An Ecumenical, Unbiblical Quest for Unity

Almost four years ago, I wrote a letter to the editor of Light House Trails Research. Since then, it was named in the top ten letters to the editor for 2015, published in one of their booklets, included in many blogs on the subject, and then published in Ray Yungen's book, Simple Answers, (2017). Thought I'd share it with you....

Dear Editor,

When I came across a tweet including a picture of my pastor attending the recent Alpha Leadership conference in England, I was intrigued. I had never heard of Alpha, so I did some research. My concern deepened as I uncovered the focus of this conference. Unity. Ecumenical unity with the Catholic Church. The choice of speakers confirmed my concern: Father Raniero Cantalamessa, (Preacher to the papal household), Joyce Meyer, Archbishop Justin Welby, and Cardinal Vincent Nichols.

Nicky Gumbel, pioneer of the Alpha Course, vicar of Holy Trinity Brompton Church, (an Anglian church in London), opened the Leadership Conference with a speech titled, “A Vision for a United Church.” His main point was that we should look to the trinity as the model of unity, for they are each a part of one body, and are unified. Here are some concerning quotes from this address:

• “This crisis is a massive opportunity for the church to stand together and fight together.”

• “Ultimately, unity is not doctrinal, it’s relational.”