respective denominations, to which we are devoted, will be replaced by
what some conceive of as a "superchurch." Such an arbitrary replacement
of church organization is not the objective of the unity movement.
Instead, we should respond to the Spirit's prompting to keep our
denominational loyalties subject to our loyalty to Him, in order that we
may be open to whatever form of church life and action the Spirit may
indicate for our generation. We are concerned about the church as the
body of Christ in our time. As His body, we must find our unity in Him;
but this may mean that we shall have to abandon some things that have
seemed good. Some words of our Lord are hard to bear: "He who loves
father or mother more than me is not worthy of me."[23] These words of
our Lord are equally applicable to all other relationships, including
our denominational ones. It does not follow, however, that our
denominational devotion is of itself disloyal to Christ, any more than
our devotion to our loved ones is disloyal. We do need, however, to make
sure that we love and serve Him, and not something or someone else. Our
concepts of ourselves and of others may need to be changed.
The changing of these images of ourselves and of others is not a
responsibility that belongs only to our top-level church leaders. Every
Christian in every church in every part of the world must share it,
because each person has a specific responsibility for his relationship
with his Christian brothers, by whatever name they may call themselves.
The parent who seeks to exercise his ministry in his relationship with
his child needs also to be open to his responsibility as a member of
some historic branch of the Christian church for the welfare of that
church and the relationship of its separate parts. We cannot accept what
we have inherited in the form in which we inherited it. Our inheritance
in many ways is precious and wonderful, but our human response can
deform it. Our church can be a means of fulfilling our discipleship, but
it can also be an obstacle to it. Therefore, our membership and
participation in a denomination needs to be kept under the constant
judgment of God in order that we as members may serve Him more loyally.
We are Christ's, brought into this relationship by His love, and we can
grow in this relationship only as we are guided by His Spirit.
Everything else is secondary to this. But all other relationships, if
offered to Him and illumined and corrected by His Spirit, can be
wonderful also, because then they too become a part of His means of
reuniting, by His love, men with one another and with Him.
"In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent
his Son.... We love, because he first loved us."[24]
[21] John 4:5 ff.
[22] Luke 10:25 ff.
[23] Matt. 10:37.
[24] 1 John 4:10, 19.
about the author
Reuel Lanphier Howe is recognized as one of the foremost counselors in
America in the field of personal relationships. The authoritative
conclusions growing out of his research are presented in this book with
earnestness and understanding.
He was born in the state of Washington and received his B.A. degree from
Whitman College in Walla Walla. From the Divinity School of the
Protestant Episcopal Church, Philadelphia, he received the degrees of
S.T.B., S.T.M., and S.T.D. He was ordained in the Protestant Episcopal
Church in 1929 and 1930. Whitman College and the Chicago Theological
Seminary have each honored him with the D.D. degree.
In 1931 he became Vicar of St. Stephen's Church, Elsmere, N.Y. Then, for
about twenty years, he was on the faculties of the Divinity School of
the Protestant Episcopal Church, Philadelphia, and the Protestant
Episcopal Theological Seminary in Virginia. In both of these situations
he developed a program of clinical pastoral training to prepare the
clergy to minister to the needs of people. He has served on many
important committees and boards and has lectured extensively, both in
America and abroad.
Presently he is the director of the Institute for Advanced Pastoral
Studies, in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., a postordination training center
for ministers of various denominations who have been in the ministry for
at least three years. He takes part in many significant educational
programs outside his denomination. One of Dr. Howe's major interests is
in the correlation of the insights of theology with those of the social
and medical sciences. The enthusiasm with which his lectures and books
have been received points to his popularity as a thinker and writer.
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| Transcriber's notes: Obvious spelling/typographical and |
| punctuation errors have been corrected after careful |
| comparison with other occurrences within the text and |
| consultation of external sources. |
| |
| page 12 line -3: changed "For God so loved the world--" to |
| 'For God so loved the world--'" |
| page 111: corrected printer's error where lines -14, -13, -12 |
| should have appeared as lines -13, -12, -14 |
| |
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