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96-469: National Christian Council may refer to: National Christian Council of China National Christian Council in Japan Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title National Christian Council . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to

192-528: A billion members of the major Christian traditions. This, with the Catholic Church's 1.25 billion Christians, indicates that 349 churches/denominations already account for nearly 80% of the world's Christian population. One problem with the larger numbers is that single denominations can be counted multiple times. For example, the Catholic Church is a single church, or communion, comprising 24 distinct self-governing particular churches in full communion with

288-451: A counter-manifesto. Their efforts failed, and even though the TSPM was not even on the agenda of the meeting, the committee ended up unanimously supporting the manifesto and the TSPM, effectively ceding leadership to that organization. It was the first meeting in history where all Chinese Protestants were represented, and so its signing of the manifesto was of special importance. From that point on

384-467: A deeper understanding and a clearer presentation of the unfathomable riches of Christ. The unity willed by God can be attained only by the adherence of all to the content of revealed faith in its entirety. In matters of faith, compromise is in contradiction with God who is Truth. In the Body of Christ, "the way, and the truth, and the life" (Jn 14:6), who could consider legitimate a reconciliation brought about at

480-481: A distinct family of churches, though they may otherwise fit into any one of the previous categories. Some of these families are in themselves a single communion, such as the Catholic Church. Other families are a very general movement with no universal governing authority. Protestantism, for example, includes such diverse groups as Adventists , Anabaptists , Baptists, Congregationalists , Evangelicals , Hussites , Lutherans , Messianic Jews , Methodists (inclusive of

576-538: A handful of people. Other denominations may be very small remnants of once larger churches. The United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing ( Shakers ) have only two full members, for example, yet are a distinct denomination. Most current divisions are the result of historical schisms —a break in the full communion between previously united Churches, bishops, or communities. Some historical schisms proved temporary and were eventually healed, others have hardened into

672-583: A letter "addressed 'To all the Churches of Christ, wherever they may be', urging closer co-operation among separated Christians, and suggesting a 'League of Churches', parallel to the newly founded League of Nations ". In 1937, Christian leaders from mainstream Christian churches resolved to establish the World Council of Churches , to work for the cause of Christian unity; it today includes churches from most major traditions of Christianity as full members, including

768-513: A level of independence from foreign missionaries under the NCC, which would bring their loyalties under question. Part of the problem was leadership. In late 1930s, Wu Yi-Fang had become chairperson, Ronald Rees secretary, Earl H. Cressy secretary of the commission on Christian education, and Edward H. Hume was secretary of the commission on Christian medical work. Edwin Carlyle Lobenstine

864-408: A liar, and his word is not in us". So we humbly beg pardon of God and of our separated brethren, just as we forgive them that trespass against us. Christians cannot underestimate the burden of long-standing misgivings inherited from the past, and of mutual misunderstandings and prejudices. Complacency, indifference and insufficient knowledge of one another often make this situation worse. Consequently,

960-531: A precursor to the Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM), or as a tool of Western missionary societies. According to Bays: In retrospect, it appears that the NCC was a prestigious but basically powerless body which, its supporters hoped, would be effective doing informal or semiformal brokering between various constituencies of the Chinese Protestant world. It would function as a roundtable,

1056-699: A result of the Albigensian Crusade . In northern Italy and southeastern France, Peter Waldo founded the Waldensians in the 12th century, which remains the largest non-Catholic church in Italy and is in full communion with the Italian Methodist Church. In Bohemia , a movement in the early 15th century by Jan Hus called the Hussites called for reform of Catholic teaching and still exists to this day, known as

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1152-659: A revival within Anglicanism, especially in England and the American colonies , under the leadership of the brothers John Wesley and Charles Wesley , both priests in the Church of England. This movement also produced the Holiness movement churches. The Old Catholic Church split from the Catholic Church in the 1870s because of the promulgation of the dogma of Papal Infallibility as promoted by

1248-566: A variety of different expectations of what that Christian unity looks like, how it is brought about, what ecumenical methods ought to be engaged, and what both short- and long-term objectives of the ecumenical movement should be. Baptism according to the Trinitarian formula , which is done in most mainstream Christian denominations, is seen as being the grounds for Christian ecumenism, the concept of unity amongst Christians. With respect to ecumenism, A. W. Tozer maintained that "Unity in Christ

1344-502: A venue where the voices of the entire Christian community could be heard. But, hoped many ... it would also accrue prestige and power over time, and eventually have more than token powers. Ecumenism The fact that all Christians belonging to mainstream Christian denominations profess faith in Jesus , believe that the Bible is inspired by God ( John 1:1 ), and receive baptism according to

1440-474: Is beginning to make considerable progress". Some elements of the Catholic perspective on ecumenism are illustrated in the following quotations from the council's decree on ecumenism, Unitatis Redintegratio of 21 November 1964, and Pope John Paul II 's encyclical, Ut Unum Sint of 25 May 1995. Every renewal of the Church is essentially grounded in an increase of fidelity to her own calling. Undoubtedly this

1536-462: Is broad agreement upon this goal, approaches to ecumenism vary. Generally, Protestants see fulfillment of the goal of ecumenism as consisting in general agreements on teachings about central issues of faith, with mutual pastoral accountability between the diverse churches regarding the teachings of salvation. For Catholics and Orthodox on the other hand, the true unity of Christendom is treated in accordance with their more sacramental understanding of

1632-862: Is known as the Great Schism . The canonical separation was sealed by the Latin sacking of Constantinople (1204) during the Fourth Crusade and through the poor reception of the Council of Florence (1449) among the Orthodox Eastern Churches. The political and theological reasons for the schism are complex. Aside from the natural rivalry between the Eastern Roman or Byzantine Empire and the Franco-Latin Holy Roman Empire , one major controversy

1728-665: Is not something to be achieved; it is something to be recognized." Ecumenists cite John 17:20–23 as the Biblical basis of striving for church unity, in which Jesus prays that Christians "may all be one" in order "that the world may know" and believe the Gospel message . As such, ecumenism has a strong implication for the Church's mission of evangelism , which is referenced in John 13:35 : "By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another". Additionally, Jesus emphasized that

1824-433: Is now commonly used refers to interdenominational cooperation between different Christian churches . These initiatives can range from local churches of different denominations operating a soup kitchen for the poor, hosting an ecumenical Bible study with participants from different Christian traditions, inviting all baptized Christians to partake in a Lovefeast when churches celebrate them, to holding an ecumenical Stations of

1920-559: Is responding to his admonition (John 17; Philippians 2) to be one in him and love one another as a witness to the world. The result of mutual recognition would be a discernible worldwide fellowship, organized in a historically new way. For a significant part of the Christian world, one of the highest goals to be sought is the reconciliation of the various denominations by overcoming the historical divisions within Christianity. Even where there

2016-452: Is rooted in the medieval Augustinian appropriation of Plotinian Neoplatonism . (See Augustine of Hippo, De Trinitate .) Both West and East agreed that the patriarch of Rome was owed a "primacy of honour" by the other patriarchs (those of Alexandria , Antioch , Constantinople and Jerusalem ), but the West also contended that this primacy extended to jurisdiction, a position rejected by

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2112-472: Is that people focus primarily on Christ , not on separate church organizations. In Schlink's book Ökumenische Dogmatik (1983), he says Christians who see the risen Christ at work in the lives of various Christians or in diverse churches realize that the unity of Christ's church has never been lost, but has instead been distorted and obscured by different historical experiences and by spiritual myopia. Both are overcome in renewed faith in Christ. Included in that

2208-624: Is the basis of the movement toward unity … There can be no ecumenism worthy of the name without a change of heart. For it is from renewal of the inner life of our minds, from self-denial and an unstinted love that desires of unity take their rise and develop in a mature way. We should therefore pray to the Holy Spirit for the grace to be genuinely self-denying, humble. gentle in the service of others, and to have an attitude of brotherly generosity towards them. … The words of St. John hold good about sins against unity: "If we say we have not sinned, we make him

2304-1181: The Assyrian Church of the East , the Old Catholic Church , the Oriental Orthodox Churches , the Lutheran World Federation , the Anglican Communion , the Baptist World Alliance , the Mennonite churches , the World Methodist Council , the Moravian Church , the Pentecostal churches and the World Communion of Reformed Churches , as well as almost all jurisdictions of the Eastern Orthodox Church ;

2400-698: The Azusa Street Revival in 1906 are held as the beginnings of the Pentecostal movement. These started just a few hours after Pope Leo XIII led a prayer Veni Spiritus Sanctus during an Urbi et Orbi message, consecrating the 20th century to the Holy Spirit and through this prayer to the reunion of Christianity. For some Protestants , spiritual unity, and often unity on the church's teachings on central issues, suffices. According to Lutheran theologian Edmund Schlink , most important in Christian ecumenism

2496-499: The Body of Christ ; this ecclesiastical matter for them is closely linked to key theological issues (e.g. regarding the Eucharist and the historical Episcopate ), and requires full dogmatic assent to the pastoral authority of the Church for full communion to be considered viable and valid. Thus, there are different answers even to the question of the church , which finally is the goal of

2592-585: The First Vatican Council of 1869–1870. The term "Old Catholic" was first used in 1853 to describe the members of the See of Utrecht who were not under Papal authority. The Old Catholic movement grew in America but has not maintained ties with Utrecht, although talks are under way between some independent Old Catholic bishops and Utrecht. The Evangelical movement takes form as the result of spiritual renewal efforts in

2688-509: The Holiness movement ), Moravians, Pentecostals , Presbyterians , Reformed , and Waldensians. Many of these have, as a result of ecumenical dialogue, established full or partial communion agreements. The oldest lasting schism in Christianity resulted from fifth-century disagreements on Christology , heightened by philosophical , linguistic , cultural , and political differences. The first significant, lasting split in historic Christianity,

2784-645: The May Thirtieth Incident and went as far as calling for the re-evaluation of " unequal treaties " China had with foreign powers. This angered foreign missionaries working in China. The NCC took an increasingly liberal theological stance, leading some foreign missionary organizations like the China Inland Mission and the Christian and Missionary Alliance to resign from its ranks. During Nationalist China ,

2880-640: The Roman Catholic Church participates as an observer, sending delegates to official gatherings. Many regional councils affiliated with the World Council of Churches, such as the Middle East Council of Churches , National Council of Churches in Australia and Christian Churches Together , work for the cause of Christian unity on the domestic level, with member denominations including churches from

2976-619: The Society for the Advancement of Christian Literature that was run by Chinese Christians and published in Chinese. The NCC campaigned for literacy, and against opium use. The NCC also had programs to better the living conditions in the countryside, and ran charities, but its efforts were hampered by the Great Depression . In 1913, in the aftermath of the 1910 Edinburgh Missionary Conference ,

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3072-418: The Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM) to replace the NCC, the TSPM being a more introvert organization. Proponents of "The Christian Manifesto," in order to further its prospects of success, pushed to postpone the meeting, which eventually was held 17–25 October 1950. The preparatory committee of the meeting tried to fend off attempts to have the manifesto endorsed at the meeting, and even planned writing

3168-532: The Trinitarian formula is seen as being a basis for ecumenism and its goal of Christian unity. Ecumenists cite John 17:20–23 as the biblical grounds of striving for church unity, in which Jesus prays " may all be one " in order "that the world may know" and believe the Gospel message . In 1920, the Ecumenical Patriarch of the Eastern Orthodox Church , Germanus V of Constantinople , wrote

3264-560: The YMCA and YWCA and whose role the missionaries consequentially failed to grasp. The NCC's relations with Westerners began to be called into question. In April 1951, the RAD initiated the Denunciation Movement which lasted until 1953. During it, the NCC was outright condemned. Foreign missionaries were no longer tolerated either and they had to leave China. Those who had not left by the time

3360-740: The bishop of Rome (the largest being the Latin Church , commonly called "Roman Catholic"). Further, the Catholic Church's presence in each country is counted as a different denomination—though this is in no way an ecclesiologically accurate definition. This can result in the one Catholic Church being counted as 242 distinct denominations, as in the World Christian Encyclopedia . Additionally, single nondenominational congregations or megachurches without denominational affiliation are effectively counted each as its own denomination, resulting in cases where entire "denominations" may account for only

3456-613: The de facto interim constitution of the People's Republic of China , guaranteed freedom of religion. In November the Protestant delegates to the CPPCC sent out teams to Northern, Northwest, East, South, and Central China to see how the freedom of religion provision was being met in practice and to explain the United Front policy. For these teams, members chosen by the NCC were included. This marked

3552-521: The nationalist government , such as building clinics and schools, were more successful. The NCC worked on education and health for many years during the Nationalist era. Its efforts to educate women particularly proved effective during wartime years. During that time, the NCC also took part in governmental relief efforts in the midst of many natural disasters that occurred in China in the early 1930s. By 1932, 70% of Protestants in China were represented by

3648-634: The surrender of Japan in August 1945 to have them back to the formerly Japanese-occupied areas. Eventually, a meeting was convened in December 1946 and S. C. Leung emerged as the new chairman. In the midst of the transition period, the NCC spoke against corruption and social injustice, but considering the handover of all political affairs to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), this was "too little too late". Chinese Protestant churches were unable to attain

3744-524: The "West" or "East", respectively. (There exist both Eastern Rite Roman Catholicism and Western Rite Orthodoxy, for example.) There is an ongoing and fruitful Catholic-Orthodox dialogue . In Western Christianity, there were a handful of geographically isolated movements that preceded in the spirit of the Protestant Reformation . The Cathars were a very strong movement in medieval southwestern France, but did not survive into modern times, largely as

3840-402: The 1980s, resulting in agreement on the very issue that split them asunder, in the 1994 Common Christological Declaration , which identifies the origin of the schism as largely linguistic, due to problems of translating very delicate and precise terminology from Latin to Aramaic and vice versa. As part of the then-ongoing Christological controversy, following the Council of Chalcedon in 451,

3936-564: The American station XMHA . The NCC's rhetoric, however, was less controversial than before the war. The broadcasts were of cautious tone, and avoided mentioning the Japanese by name, probably to protect missionaries who were in Japanese-occupied territories. The NCC's last meeting before the war had been in 1937. Much of the personnel of NCC was unable to work and it took many months after

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4032-812: The Anabaptists, people such as Menno Simons and Jakob Ammann , whose movements resulted in today's communities of Mennonites , Amish , Hutterites , and Brethren churches, and to some extent, the Bruderhof Communities . Further reform movements within Anglicanism during the 16th through 18th centuries, with influence from the Radical Reformation, produced the Puritans and Separatists , creating today's Baptists, Congregationalists , Quakers , and eventually Unitarian Universalism . The Methodist churches, which uphold Wesleyan-Arminian theology , grew out of

4128-412: The CPPCC and the RAD. One proposal, in reaction to the founding of RAD was to consolidate the NCC's powers to form a Christian organization matching RAD. There were concerns that the NCC would turn into a battleground of factions that wanted it either to stay independent or be subjected to the government of China. By late summer of 1950, "The Christian Manifesto" had become part of a campaign to establish

4224-682: The China Continuation Committee was founded. To finalize the task of the Continuation Committee a National Christian Conference was held in Shanghai in 1922. This meeting brought together more than a thousand delegates. More than half of them were Chinese Protestants, who were struggling for unity amidst theological differences between liberals and conservatives. Despite this backdrop, the Conference almost unanimously decided to form

4320-593: The Church, although he himself favored a synthesis of nationalism and Christianity. A turning point in this regard was the May Thirtieth Incident in 1925. Yu seized the opportunity to bring nationalist issues to the forefront at the NCC. The NCC sided with the nationalist protesters and sent a letter to the Shanghai Municipal Council as well as a statement to foreign missionaries. The NCC stated that Christianity and patriotism are not mutually exclusive, indeed that social conscience of Christians could no longer be based on total disinterest in politics. The NCC also questioned

4416-405: The Cross service on Fridays during the Christian liturgical season of Lent with the service being held at a different local church each Friday (e.g. Catholic, Lutheran, Moravian, Anglican, Reformed and Methodist). The ultimate goal of ecumenism is the recognition of sacramental validity, eucharistic sharing, and the reaching of full communion between different Christian denominations. There are

4512-423: The Denunciation Movement was in full swing were caught in it. Because contacts and funding from foreign missionary boards was cut, the NCC had by the end of 1951 become "for all intents and purposes self-administering, self-supporting and self-propagating" – the Three-self principles of the TSPM. The history of the NCC has been interpreted in various ways: as either an example of genuine Chinese ecumenism, as

4608-447: The Eastern Orthodox Church. Although the Christian world as a whole did not experience any major church divisions for centuries afterward, the Eastern , predominantly Greek-speaking and Western , predominantly Latin-speaking, cultural divisions drifted toward isolation, culminating in the mutual excommunication of Patriarch of Constantinople Michael I Cerularius and the legate of then-deceased Pope of Rome Leo IX in 1054, in what

4704-519: The Eastern patriarchs. Various attempts at dialogue between the two groups would occur, but it was only in the 1960s, under Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras , that significant steps began to be made to mend the relationship between the two. In 1965, the excommunications were "committed to oblivion". The resulting division remains, however, providing the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church, both of which are globally distributed bodies and no longer restricted geographically or culturally to

4800-402: The Filioque implies that the essential divinity of the Holy Spirit is derived not from the Father alone as arche (singular head and source), but from the perichoretic union between the Father and the Son. That the hypostasis or persona of the Spirit either is or is produced by the mutual, pre-eternal love between God and His Word is an explanation which Eastern Christian detractors have alleged

4896-561: The Moravian Church. Though generally counted among Protestant churches, groups such as the Waldensians and Moravians pre-exist Protestantism proper. The Protestant Reformation began, symbolically, with the posting of Martin Luther 's " Ninety-Five Theses " in Saxony on October 31, 1517, written as a set of grievances to reform the Western Church. Luther's writings , combined with the work of Swiss theologian Huldrych Zwingli and French theologian and politician John Calvin , sought to reform existing problems in doctrine and practice. Due to

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4992-495: The NCC published three open letters to Christians in China, two in 1948 before the PRC was established and one on 10 December 1949. That letter reviewed Christianity’s contributions to Chinese society and called on Christians to uphold social righteousness, support cooperative movements, and participate in reconstruction efforts. NCC leaders decided, in a 26 January meeting, to convene a national congress on 19–27 August to consider how to respond to developments including those involving

5088-456: The NCC, it had liberal theological leanings that did not suit everybody. Conservative mission societies, such as, notably, the Southern Baptists , never joined the NCC. Some that had joined chose to resign later on. In 1926 the China Inland Mission , which had been a member of the NCC from the beginning, resigned from the organization because the it had, in their view, become too liberal. The Christian and Missionary Alliance also resigned

5184-448: The NCC. During the Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II , the NCC was forced to temporarily relocate its headquarters from Shanghai to Chongqing . The NCC's activities dwindled, with the exception of continued relief work, especially among refugee children. During the war, the NCC did have radio broadcast operations, in particular introducing to the audience each of its constituent churches. The NCC broadcast from Shanghai on

5280-465: The National Christian Council. The Continuation Committee was merged into the NCC and ceased to exist as an independent body, as did other organizations that had a similar fate, including China for Christ . Cheng Jingyi , who had chaired the conference, became the general secretary of NCC and remained in that position until 1933, while David Z. T. Yui was made the chairman of the organization from its inception until 1928. The first annual meeting of NCC

5376-481: The Oriental Orthodox, Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Methodist, Anglican, and Reformed traditions, among others. Each year, many ecumenical Christians observe the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity for the goal of ecumenism, which is coordinated by the World Council of Churches and adopted by many of its member churches. The terms ecumenism and ecumenical come from the Greek οἰκουμένη ( oikoumene ), which means "the whole inhabited world", and

5472-460: The Puritans". Historian Mark Noll adds to this list High Church Anglicanism, which contributed to Evangelicalism a legacy of "rigorous spirituality and innovative organization". Pentecostalism is likewise born out of this context, and traditionally traces its origins to what it describes as an outpouring of the Holy Spirit on 1 January 1901 in Topeka, Kansas , at the Bethel Bible College . Subsequent charismatic revivals in Wales in 1904 and

5568-416: The Roman Empire, with a total of seven ecumenical councils accepted to have been held by both the Eastern Orthodox and Catholic churches before the Great Schism dividing the two churches; the first four ecumenical councils are recognized by the Lutheran Churches, Anglican Communion and Reformed churches though they are "considered subordinate to Scripture". The Assyrian Church of the East acknowledges

5664-444: The anglophone world in the 18th century. According to religion scholar, social activist, and politician Randall Balmer , Evangelicalism resulted "from the confluence of Pietism, Presbyterianism, and the vestiges of Puritanism. Evangelicalism picked up the peculiar characteristics from each strain—warmhearted spirituality from the Pietists (for instance), doctrinal precisionism from the Presbyterians, and individualistic introspection from

5760-414: The beginning. We believe that this unity subsists in the Catholic Church as something she can never lose, and we hope that it will continue to increase until the end of time. While some Eastern Orthodox churches commonly rebaptize converts from the Catholic Church, thereby refusing to recognize the baptism that the converts have previously received, the Catholic Church has always accepted the validity of all

5856-516: The commitment to ecumenism must be based upon the conversion of hearts and upon prayer, which will also lead to the necessary purification of past memories. With the grace of the Holy Spirit, the Lord's disciples, inspired by love, by the power of the truth and by a sincere desire for mutual forgiveness and reconciliation, are called to re-examine together their painful past and the hurt which that past regrettably continues to provoke even today. In ecumenical dialogue, Catholic theologians standing fast by

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5952-416: The council undertook many projects to improve literacy, education of women, living conditions in the countryside, and disaster management, although the Great Depression hampered them. The Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II further damaged the NCC's efforts, which were reduced to mostly helping war orphans while the leadership of the organization was at large. After the People's Republic of China

6048-411: The council's aim was to seek renewal of the church itself, which would serve, for those separated from the See of Rome , as a "gentle invitation to seek and find that unity for which Jesus Christ prayed so ardently to his heavenly Father". Pope Paul VI, in his 1964 encyclical letter Ecclesiam Suam observed that "ecumenical dialogue, as it is called, is already in being, and there are places where it

6144-411: The denominations of today. However individual denominations are counted, it is generally acknowledged that they fall into the following major "families" of churches (though certain parts of some Christian denominations, such as Quakerism , may fall into the mainline category though the majority are evangelical Quakers): In the United States , the historic racial/ethnic churches are sometimes counted as

6240-444: The ecumenist movement itself. However, the desire of unity is expressed by many denominations, generally that all who profess faith in Christ in sincerity, would be more fully cooperative and supportive of one another. For the Catholic and Orthodox churches, the process of approaching one another can be described as formally split in two successive stages: the "dialogue of love" and the "dialogue of truth". Examples of acts belonging to

6336-401: The expense of the truth?...Even so, doctrine needs to be presented in a way that makes it understandable to those for whom God himself intends it. When the obstacles to perfect ecclesiastical communion have been gradually overcome, all Christians will at last, in a common celebration of the Eucharist, be gathered into the one and only Church in that unity which Christ bestowed on his Church from

6432-403: The first Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) convened in September 1949, the NCC was not invited because of its ties with Western missionaries. Instead, five progressive Christians with pro-Communist Party tendencies represented Chinese Protestants there: Y. T. Wu , T. C. Chao , Deng Yuzhi , Liu Liangmo , and Zhang Xueyan . The " Common Program " adopted by the CPPCC,

6528-440: The first time that the NCC, and indeed Chinese Christians, became involved in the united front controlled by the CCP. Upon their return, they planned to write a report about the situation and present it to the Chinese government. Wu also briefed the NCC, informing them about the imminent founding of the Religious Affairs Division (RAD, later renamed State Administration for Religious Affairs ). Parallel with these developments

6624-851: The first two ecumenical councils, while Oriental Orthodox Churches accept the first three ecumenical councils. Christianity has not been a monolithic faith since the first century , also known as the "Apostolic Age", and in the present day, a number of widely varied Christian groups exist, both within and without mainstream Christianity. Despite the division between these groups, a number of commonalities exist throughout their traditions, understanding of theology , governing church systems , doctrine and language. As such, many of these groups are visibly divided into different communions or denominations , groupings of Christians and their churches in full communion with one another, but to some degree set apart from other Christians. The World Council of Churches counts 348 member churches, representing more than half

6720-431: The former include the mutual revocation in 1965 of the anathemas of 1054, returning the relics of Sabbas the Sanctified (a common saint) to Mar Saba in the same year, and the first visit of a Pope to an Orthodox country in a millennium ( Pope John Paul II accepting the invitation of the Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church , Teoctist , in 1999), among others. Christian ecumenism can be described in terms of

6816-422: The intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=National_Christian_Council&oldid=828785778 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages National Christian Council of China The National Christian Council of China ( NCC )

6912-490: The meaning of pertaining to the totality of the larger Church (such as the Catholic Church or the Eastern Orthodox Church) rather than being restricted to one of its constituent local churches or dioceses . Used in this sense, the term carries no connotation of re-uniting the historically separated Christian denominations but presumes a unity of local congregations in a worldwide communion . The term ecumenism as it

7008-652: The meeting, but the NCC was unable to resist the pressure. The NCC ceased to exist and Chinese Protestantism would continue to operate under the government-controlled TSPM, but without foreign missionaries who had to leave China. The National Christian Council of China (NCC) was not a church in itself. It was a liaison and coordination organization among Chinese Protestants of varying denominations and between Chinese churches and foreign missionaries. Exchange of information and ecumenism were key in its activities. The NCC had delegates from both missions and churches and acted as an advisory body to Protestants in China. Its task

7104-894: The next large split came with the Syriac and Coptic churches dividing themselves. The churches dissented from Chalcedon, becoming today's Oriental Orthodox Churches. These also include the Armenian Apostolic Church , the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church , and the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church in India. In modern times, there have also been moves towards healing this division, with common Christological statements being made between Pope John Paul II and Syriac patriarch Ignatius Zakka I Iwas , as well as between representatives of both Oriental Orthodoxy and

7200-639: The pope. Thomas Cranmer as Archbishop of Canterbury introduced the English Reformation in a form compromising between the Calvinists and Lutherans. This schism created today's Anglican Communion. The Radical Reformation , also mid-sixteenth century, moved beyond the Magisterial Reformation , emphasizing the invisible, spiritual reality of the Church , apart from any visible ecclesial manifestation. A significant group of Radical reformers were

7296-746: The reactions of ecclesiastical office holders at the time of the reformers, the Catholic Church separated from them, instigating a rift in Western Christianity. This schism created the Mainline Protestant Churches, including especially the Lutheran and Reformed traditions. In England , Henry VIII of England declared himself to be supreme head of the Church of England with the Act of Supremacy in 1531, repressing both Lutheran reformers and those loyal to

7392-414: The road was open for both the inception of the TSPM and the acceptance of the manifesto by Protestants. For some, it was this moment rather than the initial publication that marked the manifesto's transforming of Chinese Christianity. During the course of the early 1950s, the NCC became inoperative as the TSPM took over key positions in Chinese Protestant leadership. Foreign missionaries were surprised by

7488-549: The role of foreign missions in Chinese Christianity. The viewpoint of NCC angered Western powers, including missionaries. In 1926 the NCC passed numerous resolutions calling for revision of the " unequal treaties " between China and Western powers. By 1926, encouraged by anti-Western sentiments, the proportion of Chinese in the council had risen to 75% and they held the most important offices. Although most Protestant missionary societies working in China were represented in

7584-533: The sacraments administered by the Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox churches. The Catholic Church likewise has very seldom applied the terms " heterodox " or " heretic " to the Eastern Orthodox churches or its members, although there are clear differences in doctrine, notably about the authority of the Pope, Purgatory, and the filioque clause. More often, the term "separated" or " schismatic " has been applied to

7680-466: The sacraments. The Directory for the Application of Principles and Norms on Ecumenism , 102 states: "Christians may be encouraged to share in spiritual activities and resources, i.e., to share that spiritual heritage they have in common in a manner and to a degree appropriate to their present divided state." Pope John XXIII , who convoked the council that brought this change of emphasis about, said that

7776-478: The same year, citing the same reasons. Some conservatives founded the League of Christian Churches in 1929, as an alternative to the NCC. Even during the years of Nationalist China (1912–1949), the NCC suffered from lack of resources and "had no control over the larger economic, political, and security environment", a deficiency that it could not remedy, despite its active members. Some projects that were supported by

7872-513: The so-called Nestorian Schism , came from the Church of the East , consisting largely of Eastern Syriac churches outside the Roman Empire , who left full communion after 431 in response to misunderstandings and personality conflicts at the Council of Ephesus . After fifteen centuries of estrangement, the Assyrian Church of the East and the Catholic Church entered into an ecumenical dialogue in

7968-447: The state of the Eastern Orthodox churches. The Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Orthodox churches are two distinct bodies of local churches. The churches within each body share full communion , although there is not official communion between the two bodies. Both consider themselves to be the original church, from which the West was divided in the 5th and 11th centuries, respectively (after

8064-521: The success of "The Christian Manifesto" and its subsequent impact on the missionary field. They were surprised by the ability of a relatively small number of activists to bypass the NCC, which at the time had massive resources and manpower behind it. The NCC was, after all, the highest Protestant authority in the country. Those most influential in promoting the Manifesto had been Protestants who were not affiliated with mainline churches, but with backgrounds in

8160-688: The teaching of sacred scripture and tradition. Before the Aggiornamento or "updating" of the Second Vatican Council , the main stress was laid on this second aspect, as exemplified in canon 1258 of the 1917 Code of Canon Law: The 1983 Code of Canon Law has no corresponding canon. It absolutely forbids Catholic priests to concelebrate the Eucharist with members of communities which are not in full communion (canon 908), but allows, in certain circumstances and under certain conditions, other sharing in

8256-448: The teaching of the Church and investigating the divine mysteries with the separated brethren must proceed with love for the truth, with charity, and with humility. When comparing doctrines with one another, they should remember that in Catholic doctrine there exists a "hierarchy" of truths, since they vary in their relation to the fundamental Christian faith. Thus the way will be opened by which through fraternal rivalry all will be stirred to

8352-435: The three largest divisions of Christianity: Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestant. While this underemphasizes the complexity of these divisions, it is a useful model. The Catholic Church has always considered it a duty of the highest rank to seek full unity with estranged communions of fellow Christians and, at the same time, to reject what it sees as a false union which would mean being unfaithful to or glossing over

8448-509: The ties of Christians to one another are much greater than those to blood relatives. Historically, the term "ecumenism" was originally used in the context of the larger ecumenical councils organised with the support of the Roman Emperor . The aim of these councils was to clarify matters of Christian theology and doctrine, leading to the meaning of unity behind the term "ecumenical". The ecumenical councils brought together bishops from across

8544-533: Was a Protestant organization in China . Its members were both Chinese Protestant churches and foreign missionary societies and its purpose was to promote cooperation among these churches and societies. The NCC was formed in 1922 in the aftermath of the Edinburgh Missionary Conference . In its formative years, the NCC became involved in the endeavors of Chinese nationalists. It sided with protesters in

8640-714: Was a member in the International Missionary Council . The NCC had both Chinese and Westerners as members. Founding members included the Chung Hua Sheng Kung Hui . Its largest and most powerful Chinese member church was the Church of Christ in China . The NCC had many sub-committees and published large numbers of Christian materials, including the China for Christ Bulletin in Chinese and The NCC Bulletin in English, its official organ. In 1923 it set up

8736-463: Was founded in 1949, the NCC came under government pressure. It was sidelined from talks with the new rulers, which were instead handled by pro- Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Protestants. The NCC convened its first national meeting after the war in October 1950, only to approve a pro-communist " Christian Manifesto " and support the Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM). Neither had been on its agenda before

8832-405: Was historically used with specific reference to the Roman Empire . The ecumenical vision comprises both the search for the visible unity of the Church (Ephesians 4:3) and the "whole inhabited earth" (Matthew 24:14) as the concern of all Christians. In Christianity, the qualification ecumenical was originally and still is used in terms such as " ecumenical council " and " Ecumenical Patriarch ", in

8928-469: Was honorary secretary, and T. T. Lew was head of the National Committee for Christian Religious Education in China. Chen Wen-Yuan became the general secretary in 1936 and, later, honorary general secretary. Historian Daniel Bays writes: "To me, it seems likely that the NCC sorely missed the leadership of Cheng Jingyi and Yu Rizhang [ David Z. T. Yui ]". Both had died in the 1930s. When

9024-503: Was in 1923. Roman Catholics in China were not members of the NCC and had instead founded their Apostolic Delegation of China , also in 1922. Later, the model of the NCC was replicated in other countries as well, Including India, Japan, Korea, and the Philippines. During the early years of the NCC, its inaugural chairman David Z. T. Yui sought to balance pressure from both nationalist and anti-nationalist groups, both inside and outside

9120-577: Was the inclusion and acceptance in the West in general—and in the diocese of Rome in particular—of the Filioque clause ("and the Son") into the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed , which the East viewed as a violation of ecclesiastical procedure at best, an abuse of papal authority as only an Ecumenical Council could amend what had been defined by a previous council, and a heresy at worst, inasfar as

9216-543: Was to facilitate cooperation among churches and missions of varying Protestant backgrounds. The organization, however, did not have legislative or mandatory authority over its members. Additionally, from its inception, the NCC was to "study the development of the Church in self-support, self-government, and self-propagation". These are known as the Three-self principles . The NCC was based in 169 Yuanmingyuan Road in Shanghai . It

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