The Next Ecumenical Council

It is becoming increasingly clear to me that the universal church needs to call another Ecumenical Council dealing with the issue of sexuality, in order to decide the issues once and for all, to draw the line of orthodoxy in the sand, and to preserve the Christian faith in our time.

We live in a dangerous age. A time of spiritual testing. A once Christian West is rushing to abandon her first love, and is now actively using political and social coercision to silence the churches. The latest attempt of the American Democratic party to stiffle religious free speech (http://www.townhall.com/columnists/JaySekulow/2007/01/12/speaker_pelosi_to_monitor_your_church) is just once example of the subtleness of the attacks in the US. The US, of course, is not alone in increasingly persecuting Christians. We see it everywhere, such as in Canada and the UK (see http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/jan/07011704.html). Examples abound. But please don't misunderstand me. I have no love of official state-sponsored Christendom. History has unequivocally shown that state churches always result in widespread corruption. Nor do I believe a theocracy can be acheived this side of paradise. History has shown that that too always ends in failure. Yet the increasing tendency of our governments is nontheless alarming.

Many of the present attacks involve issues related to human sexuality. Christians who oppose homosexuality, abortion, and other evils on moral grounds are being imprisoned by the government, and forced by legal means to financially support practices they think abominable. But the coercive actions taken against Christians by the government is not the worst thing to happen to the churches. I'm sure that in the long run it will actually strengthen our resolve, wake us out of our complacency, and re-ignite the fire that once burned for Christ within our hearts. That being said, let me add that state enforced societal corruption is not the worst thing.

The worst thing is having pseudo and nominal Christians denying the clear teaching of Scripture, and trumpting, condoning, and encouraging sin in the name of Christ. It confuses young Christians who do not have the benefit of hearing sound theology in their churches. It causes Christians who should know better to stumble. Worse still, it hardens the hearts of unbelievers who hear the advocacy of sin by false Christians and are thus bound even tigher in the grip of abomination. They teach in the name of Christ what is only fit for the devil.

That is why I think a new Ecumenical Council should be called. So that the Christian faith can be authoritively defined. So that apostate denominations can be more readily identified. The matter, I think, would be simple enough. All the major denominations that have been faithful to Nicene and Chalcedonian orthodoxy have already issued statements that unequivicobly speak to the truth of the matters under consideration. Let me put just a few of the questions as bluntly as I can.

PRO: Is marriage between one man and one woman? Yes. Is sex within marriage holy? Yes.

CON: Is abortion moral? No. Is homosexuality moral? No. Is homosexual marriage valid? No. Is sex outside of marriage moral? No. Should active homosexuals be ordained to the priesthood/pastorate? No. Should women be ordained to the priesthood/pastorate? No.

Most faithful denominations already recognize the authority and usefulness of the early creeds up to Chalcedon. And as I said, most have already issued authoritative statements and declarations relating to the questions above. It doesn't matter whether you are a Roman Catholic, Southern Baptist, Mennonite, Eastern Orthodox, PCA, or OCA, etc. The list goes on and on. The faithful are of one mind in these matters. I submit that the truth must be canonized, and declared with all the authority of the ancient Creeds, so that we might present a united Christian front against the culture of iniquity. So that all Christians can unequivocally point to a canon of Orthodoxy, declare the truth of the faith, and stand fast in the face of persecution from all sides.

The mechanics of such a Council, would, of course, prove a difficulty. Long standing differences, important differences, would have to be set aside, if only for a moment, so that the truth of the faith in these points could be declared together. Though in normal circumstances Reformed, Baptist and Catholic Christians would have little to do with each other, in the new climate of persecution faced by Christians in our societies, I would suggest that we no longer have the luxury of being estranged. We must stand together, at least on this point. We do it for the Trinity. We must also do it for sexuality. And in all things we should remember, that what is impossible for man, is possible for God.

In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Amen.