GRASSROOTS UNITY AND THE FOUNTAIN TRUST INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES: A STUDY OF ECUMENISM IN THE CHARISMATIC RENEWAL by HO YAN AU A thesis submitted to the University of Birmingham for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Department of Theology School of Philosophy, Theology and Religion The University of Birmingham 10 November 2008 University of Birmingham Research Archive e-theses repository This unpublished thesis/dissertation is copyright of the author and/or third parties. The intellectual property rights of the author or third parties in respect of this work are as defined by The Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 or as modified by any successor legislation. Any use made of information contained in this thesis/dissertation must be in accordance with that legislation and must be properly acknowledged. Further distribution or reproduction in any format is prohibited without the permission of the copyright holder. ABSTRACT This thesis studies the nature of grassroots unity during the charismatic renewal of the 1970s and its significance for ecumenism. It argues that the renewal made an important contribution to ecumenism by means of complementarity of institution and charisms, and christology and pneumatology. It is based on the five international conferences of the Fountain Trust in the 1970s and focuses on two grassroots activities: worship in general and the celebration of the eucharist in particular. Worship in this setting nurtured unity through charisms, but the eucharist exposed the inadequacy of this grassroots unity because of doctrinal and ecclesiological differences. The thesis aims to suggest a way forward by searching for the complementarity of institution and charisms, and christology and pneumatology in a charismatic context. It argues that the two emphases of the charismatic renewal, charisms and the Holy Spirit, complement the institutional commitments of the church and ecumenism. The concepts of Christus praesens and Spiriti praesens are considered intrinsic to the charisms, and thus christology and pneumatology should both be considered significant for ecumenism. It finally discusses the complementarity of ecumenical institutions and the charismatic renewal, the convergence of ecumenical streams and continuity in modern ecumenical history. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS There is a number of people to whom I am indebted for the completion of the thesis. I would like to express my gratitude to Fr. Michael and Jeanne Harper. Their most welcoming hospitality, warmest sharing of their charismatic experiences and most generous offer of materials from the personal archive not only enabled me to gain abundant knowledge about the renewal, but also to see the lovingkindness as the result of the ongoing outpouring of the Spirit in their lives. I am also thankful for Mr and Mrs David MacInnes’s gracious welcoming, detailed explanation of their personal experiences in the charismatic renewal. Special thanks to Mr MacInnes for kindly lending his collection of the Renewal magazines, cassette tapes and books, and his hard work on correcting my English without charge. I would also like to extend my thanks to Revds Tom Smail and Tom Walker for their detailed sharing of their personal experience and observation of the ecumenical aspect of the charismatic renewal, and to Mr Bob Balkam for his e-mails which explained the Roman Catholic Charismatic involvement in the British Charismatic Renewal. Their precious information helped me to depict a rich ecumenical scene in the thesis. I am also thankful for Mattersey Hall and St. John’s College, Nottingham, for allowing me to access the archive. I am very much indebted to my supervisors. In the first two years of my study, Prof. Allan Anderson guided me to look at ecumenism in the charismatic renewal and provided historical resources which were helpful for my study. I am grateful for Dr. Mark Cartledge’s careful guidance, challenging comments, constant patience and hard work in the final two years. They both aimed at my final success of my study. I want to give my greatest thanks to my parents: Mr Siu Ling Au and Mrs Mei Fong Tsui. They are not Christians but believe in traditional Chinese folk religion. They know neither the charismatic renewal nor ecumenism, but because they believe in education, they work hard day and night to support my doctoral education in Britain. Without their financial support and hope for my brighter future, this research would not have come into existence. This thesis is dedicated to them. Finally I want to gratefully thank my gracious God who gave me strength when I was weak, gave me hope when I despaired, and reminded me of the goal that he had set before me when I forgot the reason why I was doing it. May the God of love, wisdom and knowledge be glorified! TABLE OF CONTENTS ABBREVIATIONS INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………………….1 1. Definition and Literature Review of Grassroots Unity….………………………….1 1.1. Distinctive Features of Grassroots Unity……………………………………………..3 1.2. Two Models of Grassroots Unity……………………………………………………..6 1.2.1. Official Ecumenical Experiments in the Local Churches…………………………6 1.2.2. The Holy Spirit-Initiated Unity in the Charismatic Renewal………………………..8 2. Objective of the Thesis……………………………………………………………….10 3. Methodology………………………………………………………………………….11 3.1. History……………………………………………………………………………… 11 3.2.Theology…………………………………………………………………………….13 4. Definition of Key Terms……………………………………………………………..18 4.1. Charismatic Renewal………………………………………………………………..18 4.2. Charisms…………………………………………………………………………….24 5. Contributions of the Thesis………………………………………………………….26 CHAPTER ONE. THE HISTORY OF THE FOUNTAIN TRUST…………………28 1. Background of the Charismatic Renewal in Britain………………………………28 1.1. The Decline of the Church…………………………………………………………..29 1.1.1. Post-War Gloominess…………………………………………………………..29 1.1.2. Formalism………………………………………………………………………30 1.1.3. Billy Graham’s Preparatory Work……………………………………………...31 1.1.4. Drop of Membership……………………………………………………………32 1.2. Economic Boom, Spiritual Gloom…………………………………………………..33 1.3. The Rise of Counter-Cultures……………………………………………………….34 2. The Development of the Charismatic Renewal in Britain………………………...36 3. A Brief History of the Fountain Trust……………………………………………...39 3.1. Its Self Understanding in the Charismatic Renewal………………………………...39 3.1.1. Stage 1: Initial Period (1964-1970)……………………………………………...39 3.1.1.1. The Ecumenical Nature……………………………………………………...39 3.1.1.2. From Being a Community to Fellowship…………………………………...41 3.1.1.3. Strengthening Local Churches………………………………………………42 3.1.1.4. Three Aims…………………………………………………………………..43 3.1.2. Stage 2: Maturing Period (1971-1974)………………………………………….43 3.1.2.1. 1971: “On the Move”………………………………………………………..43 3.1.2.2. Theological Preparation……………………………………………………..44 3.1.2.3. Looking Forward to 1974…………………………………………………...45 3.1.2.4. New Aims in 1974…………………………………………………………..46 3.1.3. Stage 3: Plateau Period to the End (1975-1980)………………………………...47 3.1.3.1. Ecumenical Breakthrough…………………………………………………..48 3.1.3.2. Ministries in Wales………………………………………………………….49 3.1.3.3. Social Outreach……………………………………………………………..50 3.2. Its Relationships with Others……………………………………………………….51 3.2.1. Classical Pentecostals: Assemblies of God and Elim Pentecostal Church……...51 3.2.2. Other Pentecostal Groups……………………………………………………….56 3.2.3. Evangelicals……………………………………………………………………..56 3.2.4. House Churches…………………………………………………………………59 3.2.5. Roman Catholics………………………………………………………………...61 3.2.5.1. Michael Harper’s Period (1964-1975)………………………………………61 3.2.5.2. Tom Smail’s Period (1975-1979)…………………………………………...63 3.3. Its Directors………………………………………………………………………….65 3.3.1. From Michael Harper to Tom Smail…………………………………………….65 3.3.2. From Tom Smail to Michael Barling……………………………………………68 3.4. Its End……………………………………………………………………………….70 3.5. The Ecumenical Loss of the Closure of the Fountain Trust………………………...75 4. Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………76 CHAPTER TWO. THE FIVE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES……………78 1. Aims…………………………………………………………………………………...78 1.1. General Aims………………………………………………………………………..78 1.1.1. Two Periods……………………………………………………………………..79 2. Participants and Venues……………………………………………………………..83 2.1. Attendance and Nationalities………………………………………………………..83 2.2. Venues……………………………………………………………………………….89 3. Programmes…………………………………………………………………………..91 4. Feedbacks from Delegates…………………………………………………………...95 5. Impacts………………………………………………………………………………..98 5.1. Church Leaders in the United Kingdom…………………………………………….98 5.1.1. Anglicans………………………………………………………………………..98 5.1.2. Roman Catholics…...…………………………………………………………..101 5.1.3. Leaders of Mainline Churches…………………………………………………102 5.1.4. British Council of Churches…………………………………………………102 5.2. International Church Leaders……………………………………………………103 5.2.1. Sweden………………………………………………………………………103 5.2.2. Norway…………………………………………………………………………104 5.2.3. Australia……………………………………………………………………105 5.2.4. New Zealand…………………………………………………………………...106 5.2.5. South Africa……………………………………………………………………108 5.3. Theological Awareness…………………………………………………………….109 5.4. Social Concern……………………………………………………………………..114 6. A Reflection of the Five International Conferences……………………………... 118 6.1. Guildford 1971: Coming of Age…………………………………………………...119 6.2. Nottingham 1973: A Milestone of Maturity……………………………………….121 6.3. Westminster 1975: Renewal on a Plateau………………………………………….122 6.4. Westminster 1977: Retrospection and Ready for the Future………………………123 6.5. Westminster 1979: A March Towards a New Stage……………………………….125 7. Conclusion and Evaluation………………………………………………………...126 CHAPTER THREE.