of New Leadership 57 2.4.9. The Union 60 2.5. Conclusion 62 3. THE CHURCH AND THE GOSPEL 64 3.1. Introduction 64 3.2. Convener of Union Committees 65 3.3. Supplemental Ordination 66 3.3.1. Tranquebar 1919 and the Lambeth Appeal of 1920 66 3.3.2. Mutual Commissioning: G.C. Hubback’s Proposal 69 3.3.1.1. O.C. Quick 69 3.3.1.2. Gerald Broomfield 70 3.3.3. Archbishop William Temple 72 3.3.4. Reaction in South India 77 3.4. The Church and Union 78 3.4.1. Adolph Strekheisen 79 3.4.2. A.M. Devasahayam 81 3.4.3. H.V. Martin 82 3.4.4. C.B. Firth 84 3.5. Newbigin: The Church and the Gospel 86 3.5.1. The Paradox of the Church: Body of Christ and Human Organization 3.5.1.1. Visible and Invisible 87 3.5.1.2. Spiritual and Material 88 3.5.1.3. Proleptic and Pragmatic 90 3.5.1.4. Simul Justus et Peccator 90 3.5.2. Institutional Unity and Continuity 95 3.5.3. Unity: the fruit and means of the Gospel 97 3.5.4. Embracing Episcopacy: The Influence of Michael Ramsey 99 3.6. Conclusion 103 4. DEFENDING THE SCHEME 106 4.1 Introduction 106 4.2 English Critics of the Scheme 106 4.2.1 The Council for the Defence of Church Principles 107 4.2.2 Dom Gregory Dix 111 4.2.3. The Catholicity Report 112 4.2.4. The Society for the Propagation of the Gospel 115 4.3. The Reunion of the Church (1948) 119 4.3.1. The Basis of Union 121 4.3.2. The Essential Unity of the Church 124 4.3.3. The Spiritual Unity of the Church 125 4.3.4. The Corporeal Unity of the Church 126 4.3.5. The Way Forward: Justification by Faith 129 4.3.5.1. Yves Congar 132 4.3.5.2. An Eschatological Doctrine of the Church 136 4.3.6. The Method of Reunion 142 4.3.7. Heads of Agreement: Standards, Ministry, and Sacraments 144 4.3.7.1. Standards: the Bible or the Church? 146 4.3.7.2. Ministry: An Eschatological Theology of Ordination 152 4.3.7.3. The Sacraments: Lay Celebration and Priesthood 161 4.3.8. South India and the Ecumenical Movement 165 4.4. Conclusion 166 4.4.1 A Reformed Ecclesiology 167 4.4.2. An Eschatological Ecclesiology of the Cross 169 4.4.3. A Missional Ecclesiology 174 5. AN OUTWARD, VISIBLE, AND UNITED SOCIETY (1948-1998) 176 5.1. Introduction 176 5.2. Shaping a Missionary Understanding of the Church (1948-1959) 177 5.3. The Household of God: Lectures on the Nature of the Church (1953) 180 5.3.1. Introduction 180 5.3.2 Three Ecclesiological Types: Protestant, Catholic, and Pentecostal 5.3.2.1. The Congregation of the Faithful 186 5.3.2.2. The Body of Christ 189 5.3.2.3. The Community of the Holy Spirit 191 5.3.3. The Eschatological Perspective: “The end of the world” 193 5.3.4. The Missional Perspective: The ends of the earth” 199 5.4. One Body, One Gospel, One World: The Christian Mission Today (1958) 5.4.1. Introduction 202 5.4.2. Seven Principles of Action 203 5.5. Visible Unity and the Missio Dei (1959-1998). 207 5.5.1. Introduction 207 5.5.2. Churchly Unity 214 5.5.2.1. All in Each Place 214 5.5.2.2. Committed Conciliarity: A Local Church Truly United 219 5.5.2.3. Uncommitted Conciliarity: Denominationalism 222 5.5.2.4. Working for Visible Unity in England: God’s Reign and our Unity (1984) 232 5.5.3. Visible Unity and the Ecumenical Movement 241 5.5.3.1. Conflict with Konrad Raiser and the Direction of 241 the WCC 5.5.3.2. Engaging Evangelicals in the Ecumenical Movement 248 5.6. Conclusion 249 6. CONCLUSION: THE RELEVANCE OF NEWBIGIN’S REUNION ECCLESIOLOGY FOR THE ECUMENICAL FUTURE 251 6.1. Introduction 251 6.2. The Future of Newbigin’s Reunion Ecclesiology 252 6.2.1. The New Delhi Vision and the WCC 252 6.2.2. The Global Christian Forum and “Reconfiguration” 255 6.3. The Theological Significance of Newbigin’s Reunion Ecclesiology 255 7. BIBLIOGRAPHY 256 7. 1. Primary Sources: Works by Lesslie Newbigin. 265 7.2. Secondary Sources. 284 FINAL WORD COUNT: 106,525 i Abstract The University of Wales, Lampeter M. Scot Sherman PhD February 2010 Ut Omnes Unum Sint: The Case for Visible Church Reunion in the Ecclesiology of Bishop J.E. Lesslie Newbigin This dissertation examines Lesslie Newbigin’s case for the visible reunion of the Christian church. Newbigin’s reunion ecclesiology grows out of his convictions as an evangelical ecumenical. As an evangelical he was deeply committed to the authority of scripture, the necessity of the atonement through the cross and evangelism that sought to bring about spiritual conversion. As an ecumenical he was devoted to the visible reunion of the church. He came to believe that the historic episcopate was a unique and necessary instrument for Christian unity, eventually becoming a bishop in the Church of South India (CSI). Newbigin was a critical force in bringing about the evangelical–catholic theological synthesis that enabled Anglican and Free Church leaders to come together behind the CSI scheme of union in 1947. He came to seriously diverge from the direction of the World Council of Churches (WCC) as it moved away from visible and organic unity towards models of conciliarity or “reconciled diversity.” He embraced the 1961 WCC New Delhi commitment to a local vision for unity where “all in each place who are baptized into Jesus Christ and confess him as Lord and Savior are brought by the Holy Spirit into one fully committed fellowship.” From the time of the 1952 Willingen conference he embraced the missio Dei and began to develop a more fully Trinitarian—though nonetheless Christocentric—missionary ecclesiology. The emphasis was on the church’s vocation, continuing the mission of Jesus, making known the Father’s reign and bearing the eschatological witness of the Spirit in the world. The church is the ecclesia tou Theou—the assembled people of God in each place making known (as sign, instrument and foretaste of God’s reign) the life of God’s eschatological future in the present. His writings set forth a post-Christendom reunion ecclesiology that is Reformed, eschatological, and missional. ii DECLARATION This work has not previously been accepted in substance for any degree and is not being concurrently submitted in candidature for any degree. Signed………………………………… (candidate) Date…………………………………… STATEMENT 1 This thesis is the result of my own investigation, except where otherwise stated. Other sources are acknowledged by footnotes giving explicit references. Signed………………………………… (candidate) Date…………………………………… STATEMENT 2 I hereby give consent for my thesis, if accepted, to be available for photocopying and for inter-library loan, and for the summary to be made available to outside organizations. Signed………………………………… (candidate) Date…………………………………… iii For Cate Te Adoro iv Acknowledgements The seeds for this project were sown over twenty years ago during a lunch conversation with T.F. Torrance in the Princeton Seminary cafeteria. After I plied him with ecclesiological questions for an hour or more, he directed me to Lesslie Newbigin’s The Household of God and when I read it everything changed. Because I believe in the communion of the saints I have no hesitancy is saying now, “thank you, Professor Torrance!” I have many colleagues to thank. My close friend Craig Higgins and I have shared theological ideas with one another for nearly thirty years. To Craig I own an invaluable debt for years of “iron sharpening iron” (Proverbs 27:17) and this dissertation would not be possible without his influence on my life.