The Ecumenical Illusion
"Ecumenism", like an epidemic, is breaking out everywhere. Compromise, which is deeply involved, is on the march! Not only is this having a tremendous impact on the denominational world, but it is affecting the Lord's church as well. The "reasoning" of this movement seems to be increasing the size of a church always increases it efficiency in the rightful task of the church. This logic is contrary to the example set by the apostles, when "they ordained elders in every church" (Acts 14:23), with a deafening silence about any other authority on a broader scope. Not only is a world-wide, or even an area-wide church, with its control vested in one group of elders, when it is a merger of a number of congregations, each with elders, contrary to God's pattern of authority, but history profusely illustrates that any broader authority inevitably produces a corrupt church. "Christian unity" congealed into a structural monolith has been the prime curse of mankind. However, human reason seems to be taking the place of the will of God so much that it is difficult to determine where one begins, and the other ends. This condition is the sickness of our time, or the symptom of it.
In this movement, the Roman Catholic Church is setting the pace, having nothing to lose and everything to gain. Alarmed at the growth of "Protestantism" and Communism, it is courting both, obviously so that if the price of collaboration it is too high in either area, it will be at liberty to "deal" with the other Protestants are no longer "heretics worthy of death," but now are "separated brethren," who are being coaxed to 'return to the fold.' Apparently it is also trying desperately to "discover" some characteristic of "Christianity" in Communism, so that almost certain collaboration will not be too nauseating for its communicants to accept without gagging on it — and it is getting closer to this goal, as Red dignitaries are making regular visits to the Vatican, in spite of the fact that such was unheard of since 1917.
The Roman Church has tried tearing "heretics" limb from limb on the rack, burning them at the stake, and even "converting" entire nations by sheer force of arms — but NOW it is trying sugar-coated rhetoric's, picturing a big happy family of "believers" living together harmoniously under the "divine guidance" of the Pope, because the Lord has prayed for just such unity. Its tactics have changed temporarily, but its ambitions have not — it still craves world dominion.
It is evident that these fawning Protestants, who are derelicts from the gospel, have been unable to see the face of this movement, or have conveniently forgotten that the world hasn't gotten over the last "Christian unity" when the Roman Church was in the driver's seat. They seem to forget that while this era was the "Golden Age" for the Vatican, it was the twilight age for religious freedom, education and spirituality — that it was the age that spawned the Inquisition, and vetoed every human right and dignity. Blind to the fact that this movement is obviously a political ecclesiastical one making a strong bid for political power, which, as soon as it is acquired, will be used to impose a religious tax and oppress true Christians who will refuse to jump through the hoop and deny God, these crawling, hypocritical Protestant leaders are trying to outdo each other to sacrifice the religious liberty of our nation on the ecumenical altar. They have lost the gospel and are substituting for it an ecumenical stew concocted of a spoonful of everything in which many will have to give up something for everything and end up with nothing!
Like these denominational "ecumenists", it seems that preachers and elders of the Lord's church also think that if good can be done on the congregational level, much more can be accomplished on an area-wide scale. They seem to want to forget the local autonomy of the early church, and forget also that a centralized authority with broad jurisdiction has led to a religious monopoly drunk with power, which could have been attained only by a broader authority than God has prescribed in His word.
We (like the Methodists, who have been accused by drinking churches, of being "oddballs" and of "dragging their feet" in this movement, because of their traditional total abstinence ruling) are accused of being "antis" because we refuse to abandon God's divine plan for church rule, and "go along with an area-wide movement. A high Methodist official has predicted that soon this non-drinking rule will be scuttled. Will we be found guilty of abandoning the Lord's pattern, bartering it for human reasoning?
Brethren, let us not be weighed in the balances and found wanting. Let us not be guilty of scuttling God's wise design for church rule, designed so that even if some congregations digress, others need not necessarily follow, and all of God's people in a given area, need not follow an area-wide church down the digressive road to hell!
— Indianapolis, Indiana