wfn.org | Disciples and Lutheran body begin dialogue

[DISCNEWS.parti@ecunet.org]

August 2, 1996
Disciples News Service
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Contact: Clifford L. Willis
Cliff_Willis.parti@ecunet.org
     
96b-67    

     INDIANAPOLIS (DNS) -- "Communication is the beginning
of understanding," according to an old adage. 

     If that is true, a new vista of understanding has been
opened with a small European Lutheran body, the Evangelical
Lutheran Church of Finland, and the Christian Church
(Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada. 

     Archbishop John Vikstrom and two other Finnish Lutheran
officials visited here July 30-Aug. 2 to begin a dialogue
with representatives of the Disciples. 

     Vikstrom and the Revs. Risto Cantell and Ilkke Makela
were guests of the Rev. Paul A. Crow Jr., president of the
Council on Christian Unity. The archbishop delivered a
public lecture July 31 on "Challenges to the Christian
Church in Finland today." 

     "This visit breaks new ground for the Christian Church
(Disciples of Christ)," said Crow. Although involved in past
Disciples/Lutheran relations, these talks with the Finnish
Lutheran body are unique, according to the Disciples
ecumenical officer. 

     Dialogue with Disciples participants quickly surfaced
several areas of "common ground" including an emphasis on
Scripture, understandings concerning the Lord's Supper and
the meaning of baptism, Christian unity and the churches'
heritage in the Reformation.

     The Disciples of Christ emerged as a response to
divisions among Christians resulting from the American
Revolution, said the Rev. Richard Harrison Jr. A church
historian, he is president of Lexington (Ky.) Theological
Seminary. 

     Disciples founders "tried to find common ground among
Christians through the New Testament," he said. And as
Alexander Campbell and Barton Stone were former
Presbyterians, this movement also became identified with
Reformation-era traditions. 
 
     Martin Luther, the founder of the Lutheran tradition,
is hailed as the "father of the Reformation." The former
Roman Catholic priest began the movement as a response to
elements of Catholic practice he found objectionable.  

     "We speak of ourselves as the Reformers of the 19th
century," said Harrison. 

     The Lutheran prelate praised the Disciples' singular,
longstanding commitment to Christian unity. "I have never
seen a church where the ecumenical dimension is so central
and important to its identity," said Archbishop Vikstrom. "I
understand why the Holy Spirit has given you this special
gift."

     The Lutheran church also shares the Disciples' regard
for the "oneness of the church," he said. "It is a given
unity" and "the task of us to manifest in different ways."

     Like the Disciples, Lutherans see themselves as "not
the only church, but part of it," said Risto Cantell,
executive director, Department for International Relations.

     The Lord's Supper, which Disciples celebrate weekly,
"embodies its commitment to the unity of the body of
Christ," said Harrison. While early Disciples understood
Holy Communion in the Reformed tradition, the break with
Presbyterians occurred around its frequency and proper
administration, he added.

     Strong lay participation in church life also was an
area of agreement between the religious bodies. The Lutheran
emphasis on "the priesthood of all believers" is congruent
with Disciples' tradition of strong lay involvement.

     While the churches' baptismal practices differ
significantly, the Disciples ecumenical heritage allows them
to affirm Lutherans' perspective. Disciples practice
"believer's baptism" by immersion, while Lutherans often are
baptized as infants and later confirmed. Disciples
congregations, however, recognize the validity of other
modes of baptism.

     The use of creeds has long been a "hot-button" issue
for Disciples. But it is the abuse of creeds as tests of
fellowship, not their content, that founders rejected,
according to Harrison.

     The dialogue, said Crow, can facilitate Disciples
understanding around several issues in the life of the
denomination: the role of theology in the church, the use of
creeds to confess the faith, and apostolic continuity.

     A weakness among the Disciples of Christ, he said, has
been a reluctance to claim relationship with the "early
church." The talks can help immensely in that area, said
Crow.

                          - 30 -

DISCNEWS - inbox for Disciples News Service, Office of Communication,
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), PO Box 1986 Indianapolis, IN 46206,
tele. (317) 635-3100, (DISCNEWS.part@ecunet.org) Wilma Shuffitt, News and
Information Assistant; (CLIFF WILLIS.part@ecunet.org) Cliff Willis, Director
of News and Information; (CURT MILLER.part@ecunet.org) Executive Director