Developments
26th September 2026
Editor “Disappointed” by non-publication of Letter
Editor “Disappointed” by non-publication of Letter
The editor of EvenAs.org, Ken Petrie, has expressed disapointment that a letter calling for understanding and work on the underlying differences between Christians and threatening the unity of the Church of England was not published by the Church Times. Instead, a letter criticising a survey reported in the paper but offering no peacemaking opportunities was published on the same subject.
Mr Petrie commented,
“The editor of a newspaper is, of course, fully entitled to choose which letters are published therein and that must always be accepted, but it is disappointing when a letter stirring discontent is preferred to one suggesting areas of exploration which could lead to better understanding and tolerance between Christians of different traditions and provide a basis on which the different sides could learn from each other and work through the issues together.”
The letter was a response to a survey promoted by the Evangelical Alliance claiming the majority of British Christians were Evangelical, pointing out difficulties in the survey’s preconceptions and going on to suggest the real differences between Evangelicals, Liberals, and Catholics are much more limited than usually thought and boil down to different emphases on two central doctrinal issues all recognise, with most of the manifestations of difference following from these small variations. The published letter made some similar points but concentrated more on higlighting difference and criticising urban as opposed to rural Christians.
Since the letter has not been published in the intended organ it is reproduced below so readers can form their own judgement.
Dear Madam,
Madeline Davies’ report on the survey Understanding UK Evangelicals (news 18th September) demonstrates the folly of the human desire to divide and classify when applied to matters spiritual. For the word evangelical just means “of the Gospel” and as such is a description of every Christian who actually believes and seeks to serve God in Christ. That it has been adopted to represent one supposed group who believe we uniquely hold the Faith in a way others do not is itself a demonstration of our foolish delusion that “others do not.”
While it is true we have disagreements with others about the outworking of our Faith, the Bebbington Quadrilateral as described in your report just shows ignorance of the commonality of its tenets among Christians and the Church as a whole. That acceptance of these tenets is found in all denominations and among all strands of opinion within the churches is no surprise to anyone who has been involved in Ecumenical dialogue or has worshipped in a parish with a different spirituality. There is only one Gospel! There is only one Church. Christ is not divided however much, in our stupidity, we try to portray him that way. As one liberal objector put it when Evangelicals were complaining at the beginning of the LLF process, “no one is arguing about the authority of Scripture; we are arguing about the interpretation of Scripture” (or words to that effect).
The differences between Christians are much more subtle: Evangelicals and Catholics place different emphases on the importance of the individual believer versus the body of the Church in our Salvation. Evangelicals and Liberals place different emphases on the relation between the Fall and the Imago Dei in understanding human nature and variance. These are not huge divisions but they are matters we need to work through if we are to resolve the resultant differences.
We need to stop addressing surface differences and get to grips with the underlying theology if we are really to achieve peace in the Church.
regards,
Ken Petrie
The night before he died, our Lord Jesus prayed for the unity of those who followed him as a sign of the truth of his mission (Jn 17.21,23). This was not to be a superficial unity, but one as deep as exists between the persons of the Trinity themselves. Many Christians experience this unity in the fellowship they find when they meet each other but, if it is to demonstrate Christ’s authenticity to the world, that unity needs to be seen by those outside the fold.
(continued below comment)
Comment
Such unity goes far deeper than ecumenism in the Church’s structures, but if it is to accomplish its Christ-intended purpose those structures must reflect it in an ecumenical way, otherwise they will obscure it and prevent the world seeing and believing. I believe it is no coincidence that the eighteenth century Enlightenment (which in setting up the ideal of pluralism also had the effect of marginalising individual convictions and thus religion in general) emerged after the conflicts which followed the Reformation. It is largely because Christians are not seen to agree in public that the world does not accept what we say.
But there is more, for our Lord’s prayer was not just a vague aspiration. Jesus promised us that a prayer in his name will be answered (Jn 16.23). Yet we give the impression in our apparent disunity that his own prayer has been ineffective. In doing so we also imply either that the Father has not sent his Son or that Christ’s words on prayer, among other things, are not to be trusted. So, we deny the very nature of our Lord and his mission on earth. In effect, disunity would deny the very Gospel we otherwise proclaim.
And again, how can we claim with St Paul that Christ’s work on earth, his life, death, resurrection, ascension, and eternal reign have reconciled us to God and given us “the ministry of reconciliation” (II Cor 5.18) if we remain unreconciled to each other, at least at the public level which matters so much for the proclamation of that reconciling Gospel?
The very word ecumenism is controversial to some, who fear its users seek to find agreement by compromising the truth. Unity, they say, must be in the truth. Of course, but from the argument above it should be equally obvious that unity is integral to the truth. Neither can exist without the other. Ecumenism and evangelism belong together. Indeed, ecumenism is a prerequisite for true evangelism because unity is an essential component of the Gospel. Without ecumenism there can be no true evangelism, for without unity there can be no true Gospel.
The problem was encapsulated by my own conversion, because it was two Baptists who challenged me as to whether I knew the Lord. I had been baptised into the Church of England as a baby, and therefore could be claimed as a Christian in name, and was seeking to live as such, but had never understood the need to offer myself to God for a life of service in Christ. Initially I rejected their approaches on the basis they were members of a different church with different beliefs, and it was only when they gave me a booklet to explain their faith which I recognised as an Anglican publication that I realised my mistake. Their faith was one with at least some Anglicans on the issue concerned, but I, blinded by the labels, had not seen that.
Because so much is at stake the task is urgent, but the urgency is not apparent from the response of the Church in general. Progress has been lamentably slow and has often concentrated on what we agree already. Perhaps Church leaders are naturally too polite to raise contentious arguments. Perhaps, they have felt a firm basis of respect based on common belief was needed before such issues could be pursued without causing offence. Perhaps a tentative initial exploration was necessary to establish the key issues, but should it have taken 90 years to get this far? Whatever the reason, the urgency of the task demands more progress, more debate, more involvement by more Christians to produce the ideas which will overcome the obstacles and even define the goals.
That is what this site is for. Please read it, use it, and make it a powerhouse of truth which will build up Christ’s Church.
Ken Petrie
Editor.
