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Over 170 delegates representing some 103 churches in Europe have gathered in Belfast's Queen's University this week, (June 19 25) for the 5th General Assembly of the Leuenberg Fellowship.
Formally established in 1973 with the signing of the 'Agreement between Reformation Churches in Europe' the Leuenberg Fellowship facilitates theological dialogue mainly between the Reformed and Lutherian Churches in Europe including both the Presbyterian and Methodist Churches in Ireland.
The theme for the Belfast Conference is 'Reconciled Diversity - The Mission of the Protestant Churches in Europe.' This accurately reflects much of what the Leuenberg Fellowship focuses on. This is trying to reconcile the confessional differences and deepen the church fellowship through on-going doctrinal conversations within the European context.
Professor Cecil McCullough, Principal of Union Theological College in Belfast is the Presbyterian Church's representative to the Leuenberg Fellowship and a member of its 13 person executive. 'This is a great privlige for our Church, for Belfast and for Queen's University to host this Assembly which last met in Vienna six years ago. The theme of 'Reconciled Diversity' provides us with an opportunity to show to other churches in Europe much of what we are doing locally to bring about reconciliation while celebrating our diversity.'
The adoption of the Leuenberg Agreement in 1973 signified the end of over 450 years of Church divisions in Europe! The signatory churches grant one another a pulpit and table fellowship and commit themselves to common witness and service on the basis of the agreement. At present the 103 member churches include Lutheran, Reformed, United, Methodist and Hussite Churches as well as pre-Reformation churches such as the Waldensians and the Church of the Czech Brethren. The Leuenberg Fellowship also maintains working contacts with the Anglican Communion and the European Baptist Fellowship.
The Northern Ireland context will, without doubt, impact on the General Assembly. During their week stay in Belfast delegates will be invited to the 'Belfast Experience.' In small groups they will have the opportunity to visit different initiatives around the city working in a practical way to bring about peace and reconciliation.
Another major focus of the conference will be the presentation of the finding of three major doctrinal discussions on 'Church and Israel', 'Church- People-State-Nation', and 'Law and Gospel'. Brief outlines of these discussions are presented below but their full text can be found at www.leuenberg.net in sub section 5 'Doctrinal Converstions' of the section of the site devoted to the Belfast General Assembly.
Church and Israel
The study "Church and Israel - A Contribution from the Reformation Churches in Europe to the Relationship between Christians and Jews" is the first all-European contribution by the Protestant churches on this theme.
In the original Leuenberg study on this issue, the Church was described as "God's People" not only in terms of the New Testament, but "the way in which the people of Israel understands itself according to the Old Testament tradition". This means that "the question of the proximity of the Church to and where it draws the line from Israel" is posed on a permanent basis. The present study develops the theme in three parts: in Part 1 it is shown to what extent the Leuenberg churches are seeking a conversation with Israel, where there is consensus and where there are differences, also what biblical foundations and historical developments exist in the Church's relationship to Israel; Part II contains dogmatic reflections; Part III the practical consequences.
Church-People-State-Nation
In 1998, the group dealing with this explosive topic presented a draft document to the churches for their opinion. It revised the document in the light of the comments and submitted a new draft version in 2000. The Executive has accepted the draft document with appreciation and forwarded it to the General Assembly for discussion and acknowledgement and has requested the churches to continue working on the subject based on the study. The study initially seeks an anthropological approach and clarification of the phenomena and concepts. Part of this is the multilingual glossary on the concepts of people, state, nation in the appendix. Above all, the study offers an historical overview of the situation of the church "in the field of tension that is people, state and nation" and it contextualises the matter based on current examples from a number of (different) countries. This is followed by a discussion of biblical foundation and constitutive theological insights which lead to a description of current challenges detailing the "threat of nationalism", "criteria for the church's dealings with people, nation, state and society" and "the position of and tasks facing the Leuenberg Church Fellowship in a Europe that is growing together".
Law and Gospel
In the past different definitions of the relationship between Law and the Gospel caused strain between the Protestant churches. In April 2001 the present doctrinal conversation group presented its conclusions and these have been recommended for discussion by the Executive Committee to the General Assembly.
In three steps the draft study "Law and Gospel - with particular reference to decision-making in ethical questions" highlight the relevance of the title:
"First, the churches of the Leuenberg Church Fellowship should accept with regard to this topic that they also have pursued disastrously misguided paths. A wrong understanding of the inter-relation between Law and Gospel has led to the church adapting themselves in their ethical orientation to the autocratic powers of the "world". As a consequence of this mistaken differentiation between Law and Gospel, people have been burdened with a moralistic conformity to law. On both of these misguided paths, the church has deprived the world of Christian witness. Both compel it to critical contemplation.
Secondly, with reference to what the Reformers said concerning "Law and Gospel", the churches of the Leuenberg Church Fellowship must themselves say anew in today's context. Arising from the distinction between the liberating Gospel and the "Law", the Reformers differentiated also between the church and all state and power-creating order. They assumed, however, that the state knew of the superior authority of God, based upon the validity of natural law, that finds expression in God's Commandments and in everyone's conscience. That God is the source of everything that is good and right is today no longer taken as a matter of course. In such a cultural situation the relationship between Law and Gospel has to be rethought.
Thirdly, in the Leuenberg Agreement the churches are compelled to "strive for the fullest possible co-operation in witness and service to the world" (LA 29). They practise individually such witness and service. But the common practising of witness and service with one voice has as it were only been achieved in small part. This is linked to the defective understanding of the differentiation and inter-relation of Law and Gospel. In attempting such a clarification we hope to serve the cause of the 'fullest possible co-operation in witness and service to the world' - in addition to the "the consensus they have [already] reached in their understanding of the Gospel" (LA 29)."
Issued by Stephen Lynas, Presbyterian Information Services on behalf of Udo Hahn, Press Officer for the Leuenberg Fellowship who may be contacted at velkd@aol.com or tel: 0049 177 826 12 26
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