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| Neville Callam |
Why theological dialogues are challenging
Washington,
DC (BWA)--Baptist World Alliance® (BWA) General Secretary Neville Callam said
that the BWA faces four major challenges in its participation in international
dialogues with other Christian traditions: different attitudes to ecumenism
within the BWA family, the difficulty of having proper international
representation on BWA dialogue teams, an indifferent attitude to the dialogues
by some Baptists, and the lack of funding.
Callam,
who was speaking at the 8th Baptist International Conference on Theological
Education (BICTE), said there are three basic attitudes toward ecumenism among
member organizations within the BWA. Some Baptist groups are indifferent or
even hostile to the very notion of ecumenism, including holding dialogues with
other Christian traditions. Others, while they are generally uninterested in
ecumenism, may nevertheless be open to dialogue with groups they approve of.
And there are Baptists who believe that the ecumenical enterprise is imperative
and an obligation.
The lack of
interest, commitment, or even hostility to ecumenism is one cause of the second
problem - inadequate international representation. "The non-existence of a
firm ecumenical commitment in some sections of the BWA community has impacted
negatively BWA's capacity to identify truly representative international teams
for the bilateral dialogues in which the organization participates,"
Callam said.
The fourth
problem, the lack of funding, also contributes to lopsided representation on
BWA dialogue teams, with the overwhelming majority coming from the Global West
and relatively few from the Global South. "Unless Baptist participation in
theological dialogues is properly funded, we will not be able to secure
credible representative international participation that is needed."
Callam
told the international gathering of Baptist leaders, theologians, teachers and
pastors in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, that "to date, an average of 10.7 percent
of BWA teams participating in international dialogue have come from the South."
Most participants come mainly from Europe, North America and Australia.
The
problem of poor representation from the Global South is not unique to the BWA.
Callam reported that "at the most recent Forum [on Bilateral Dialogues]
held in Dar es Salaam in 2012, the view was expressed that the representation
from the Global South in international dialogues teams was still
inadequate."
The BWA
leader said "traditional sources of funding, where these once existed, are
drying up. New sources need to be found." For that to happen, "those
who endow bilateral theological dialogue will need to be motivated by a concern
for the unity of the church reflected in the prayer of Jesus in John 17."
Callam
stated that Baptists have not been as receptive of the dialogues as they could
have been. Those that do are often involved in dialogues on the local level,
such as Baptists in the United States, Norway, United Kingdom, France, Italy,
Sweden, Germany and Australia. "More BWA member organizations need to take
seriously the findings of international bilateral theological commissions -
especially those in which BWA participates."
He
declared that reception does not necessarily involve full agreement.
"Reception does not require unanimous consent to the agreements," he
said. "What it entails is taking seriously what has been agreed and
appropriating, in the life of a church group, those insights that are found to
be enriching."
The BWA
has so far participated in dialogues with five other Christian traditions: the
World Alliance (now Communion) of Reformed Churches I1973-77); the Catholic
Church (1984-88 and 2006-2010); the Lutheran World Federation (1986-1990); the
Mennonite World Conference (1989-92); and the Anglican Communion (2000-2005).
