Christian Unity in Times of Human Mobility and Fragmentation

The world is on fire, but we Christians are called to live the life of Christ in the world and embody the fullness of his love.[1] Christians must unite to serve the pilgrims of this world, for they themselves are pilgrims. In 2024, there were 36.9 million refugees in the world[2] —pilgrims in this evidently fragmented world. The evidence of high human mobility impacting families, communities, and entire societies is clear. Therefore, I believe that in the face of this reality of human mobility and experiences of fragmentation, the Church, in unity, must proclaim the hope found in Jesus Christ. We must make use of the ecumenical practices and virtues that God, in his grace, has given to his people. “To be the body of Christ means to share his life,”[3] but life cannot come from a dismembered body.

“The Other Christians” and Mobility in the World

“Those other Christians” or “the other Christians,” comments tinged with displeasure that one sometimes hears, are extremely regrettable because they wound the body for which Jesus prayed, “that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”[4] This prayer for the Church sometimes seems like just a distant whisper in a time of ever-increasing human mobility. Human mobility,

as described by Peter C. Phan is an enduring characteristic of human existence, a being in constant migration.[5] Since part of being human is migrating, how we treat one another (especially among Christians) matters? Does the way we treat, think about, and perceive other Christians hinder Christian action in times of mass migration and social fragmentation? Is the fragmented world a pitiful reflection of a dismembered Church?

A few years ago, theologian and pastor John Stott, in a short book titled Evangelical Truth: A Plea for Unity, Integrity, and Faithfulness,[6] invited evangelicals from all “tribes” to unite around what was central: the Trinitarian gospel. Stott sought to call believers in the gospel to remain centered and avoid tribalism or sectarianism that would harm the body of Christ. Stott’s concern seemed to be the division within the evangelical community caused by Christian doctrines and/or denominational particularities. Today, it appears that the list of reasons for division among Christians has grown, and this is not limited to evangelicals.[7]

Public theology[8] is a constant source of heated debate among Christians in spaces like radio, social media, opinion programs, and podcasts. What could serve as a tool for Christ’s healing and reconciling message to the world is instead the window that allows the world to see Christian disunity in all its splendor. We are not suggesting that the Christian Church can be conceived as perfectly united in voice on this earthly plane. But neither is it prudent to conceive of the Church as the opposite of what Jesus prayed his people would be. What response or alternative does the Church have to this problem? I believe that recovering an ecumenical approach to faith is not mere idealism, but a potential reality for a world where Church and world are fragmented.

Christian Ecumenism for the life of a Fragmented World

Ecumenism can be defined as,

the full range of activities and efforts into which Christians and the Christian churches, at every level of membership and participation, invest time and energy for the sake of unity between them, a unity that, according to the Christian confession, is grounded in the person and work of Jesus Christ, and manifests itself in common faith and practice.[9]

How could such ecumenism be practiced in a healthy way? Geoffrey Wainwright’s proposal of three ecumenical virtues (faith, hope, and love) can be helpful. These can unite believers because they are a gift from God.[10] They do not ignore the reality of what divides us theologically, but Wainwright believes that practicing them can move us toward unity. He connects the virtue of faith with baptism, hope with the Lord’s Prayer, and love with Holy Communion.[11] Practicing these virtues through these practices can guide God’s people toward a true ecumenism that serves as a healing tool for a fragmented world.

In his short book, Being Christian, theologian and poet Rowan Williams discusses distinctive characteristics that identify a Christian, such as baptism, the Bible, the Eucharist, and prayer.[12] These elements, highlighted by Williams, are not only similar to those mentioned by

Waimwright, but could also serve to reaffirm for believers the ecumenical path for the good of the world. Regarding baptism, for example, Williams says it does not confer upon us a kind of privilege that keeps us separate and superior to the rest of the human race, but rather claim new level of solidarity with other people.” [13] For Williams, what distinguishes a Christian does not separate them “from the other,” but rather makes them more deeply and intentionally compassionate. Furthermore, communal Bible reading fosters a sense of community,[14] but what type of community? People might read the Bible communally and come to conclusions that reinforces inward orientation and the rejection of others. Williams, wisely points out, that a mature communal reading of Scripture “involves coming to recognize patterns of faithful and unfaithful response to God in the light of Jesus.”[15] Jesus is key for our communal readings since it is into his image that the reading community should be formed for the glory of God and the life of the world.

Williams also points to the celebration of the Eucharist and how serves to transform the way we see others.[16] If the Eucharist is a mysterious place of encounter and remembrance of Christ’s life and sacrifice, the community that is nourished by it should become like him. Which leads us to Williams final characteristic, prayer. Christian prayer teaches, according to Williams, that we belong to God and to the human family.[17] The Church has the resources, practices, and virtues that God had made by Christ through the power of the Spirit to heal its fragmented body and be of good to the world; will we use them for that purpose?

Some might respond pessimistically, pointing out how Christians continue to refer to brothers and sisters in faith as “the others.” To this, we can acknowledge that the Christian faith does not deny such hopeless realities but rather embraces them in the name of Christ through the power of the Spirit. In Jesus Christ, even hopelessness can be redeemed. Christians can and should strive for unity in a world that is constantly shifting and fragmenting. Migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers are among the most vulnerable in our society, and therefore, the Church must be an instrument of God to bring life to the world. Ecumenism, or Christian unity, is a healing attitude and action for a fragmented world.

“The challenge to the Church in the 21st century is not only to speak the truth of our meta-narrative of the Gospel, even if it is questioned, but to live the truth! To embody the Gospel, to live a cruciform life.”[18] These words of Eldin Villafañe could be reformulated or rewritten today as, ‘The challenge for the 21st-century Church is to live out its mission as a united Church, not a fragmented body.’ While the world moves with speed, complexity, pain, wounds, and trauma, the Church should not act upon or promote what already harms the world. Christians must return to what the Apostle Paul taught in his Epistle to the Ephesians: “one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”[19]

The world is moving and seems fragmented but there is hope. God has provided in Christ and through the power of the Spirit ecumenical virtues for the unity of the church and for the sake of the world. Every gesture or action of welcome can be a step towards communion and unity in the name of Christ. Migrants, refugees, asylum seekers and the pilgrims of this world should not be the witnesses of a dismembered body, but partakers of the good news proclaimed by one body constituted by people of every nation, tribes and tongues. May the Lord, in his mercy, allow us to be his body, united for the life of the world!

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