'Task of Christian unity urgent and necessary in 21st century'

The task of Christian unity is urgent and necessary even as in the 21st century we see new forms of division, says Rev. Dr. Setri Nyomi, head of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches.

Speaking at a symposium on Calvin at the Church of North India headquarters last week, Dr. Nyomi said the new forms of division - liberal and conservative, Christian right and Christian left, fundamentalists, etc., was pulling the Church of Jesus Christ in all kinds of directions.

"To Calvin, the divisions in the church of his day, destroying human fellowship and Christian relationship, were among the chief evils of that time," noted Dr. Nyomi who heads one of the oldest confessional bodies that unites Presbyterian, Reformed, Congregational, Waldensian, and some United Churches.

"Today's division in the church is a scandal. Viewed against the background of Calvin's words, it is as if we think Christ is divided intro tribes, castes, classes, ideologies, ignoring the vision of the perfection of the one church," he added.

Citing Africa, Dr. Nyomi said, because of the nature of missionary work, there has been numerous tribal churches. "Just by mentioning the name of your denomination, people can tell which tribe you belong to. We often fail to commit ourselves to Christian unity," he rued.

However, the emergence of United and Uniting Churches in the world today, including the Church of North India, says Dr. Nyomi, constitutes a refreshing attempt to reverse this fragmentation.

He added, while in some cases these were occasioned by secular authority or royal decrees, this phenomenon has brought an important development in Christian unity.

Dr. Nyomi further continued that Christian unity is not only when Presbyterians, Disciples of Christ, Anglicans, Lutherans, Methodists and others come together to form an organic union.

He said it is also expressed profoundly when the gifts of all God's people, women and women, young and old, regardless of race or human division can be used and appreciated fully in all aspects of church life.

The World Alliance of Reformed Churches, he declared, has set out to heal divisions among churches and to foster mission in unity or engage in dialogue with other Christian families. This, he said is done in the full conviction that it is the calling of God on the church.