Corneliu Constantineanu

The Kingdom of God and Christian Unity and Fellowship: Romans 14:17 in Context

Thomas Sibley

"That They May Be One": The Challenge to Be Part of an Affirmative Answer to the Prayer of Jesus As Recorded in John Seventeen

Ksenija Magda

Unity as a Prerequisite for a Christian Mission: A Missional Reading of Rom 15:1-12

Douglas A. Foster

The Church and the Bible in the context of the correlative relationships of power and authority

Stanko Jambrek

Unity and Fellowship of Christians from a Pentecostal Perspective

Mladen Jovanović

The Evangelical Perspective on Unity and the Contribution of the Protestant Evangelical Council to Christian Fellowship in Croatia

Jure Zečević

Roman Catholic Understanding of Christian Unity and Fellowship

Danijel Berković

Christian Unity and Fellowship in Light of the Ecumenical Movement

Miško Horvatek

New Testament Paradigm of the Unity of Christians

Roger Massey

Relationship as a Basis for Christian Unity and Fellowship ... a Question of Salt - PDF

Corneliu Constantineanu

Beginning with a reminder of the centrality of the concept of the Kingdom of God for Jesus' ministry and teaching and for the early church, the presentation attempts to show that, despite some contrary voices, the notion of the Kingdom of God is still a very useful and significant category for the present Christian ethical reflection in general, and for Christian unity and fellowship in particular. Being given such a specific and limited purpose for the presentation, after some brief but necessary clarifications about the meaning of the Kingdom of God (sovereignty/reign/ realm - present/future - inward/external - transcendent/immanent), the article offers an exploration of several ways in which the concept of the Kingdom of God is significant for Christian unity and fellowship, from a New Testament/Pauline perspective.

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Thomas Sibley

The article is an exposition of John 17 which provides the most detailed expression of Jesus' desire for his followers. As he faces the hour of the redemptive event, Jesus prays for not only for himself and his closest disciples, but for all who will become believers through the message of the Apostles. The exposition identifies the subjects of Christ's prayer, the requests themselves, and the purpose of the requests. The purpose is identified as "that the world may know that the Son is sent from the Father and that the Father loves the disciples as he loves the Son." Implications are drawn from the prayer for believers living in a post-modern culture.

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Ksenija Magda

This article seeks to show that it is ecclesiologically useful to read Romans primarily as a mission-strategic document. The understanding of Paul's global mission helps us recognise how, in the paraenesis of the epistle, Paul's call to unity connects to the pastoral problem of ethnic division among Roman Christians. Unity, it seems, is understood by Paul to be the prerequisite for the success of his world mission. This kind of unity could be equally as important for the Christian witness in a postmodern global village.

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Douglas A. Foster

The premise of this work is the distinction between the concepts of "power" and "authority." The author attempts to indicate the often unjustifiably synonymous use of these concepts, whether in Bible translation or in colloquial speech and the way in which they are wrongly used as alternatives. The concept of power belongs to institutions and organisations, while the concept of authority has its origin in commission, calling and (supernatural) equipping.
In the second part of this article the author considers some historical and theological connections between "power" and "authority" in relation to church power and scriptural authority, while aware that these concepts, though not synonymous, need not be mutually exclusive. Some of the many dangers, temptations and attractions of "power", with which the historical Church has been constantly confronted, are pointed out.
In the third part, the author focuses on particular biblical texts, to show where and how the concept of the authority of the Holy Scripture is found and upon what it is based. In this part, he refers in brief to textual history and the authority of Scriptures as seen both from the perspective of a systematic theologian and from biblical theology and literary contexts.
In conclusion, the author points to three possible "safety valves" by which the danger of being tempted by power might be shown and avoided, thus fulfilling the calling and commission of the Church to be salt and light and a community of hope.

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Stanko Jambrek

Beginning with the historical development and the specification of the Pentecostal-Charismatic Movement, the first part of this article deals with the applied biblical ecclesiology of independent churches. Then it explains the role of the Holy Spirit in realizing and maintaining the unity of Christians.
The unity of Christians does not require or assume uniformity of practice nor complete unanimity of teaching. Pentecostal churches excel in the various ways of worship and organizational structures, even in variety of teachings. The challenge for Christians today is living in unity without demanding that the worship, structure and the theology of the churches be more uniform than those of the New Testament churches.
Jesus Christ lives within Christians through the Holy Spirit dwelling in them, and Christians live in fellowship with one another by the Holy Spirit. While realizing God's will, the Holy Spirit creates different fellowships with Christ's disciples, binds them with one another and as a church. Most Pentecostals in Croatia do not support the ecumenical movement because they consider it to be founded not on biblical, but rather, on humanistic principles. They do believe in the spiritual unity of Christians and support fellowship with all the biblically founded churches and communities.

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Mladen Jovanović

Unity is not just an unfulfilled idea of the Christian world. It is the axiom of reliability and sustainability of the Church founded in the Bible. Throughout history the Church has demonstrated that without unity it ceases to be "salt and light." Unity cannot be imposed as an ideology, but can only be built through fellowship. This is the witness of the churches of the Reformation tradition in Croatia which have proved in the last twenty years that many great things occur when God's children come together.

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Jure Zečević

With regard to the question of unity and fellowship, Roman Catholics, like members of other Christian churches, find themselves between two extremes: on the one side is phobia and exclusivity, and on the other all differences are relative making all questions related to unity and fellowship actually already resolved and therefore irrelevant. The Catholic position is that foundational unity among Christians already exists, but that lacerations in the body of unity also exist; lacerations, blows, indentations and wounds which mar the wholeness and completeness of that unity. Rather than talking about a schism, alienated brethren and the absence of unity, it is more appropriate to speak of the state of incomplete and/or imperfect unity. Since that which connects Christians is greater than that which divides them, it is not only more appropriate but also more correct to describe other Christians and designate them by that which is greater (unity) rather than by that which is lesser (dividedness). This must become reality and enter into general practice at all levels. With regard to ecumenism as an effort towards complete or sufficient unity and fellowship, its goal is not to establish unity which is at present an absolute non-entity, but to achieve several aims related to the still and already existing unity: 1) That it lives and actualizes itself through appropriate degrees of inter-Christian unity; 2) That it becomes more complete and more perfect to the degree that it also enables the visible fellowship of the altar (Eucharist and communion) and the pulpit (proclamation). Christianity is either ecumenical or it is not Christianity. The Church of Christ is either una sancta, "one holy," or it stands in serious opposition to Christ's will expressed in the Holy Scripture. Unity exists - it has to be recognized. Unity is not complete - it has to be fulfilled. Incomplete unity is here and it results in incomplete fellowship "in sacris," in the sacraments, in the holy. Growth in unity causes an almost proportional increase in attainable and lived unity. Unity that is lived provides genuine witness to the world for Christ and the God of unity and love, and enables a more effective (re)Christianization of the world and its penetration and saturation with the Good News (new evangelization). However, the presupposition without which complete unity will not be accomplished is "spiritual ecumenism," an ecumenism of a spiritual experience and true clinging of all Christians to Christ. Only the realization of ecumenism as the true experiential fellowship can make the discovery of other brothers and sisters in Christ possible, as well as our fellowship with them. The way of ecumenism thus emerges as the way to healing and a renewal of global Christianity.

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Danijel Berković

In the beginning of this text author wishes to reflect on the questions of Christian unity and fellowship from the perspectives of biblical texts. From the contemporary context we also face questions of definition and understanding of ecumenism and Ecumenical Movement.
There are also those non-theological questions of gender, social class or sexual orientation, which inevitably influence or burden questions of Christian unity and fellowship.
In the latter part, the author points to those questions which may be building our Christian unity or work against it.
Finally, author uses an imagery of a bird which uses two wings to be able to fly. So is the Church in need of two wings, one institutional and the other the wing of the Spirit. The two wings working in unison, can make the Church 'fly' over and beyond all its divisions.

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Miško Horvatek

The intention of this article is to describe: first, the New Testament paradigm of unity, second, the New Testament nature of unity, and third, the New Testament teaching concerning the responsibility of leaders to maintain unity.
Viewed from a New Testament standpoint, the first section discusses the notion of unity: unity of the believers with the Lord, unity of the believers within Christ's body, unity in diversity within Christ's Church, then about unity in the Spirit, and finally about the unity toward which we are to incline. The second section deals with the New Testament nature of the unity of the Church, which is a spiritual unity, though it also must be practical. The third section emphasizes the New Testament teaching concerning pastoral responsibility in maintaining and protecting the fellowship. Application of Peter's, John's and Paul's exhortations is a secure way toward the upkeep and maintenance of true biblical unity and practical spiritual fellowship within Christ's body.

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