Ironic isn't that you, Matt, have been working diligently promoting Christian unity since your very first Church tour, and yet you feel you aren't doing enough. How many tens of thousands of people have watched your tours and come away with a deeper understanding of how we're all similar in Christ? I mean I miss the hour plus long historical deep dives, like Pontius Pilate, but this seems like the kind of thing you personally are called for. Good job. We're all proud of you.
Whilst Matt is clearly doing a great job, I don't think the takehome here should be: "Keep at it Matt, you're doing this for all of us" This is something that we *all* need to strive to do better at and work on!
@@RyanDuffy Yes but my favorite things were the half-second inserted screenshots of obscure pop culture references. We would frequently have to stop the video to finish laughing so we didn’t miss the meat of the teaching.
Starting a TH-cam comment on a video about Christianity with "Ironic" activated my fight or flight response. But reading a bit further shows a comment of love, not smug superiority. A bit of a small sample of how to achieve and live unity I guess.
I, as a Catholic, totally agree with you. Change must come from the base. Let me tell u about a successful attempt in a town in Mount Lebanon. The Catholics and Greek Orthodox agreed to celebrate One Easter. And since almost 10 years now, they still celebrate it together. This should happen everywhere. God bless!
@MiGenteVoIP wth!? Don't you mean all non-Orthodox should come back to the true, original Church? PS I'm no longer Orthodox. I decided both Orthodoxy and Catholicism were incorrect and became a protestant. That does not mean I reject people who do not agree with me. I personally think that none of us have a monopoly on truth - that belongs to God alone.
I wholeheartedly agree with you, Matt. As a Lutheran who live and grow up in Indonesia, my fifth suggestion, if I may, is never hesitate to invite fellow Christians to pray together, no matter you cross before and after the prayer or not. I think it's never wrong at all to come together to God through our joint prayer because Jesus Himself asked for His disciples' unity through His prayer. When I was in college, I once invited one of my Catholic friends to pray together for his birthday and he didn't hesitate at all to pray together with me. To this day, I'm so glad that I could give him a simple yet meaningful birthday gift and promote Christian unity in a simplest way possible. Ut Omnes Unum Sint!
As a Catholic (good grief, I wish we could just make online name tags labeled with our flavor of Christian, lol) I wholeheartedly agree with that. My husband has offered to pray with a Baptist co-worker after a cancer treatment, and I know it meant a great deal to her.
Matt, I think this comment (Jeremia's, not this exact one from me!) is a good candidate for being Pinned right to the top of this conversation! And I love your ideas.
I can't help but watch this with tears in my eyes. I don't think a single day passes that I don't wish we unite under Christ... Even if it meant I'd be removed from the book of life, I'll do anything to see that my fellow brothers and sisters from any denomination end their race with Christ...
As a former Lutheran/Evangelical and now Russian Orthodox I agree with you 1000%. This division of the Body of Christ is crushing our witness to this suffering world.
Why Russian Orthodox and not Greek Orthodox, etc.? The Orthodox Church is a lot like Confessional Lutheranism they are largely ethnic churches. Perhaps just Orthodox Catholic would be better. When I hear someone say they are Russian Orthodox I think of jurisdiction.
@Paul I was married in a Russian Orthodox Church in Moscow as my wife is Orthodox. My reception came a few months after reading both Scriptures and Church Fathers and of course prayer.
Strictly speaking there is no body of Christ outside the orthodox church, to say there are people in the body of Christ who are outside the church is a Nestorian ecclesiology, doesnt mean none of them are being saved, but they're not technically in the body of Christ, because the body of Christ is the orthodox church
@kainosktisis777 Oh, they think they can prove from the Scriptures, eg, the thief on the cross! They certainly don't know Church history because the Protestants got to them first! The Church has been too busy selling indulgences and Simoney and playing with civil power, instead of evangelising.
@@kainosktisis777 yeah, baptist is absolutely necessary, with very rare exceptions decided by the divine. I would argue that baptism without knowledge and consent doesn't count. Entering into a covenant of faith with God is a big deal, and you should be capable of informed consent to make that decision. Baptizing babies is not biblical tradition. Every baptism in the Bible is an adult. Peter said "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins." Repent and be baptized. Repentance is a conscious act, you cannot repent if you are not yet self aware. I think Peter chose his words carefully, "Repent and be baptized". Baptizim after repentance. You must first be aware that you are tainted by sin, you must be repentant, and then be baptized in the name of Jesus to wash away that sin. This is definitely the one thing the Amish and Mennonite communities get right.
I’m Lutheran and my wife is Catholic. It’s been difficult, but also super rewarding because it’s forced me to learn about my own faith and understand Catholicism. While I still agree with reformers, I find that we have way more in common than differences. We all need a savior and we all are trying to honor God the best we can.
@@Wilkins325 Why spread hateful words and speculation? The Catholic Church does not speak of the salvation in other Christian denominations because we don't know. It's down to God's providence. We are assured by Christ that the Sacraments are an effectual means of salvation (Protestants kind of agree with this sometimes). Therefore we believe that validly baptized protestants who are in a state of grace (being faithful and having repented from major sins, doesn't need to be in confession because that's not a thing for them, just needs to be out of dialogue with the Father in Heaven) are definitely saved.
This has been on my heart so much lately. As a former agnostic/atheist, I am deeply concerned about the division in the church and how the world perceives Christians as divided. I love this idea of an interdenominational Bible study.
James believed the solution to a divided church, was to hear the law of Moses taught in the Jewish Synagogues. This makes sense, considering Jesus was an observant Jewish teacher. See Acts 15:21
Nice idea. I wonder what the meeting will look like when a Catholic will share the book of Maccabbees and start talking about Purgatory to non-Catholics.
Beautiful! Thank u! I’ve been thinking along similar lines. I think Christ as a person we relate to is THE universal we all share rather than the theological tools we’ve developed to help us relate to him.
I’m converting to Catholicism. Your videos were actually part of that process. Thank you for your openness and humility. The last sermons I listened to by my Protestant pastor was on unity in the church and it prompted me more toward the Catholic Church, mainly the Eucharist.
I currently attend a non denominational church (though as I’m transitioning into adult life I find myself leaning toward more Lutheran theology), and I am 100% on board with growing Christian unity. I went to a mostly Catholic school, and it was eye opening. My great grandmother recently got baptized in a Pentacostal church. I found that to be an absolute win. God bless you all. May we become closer to each other by growing closer to Him.
Matt, I think your videos are beautiful BECAUSE of the unity you preach. You don't teach us to be divided, and you have inspired me to be genuinely motivated to see fellow Christians as my true brothers and sisters, no matter how they worship or the traditions they keep. Our disagreements are nothing compared to our unity in Christ.
As a Catholic, I appreciate your conviction for unity. Christian infighting is one of the things that breaks my heart the most. Especially when you consider how many problems we all face without it. I think we all need to be comfortable with having loving relationships with those whom we disagree with. The way I see it, disagreements like this have been going on for thousands of years and have involved individuals far more intelligent than you or I. Rather than resort to quoting select verses, or reflexively listing syllogisms when attacked, the best thing to do is be caring and loving friends with one another. Then, when we feel we have the trust and love of our brother, we can begin to have meaningful and respectful conversations. You have been a great example of this in your ministry. Thank you for all you do.
100% with you, brother! This reminds me of something NT Wright said- he was talking about justification by faith, and he alluded to faith having another dimension: God's faithfulness in His promise that He would be amongst us when 2 or more gather in His name, that He will be with us until the end, and that by believing in Him we will be saved. I've learned so much from the Ten Minute Bible Hour. In fact, after your 3 parter with Will Weedon, I seriously investigated Lutheranism and was received into a LCMS church right before Christmas. Anyway, it is abundantly clear that you are sincere and genuine, and this Lutheran is with you!
What was lacking in your old church that you found in Confessional Lutheranism? I've seen people leave Lutheranism for Orthodoxy or Catholic leaving for Lutheranism, etc.
@@P-el4zd I have been a confessional Lutheran for about 2.5 years (LCMS). I am currently investigating Orthodoxy. The Lutherans are in protest to the western Roman catholic church. I am not sure if the west church had it "most right" especially in the office of the pope/ apostolic succession claims. Just because one early church father said so. (I can't remember his name and what he wrote). It seems interesting to me that the Orthodox church follows the traditions of the apostles, not necessarily the early church fathers. I am thankful for this video because the division among those massive groups is real... I love all of my Christian brothers and sister in Christ 😪
@@johnrevelation37 hey brother, I agree that the office of pope really divides orthodox Christianity and Catholic Christianity, well really the role of the bishops of Rome and how much authority he holds. I am a convert from evangelical style Christianity to the Catholic Church, I love the orthodox faith and it was Matt’s tour in a Greek Orthodox Church that opened my eyes to such a different form of Christianity and then I went on a journey of looking into apostolic Christianity and ended up Catholic. I found Suan Sonna to be very helpful as he was Baptist and uses the scripture to argue the point of the Catholic position of the bishop of Rome. His interview on the YT channel Reason and Theology is good. Eric Ybarras interview on Pints with Aquinas YT channel is a good honest humble talk too. Anyway, just chiming in with some unsolicited advice for you on your journey. Regardless of where you end up, may God bless you my Christian brother 🙏🏽✌🏽
(Four Simple Suggestions to Make Church Unity Happen) 1. Open the Bible Together - 03:54 2. Celebrate Baptism Together - 04:51 3. Celebrate Communion Together - 05:12 4. Nurture a "Defiant Convictional Unity" - 06:18 4a. Defiant, definition - 06:38 4b. Convictional, definition - 06:47
I really appreciate the open spirit that you bring to this. As Fr. Loya said, and you clearly agree, Christian disunity is a scandal. It undermines our witness. I have enjoyed watching you explore particularly my faith tradition (Catholicism) here, and the openness of your heart. I have certainly benefited from friendship with Christians from other traditions/ecclesial communities, although I find outside of academic settings I'm just less likely to encounter them (I am grateful for a Facebook group in this regard, which is majority Protestant with several Catholics and Orthodox as well). For your list, I assume you're taking for granted that we're praying for unity--which should be grounded in truth and humility. As others have raised, and you've noted, the issue of communion is complex. I believe we can grow from visiting each others' services/liturgies, including when communion is available. But for Catholics, not only does our understanding of Eucharist require that those who are not united in that belief not take communion, it also requires that we not receive in other churches which do not share our understanding about Eucharist. Believing in the blessed sacrament, I cannot imagine accepting a substitute. We have saints who were martyred protecting the Eucharist; that is not something I can square with the story someone told in that FB group about reaching for the cheez-its for online church communion upon realizing there wasn't any bread in the house. #3 therefore remains the most challenging, and the most dependent on the other three (and prayer). Yet I trust that God brings forth good fruit when we pray together, even if that unity cannot be fully realized yet. Let's pray together in the meantime, and God bless you in your efforts, Matt.
Hi, appreciate your honesty, the Communion issue is a tough one, I just wondered what the Catholic position is on people who don't form an opinion on what happens at Communion, a 'whatever is true is true' attitude? Many thanks friend
@@nathanaelbuchanan341 Hi Nathanael, thank you for the question. The guidelines put out by the American bishops discuss denominational unity of belief on this issue, rather than individual, but setting that aside I think it still would require a positive belief in transubstantiation and the real presence (as the churches whose members may, under certain circumstances receive in a Catholic church, believe) rather than an openness to the possibility. I think if you asked a priest, he would tell you you're welcome to pray with us and can receive a blessing if you like, but to refrain from communion. It's a challenge because it can seem like a needless roadblock, but when I think about what the Eucharist is, I don't see any alternative. In case it's of interest, here's what's printed in all the missals (worship/liturgy books) in Roman Catholic parishes in the US: www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/the-mass/order-of-mass/liturgy-of-the-eucharist/guidelines-for-the-reception-of-communion The Catechism of course has a whole section on it, but that's not really what I'd recommend for straight reading (and it does use some rather Catholic and technical-theological terminology).
I totally agree, as an Anglocatholic, I wouldn’t feel comfortable receiving Eucharist in a non-real presence believing parish. I would receive Roman, orthodox, Anglocatholic or Coptic if the rules changed but as of now, Anglocatholic only until unity is bridged. I do think the sentiment of unity from the bottom up is a good idea, but Faithful reception of communion is an issue of grave importance.
WOW. I stopped watching this channel a year-or-so ago because I thought it was causing division. I just thought today that I would see where it went... and wow! I feel convicted for my judgement and joyous for where this might go now! In an effort to honour what you have said... I am not going to scroll down and read the comments - but just watch and share. Thank you for this! ~AMEN
Love this more than you'll know. My husband and I are of the opinion that we can worship Jesus with credal Christians of all denominations. We currently live that out by, as protestants, being a part of a very traditional Roman Catholic Church. We disagree on many important points, we can't take communion, we can't take full part of the service (as we don't agree with praying to saints/Mary) and we are often not understood. But we do it, and we feel called to do it. We have great conversations, have made great friends and have met amazing people who are on FIRE for Christ. Unity will have to come this way, and I believe we will see more of it in our lifetime. Thank you so much for this video!
Blessings to you Cat, that takes real love and commitment, and I commend you. I was raised a very traditional fundamentalist Baptist, and entered into full communion with the Catholic Church in 2011, so I understand your concerns about things like praying to Saints. One small piece of advice ad you continue to attend Mass: try to remember the old English way in which “prayer” is being used in this terminology, because it is NOT the way in which I, as a Protestant, had understood the term. “Prayer” essentially was co-extensive with worship to me. It is not to Catholics. Rather, it simply means “request”. I’m an attorney, and it’s common on court filings, for instance, to see the party say “We pray the court grant this motion”, or some other such language. This is what Catholics mean by the term, merely it is asking a Saint to pray (ask or petition) to God as well on our behalf, just as any Protestant might ask their friend or pastor to pray for them. When you see the perspective that the Church is one united family, and death is not a separation in reality, this makes perfect sense. I hope that helps. Pax Christi.
Matthew...yes....as a catholic I need to follow the guidelines of Vatican II. We as catholics need to accept other Christians even with our differences. Respect is needed.
Word. As a Protestant with both Catholics and Protestants in the family, I always say this: we learned to live together so the churches need to stop infighting and come together. As Jesus said, a Kingdom divided cannot stand.
Love your response, I’m Catholic as well. Very happy there is no jumps to judgement and hateful remarks in the comments. What do you think about Matt’s four suggestions, specifically taking communion with others? I’ve taken communion at many different denominations’ churches. I’ve even had friends come to Mass with me and fully explained communion and left it to them to decide whether or not they should. I’ve never taken communion outside of a church, and I do believe in the Real Presence of the Eucharist. I’ve always made a handful of confessions concerning what I just said haha. How do you see us taking communion with non Catholics? How do you feel about it? I ask knowing that I’m going to also bring this up with the priest at my parish.
@Juan Diego-Castro Yeah man, I like to think I do but haven’t made it all the way Summa Theologica or anything.. haha. And as I said, unlike 77% of Catholics I do believe in the real Presence of the Eucharist. How do you see following Matt’s suggestions as a Catholic? ..assuming you are one. Specifically taking communion?
I love this Matt! To often our step 1 is to point out the differences we have with others, instead of our agreements. John 17:23 clearly shows that unity is evangelism, which makes it an essential of the faith. Your approach inspires me!
Yo Matt. Love that you are in this tract. Would love to point out a few things. 1. Let’s start with what would constitute unity? I think Jesus and Paul and the entire early church makes it clear that we should all be teaching the same doctrine. Not sure how you can be United if we don’t all agree on the major issues. 2. Why are we not United? We were. Without recognizing why we are not United and what caused that we won’t have a clear path to solve it. I would say we are not United because some Christians decided they didn’t want the authority of a single church upholding a single doctrine. But what do we have now? 20,000 churches upholding 20,000 doctrines and Christians no longer even know what it means to be Christian? I agree it will have to come from the bottom. And we have to return to valuing the TRUTH of God above else which encompasses Gods creation and love and worship of Him above all else. What the world needs today is HIS TRUTH, but until we can agree on that we cannot be a witness to the world on anything. Will there will be disagreements even if we are under one roof? Sure! No problem! That will continue to help get us to His Truth. But we cannot claim to be Christians if we are 500 years and ideas removed from the original Christian teachings.
God bless you man. You’re doing exactly what all of us need to do and I applaud you leading by example. Unity is one thing that I feel is getting closer because of people like you
The unity of the Body of Christ has been in my heart since the 90s. May the Lord make us one in Him. At the very least, may we fulfill the second greatest commandment to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. I'm with you, Matt.
As someone who grew up french(canadian) catholic and is now part of a evangelical non-denominational church. I've always tried to defend each tradition. I think I should move forward into actions.
Honestly, as an English Canadian, with some French in my ancestry, I look at the silliness between the Catholic and Protestant branches like the political infighting between French and English in Canada. We both built this country and need to move forward together.
It is hard work to find unity. Personally it is difficult with some "denominations" because they hold to wild beliefs but that is the joy of it too... Walking away not in resentful obedience to God's call to unity, but in in joyful confidence that God holds His Church. Thanks for the encouragement brother!
Amazing message. I am a progressive christian married to an evangelical christian, and we attend my wife’s evangelical church. There are many theological points I do not agree with taught there, but I consistently benefit from non- confrontational engagement and actively support my wife’s spiritual growth within the church. We do not so much agree to disagree than agree that we both love the same god.
thanks matt, I was the prideful had to be right Christian in my younger years, but have become more understanding of the fact that unity is more important than being right, and ive found some of my hard held beliefs were wrong because i learned from other believers.
These things God gave us to bring us together, for centuries they have been used to drive us apart. - That one hits of truth Matt, keep up the great work!
I publicly declare, that I will do everything in my power to be a part of unity of the Church rather than be divisive. Do I have anybody who will second this?
Matt please continue on this path. You touch so many of us. And your knowledge and manner in presenting your views and ideas are brilliant. Thank you for taking the time to reach out to so many of us.
God gave us the ability to reason so that we can do it together. I think the best place to start is by focusing on the things that we do agree on and grow from there.
The fruit of you visiting and associating with Christians from other denominations/Churches is showing! This is such helpful, and humble insight God has given you here 🙏
Pride, this is what it all comes back to. Schism is always a result of pride all the way back to the first schisms. The angels that rebelled against God out of pride. God bless, Matt 🙏🏻☦
@@JGuti-ko2xe Yes, thats how I found my way back to Holy Orthodoxy from Roman Catholicism and I thank God for that. All other paths lead to relativism and the denial of truth.
@@PaulDo22 There were schisms before 1054... this is the mechanism given to the Church to root out innovative error and maintain oneness (catholicity) of faith. We pray those in schism return to the faith once delivered to the saints (Orthodoxy) and repent of their error (roman catholicism). This is not the gotcha you may think it is. Two words. Avignon papacy (exactly which pope was infallible during this time when the multiple popes were issuing conflating decrees?)
@@NavelOrangeGazer It's always interesting listening to the branch cut from the root explaining to the root how it is the root's origin. God already gave us one, ethno-centric religion and He has given us His Universal (Catholic) Church to preserve us through all time. There's a reason the various Orthodox Churches are not well known throughout the world and why they are inconsequential to most of humanity. God doesn't hide His Church under a bushel basket. He wants the world to find Him. It would be better for the Universal Body of Christ to have the branch return to the root from whence it came. In the fullness of time it will, just as the Jews will one day proclaim Christ their Messiah.
My wife and I hosted a bible study in our condo, it was attended by a retired Southeran Baptist pastor and his wife, a couple who attended a local bible church, a lady who attends a Charismatic mega-church in town, my wife and I are Lutherans (LCMS) We took two week on the Lords Supper. After those two weeks, we had communion together. I had tears flowing down my cheeks. I shared this with my pastor he smiled from ear to ear and was glad for us. Matt keep up the awesome work.
I definitely agree that this is an urgent issue and needs to be a grassroots thing. It won't come from the top down, at least not at first. I totally agree that we can be reading the Bible and praying together, and that every baptism is a win. I definitely think we need to deepen our respect for and learn from Christians outside our own faith traditions. I think that sharing communion will be the last step of the reintegration though. As other commenters have mentioned, Catholics and Orthodox can't join in communion with other denominations, but that doesn't mean we aren't on board for working and growing together!!
It makes me very sad to see some of the comments on this thread. Many being angry with each other of other denominations and treating them not as Christ would have. Your comment is very refreshing to see. Despite our differences in how we interpret Communion, as a Protestant, I think we should be able to respect that we worship God in our own ways. We may disagree on doctrinal issues but that shouldn't divide us.
It takes a big heart to make important things on the internet. This is an important thing. Well done. My dad was pastor of a small church in a small town in WI for years. He met regularly to pray with the pastor of another local church, of a different denomination, just because they were both pastors in the same town trying to shepherd their flocks. I have always been thankful of this example and I’m proud of my dad for that.
It’s a beautiful idea Matt. I’ve been among the many that have been praying for it for a long time. We’ve even been singing about it too. We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord; We are one int he Spirit, we are one in the Lord; And we pray that all unity will one day be restored. Chorus: And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love, yes, they'll know we are Christians by our love. We will walk with each other, we will walk hand in hand; We will walk with each other, we will walk hand in hand; And together we'll spread the news that God is in our land. We Will work with each other, we will work side by side; We will work with each other, we will work side by side; And we'll guard each man's dignity and save each man's pride. All praise to the Father, from whom all things come; And all praise to Christ Jesus, His only Son. And all praise to the Spirit who makes us one.
Here here. I may struggle with the Eucharist bit as a Catholic, we have a very different take on it as believe in transubstantiation, but the call for unity is beautiful.
@@jackdaw6359 I agree, but rest assured that will not happen. The Holy Spirit guards the Church, and she will not break. It is Protestants who must, as did I myself, eventually humble themselves enough to say “I don’t have all the answers, I can’t know for sure on my own how to understand all that is central to the Faith, and I must submit to an authority that does”. This is the only way unity can ever occur, but Matt is right: it does happen from the ground up. When I swam the Tiber in 2011, I brought my children with me and thus one tiny plank of driftwood that had been broken off from Peter’s Barque was knit back to the hull!
@Juan Diego-Castro he is not asking Catholic's to water stuff down, so much as not appreciating fully the consequences of the suggestion for Catholics and Orthodox. Matt has strived to go round many churches and understand things. He has done a fantastic job, he has got people to explain their faith rather than tell us what different people think without full understanding. His purpose here is very Biblical and Pauline. "Who is for Cephas? Who is for Apollos? I'm for Christ!" He approached this with charity, you need to view it with charity too. Accept what you can, you do not have to compromise key principles to meet half way. I agree it would be great if all were Catholic, but presently the radicals on both political ends of the church, like radicals everywhere, don't exactly make it easy or inviting. Remember, only Sith deal in absolutes... 😉🤣
@Juan Diego-Castro and yet Christ met and dined with sinners and tax collectors etc. He further commanded that we treat all who fail as tax collectors and sinner. And how did he treat them? Treat all with charity.
Thank you Matt. I came to these very same conclusions a few years ago and thankfully am united with a congregation that stresses every point you made. We have this day. We are blessed. We can all love better, even when we may disagree on some things. Let's all resolve within our own hearts to do just that, even though we know that we will do it imperfectly. Praise God who forgives us our debts as we forgive our debtors.
Matt, your channel is fantastic, and I agree with a lot of what you say. Regarding communion, I regretfully but wholeheartedly must disagree. There is too significant a difference between a memorial service that commemorates the one death of Christ on Calvary and the actual body bloody, soul, and divinity on Christ present in what appears (but is not) bread and wine. Secondly, even if the gap could be closed or almost closed like the case of the Lutherans. Communion is a symbol of a union that hasn't yet taken place, and this is very clearly laid out by Paul. Even if we disagree with Paul, open-table communion was never a thing in church history. Communion symbolizes who is currently in and who is currently out. (With baptism being the initial heuristic). We can't just disregard actual unity and take communion; instead, we should work towards absolute unity and then take communion together. Finally, even if I did agree with you, as a Catholic, I am under penalty of mortal sin for violating the instructions of the bishop (who we believed is linked all the way back to the apostles) and the Church. I am responsible for participating in a 'parody' communion service under canon law. Suppose it is true that we actually have the actual Jesus present in communion. How could we join in a service that we believe does not and, furthermore, by a person who does not have an apostolic commission to perform the sacrament? I hope we are all one happy family with all sides able to reconcile differences one day, but we can't do that by pretending to be something we are not. And any Catholic in good standing by the teaching of the ordinary magisterium taught everywhere and always must say the same and reject an open table communion.
Something I love to do is to visit different churches all the time and show love to all my fellow believers. Want unity start by doing what Christ said all those years ago “love one another as I have loved you.”
My question is Did He pray for us to achieve unity in the church He founded or the churches founded by men? The Orthodox churches are Orthodox because they have maintained the One Faith, One Baptism and One Church delivered by Christ once and for all to the Saints. Jude 1:3
This video is a God send. I've been debating a fellow Christian online for a few days now. Great talk, but realizing we differ on fundamental assumptions, I called it off. I still called him my brother and I hope the church grows even more because of his faith.
St. Cyprian, one of the prominent Church Fathers, said: "God is one and Christ is one, and His Church is one, and the faith is one [Ephesians 4:5-7], and the Christian is joined into a substantial unity of body by the cement of concord. Unity can be severed. And what is one by its nature cannot be separated" (De unit. 23).
We all say the Apostles Creed. We all pray. We all take communion We all baptize We have a 1000 different ways of interpreting and expressing these things. But you are all my brothers and sisters in Christ. I would rather lean on God’s grace for if I sin in loving the wrong people than depending on God’s grace for sinning by hating and condemning everyone who disagrees with me.
I love your videos and it gives me a better understanding of the different denominations in the Christian sphere and it gives me that desire to see that unity. Unity just because of Jesus Christ. Thanks sir for this video.
While I'm not sure about your statement about communion, EVERYTHING ELSE you have said resonates deeply in my soul. I feel like the Holy Spirit is definitely speaking through you right now. the Church has been broken since 451 AD, and it needs to be put back together.
Matt, thank you for having the resolve to challenge Christians to seek unity, rather than division. You mentioned taking action from the ground up, the Roman Catholic Church is currently changing their Synod ( you may want to research for a future video) using a from the ground up approach to discuss ways of improving the church. This is a change from the top ( Cardinals) down approach previously used. Every church is conducting a listening session, gathering and sharing to the Cardinals who will then meet with the Pope in 2023.
Is hard for Unity if there is Christian that vocally & openly "attack" & demonize others Christian believe because they being told that hate in their denomination. But Matt... I'm 1000% agree in Unity & try my best 👍 God bless all Christian 🙏 i'm Indonesian Christian 🇮🇩✝️☦️
Right On! Matt, Christian unity starts with our own heart check and a receptive mind to listen to our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, may our Father in Heaven bless you with discernment and wisdom as you share and encourage believers over the air waves... peace and grace be with you, ... eyah
What a great challenge Matt. I’m taking this to heart. I think we can all take a serious look at our hearts and see how we can better represent a unfractured kingdom.
Thank you so much for your earnest efforts to answer our Lord's call to unity. I share deeply your conviction to see our Church visibly express that union that we already share invisibly in the mystical Body of Christ. I'm Roman Catholic and I've always wanted to start an ecumenical group at my parish that spends its time uniting with other Christians in community, prayer, study, and ministry, but the question of how to put this hope into action has always been a bit nebulous for me. I welcome more practical advise like what you have offered here in this video, and I welcome any recommendations from whomever might be in the comments section!
Also a Catholic, also wondered that. The closest I've come has been a short stint with a Baptist homeschooling co-op and my husband's close relationship with a Baptist co-worker.
I am Eastern Orthodox, former Roman Catholic and before that Southern Baptist. Sort of from one end of the spectrum to the other. But we have much in common and therefore much to work with. We should all be faithful to various Christian traditions but where we are in agreement then we should be together working together to spread the Good News! As it is written in the scriptures"A new commandment I give unto you that you love one another as I have loved you'
Interestingly, it seems like some of the best examples of Christian unity can be found in addiction recovery groups. Desperation quiets the us against them, dualistic brain.
While I recognise the sentiment, this is not something that can happen. Water and oil do not mix, so can't many different theological systems. Faith alone is anathema to us Orthodox, for example. It is for the Catholics as well. So, we either pretend it isn't, or we say how we view salvation is unimportant. That's a big problem. We and the Catholics also can't commune, because of massive differences. For example, Catholics believe in the Beatific vision as what Heaven is, we completely reject it. Not to mention other major differences. And do we accept JW? Arians? Nestorians? Those who believe in the Father and the Son, but think the Holy Spirit is a force, not a person? So, while I think we should treat each other with respect, and learn about each other, so we can engage in talks better informed, and not base our views on prejudices, we can't go accross certain lines. This channel is great, and it helps bring understanding, but in the end, we can't be lax with doctrine.
@@jackdaw6359 Absolutely. I believe his intentions come from sincere love and concern. And growing up non-denominationalist, he is predisposed to thinking of things as differences in expressions, not fundamentals. Growing up Orthodox, I found it strange that Catholic priests or Anglican vicars didn't have beards, because it was so expected, and that is a superficial difference. And charity means we engage honestly, we don't misrepresent one another, we steelman each other's positions when discussing them. Also, that we recognise good things about each other. It doesn't mean that I'm charitable, therefore our differences don't matter. We Orthodox don't have open communion, I know Catholics sometimes do, I am told we Orthodox are allowed to take communion in Catholic churches, but I haven't checked. But that comes from how we see the Eucharist. If we saw the Eucharist as simbolic, then it would be quite rude to be picky about who receives it. And as a Catholic monk who converted to Orthodoxy, and is now the abbot of the monastery in the Swiss Apls said: The problem isn't that the faiths are different, but that they are incompatible.
Hey Matt, 👋 A while back I was perplexed by Jesus’s prayer “that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.” It is obvious that Jesus’s prayer for the body of Christ to be one, is currently at best faltering and fractured. I’ve been so thankful to watch your visits to different expressions of Christ’s body. I have so much more empathy and appreciation for my brothers and sisters! Stepping out of my own echo chamber has been refreshing!!
Indeed, this prayer was central of importance to me too, and continues to dominate my daily prayers. There is one way and one way only that this radical unity can occur (and remember St. Paul’s epistles too on this issue “let there be NO DIVISIONS among you”…”One faith, One Lord, One baptism”…Christ founded a visible, authoritative Church led by the Apostles, presided over in love by Peter as their chief, and their offices were intended always to be passed down to successors like St. Timothy, St. Ignatius of Antioch, St. Clement of Rome, and the list continues on to today: the Catholic Church, whether Western or as maintained but split tragically in the East as the Orthodox Churches. This is where unity lies. Beyond this is only ever more division, confusion, and brokenness. Pax Christi.
Then please join the one holy apostolic Catholic Church that Christ himself started. The truth cannot be changed to suit the wants, believes, or interpretations of others, (2 Peter 1:19-21). Christ is very clear on how we must follow him and the Church has stayed true to its core teaching since it’s beginning, if it’s from man it will fail (like a number of protestant denominations), if it’s from God than it will not be stopped (Acts 5:38-39). I strongly urge you to seek the Lord in the Catholic Church and I can promise you, your cup will never go empty.
I would never want to say that you're wrong, but I think what Matt is getting at in this video addresses comments like yours. From your perspective, your comment makes sense to you, but to a Mormon who believes in the restored gospel of Jesus Christ through Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon, they may feel convicted that the LDS church is the 'true' church of Christ. I'm not Mormon or Catholic, but we need to be able to step down from our current understandings to simply listen earnestly to one another with the goal of learning each other's perspectives, and as Matt said in this video (7:14-7:24), to seek to understand how another perspective makes sense to someone we may disagree with. That doesn't mean we have to give up our current convictions, but it allows everyone to have a seat at the table while we discuss all of our convictions together.
Great video! Yes, get back to basics together. Pray together, study early church history, learn what the Apostles did and said, and what did their disciples say and do, etc down the line until today.🙏
Thank you, Matt, for the years of work that you have done to promote church unity. This video represents the culmination of your overarching message. I attend an independent evangelical/charismatic church in Nashville. Over the years, I have been attempting activities 1 and 4 with other protestants, Catholics and mostly Orthodox Copts. It has been a very slow mountain climb and I'm still at base camp. I have gone to church with some of my Coptic friends, but their response to my invitation to my church was "Why would I do that? I wouldn't learn anything." Numbers 2 and 3 seem like insurmountable tasks. While I have participated in baptism and communion services at other protestant churches, it seems almost impossible to bridge this gap between the three big branches. I am definitely going to continue to try to incorporate these ideas in my life. Again, thank you for this message of unity.
I've enjoyed this. I've been part of working for unity in our community, and I've also given up on it (as of now). My issue always comes down to the gospel. What does God say we must do to be saved? I'm a "by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone" guy. How can I unite with people who add rituals or other requirements to salvation? Thanks again for the talk.
1) 3:54 "Number One, We should open the Bible together and read It with people who aren't the same kind of Christians as us." 2) 4:51 "Thing Number Two that we can do, is to celebrate Baptism together." 3) 5:12 "Likewise, I think we need to take Communion together." 4) 6:19 "Finally, in our minds, I think we need to nurture a new ethic of how we think of each other, and that is Defiant, Convictional Unity."
There’s a problem with each one of his talking points: 1. Read with people who are not the same Christian I am? The interpretation from different Christian’s gets messy. Everyone reads it through the lens of their denomination. No unity there. 2. Celebrate baptism together? Again, denominational lens viewing. Many believe it’s the ticket to salvation and many do not. Some don’t think it’s important at all. No unity there. 3. Take communion together? Denominational teachings say it’s once a month, some say it’s every time we meet on Sunday, some say it’s a symbol of His Death, some say you can take it in your home, some say it once can me administered by the clergy while others believe strongly that it’s actually the transubstantiation of the actual Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Unity? Not here. 4. Defiant and conviction unity? The word of God interprets itself. There cannot be one interpretation to you and in the same passage a different interpretation to me. This is why we have 42,000 denominations. Everyone claims to understands THEIR interpretation is the correct one. You MUST research and understand the original intent, the social structure of that time, know some original words and their meanings from the Greek and KNOW is that passage or content is for ‘back then’ and it’s just part of recorded history,Morris it for today as a prescription? Example: -Jesus and Peter walked on water: Not for today no matter what you believe . -Paul’s handkerchiefs healed some people. You won’t see that working today but people still do it. It’s just recorded history of Paul’s journey. -Healing leprosy . Not being done today . No where. It’s an example of the historical ministry of Christ. -God wants us all to be rich. Nope. Not happening. Solomon may have been but it’s his history, not ours example to follow. Besides, in the end he said it was all meaningless. Prosperity preachers do not tell you that part. So, I have mad respect for Matt. I truly do, however, it’s a lofty idea that we will ever reach unity on the earth if what I wrote continues. I don’t see any end in the near future.
Yes God is with us and we will be United. Their was a time in history christianity was one and I hope history repeats itself one more time before the end. I wish I could see it in my lifetime 🥺.
Brother, I suggest something that I’d like your thought on. I believe your 4 suggestions can be brought down to 1. The Holy Cross. All of Scripture points to the cross; baptism is an in dwelling of The Holy Spirit that could only have occurred through the crucifixion; Holy Communion is the on going, once and for all, partaking of Our Lords Crucifixion; Christ calls us to pick up our cross and follow him and prays that we be one, these cannot be separated. Unity starts and ends with the cross. All things start and end with the cross. Our call is to the reality of the cross, the answer and remedy to all sin because it is the complete act of love, the complete sacrifice and surrender to the Father’s Will. Christianity is so simple but yet so difficult because it is simply the embracing of the cross. Praise be Jesus Christ
Points 1 & 4 yes. The other two, I am not so sure, indeed intercommunion fills me with horror. Though once I was all for it. What ever unity is, it is definitely not some top down thing as you so rightly say. Christ knows who is with Him we don't and we need the humility to realise that we can not do this without him. There is no formula for this, it is a messy as we are. Peace and prayers from an Orthodox Christian.
Matt, you have done a tremendous work here and on your videos. An evangelical pastor, Juan Carlos, in his book, "Disciple' written many years ago, said that 'you don't have to agree with other Christians, but you must love them." Thanks for all you've done!
As an Orthodox inquirer it pains me that Christ's hight priestly prayer seems to be unanswered... Matt your suggestion about Holy Communion comes from your good heart and sincerity. But once I become Orthodox that becomes impossible. But I will still fellowship with other believers and remain in dialog
Agree Abe. Also an Orthodox inquirer. Unity must come from humility and submission to the true Body of Christ. We can’t compromise our way toward unity. We must seek it out. Our culture is so repulsed by absolute truth claims and churches have joined them.
It may seem like an unanswered prayer, but keep in mind that God is outside of time and space and we can scarcely understand how that prayer has always been being answered, is being answered now, and will continue to be answered. While I think Matt's call is sincere and his desire for unity noble; I think the real work of unity is going to have to, first and foremost, be done among us Catholics and Orthodox. Before 1054, we were visibly, juridically, and eucharistically one church. When we say we believe in the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church, it's not just words, and it's not just a matter of belief: we know it because we're in it. We, Orthodox and Catholics, ARE that one, holy, catholic (universal), and apostolic church. And we always have been. We've only lost the juridical and the visible signs of unity. Our kind of unity isn't just "hey I'm a Baptist and you're a Lutheran, let's get together some time and break bread!" We know the Church is a visible institution, and we know that unity requires not only the bottom up approach of ordinary Orthodox and Catholics understanding their patrimony of essential and primordial unity; but also we know that unity requires an institutional approach. Not so much top down but top sideways. The latter are things that only our popes, patriarchs and bishops can heal. For the rest of us, we can only pray that those same popes, patriarchs and bishops, the leaders at the institutional level, get their act together sooner rather than later; pray that we Orthodox and Catholics can truly see each other as the same in Christ, that our expressions of the one faith are good, true and beautiful. We should be the easiest reunification of all! More work will be required as we look further afield from Anglicanism on through Protestantism. We can't ignore that Anglicans, though retaining many aspects of institutional unity, lack holy orders and thus a true eucharist; we can't ignore the teachings of Luther, Calvin and Zwingli and how those men have reshaped the very concept of church for so many people. Unification with Anglicanism is happily already under way and is a successful model. Sadly, true unity with Protestants, I think, can not happen at all without individual Protestants engaging in a lot of soul searching, research and honestly, willingness to give up their basic protestantism.
I love this - thanks for sharing! You've given me some things to think about Not only as a member of my Christian church but as a member of the broader Christian community.
I love the desire for unity--Amen! We need to allow our presuppositions to be challenged. However, if we can not agree on what sacred scripture teaches about sacraments unity will be impossible because sacraments are not secondary doctrines (e.g. Holy Baptism, Holy Absolution, the Blessed Sacrament, etc.). What we believe about the sacraments shapes our worship practice, etc. This is were sacred scripture, the historic church and the church fathers comes in. As a confessional Lutheran I don't see any hope of unity with protestants they are to far detached from the historic church. Closed Communion is necessary, no one likes it, but it's necessary. If one rejects sacramental theology it a hard to find any meaningful unity. The goal should be to celebrate in areas in which we agree with conservatives orthodox views on marriage, abortion, sexuality, etc. and do our best not to misrepresent each other. If we do misrepresent (e.g. Catholics, Orthodox, etc) that we admit our mistake and be willing to receive correction. Practice humility.
Yes! Best answer I've seen yet. I'm a cradle Catholic turned non-denominational and now a Catholic revert so I feel like I've seen enough of both sides of the spectrum to understand why this can't work and your response nails it. I was a little on edge when he brought up baptism but I think the hair on my neck stood up when he brought up communion. Why did he not also bring up Confession? These sacraments in particular are life changing and absolutely shape the the way we practice the rest of our faith and why we stand firm on sacred things being kept sacred. When something such as the actual bread of life, yes, truly the bread from Heaven is reduced to juice and crackers and tiny plastic cups it puts miles between you and the creator of Heaven and Earth who once sat across from you at the head of the table. And yet I totally get how every Evangelical/Non Denominational type in the comment section here would jump up and down for it. There is just too big a divide. I see unity possible in the Catholic/Orthodox/Lutheran/Episcopal branches because there is a mutual understanding and similar reverence to the original church but the new age type churches are just too far removed and unrecognizable in the eyes of the early church fathers. We are at least 2 camps of thought and practice and the only way to unify the 2 is to go back to the start. God help us.
We recently attended "Rock the Universe," a Christian music festival at Universal Studios in Orlando. There were hundreds of Christians celebrating our shared love of Jesus and worship music! Matt, keep up the great work, brother!
This is good (perfect) within the protestant denominations. But, unfortunately, this won't work with uniting evangelical protestants with Catholic, Orthodox, many Anglican, and even many Lutheran Christians because of beliefs about the sacraments (especially communion). Neither I (Catholic) nor an Orthodox Christian would ever take protestant communion because Its outside the Church & the protestant minister doesn't have the ability to confect the sacrament.
Would you eat bread and drink juice that has been blessed with a protestant? No ministers or pastors around; just a person saying grace and blessing the food in remembrance of Jesus' sacrifice. You can continue to have your official communion at Mass, but you could also eat and drink with someone outside the Catholic faith.
@@BrianPurcell72 Most would say no, because Catholics believe that in order for it to actually be communion, you have to be an ordained priest with authority passed down through apostolic succession. Baptists don't have that as a concept, but to a lot of other Christians that's very important
@@jackdaw6359 Why? You can still have the official sacrament at mass. I'm just talking about getting together to commune with food. How is that watered down? You wouldn't eat with me if I said grace over the food in remembrance of Christ's sacrifice?
@@BrianPurcell72 I believe that communion is Christ's real presence in the bread and wine, and it can only become the body and blood through an ordained priest's blessing. Your definition of communion is too general for me. I can eat a meal with an evangelical baptist, but communion is a different thing. It's the eucharist, not just eating any old meal. I'm not sure you realize how that idea could really offend someone who believes in the real presence. (I'm Anglican and not catholic btw).
Matt, we love and fully agree with you. Your videos have greatly impacted me and my family. We pray that you are encouraged. While I come from a more Charismatic background, I have really valued your caring insight into many expressions that differ from mine.
Byzantine Catholic concert here: I deeply appreciate your intention to have a bottom-up reunification. I believe the fundamental error baked into the cake is a misunderstanding of what "Communion" is. Your approach assumes a merely symbolic non-sacramental view. This video amounts to an explicit call to Catholics (and Orthodox) to engage in communion outside their God-given parameters which would be a sin. Communion is not a "right" given to individual Christians as you seem to assume. It is the privilege of the reconciled. Engaging in "communion" in a reductionistic, human-relationship-focused manner would only further blur the supernatural reality of what is taking place at the altar. A theological bias which sees communion as the "right" of the individual is not only false, but it would abuse the highest form of union with Christ (the Divine Liturgy or Mass is the earthly participation in the heavenly bridal chamber). Communion is not a human institution for us to remake in our own image. In the incarnation, Christ's divinity was hidden. In the Eucharist, even Christ's humanity is hidden, but make no mistake. Christ is truly, really, substantially present in the Eucharist by the power of the Holy Spirit, and we individual Christians don't have the right to engage in pseudo sacraments in human-driven attempts at superficial unity. The goal is too low. Does anybody see Institutional unity happening anytime soon? Yes. I do. But not the way you might imagine. Doing what you propose would undercut true unity which cannot divorce truth from love. There are other intellectually honest mistakes suggested in the video, but this one is the most naive and exposes the depth of unconscious Protestant bias. The first point had "sola scriptural" baked in. I'd love to talk more in depth because I love your desire for unity and sincerity. Just realize your solution is inherently Protestant.
Catholic here, and I agree. But I also think what Matt is getting at is we need to be meeting and talking with each other, and reading the Bible together, finding common ground where possible. We can express the error of sola scriptura when we’re at the table having the discussion. Also, I think he’s talking as much to Protestants as he is Catholics…Protestants protest other Protestants, as much as they protest Catholics. They are so divided on every little thing, thus the 30,000+ denominations. But they can benefit from more discussions, Protestant to Protestant. That is against the nature of Protestants, because if they disagree the tendency is to just split, which I think is a big reason atheism has taken hold…people see the splits and just walk away. We have a lot of hard work ahead…
@@billmartin3561 I think I take some issue with you assuming how us Protestants work when you aren't or haven't studied in a Protestant setting. It isn't against the nature of Protestants to discuss difficult topics and no, a split doesn't always occur as a natural result of disagreement. But yes discussions are always needed. However we have to go into those discussions with open minds. We have to set aside our pride and not look down on each other. The other thing is that Sola Scriptura seems to be misunderstood by Roman Catholics in this thread. Sola Scriptura means that everything a church does must first have a basis in Scripture, as opposed to Tradition (like the Catholic Church does).
Good reply (also catholic). And while I certainly hope we can reach institutional unity at some point I do not see this happening any time soon because there are just too many fundamental differences.
I appreciate this, Matt. Very much. If you haven't already read it, you would probably deeply love Francis Chan's recent book "Until Unity". I was deeply challenged by it and highly recommend it. If I were diagnosing the problem, I certainly agree with you that pride and other character issues get in the way. But I also think that we've been totally wrong for generations about the right foundation of unity. I've long thought that true unity would not be possible unless there is first a high degree of (doctrinal) unanimity. I've since come to see that the interest in high degrees of doctrinal purity has driven division rather than unity. Consequently, I now understand that unity will not be the result of unanimity, but rather tremendous magnanimity. When we are deeply forgiving and generous toward each other we can find unity in spite of differences. In fact, I believe unity in spite of differences will always be strong than unity rooted in perfect agreement, since magnanimous unity can and will withstand difficulties far better than unanimous unity. You are a very magnanimous person. That's the stuff we need. Keep it up.
Good points there. I suspect "we want to be right" is the biggest reason, followed closely by the problem of wanting to control what other people do, basically for everyone to be and do things "the way I do them", or else be "wrong". But in the call for unity needs to recognize the call is to UNITY, not uniformity. Our differences are called "denominations" for a reason, and we need to recognize that we're all part of the same currency, and yet we're not all uniformly called to do things exactly the same way. Some long for an embrace of intense emotional immediacy, and others feel overwhelmed and will flee from highly emotional environments. Some find God in the silence of meditation, others in historical music, others in folk or contemporary music. Some need a group that is free from any alcohol, others feel that Jesus drank wine and they should do so as well. Some want quality control of the leadership in the form of seminary education requirements and Bishops to oversee specific geographic areas, others feel that encourages elitism and impinges on the free flow of the Holy Spirit. We need to make sure that these differences do not become divisions, with one side right and the other side "in error". We need to be known by the 'agape' concern and respect for the wellbeing of others, not by our purity and strict discernment of sin in others. Peace.
Proud of you, Matt. Thanks for calling us out. Also, thanks for doing something about it. Really looking forward to this project. My church just broke apart......it saddens me greatly. Thanks for drawing attention to this issue.
These are some great idea - regarding communion though, that's a bit tricky. For Catholics, you just don't mess with the Blessed Sacrament. That's Jesus - one must receive it in the proper, very specific, context. We don't allow anyone to receive it unless they know and accept what it is, and have gone through the necessary steps to prove it. It's one of the things we are very strict about, and for good reason. To receive an unblessed untransubstantiated sacrament in a ceremonial fashion feels wrong from a Catholic perspective, like it's mockery or something. Then again, I remember practicing receiving communion with Ritz crackers and grape juice with nuns at church when I was 7/8 years old when preparing for my first communion. And honestly, I didn't know what it was then, not really. It's tricky, but there is some wiggle room there. If it was framed as something intended to bring people together in communion on Earth, in homage of - but NOT a replacement or alternative of - the real communion we have in church that brings us together with Jesus. There's potential for Catholics getting behind something like that, if that messaging was very clear.
The video made me incredibly hopeful! The comment section almost extinguished that hope... I don't believe we can reunite as long as unity means either the Protestant "No institution is correct, so lets just ignore them and be strictly personal" or the Orthodox/Catholic "Just join my only correct and true Apostolic Church". Ground-up, grassroots unity may be working for Protestants (it does quite well in my experience), but those who believe their institution to be THAT one Church will inevitably feel it is a bit empty. In the end, playing nice and respecting each other is definitely commendable and an integral part of the way forward. However, a no less important part is trying to honestly solve our theological differences. How can a symbolic-communion Protestant share the communion with an Orthodox believer, who thinks the only way the Eucharist can be celebrated is through an ordained priest? Trying to do that outside of their Church is out of the question - that would mean abandoning one's convictions. Generally I agree with what was said here, but it needs to go a step further. We need not just love for each other, or what I would call orthopraxy. We need a bold zeal for a common orthodoxy. The moment we abandon theology, we often abandon faith itself (as is often the issue with more liberal approaches to ecumenism). The solution is not to be reductionistic, trying to find the least common denominator and settling for that to be our "unity". I dare to say it is the exact opposite - expanding our current theological formulations with the aim of converging together into one understanding. (Like when Pope Benedict XVI said that "Faith alone is true if faith is not opposed to charity.") I remain hopeful. Even if there is another 2000 years of separation, I believe reunion is inevitable. And I pray every day for it to happen sooner. Thanks a lot for this wonderful video!
We can passionately agree on a few things. I say we passionately agree and work together on them, see where our theology agrees. It's as good a starting point as any.
@@JP2GiannaT I agree! Although I would go further and directly bash each other over the crucial differences, in charitable sincerity of course! Finding the base where we agree is nice, but it is the conflicts that prevent us from being united. For way too long have Christians formulated their theology in a way that was meant to be exclusive (the Copts vs the Eastern Orthodox is a prime example). I would love it to change, so that the task of ecumenical theology is to make up formulations, which at their core are still the same teaching, but more and more accommodating to the other side. And I would also like to see it done more in an active manner by the respective churches and the individual Christians. Not just ask "where do we meet up", but "HOW do we meet up". I'd love for the Catholics to come up with a definition of Sola Fide that both sides could sign up to, or for the Evangelicals to understand and accept icons, whether they use them in their personal devotions or not. Active steps in the direction of reunion, not just sitting on our asses endlessly trying to figure out if we even disagree. Sorry for going on another rant!
Amen. Since "joining the family" as a believer, this has been one of the biggest things on my heart for the Church. We may be all sorts of different, and every member of the family has their way of doing things, but we are all seated at the same kitchen table, and we are all eating the same meal provided by our Father who took us all in when we were orphans. " I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. "
![The Wall Song ร้องข้ามกำแพง | EP.215 | พาเวล นเรศ - พูห์ กฤติน | 17 ต.ค. 67 [1/5]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/IUzrjuf60P4/mqdefault.jpg)
Ironic isn't that you, Matt, have been working diligently promoting Christian unity since your very first Church tour, and yet you feel you aren't doing enough. How many tens of thousands of people have watched your tours and come away with a deeper understanding of how we're all similar in Christ?
I mean I miss the hour plus long historical deep dives, like Pontius Pilate, but this seems like the kind of thing you personally are called for. Good job. We're all proud of you.
Whilst Matt is clearly doing a great job, I don't think the takehome here should be: "Keep at it Matt, you're doing this for all of us"
This is something that we *all* need to strive to do better at and work on!
I do miss the hour long deep dives, full of biblical truth and humorous references.
@@jenniferlawrence1372 I think he does those on the podcast now.
@@RyanDuffy Yes but my favorite things were the half-second inserted screenshots of obscure pop culture references. We would frequently have to stop the video to finish laughing so we didn’t miss the meat of the teaching.
Starting a TH-cam comment on a video about Christianity with "Ironic" activated my fight or flight response. But reading a bit further shows a comment of love, not smug superiority. A bit of a small sample of how to achieve and live unity I guess.
I, as a Catholic, totally agree with you. Change must come from the base. Let me tell u about a successful attempt in a town in Mount Lebanon.
The Catholics and Greek Orthodox agreed to celebrate One Easter. And since almost 10 years now, they still celebrate it together.
This should happen everywhere.
God bless!
@MiGenteVoIP
They are Scriptural & historical. Simple as that.
@MiGenteVoIP
That’s a start, but most don’t understand why the Church believes as is does.
The Middle East is kind of sui generis because Christians are being persecuted. Are you a Maronite, Melekite or Western Rite Catholic?
@MiGenteVoIP wth!? Don't you mean all non-Orthodox should come back to the true, original Church?
PS I'm no longer Orthodox. I decided both Orthodoxy and Catholicism were incorrect and became a protestant. That does not mean I reject people who do not agree with me. I personally think that none of us have a monopoly on truth - that belongs to God alone.
Wow @Neshro Suryoyo that's amazing, praise God!
I wholeheartedly agree with you, Matt.
As a Lutheran who live and grow up in Indonesia, my fifth suggestion, if I may, is never hesitate to invite fellow Christians to pray together, no matter you cross before and after the prayer or not. I think it's never wrong at all to come together to God through our joint prayer because Jesus Himself asked for His disciples' unity through His prayer.
When I was in college, I once invited one of my Catholic friends to pray together for his birthday and he didn't hesitate at all to pray together with me. To this day, I'm so glad that I could give him a simple yet meaningful birthday gift and promote Christian unity in a simplest way possible.
Ut Omnes Unum Sint!
As a Catholic (good grief, I wish we could just make online name tags labeled with our flavor of Christian, lol) I wholeheartedly agree with that. My husband has offered to pray with a Baptist co-worker after a cancer treatment, and I know it meant a great deal to her.
This is a great idea we need to do more of
Matt, I think this comment (Jeremia's, not this exact one from me!) is a good candidate for being Pinned right to the top of this conversation! And I love your ideas.
This is beautiful! Catholic here. Let's join arms!
Amen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I can't help but watch this with tears in my eyes.
I don't think a single day passes that I don't wish we unite under Christ...
Even if it meant I'd be removed from the book of life, I'll do anything to see that my fellow brothers and sisters from any denomination end their race with Christ...
As a former Lutheran/Evangelical and now Russian Orthodox I agree with you 1000%. This division of the Body of Christ is crushing our witness to this suffering world.
Why Russian Orthodox and not Greek Orthodox, etc.? The Orthodox Church is a lot like Confessional Lutheranism they are largely ethnic churches. Perhaps just Orthodox Catholic would be better. When I hear someone say they are Russian Orthodox I think of jurisdiction.
@@P-el4zd
And what does "Greek Orthodoxy" say nothing about jurisdictions?
@Paul I was married in a Russian Orthodox Church in Moscow as my wife is Orthodox. My reception came a few months after reading both Scriptures and Church Fathers and of course prayer.
Strictly speaking there is no body of Christ outside the orthodox church, to say there are people in the body of Christ who are outside the church is a Nestorian ecclesiology, doesnt mean none of them are being saved, but they're not technically in the body of Christ, because the body of Christ is the orthodox church
@@fumples4080 🤪🤪🤪🤦♂️🤦♀️🤦♂️🤦♀️🤦♂️
“if someone is getting baptized, that’s a win” … I love that thought 😊
Most of the young evangelicals I speak to online, don't believe baptism is necessary!
@@Bullcutter
They don’t know Scripture nor Church history nor Tradition on the matter then.
@kainosktisis777 Oh, they think they can prove from the Scriptures, eg, the thief on the cross! They certainly don't know Church history because the Protestants got to them first! The Church has been too busy selling indulgences and Simoney and playing with civil power, instead of evangelising.
@@Bullcutter
They need to actually learn Scripture, Church history, & Tradition.
@@kainosktisis777 yeah, baptist is absolutely necessary, with very rare exceptions decided by the divine.
I would argue that baptism without knowledge and consent doesn't count.
Entering into a covenant of faith with God is a big deal, and you should be capable of informed consent to make that decision.
Baptizing babies is not biblical tradition. Every baptism in the Bible is an adult.
Peter said "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins." Repent and be baptized. Repentance is a conscious act, you cannot repent if you are not yet self aware.
I think Peter chose his words carefully, "Repent and be baptized". Baptizim after repentance. You must first be aware that you are tainted by sin, you must be repentant, and then be baptized in the name of Jesus to wash away that sin.
This is definitely the one thing the Amish and Mennonite communities get right.
I’m Lutheran and my wife is Catholic. It’s been difficult, but also super rewarding because it’s forced me to learn about my own faith and understand Catholicism. While I still agree with reformers, I find that we have way more in common than differences. We all need a savior and we all are trying to honor God the best we can.
She believes you are damned
@@Wilkins325 Why spread hateful words and speculation? The Catholic Church does not speak of the salvation in other Christian denominations because we don't know. It's down to God's providence. We are assured by Christ that the Sacraments are an effectual means of salvation (Protestants kind of agree with this sometimes). Therefore we believe that validly baptized protestants who are in a state of grace (being faithful and having repented from major sins, doesn't need to be in confession because that's not a thing for them, just needs to be out of dialogue with the Father in Heaven) are definitely saved.
As evangelical from Switzerland, i'm 1000% agree with you. Thanks for these 4 idees to support Christian unity. It's very empowering !
This has been on my heart so much lately. As a former agnostic/atheist, I am deeply concerned about the division in the church and how the world perceives Christians as divided. I love this idea of an interdenominational Bible study.
me too friend
James believed the solution to a divided church, was to hear the law of Moses taught in the Jewish Synagogues. This makes sense, considering Jesus was an observant Jewish teacher. See Acts 15:21
Nice idea. I wonder what the meeting will look like when a Catholic will share the book of Maccabbees and start talking about Purgatory to non-Catholics.
@@guardianangel3425 nod and smile then move on.
@@guardianangel3425 Everyone will find out on the Day of Resurrection of the Dead.
Beautiful! Thank u! I’ve been thinking along similar lines. I think Christ as a person we relate to is THE universal we all share rather than the theological tools we’ve developed to help us relate to him.
I’m converting to Catholicism. Your videos were actually part of that process. Thank you for your openness and humility. The last sermons I listened to by my Protestant pastor was on unity in the church and it prompted me more toward the Catholic Church, mainly the Eucharist.
Welcome Home!
Welcome and buckle up, you are about to experience some turbulence!
haha, it's probably a little stressful that all Catholics say that... lol. Welcome home sister!
Church: One. Holy, Catholic, Apostolic. One Bride, One Flock, One Shepherd.
Yes, welcome home
Prayers to your journey towards full communion with the Catholic Faith.
I currently attend a non denominational church (though as I’m transitioning into adult life I find myself leaning toward more Lutheran theology), and I am 100% on board with growing Christian unity. I went to a mostly Catholic school, and it was eye opening. My great grandmother recently got baptized in a Pentacostal church. I found that to be an absolute win. God bless you all. May we become closer to each other by growing closer to Him.
Matt, I think your videos are beautiful BECAUSE of the unity you preach. You don't teach us to be divided, and you have inspired me to be genuinely motivated to see fellow Christians as my true brothers and sisters, no matter how they worship or the traditions they keep. Our disagreements are nothing compared to our unity in Christ.
As a Catholic, I appreciate your conviction for unity. Christian infighting is one of the things that breaks my heart the most. Especially when you consider how many problems we all face without it.
I think we all need to be comfortable with having loving relationships with those whom we disagree with.
The way I see it, disagreements like this have been going on for thousands of years and have involved individuals far more intelligent than you or I. Rather than resort to quoting select verses, or reflexively listing syllogisms when attacked, the best thing to do is be caring and loving friends with one another. Then, when we feel we have the trust and love of our brother, we can begin to have meaningful and respectful conversations.
You have been a great example of this in your ministry. Thank you for all you do.
100% with you, brother! This reminds me of something NT Wright said- he was talking about justification by faith, and he alluded to faith having another dimension: God's faithfulness in His promise that He would be amongst us when 2 or more gather in His name, that He will be with us until the end, and that by believing in Him we will be saved. I've learned so much from the Ten Minute Bible Hour. In fact, after your 3 parter with Will Weedon, I seriously investigated Lutheranism and was received into a LCMS church right before Christmas. Anyway, it is abundantly clear that you are sincere and genuine, and this Lutheran is with you!
What was lacking in your old church that you found in Confessional Lutheranism? I've seen people leave Lutheranism for Orthodoxy or Catholic leaving for Lutheranism, etc.
@@P-el4zd I have been a confessional Lutheran for about 2.5 years (LCMS). I am currently investigating Orthodoxy. The Lutherans are in protest to the western Roman catholic church. I am not sure if the west church had it "most right" especially in the office of the pope/ apostolic succession claims. Just because one early church father said so. (I can't remember his name and what he wrote). It seems interesting to me that the Orthodox church follows the traditions of the apostles, not necessarily the early church fathers.
I am thankful for this video because the division among those massive groups is real... I love all of my Christian brothers and sister in Christ 😪
@@johnrevelation37 hey brother, I agree that the office of pope really divides orthodox Christianity and Catholic Christianity, well really the role of the bishops of Rome and how much authority he holds. I am a convert from evangelical style Christianity to the Catholic Church, I love the orthodox faith and it was Matt’s tour in a Greek Orthodox Church that opened my eyes to such a different form of Christianity and then I went on a journey of looking into apostolic Christianity and ended up Catholic.
I found Suan Sonna to be very helpful as he was Baptist and uses the scripture to argue the point of the Catholic position of the bishop of Rome. His interview on the YT channel Reason and Theology is good. Eric Ybarras interview on Pints with Aquinas YT channel is a good honest humble talk too.
Anyway, just chiming in with some unsolicited advice for you on your journey. Regardless of where you end up, may God bless you my Christian brother 🙏🏽✌🏽
Welcome To the LCMS.
(Four Simple Suggestions to Make Church Unity Happen)
1. Open the Bible Together - 03:54
2. Celebrate Baptism Together - 04:51
3. Celebrate Communion Together - 05:12
4. Nurture a "Defiant Convictional Unity" - 06:18
4a. Defiant, definition - 06:38
4b. Convictional, definition - 06:47
I really appreciate the open spirit that you bring to this. As Fr. Loya said, and you clearly agree, Christian disunity is a scandal. It undermines our witness. I have enjoyed watching you explore particularly my faith tradition (Catholicism) here, and the openness of your heart. I have certainly benefited from friendship with Christians from other traditions/ecclesial communities, although I find outside of academic settings I'm just less likely to encounter them (I am grateful for a Facebook group in this regard, which is majority Protestant with several Catholics and Orthodox as well). For your list, I assume you're taking for granted that we're praying for unity--which should be grounded in truth and humility.
As others have raised, and you've noted, the issue of communion is complex. I believe we can grow from visiting each others' services/liturgies, including when communion is available. But for Catholics, not only does our understanding of Eucharist require that those who are not united in that belief not take communion, it also requires that we not receive in other churches which do not share our understanding about Eucharist. Believing in the blessed sacrament, I cannot imagine accepting a substitute. We have saints who were martyred protecting the Eucharist; that is not something I can square with the story someone told in that FB group about reaching for the cheez-its for online church communion upon realizing there wasn't any bread in the house. #3 therefore remains the most challenging, and the most dependent on the other three (and prayer). Yet I trust that God brings forth good fruit when we pray together, even if that unity cannot be fully realized yet. Let's pray together in the meantime, and God bless you in your efforts, Matt.
Hi, appreciate your honesty, the Communion issue is a tough one, I just wondered what the Catholic position is on people who don't form an opinion on what happens at Communion, a 'whatever is true is true' attitude? Many thanks friend
@@nathanaelbuchanan341 Hi Nathanael, thank you for the question. The guidelines put out by the American bishops discuss denominational unity of belief on this issue, rather than individual, but setting that aside I think it still would require a positive belief in transubstantiation and the real presence (as the churches whose members may, under certain circumstances receive in a Catholic church, believe) rather than an openness to the possibility. I think if you asked a priest, he would tell you you're welcome to pray with us and can receive a blessing if you like, but to refrain from communion. It's a challenge because it can seem like a needless roadblock, but when I think about what the Eucharist is, I don't see any alternative.
In case it's of interest, here's what's printed in all the missals (worship/liturgy books) in Roman Catholic parishes in the US: www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/the-mass/order-of-mass/liturgy-of-the-eucharist/guidelines-for-the-reception-of-communion
The Catechism of course has a whole section on it, but that's not really what I'd recommend for straight reading (and it does use some rather Catholic and technical-theological terminology).
@@nathanaelbuchanan341 communion in the Catholic Church, or Protestant churches? I'm a little confused by the question.
Thank you for saying this.
I totally agree, as an Anglocatholic, I wouldn’t feel comfortable receiving Eucharist in a non-real presence believing parish. I would receive Roman, orthodox, Anglocatholic or Coptic if the rules changed but as of now, Anglocatholic only until unity is bridged. I do think the sentiment of unity from the bottom up is a good idea, but Faithful reception of communion is an issue of grave importance.
WOW. I stopped watching this channel a year-or-so ago because I thought it was causing division. I just thought today that I would see where it went... and wow! I feel convicted for my judgement and joyous for where this might go now! In an effort to honour what you have said... I am not going to scroll down and read the comments - but just watch and share. Thank you for this! ~AMEN
Love this more than you'll know. My husband and I are of the opinion that we can worship Jesus with credal Christians of all denominations. We currently live that out by, as protestants, being a part of a very traditional Roman Catholic Church. We disagree on many important points, we can't take communion, we can't take full part of the service (as we don't agree with praying to saints/Mary) and we are often not understood. But we do it, and we feel called to do it. We have great conversations, have made great friends and have met amazing people who are on FIRE for Christ. Unity will have to come this way, and I believe we will see more of it in our lifetime. Thank you so much for this video!
Dang, that takes guts. Serious kudos.
Wow. Amazing testimony.
….and with your Spirit
Blessings to you Cat, that takes real love and commitment, and I commend you. I was raised a very traditional fundamentalist Baptist, and entered into full communion with the Catholic Church in 2011, so I understand your concerns about things like praying to Saints. One small piece of advice ad you continue to attend Mass: try to remember the old English way in which “prayer” is being used in this terminology, because it is NOT the way in which I, as a Protestant, had understood the term. “Prayer” essentially was co-extensive with worship to me. It is not to Catholics. Rather, it simply means “request”. I’m an attorney, and it’s common on court filings, for instance, to see the party say “We pray the court grant this motion”, or some other such language. This is what Catholics mean by the term, merely it is asking a Saint to pray (ask or petition) to God as well on our behalf, just as any Protestant might ask their friend or pastor to pray for them. When you see the perspective that the Church is one united family, and death is not a separation in reality, this makes perfect sense. I hope that helps. Pax Christi.
We need it now more than ever.
We need all believers to pray for this cause.
Call out for prayer.
Matthew...yes....as a catholic I need to follow the guidelines of Vatican II. We as catholics need to accept other Christians even with our differences. Respect is needed.
Word. As a Protestant with both Catholics and Protestants in the family, I always say this: we learned to live together so the churches need to stop infighting and come together. As Jesus said, a Kingdom divided cannot stand.
Love your response, I’m Catholic as well. Very happy there is no jumps to judgement and hateful remarks in the comments. What do you think about Matt’s four suggestions, specifically taking communion with others?
I’ve taken communion at many different denominations’ churches. I’ve even had friends come to Mass with me and fully explained communion and left it to them to decide whether or not they should. I’ve never taken communion outside of a church, and I do believe in the Real Presence of the Eucharist. I’ve always made a handful of confessions concerning what I just said haha.
How do you see us taking communion with non Catholics? How do you feel about it? I ask knowing that I’m going to also bring this up with the priest at my parish.
@Juan Diego-Castro Yeah man, I like to think I do but haven’t made it all the way Summa Theologica or anything.. haha. And as I said, unlike 77% of Catholics I do believe in the real Presence of the Eucharist. How do you see following Matt’s suggestions as a Catholic? ..assuming you are one. Specifically taking communion?
I love this Matt! To often our step 1 is to point out the differences we have with others, instead of our agreements. John 17:23 clearly shows that unity is evangelism, which makes it an essential of the faith. Your approach inspires me!
Yo Matt. Love that you are in this tract. Would love to point out a few things.
1. Let’s start with what would constitute unity? I think Jesus and Paul and the entire early church makes it clear that we should all be teaching the same doctrine. Not sure how you can be United if we don’t all agree on the major issues.
2. Why are we not United? We were. Without recognizing why we are not United and what caused that we won’t have a clear path to solve it. I would say we are not United because some Christians decided they didn’t want the authority of a single church upholding a single doctrine. But what do we have now? 20,000 churches upholding 20,000 doctrines and Christians no longer even know what it means to be Christian?
I agree it will have to come from the bottom. And we have to return to valuing the TRUTH of God above else which encompasses Gods creation and love and worship of Him above all else.
What the world needs today is HIS TRUTH, but until we can agree on that we cannot be a witness to the world on anything.
Will there will be disagreements even if we are under one roof? Sure! No problem! That will continue to help get us to His Truth. But we cannot claim to be Christians if we are 500 years and ideas removed from the original Christian teachings.
I disagree with my church on a wide variety of issues but I still enjoy serving with them because they preach the Gospel.
God bless you man. You’re doing exactly what all of us need to do and I applaud you leading by example. Unity is one thing that I feel is getting closer because of people like you
The unity of the Body of Christ has been in my heart since the 90s. May the Lord make us one in Him. At the very least, may we fulfill the second greatest commandment to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. I'm with you, Matt.
As someone who grew up french(canadian) catholic and is now part of a evangelical non-denominational church. I've always tried to defend each tradition. I think I should move forward into actions.
Honestly, as an English Canadian, with some French in my ancestry, I look at the silliness between the Catholic and Protestant branches like the political infighting between French and English in Canada. We both built this country and need to move forward together.
I was baptized in a Calvary Chapel and have stayed Non-Denominational ever since. Praying for church unity globally ❤❤✝️☦️⛪️
It is hard work to find unity. Personally it is difficult with some "denominations" because they hold to wild beliefs but that is the joy of it too... Walking away not in resentful obedience to God's call to unity, but in in joyful confidence that God holds His Church. Thanks for the encouragement brother!
"everyone else's problems"
Bro, nail on head. He nailed our sin to the cross. We can be a better humanity by obeying Him.
Amen, we need to get our act together on this. We don't have to all agree 100% on everything. Thank-you for all your hard work on this
Amazing message. I am a progressive christian married to an evangelical christian, and we attend my wife’s evangelical church. There are many theological points I do not agree with taught there, but I consistently benefit from non- confrontational engagement and actively support my wife’s spiritual growth within the church. We do not so much agree to disagree than agree that we both love the same god.
thanks matt, I was the prideful had to be right Christian in my younger years, but have become more understanding of the fact that unity is more important than being right, and ive found some of my hard held beliefs were wrong because i learned from other believers.
These things God gave us to bring us together, for centuries they have been used to drive us apart. - That one hits of truth Matt, keep up the great work!
I publicly declare, that I will do everything in my power to be a part of unity of the Church rather than be divisive. Do I have anybody who will second this?
Here, here!
Matt please continue on this path. You touch so many of us. And your knowledge and manner in presenting your views and ideas are brilliant. Thank you for taking the time to reach out to so many of us.
God gave us the ability to reason so that we can do it together. I think the best place to start is by focusing on the things that we do agree on and grow from there.
The fruit of you visiting and associating with Christians from other denominations/Churches is showing! This is such helpful, and humble insight God has given you here 🙏
Pride, this is what it all comes back to. Schism is always a result of pride all the way back to the first schisms. The angels that rebelled against God out of pride.
God bless, Matt 🙏🏻☦
But always, one wrong and one right. They can't both be right.
@@JGuti-ko2xe Yes, thats how I found my way back to Holy Orthodoxy from Roman Catholicism and I thank God for that. All other paths lead to relativism and the denial of truth.
@@NavelOrangeGazer Orthodox, schisming since 1054!
@@PaulDo22 There were schisms before 1054... this is the mechanism given to the Church to root out innovative error and maintain oneness (catholicity) of faith.
We pray those in schism return to the faith once delivered to the saints (Orthodoxy) and repent of their error (roman catholicism).
This is not the gotcha you may think it is.
Two words. Avignon papacy (exactly which pope was infallible during this time when the multiple popes were issuing conflating decrees?)
@@NavelOrangeGazer It's always interesting listening to the branch cut from the root explaining to the root how it is the root's origin. God already gave us one, ethno-centric religion and He has given us His Universal (Catholic) Church to preserve us through all time. There's a reason the various Orthodox Churches are not well known throughout the world and why they are inconsequential to most of humanity. God doesn't hide His Church under a bushel basket. He wants the world to find Him. It would be better for the Universal Body of Christ to have the branch return to the root from whence it came. In the fullness of time it will, just as the Jews will one day proclaim Christ their Messiah.
My wife and I hosted a bible study in our condo, it was attended by a retired Southeran Baptist pastor and his wife, a couple who attended a local bible church, a lady who attends a Charismatic mega-church in town, my wife and I are Lutherans (LCMS) We took two week on the Lords Supper. After those two weeks, we had communion together. I had tears flowing down my cheeks. I shared this with my pastor he smiled from ear to ear and was glad for us. Matt keep up the awesome work.
Muy buena reflexión que debemos escuchar con humildad y un corazón abierto! Gracias!
God bless you, sir!
I definitely agree that this is an urgent issue and needs to be a grassroots thing. It won't come from the top down, at least not at first. I totally agree that we can be reading the Bible and praying together, and that every baptism is a win. I definitely think we need to deepen our respect for and learn from Christians outside our own faith traditions. I think that sharing communion will be the last step of the reintegration though. As other commenters have mentioned, Catholics and Orthodox can't join in communion with other denominations, but that doesn't mean we aren't on board for working and growing together!!
It makes me very sad to see some of the comments on this thread. Many being angry with each other of other denominations and treating them not as Christ would have. Your comment is very refreshing to see. Despite our differences in how we interpret Communion, as a Protestant, I think we should be able to respect that we worship God in our own ways. We may disagree on doctrinal issues but that shouldn't divide us.
It takes a big heart to make important things on the internet. This is an important thing. Well done. My dad was pastor of a small church in a small town in WI for years. He met regularly to pray with the pastor of another local church, of a different denomination, just because they were both pastors in the same town trying to shepherd their flocks. I have always been thankful of this example and I’m proud of my dad for that.
It’s a beautiful idea Matt. I’ve been among the many that have been praying for it for a long time. We’ve even been singing about it too.
We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord;
We are one int he Spirit, we are one in the Lord;
And we pray that all unity will one day be restored.
Chorus: And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love,
yes, they'll know we are Christians by our love.
We will walk with each other, we will walk hand in hand;
We will walk with each other, we will walk hand in hand;
And together we'll spread the news that God is in our land.
We Will work with each other, we will work side by side;
We will work with each other, we will work side by side;
And we'll guard each man's dignity and save each man's pride.
All praise to the Father, from whom all things come;
And all praise to Christ Jesus, His only Son.
And all praise to the Spirit who makes us one.
Sancte Petre ora pro nobis. Very insightful. Saludos desde Colombia.
Here here.
I may struggle with the Eucharist bit as a Catholic, we have a very different take on it as believe in transubstantiation, but the call for unity is beautiful.
@@jackdaw6359
Do you think Matt would claim that he "can do better than Our Lord, his apostles and the early church"?
@@jackdaw6359 I agree, but rest assured that will not happen. The Holy Spirit guards the Church, and she will not break. It is Protestants who must, as did I myself, eventually humble themselves enough to say “I don’t have all the answers, I can’t know for sure on my own how to understand all that is central to the Faith, and I must submit to an authority that does”. This is the only way unity can ever occur, but Matt is right: it does happen from the ground up. When I swam the Tiber in 2011, I brought my children with me and thus one tiny plank of driftwood that had been broken off from Peter’s Barque was knit back to the hull!
@Juan Diego-Castro he is not asking Catholic's to water stuff down, so much as not appreciating fully the consequences of the suggestion for Catholics and Orthodox.
Matt has strived to go round many churches and understand things. He has done a fantastic job, he has got people to explain their faith rather than tell us what different people think without full understanding.
His purpose here is very Biblical and Pauline. "Who is for Cephas? Who is for Apollos? I'm for Christ!"
He approached this with charity, you need to view it with charity too. Accept what you can, you do not have to compromise key principles to meet half way.
I agree it would be great if all were Catholic, but presently the radicals on both political ends of the church, like radicals everywhere, don't exactly make it easy or inviting.
Remember, only Sith deal in absolutes...
😉🤣
@Juan Diego-Castro and yet Christ met and dined with sinners and tax collectors etc. He further commanded that we treat all who fail as tax collectors and sinner. And how did he treat them?
Treat all with charity.
@@jackdaw6359 never said it was; do you really think that was the point I was making?
Beautiful, humble, practical, convicting thoughts and suggestions. Thank you for this and for your love of the Church!
Thank you Matt. I came to these very same conclusions a few years ago and thankfully am united with a congregation that stresses every point you made. We have this day. We are blessed. We can all love better, even when we may disagree on some things. Let's all resolve within our own hearts to do just that, even though we know that we will do it imperfectly. Praise God who forgives us our debts as we forgive our debtors.
Matt, THANK YOU. Great video and please keep your outstanding work for our Lord.
Matt, your channel is fantastic, and I agree with a lot of what you say. Regarding communion, I regretfully but wholeheartedly must disagree. There is too significant a difference between a memorial service that commemorates the one death of Christ on Calvary and the actual body bloody, soul, and divinity on Christ present in what appears (but is not) bread and wine.
Secondly, even if the gap could be closed or almost closed like the case of the Lutherans. Communion is a symbol of a union that hasn't yet taken place, and this is very clearly laid out by Paul. Even if we disagree with Paul, open-table communion was never a thing in church history. Communion symbolizes who is currently in and who is currently out. (With baptism being the initial heuristic). We can't just disregard actual unity and take communion; instead, we should work towards absolute unity and then take communion together.
Finally, even if I did agree with you, as a Catholic, I am under penalty of mortal sin for violating the instructions of the bishop (who we believed is linked all the way back to the apostles) and the Church. I am responsible for participating in a 'parody' communion service under canon law. Suppose it is true that we actually have the actual Jesus present in communion. How could we join in a service that we believe does not and, furthermore, by a person who does not have an apostolic commission to perform the sacrament?
I hope we are all one happy family with all sides able to reconcile differences one day, but we can't do that by pretending to be something we are not. And any Catholic in good standing by the teaching of the ordinary magisterium taught everywhere and always must say the same and reject an open table communion.
Great point. I recommend reading Unitatis Reintegratio by Vatican II on ecumenism- it's an excellent text.
Something I love to do is to visit different churches all the time and show love to all my fellow believers. Want unity start by doing what Christ said all those years ago “love one another as I have loved you.”
My question is Did He pray for us to achieve unity in the church He founded or the churches founded by men?
The Orthodox churches are Orthodox because they have maintained the One Faith, One Baptism and One Church delivered by Christ once and for all to the Saints. Jude 1:3
This video is a God send. I've been debating a fellow Christian online for a few days now. Great talk, but realizing we differ on fundamental assumptions, I called it off. I still called him my brother and I hope the church grows even more because of his faith.
St. Cyprian, one of the prominent Church Fathers, said: "God is one and Christ is one, and His Church is one, and the faith is one [Ephesians 4:5-7], and the Christian is joined into a substantial unity of body by the cement of concord. Unity can be severed. And what is one by its nature cannot be separated" (De unit. 23).
We all say the Apostles Creed.
We all pray.
We all take communion
We all baptize
We have a 1000 different ways of interpreting and expressing these things. But you are all my brothers and sisters in Christ.
I would rather lean on God’s grace for if I sin in loving the wrong people than depending on God’s grace for sinning by hating and condemning everyone who disagrees with me.
I love your videos and it gives me a better understanding of the different denominations in the Christian sphere and it gives me that desire to see that unity. Unity just because of Jesus Christ. Thanks sir for this video.
While I'm not sure about your statement about communion, EVERYTHING ELSE you have said resonates deeply in my soul. I feel like the Holy Spirit is definitely speaking through you right now. the Church has been broken since 451 AD, and it needs to be put back together.
Love what your doing with unity in mind. May God bless you!
Matt, thank you for having the resolve to challenge Christians to seek unity, rather than division. You mentioned taking action from the ground up, the Roman Catholic Church is currently changing their Synod ( you may want to research for a future video) using a from the ground up approach to discuss ways of improving the church. This is a change from the top ( Cardinals) down approach previously used. Every church is conducting a listening session, gathering and sharing to the Cardinals who will then meet with the Pope in 2023.
Is hard for Unity if there is Christian that vocally & openly "attack" & demonize others Christian believe because they being told that hate in their denomination. But Matt... I'm 1000% agree in Unity & try my best 👍
God bless all Christian 🙏
i'm Indonesian Christian 🇮🇩✝️☦️
God bless, from a Canadian Protestant Christian! 😄
Right On! Matt,
Christian unity starts with our own heart check and a receptive mind to listen to our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, may our Father in Heaven bless you with discernment and wisdom as you share and encourage believers over the air waves... peace and grace be with you,
... eyah
I do love what you have to say. As an Anglican i'm in.
I love Anglicans. You guys are the best denomination because you're the least judgmental from what I've experienced.
Best post on TH-cam today. This week. This month. This year.
What a great challenge Matt. I’m taking this to heart. I think we can all take a serious look at our hearts and see how we can better represent a unfractured kingdom.
Love you, brother. Good thoughts.
Thank you so much for your earnest efforts to answer our Lord's call to unity. I share deeply your conviction to see our Church visibly express that union that we already share invisibly in the mystical Body of Christ. I'm Roman Catholic and I've always wanted to start an ecumenical group at my parish that spends its time uniting with other Christians in community, prayer, study, and ministry, but the question of how to put this hope into action has always been a bit nebulous for me. I welcome more practical advise like what you have offered here in this video, and I welcome any recommendations from whomever might be in the comments section!
Wow, that so encouraging! I hope that goes well, sounds like a great plan
Also a Catholic, also wondered that. The closest I've come has been a short stint with a Baptist homeschooling co-op and my husband's close relationship with a Baptist co-worker.
I am Eastern Orthodox, former Roman Catholic and before that Southern Baptist. Sort of from one end of the spectrum to the other. But we have much in common and therefore much to work with. We should all be faithful to various Christian traditions but where we are in agreement then we should be together working together to spread the Good News! As it is written in the scriptures"A new commandment I give unto you that you love one another as I have loved you'
@@philmattox8500 you havent gone the full spectrum yet. if you ever convert to being coptic (oriental orthodox), then you can say that.
Thank you for your inspiration! Unity is what God wants! We can do this!!!
Interestingly, it seems like some of the best examples of Christian unity can be found in addiction recovery groups.
Desperation quiets the us against them, dualistic brain.
I absolutely love this
Love it Matt keep doing what you are doing.
Love this, Matt.
While I recognise the sentiment, this is not something that can happen.
Water and oil do not mix, so can't many different theological systems.
Faith alone is anathema to us Orthodox, for example. It is for the Catholics as well. So, we either pretend it isn't, or we say how we view salvation is unimportant. That's a big problem.
We and the Catholics also can't commune, because of massive differences. For example, Catholics believe in the Beatific vision as what Heaven is, we completely reject it. Not to mention other major differences.
And do we accept JW? Arians? Nestorians? Those who believe in the Father and the Son, but think the Holy Spirit is a force, not a person?
So, while I think we should treat each other with respect, and learn about each other, so we can engage in talks better informed, and not base our views on prejudices, we can't go accross certain lines. This channel is great, and it helps bring understanding, but in the end, we can't be lax with doctrine.
@@jackdaw6359 Absolutely. I believe his intentions come from sincere love and concern. And growing up non-denominationalist, he is predisposed to thinking of things as differences in expressions, not fundamentals.
Growing up Orthodox, I found it strange that Catholic priests or Anglican vicars didn't have beards, because it was so expected, and that is a superficial difference.
And charity means we engage honestly, we don't misrepresent one another, we steelman each other's positions when discussing them. Also, that we recognise good things about each other. It doesn't mean that I'm charitable, therefore our differences don't matter.
We Orthodox don't have open communion, I know Catholics sometimes do, I am told we Orthodox are allowed to take communion in Catholic churches, but I haven't checked. But that comes from how we see the Eucharist. If we saw the Eucharist as simbolic, then it would be quite rude to be picky about who receives it.
And as a Catholic monk who converted to Orthodoxy, and is now the abbot of the monastery in the Swiss Apls said: The problem isn't that the faiths are different, but that they are incompatible.
Hey Matt, 👋
A while back I was perplexed by Jesus’s prayer
“that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.
And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:
I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.”
It is obvious that Jesus’s prayer for the body of Christ to be one, is currently at best faltering and fractured.
I’ve been so thankful to watch your visits to different expressions of Christ’s body.
I have so much more empathy and appreciation for my brothers and sisters!
Stepping out of my own echo chamber has been refreshing!!
Indeed, this prayer was central of importance to me too, and continues to dominate my daily prayers. There is one way and one way only that this radical unity can occur (and remember St. Paul’s epistles too on this issue “let there be NO DIVISIONS among you”…”One faith, One Lord, One baptism”…Christ founded a visible, authoritative Church led by the Apostles, presided over in love by Peter as their chief, and their offices were intended always to be passed down to successors like St. Timothy, St. Ignatius of Antioch, St. Clement of Rome, and the list continues on to today: the Catholic Church, whether Western or as maintained but split tragically in the East as the Orthodox Churches. This is where unity lies. Beyond this is only ever more division, confusion, and brokenness. Pax Christi.
Then please join the one holy apostolic Catholic Church that Christ himself started. The truth cannot be changed to suit the wants, believes, or interpretations of others, (2 Peter 1:19-21). Christ is very clear on how we must follow him and the Church has stayed true to its core teaching since it’s beginning, if it’s from man it will fail (like a number of protestant denominations), if it’s from God than it will not be stopped (Acts 5:38-39). I strongly urge you to seek the Lord in the Catholic Church and I can promise you, your cup will never go empty.
I would never want to say that you're wrong, but I think what Matt is getting at in this video addresses comments like yours. From your perspective, your comment makes sense to you, but to a Mormon who believes in the restored gospel of Jesus Christ through Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon, they may feel convicted that the LDS church is the 'true' church of Christ. I'm not Mormon or Catholic, but we need to be able to step down from our current understandings to simply listen earnestly to one another with the goal of learning each other's perspectives, and as Matt said in this video (7:14-7:24), to seek to understand how another perspective makes sense to someone we may disagree with. That doesn't mean we have to give up our current convictions, but it allows everyone to have a seat at the table while we discuss all of our convictions together.
Lmao. The catholic church has strayed in numerous, countless ways from the true faith of the apostles.
Great video! Yes, get back to basics together. Pray together, study early church history, learn what the Apostles did and said, and what did their disciples say and do, etc down the line until today.🙏
Thank you, Matt, for the years of work that you have done to promote church unity. This video represents the culmination of your overarching message. I attend an independent evangelical/charismatic church in Nashville. Over the years, I have been attempting activities 1 and 4 with other protestants, Catholics and mostly Orthodox Copts. It has been a very slow mountain climb and I'm still at base camp. I have gone to church with some of my Coptic friends, but their response to my invitation to my church was "Why would I do that? I wouldn't learn anything." Numbers 2 and 3 seem like insurmountable tasks. While I have participated in baptism and communion services at other protestant churches, it seems almost impossible to bridge this gap between the three big branches. I am definitely going to continue to try to incorporate these ideas in my life. Again, thank you for this message of unity.
I've enjoyed this. I've been part of working for unity in our community, and I've also given up on it (as of now). My issue always comes down to the gospel. What does God say we must do to be saved? I'm a "by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone" guy. How can I unite with people who add rituals or other requirements to salvation? Thanks again for the talk.
1) 3:54 "Number One, We should open the Bible together and read It with people who aren't the same kind of Christians as us."
2) 4:51 "Thing Number Two that we can do, is to celebrate Baptism together."
3) 5:12 "Likewise, I think we need to take Communion together."
4) 6:19 "Finally, in our minds, I think we need to nurture a new ethic of how we think of each other, and that is Defiant, Convictional Unity."
There’s a problem with each one of his talking points:
1. Read with people who are not the same Christian I am? The interpretation from different Christian’s gets messy. Everyone reads it through the lens of their denomination. No unity there.
2. Celebrate baptism together? Again, denominational lens viewing. Many believe it’s the ticket to salvation and many do not. Some don’t think it’s important at all. No unity there.
3. Take communion together? Denominational teachings say it’s once a month, some say it’s every time we meet on Sunday, some say it’s a symbol of His Death, some say you can take it in your home, some say it once can me administered by the clergy while others believe strongly that it’s actually the transubstantiation of the actual Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Unity? Not here.
4. Defiant and conviction unity? The word of God interprets itself. There cannot be one interpretation to you and in the same passage a different interpretation to me. This is why we have 42,000 denominations. Everyone claims to understands THEIR interpretation is the correct one. You MUST research and understand the original intent, the social structure of that time, know some original words and their meanings from the Greek and KNOW is that passage or content is for ‘back then’ and it’s just part of recorded history,Morris it for today as a prescription?
Example:
-Jesus and Peter walked on water: Not for today no matter what you believe .
-Paul’s handkerchiefs healed some people. You won’t see that working today but people still do it. It’s just recorded history of Paul’s journey.
-Healing leprosy . Not being done today . No where. It’s an example of the historical ministry of Christ.
-God wants us all to be rich. Nope. Not happening. Solomon may have been but it’s his history, not ours example to follow. Besides, in the end he said it was all meaningless. Prosperity preachers do not tell you that part.
So, I have mad respect for Matt. I truly do, however, it’s a lofty idea that we will ever reach unity on the earth if what I wrote continues.
I don’t see any end in the near future.
Yes God is with us and we will be United. Their was a time in history christianity was one and I hope history repeats itself one more time before the end.
I wish I could see it in my lifetime 🥺.
Brother, I suggest something that I’d like your thought on. I believe your 4 suggestions can be brought down to 1. The Holy Cross. All of Scripture points to the cross; baptism is an in dwelling of The Holy Spirit that could only have occurred through the crucifixion; Holy Communion is the on going, once and for all, partaking of Our Lords Crucifixion; Christ calls us to pick up our cross and follow him and prays that we be one, these cannot be separated. Unity starts and ends with the cross. All things start and end with the cross. Our call is to the reality of the cross, the answer and remedy to all sin because it is the complete act of love, the complete sacrifice and surrender to the Father’s Will. Christianity is so simple but yet so difficult because it is simply the embracing of the cross. Praise be Jesus Christ
Good idea.
Thanks, Matt, for all your hard work.
Been enjoying your Ten Minute Bible Hour Podcast immensely too.
Points 1 & 4 yes. The other two, I am not so sure, indeed intercommunion fills me with horror. Though once I was all for it. What ever unity is, it is definitely not some top down thing as you so rightly say. Christ knows who is with Him we don't and we need the humility to realise that we can not do this without him. There is no formula for this, it is a messy as we are. Peace and prayers from an Orthodox Christian.
Matt, you have done a tremendous work here and on your videos. An evangelical pastor, Juan Carlos, in his book, "Disciple' written many years ago, said that 'you don't have to agree with other Christians, but you must love them." Thanks for all you've done!
As an Orthodox inquirer it pains me that Christ's hight priestly prayer seems to be unanswered... Matt your suggestion about Holy Communion comes from your good heart and sincerity. But once I become Orthodox that becomes impossible. But I will still fellowship with other believers and remain in dialog
Agree Abe. Also an Orthodox inquirer. Unity must come from humility and submission to the true Body of Christ. We can’t compromise our way toward unity. We must seek it out. Our culture is so repulsed by absolute truth claims and churches have joined them.
It may seem like an unanswered prayer, but keep in mind that God is outside of time and space and we can scarcely understand how that prayer has always been being answered, is being answered now, and will continue to be answered.
While I think Matt's call is sincere and his desire for unity noble; I think the real work of unity is going to have to, first and foremost, be done among us Catholics and Orthodox. Before 1054, we were visibly, juridically, and eucharistically one church. When we say we believe in the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church, it's not just words, and it's not just a matter of belief: we know it because we're in it. We, Orthodox and Catholics, ARE that one, holy, catholic (universal), and apostolic church. And we always have been. We've only lost the juridical and the visible signs of unity. Our kind of unity isn't just "hey I'm a Baptist and you're a Lutheran, let's get together some time and break bread!" We know the Church is a visible institution, and we know that unity requires not only the bottom up approach of ordinary Orthodox and Catholics understanding their patrimony of essential and primordial unity; but also we know that unity requires an institutional approach. Not so much top down but top sideways. The latter are things that only our popes, patriarchs and bishops can heal. For the rest of us, we can only pray that those same popes, patriarchs and bishops, the leaders at the institutional level, get their act together sooner rather than later; pray that we Orthodox and Catholics can truly see each other as the same in Christ, that our expressions of the one faith are good, true and beautiful. We should be the easiest reunification of all!
More work will be required as we look further afield from Anglicanism on through Protestantism. We can't ignore that Anglicans, though retaining many aspects of institutional unity, lack holy orders and thus a true eucharist; we can't ignore the teachings of Luther, Calvin and Zwingli and how those men have reshaped the very concept of church for so many people. Unification with Anglicanism is happily already under way and is a successful model. Sadly, true unity with Protestants, I think, can not happen at all without individual Protestants engaging in a lot of soul searching, research and honestly, willingness to give up their basic protestantism.
@@padraicbrown6718
I love this - thanks for sharing! You've given me some things to think about Not only as a member of my Christian church but as a member of the broader Christian community.
I love the desire for unity--Amen! We need to allow our presuppositions to be challenged. However, if we can not agree on what sacred scripture teaches about sacraments unity will be impossible because sacraments are not secondary doctrines (e.g. Holy Baptism, Holy Absolution, the Blessed Sacrament, etc.). What we believe about the sacraments shapes our worship practice, etc. This is were sacred scripture, the historic church and the church fathers comes in. As a confessional Lutheran I don't see any hope of unity with protestants they are to far detached from the historic church. Closed Communion is necessary, no one likes it, but it's necessary. If one rejects sacramental theology it a hard to find any meaningful unity. The goal should be to celebrate in areas in which we agree with conservatives orthodox views on marriage, abortion, sexuality, etc. and do our best not to misrepresent each other. If we do misrepresent (e.g. Catholics, Orthodox, etc) that we admit our mistake and be willing to receive correction. Practice humility.
Yes! Best answer I've seen yet. I'm a cradle Catholic turned non-denominational and now a Catholic revert so I feel like I've seen enough of both sides of the spectrum to understand why this can't work and your response nails it. I was a little on edge when he brought up baptism but I think the hair on my neck stood up when he brought up communion. Why did he not also bring up Confession? These sacraments in particular are life changing and absolutely shape the the way we practice the rest of our faith and why we stand firm on sacred things being kept sacred. When something such as the actual bread of life, yes, truly the bread from Heaven is reduced to juice and crackers and tiny plastic cups it puts miles between you and the creator of Heaven and Earth who once sat across from you at the head of the table. And yet I totally get how every Evangelical/Non Denominational type in the comment section here would jump up and down for it. There is just too big a divide. I see unity possible in the Catholic/Orthodox/Lutheran/Episcopal branches because there is a mutual understanding and similar reverence to the original church but the new age type churches are just too far removed and unrecognizable in the eyes of the early church fathers. We are at least 2 camps of thought and practice and the only way to unify the 2 is to go back to the start. God help us.
We recently attended "Rock the Universe," a Christian music festival at Universal Studios in Orlando. There were hundreds of Christians celebrating our shared love of Jesus and worship music! Matt, keep up the great work, brother!
This is good (perfect) within the protestant denominations. But, unfortunately, this won't work with uniting evangelical protestants with Catholic, Orthodox, many Anglican, and even many Lutheran Christians because of beliefs about the sacraments (especially communion).
Neither I (Catholic) nor an Orthodox Christian would ever take protestant communion because Its outside the Church & the protestant minister doesn't have the ability to confect the sacrament.
Would you eat bread and drink juice that has been blessed with a protestant? No ministers or pastors around; just a person saying grace and blessing the food in remembrance of Jesus' sacrifice. You can continue to have your official communion at Mass, but you could also eat and drink with someone outside the Catholic faith.
@@BrianPurcell72 Most would say no, because Catholics believe that in order for it to actually be communion, you have to be an ordained priest with authority passed down through apostolic succession. Baptists don't have that as a concept, but to a lot of other Christians that's very important
@@emmagrace6396 So you wouldn't eat and drink blessed food with a protestant? I'm using the word communion with its intended purpose.
@@jackdaw6359 Why? You can still have the official sacrament at mass. I'm just talking about getting together to commune with food. How is that watered down? You wouldn't eat with me if I said grace over the food in remembrance of Christ's sacrifice?
@@BrianPurcell72 I believe that communion is Christ's real presence in the bread and wine, and it can only become the body and blood through an ordained priest's blessing. Your definition of communion is too general for me. I can eat a meal with an evangelical baptist, but communion is a different thing. It's the eucharist, not just eating any old meal. I'm not sure you realize how that idea could really offend someone who believes in the real presence. (I'm Anglican and not catholic btw).
Matt, we love and fully agree with you. Your videos have greatly impacted me and my family. We pray that you are encouraged. While I come from a more Charismatic background, I have really valued your caring insight into many expressions that differ from mine.
Byzantine Catholic concert here: I deeply appreciate your intention to have a bottom-up reunification. I believe the fundamental error baked into the cake is a misunderstanding of what "Communion" is. Your approach assumes a merely symbolic non-sacramental view. This video amounts to an explicit call to Catholics (and Orthodox) to engage in communion outside their God-given parameters which would be a sin. Communion is not a "right" given to individual Christians as you seem to assume. It is the privilege of the reconciled. Engaging in "communion" in a reductionistic, human-relationship-focused manner would only further blur the supernatural reality of what is taking place at the altar. A theological bias which sees communion as the "right" of the individual is not only false, but it would abuse the highest form of union with Christ (the Divine Liturgy or Mass is the earthly participation in the heavenly bridal chamber). Communion is not a human institution for us to remake in our own image. In the incarnation, Christ's divinity was hidden. In the Eucharist, even Christ's humanity is hidden, but make no mistake. Christ is truly, really, substantially present in the Eucharist by the power of the Holy Spirit, and we individual Christians don't have the right to engage in pseudo sacraments in human-driven attempts at superficial unity. The goal is too low. Does anybody see Institutional unity happening anytime soon? Yes. I do. But not the way you might imagine. Doing what you propose would undercut true unity which cannot divorce truth from love. There are other intellectually honest mistakes suggested in the video, but this one is the most naive and exposes the depth of unconscious Protestant bias. The first point had "sola scriptural" baked in. I'd love to talk more in depth because I love your desire for unity and sincerity. Just realize your solution is inherently Protestant.
Thank you for that.
This is true.
Catholic here, and I agree. But I also think what Matt is getting at is we need to be meeting and talking with each other, and reading the Bible together, finding common ground where possible. We can express the error of sola scriptura when we’re at the table having the discussion.
Also, I think he’s talking as much to Protestants as he is Catholics…Protestants protest other Protestants, as much as they protest Catholics. They are so divided on every little thing, thus the 30,000+ denominations. But they can benefit from more discussions, Protestant to Protestant. That is against the nature of Protestants, because if they disagree the tendency is to just split, which I think is a big reason atheism has taken hold…people see the splits and just walk away.
We have a lot of hard work ahead…
@@billmartin3561
God-willing He will graft the branches back on the Vine.
@@billmartin3561 I think I take some issue with you assuming how us Protestants work when you aren't or haven't studied in a Protestant setting. It isn't against the nature of Protestants to discuss difficult topics and no, a split doesn't always occur as a natural result of disagreement. But yes discussions are always needed. However we have to go into those discussions with open minds. We have to set aside our pride and not look down on each other.
The other thing is that Sola Scriptura seems to be misunderstood by Roman Catholics in this thread. Sola Scriptura means that everything a church does must first have a basis in Scripture, as opposed to Tradition (like the Catholic Church does).
Good reply (also catholic). And while I certainly hope we can reach institutional unity at some point I do not see this happening any time soon because there are just too many fundamental differences.
Amen... as to the point being SUPER important. Thanks.
I appreciate this, Matt. Very much.
If you haven't already read it, you would probably deeply love Francis Chan's recent book "Until Unity". I was deeply challenged by it and highly recommend it.
If I were diagnosing the problem, I certainly agree with you that pride and other character issues get in the way. But I also think that we've been totally wrong for generations about the right foundation of unity. I've long thought that true unity would not be possible unless there is first a high degree of (doctrinal) unanimity. I've since come to see that the interest in high degrees of doctrinal purity has driven division rather than unity. Consequently, I now understand that unity will not be the result of unanimity, but rather tremendous magnanimity. When we are deeply forgiving and generous toward each other we can find unity in spite of differences. In fact, I believe unity in spite of differences will always be strong than unity rooted in perfect agreement, since magnanimous unity can and will withstand difficulties far better than unanimous unity.
You are a very magnanimous person. That's the stuff we need. Keep it up.
Beautifully said!
Amen Brother! Lets do it! I totally agree. LET US BE ONE
Good points there. I suspect "we want to be right" is the biggest reason, followed closely by the problem of wanting to control what other people do, basically for everyone to be and do things "the way I do them", or else be "wrong".
But in the call for unity needs to recognize the call is to UNITY, not uniformity. Our differences are called "denominations" for a reason, and we need to recognize that we're all part of the same currency, and yet we're not all uniformly called to do things exactly the same way.
Some long for an embrace of intense emotional immediacy, and others feel overwhelmed and will flee from highly emotional environments. Some find God in the silence of meditation, others in historical music, others in folk or contemporary music. Some need a group that is free from any alcohol, others feel that Jesus drank wine and they should do so as well. Some want quality control of the leadership in the form of seminary education requirements and Bishops to oversee specific geographic areas, others feel that encourages elitism and impinges on the free flow of the Holy Spirit. We need to make sure that these differences do not become divisions, with one side right and the other side "in error".
We need to be known by the 'agape' concern and respect for the wellbeing of others, not by our purity and strict discernment of sin in others. Peace.
Great point.
Proud of you, Matt. Thanks for calling us out. Also, thanks for doing something about it. Really looking forward to this project. My church just broke apart......it saddens me greatly. Thanks for drawing attention to this issue.
These are some great idea - regarding communion though, that's a bit tricky. For Catholics, you just don't mess with the Blessed Sacrament. That's Jesus - one must receive it in the proper, very specific, context. We don't allow anyone to receive it unless they know and accept what it is, and have gone through the necessary steps to prove it. It's one of the things we are very strict about, and for good reason. To receive an unblessed untransubstantiated sacrament in a ceremonial fashion feels wrong from a Catholic perspective, like it's mockery or something. Then again, I remember practicing receiving communion with Ritz crackers and grape juice with nuns at church when I was 7/8 years old when preparing for my first communion. And honestly, I didn't know what it was then, not really. It's tricky, but there is some wiggle room there. If it was framed as something intended to bring people together in communion on Earth, in homage of - but NOT a replacement or alternative of - the real communion we have in church that brings us together with Jesus. There's potential for Catholics getting behind something like that, if that messaging was very clear.
That's what I've been saying for a long time now . Thank you Matt and I love the visual aids really drives the massage home.
The video made me incredibly hopeful!
The comment section almost extinguished that hope...
I don't believe we can reunite as long as unity means either the Protestant "No institution is correct, so lets just ignore them and be strictly personal" or the Orthodox/Catholic "Just join my only correct and true Apostolic Church". Ground-up, grassroots unity may be working for Protestants (it does quite well in my experience), but those who believe their institution to be THAT one Church will inevitably feel it is a bit empty.
In the end, playing nice and respecting each other is definitely commendable and an integral part of the way forward. However, a no less important part is trying to honestly solve our theological differences. How can a symbolic-communion Protestant share the communion with an Orthodox believer, who thinks the only way the Eucharist can be celebrated is through an ordained priest? Trying to do that outside of their Church is out of the question - that would mean abandoning one's convictions.
Generally I agree with what was said here, but it needs to go a step further. We need not just love for each other, or what I would call orthopraxy. We need a bold zeal for a common orthodoxy. The moment we abandon theology, we often abandon faith itself (as is often the issue with more liberal approaches to ecumenism). The solution is not to be reductionistic, trying to find the least common denominator and settling for that to be our "unity". I dare to say it is the exact opposite - expanding our current theological formulations with the aim of converging together into one understanding. (Like when Pope Benedict XVI said that "Faith alone is true if faith is not opposed to charity.")
I remain hopeful. Even if there is another 2000 years of separation, I believe reunion is inevitable. And I pray every day for it to happen sooner.
Thanks a lot for this wonderful video!
We can passionately agree on a few things. I say we passionately agree and work together on them, see where our theology agrees. It's as good a starting point as any.
@@JP2GiannaT I agree! Although I would go further and directly bash each other over the crucial differences, in charitable sincerity of course! Finding the base where we agree is nice, but it is the conflicts that prevent us from being united.
For way too long have Christians formulated their theology in a way that was meant to be exclusive (the Copts vs the Eastern Orthodox is a prime example). I would love it to change, so that the task of ecumenical theology is to make up formulations, which at their core are still the same teaching, but more and more accommodating to the other side.
And I would also like to see it done more in an active manner by the respective churches and the individual Christians. Not just ask "where do we meet up", but "HOW do we meet up". I'd love for the Catholics to come up with a definition of Sola Fide that both sides could sign up to, or for the Evangelicals to understand and accept icons, whether they use them in their personal devotions or not. Active steps in the direction of reunion, not just sitting on our asses endlessly trying to figure out if we even disagree.
Sorry for going on another rant!
Amen.
Since "joining the family" as a believer, this has been one of the biggest things on my heart for the Church.
We may be all sorts of different, and every member of the family has their way of doing things, but we are all seated at the same kitchen table, and we are all eating the same meal provided by our Father who took us all in when we were orphans.
" I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. "