John Newton’s Thoughts on Ecumenicism

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Ecumenicism is a word that speaks of different kinds of churches coming together to cooperate. Many conservative evangelicals are a little suspicious of ecumenical activities. There are some good reasons for this: not every group that uses the word “church” really is–that is, in some so-called churches, the Gospel is not faithfully preached, and so on. To join with false teachers is a sin, and opens us up to judgment.

I know we cannot pretend that we are on the same page was everyone just because we all use the word “Christian.” I do not think I am being overly naive here. Some use the term “Christian” who undoubtedly are not, at least not in the sense any evangelical can recognize. But still, can we not do more to cooperate as churches today? There is a rich tradition of evangelical ecumenicism that dates back to the 18th century, after all, and I believe we need to learn from it.

John Newton, the author of the famous hymn “Amazing Grace” was a strong Evangelical preacher. He was also a committed ecumenical evangelical. He preached to large congregations on Sunday evenings, especially, when his hearers would be composed of members of a variety of congregations. He was an Anglican, but he didn’t let his Anglicanism prevent him from seeking to work with non-conformists and other dissenting churches. He commented

I say little to my hearers of the things wherein they differ, but aim to lead them all to a growing and more experimental knowledge of the Son of God, and a life of faith in Him.

He lived in times that were known for their political and religious partisanship. Many who had strongly held opinions tended to demonize their opponents. Newton urged preachers to avoid these extreme measures. Instead, he drew on his own naval background and said:

When a ship is leaky and a mutinous spirit divides the company on board, a wise man would say ‘my good friends, while we are debating, the water is gaining on us. We had better leave the debate and go to the pumps.’”

These quotes appeared in The Later Evangelical Fathers by M. Seeley, p. 42-43. His words have something to say to us today–the world is lost and dying apart from God every day. It is time for Christians, true Christians, to focus on manning the lifeboats and preaching the Gospel, and not be overly concerned with our minor differences. We should be prepared to stand with anyone who believes the Bible, preaches the unique saviorhood of Jesus Christ, and holds to the Trinitarian faith we believe.

That’s just my two-cents worth on church cooperation. I believe that within reasonable limits, and within certain doctrinal limits, we need more cooperation in today’s desperately lost world. I have decided that I will not rush to criticize those whose methods differ from mine, so long as we can agree on the same Gospel message of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and the need for personal repentance from sin.

What do you think, reader?

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