The Spiritual Politics of Evolution

Introduction 

The church has played a pivotal role in individuals' spirituality and political evolution through endorsement and rejection of policies. In recent times this has been witnessed in legalizing abortion, LGBT human rights, and climate change awareness. Historically, this was evident after the fall of the roman empire, which led to power being assigned to churchmen, who were the remnant organized group at the time. The following paper will highlight major issues that caused subdivision in the early church, any developments, and assess the probability of a reunion occurring. 

The Four Families of Communion 

Traditional Roman Catholic 

The Roman Catholic beliefs of communion are founded on viewing Christ's church as a society. First, because it contains variations of religious practice that are equal to earthly governments' rules, secondly, it is a "developing hierarchical communion" (Murray, 2018). Its similarity to governmental regulations includes that Christ is recognized as the sole authority and who contains the power to direct the Christian family. Therefore, the early millennium church believed that Christ's power and authority resided in him, in Peter and the other apostles and the Catholic church. Indeed, this is demonstrated in the letters to St. Ignatius, who founded the Jesuit order cautioning against entertaining contrary religious beliefs by maintaining communion with the local bishop, who equally holds communion with other catholic bishops. 

Since the Catholic Church's establishment in 30AD, catholic believers have observed the Eucharist as a declaration of their religious faith. The Catholic doctrine asserts that Christ is present in the bread and wine through transubstantiation. Once catholic believers cite the Eucharistic prayer, the bread and wine transform into the divinity, body, and blood of Jesus. The scripture upon which this belief is founded in John 6:51 that says, " I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world" (American Bible Society, 2017) Again, Jesus told his disciples that his flesh was food and his blood a real drink and that whoever eats the bread and takes the drink remains in Christ, and he in them. The catholic church has guidelines for taking the eucharist whereby Catholics should not partake of it when conscious of grave sin. 

Protestant Reformers 

The Roman Catholic church doctrine came under scrutiny due to an instance of corruption. The society had experienced internal power struggles as popes sought both spiritual and political authority. The catholic church was famously recognized for requiring that sinners give indulgences to be forgiven and took sacraments. Amidst all this, religious leaders debated man's relationship to God, Jesus to God, and the trinity's significance. Luther pioneered the reformation by highlighting doctrinal concepts that did not accurately represent salvation and Christ's relationship with the church in his 95 theses. His attempt to reform the catholic church resulted in the subdivision of the group. 

Luther disagreed with the Roman Catholic's belief that sacraments were a sacrifice that was tantamount to conducting good work. Additionally, he rejected the idea of transubstantiation that affirmed the conviction that the bread and wine in communion transformed into Christ's body and blood. Instead, Luther believed that Jesus was present in the sacrament ceremony. This is founded on the scripture in Luke 22:19, where Jesus "took the bread, gave thanks and broke it” (American Bible Society, 2017). He then gave it to his disciples, asking them to continue doing so in his memory. Therefore, Protestants believe that the bread and wine signify the body and blood of Christ. 

Lutherans 

Lutheranism has its roots in Germany. It originated from the beliefs of Martin Luther, whose aim was to reform the Catholic church. His efforts ended up getting Luther excommunicated from the Catholic faith, and thus emerged Lutheranism faith. The Lutheran fellowship views the holy communion as both a gift and a task. The holy communion manifests through hearing God's word and receiving the sacraments. Like the protestants, Lutherans reject the idea of transubstantiation. They believe that Christ is present in the bread and wine and that he comes into them in, with, and under the bread and wine to nourish them. Even though Christ comes to Lutherans through the physical bread and wine, they believe that all the elements are real and coexist together. This differentiates other protestant churches from Lutheranism. A distinction between Lutheran and Roman Catholicism faith is that ordained ministers in the Lutheran faith gave sermons in the congregants' language. The Roman Catholic faith reviewed their original idea of Luther, whom they accused of apostasy in the 20 th Century. The efforts arose from differing views of Catholic faithful residing in the predominantly protestant German Empire in the 19 th century. 

The Church of England and Anglican Communion 

The Anglican communion began during the reformation period once King Henry VIII rejected roman Catholicism and established England's independent church. The tenets of the Anglican communion are set on belief in the oneness of the trinity. They believe that Jesus and God are all co-creators of the universe. The faith religion recognizes two sacraments, the baptism and Eucharist service. The communion is observed during ordinations, confirmations, marriages, and while attending to sick believers. Of particular importance to the Anglican communion is Easter and Christmas, regarded as "the holiest days." 

Communion is regarded as an act of worship—followers of this faith value weekly attendance of service. During the eucharistic service, the religious leader gives a sermon; there are readings from the Hebrew Bible and the gospel, singing hymns and eucharistic rites recitations. 

How Does the Grouping Challenge Views on Schism? 

The views on schism indicate that the break of communion between the Eastern Orthodox church and the roman catholic resulted from language barriers and Roman and Byzantine dignitaries' ex-communication. However, as deduced in the four communion families, consensus on key Christian testament of faith acts was lacking. The communion grouping illustrates that the schism came about due to political, theological, and cultural beliefs. In particular, the grouping identifies differences in scripture interpretation as an underlying factor that caused divisions. Among this included the idea that clerics should remain celibate, whether it was acceptable to use unleavened bread for communion, and the relationship between father and son. 

Religious groups viewed themselves as the absolute authority and did not welcome challengers. For instance, the Roman Catholic leaders ignored Luther's views on their doctrine that questioned the viability of conducting good works as a way of penance and favor to get eternal life. The sacrament proclamation as a sacrifice and good work turned communion services into a show with faithful moving from church to church to add to their works of good. Others carried the bread home and planted it in an attempt to multiply their works of good. The Catholic doctrine was also problematic because Christians could not live righteously other than through servitude. No productive dialogue came off this, as the Roman Catholic Council eventually convened a meeting and rejected Luther's views. The resulting communions after the subdivisions contained minimal variations in the protestant, Anglican, and Lutheran opinions. It shows that an understanding of the fundamental tenets of Christianity and salvation was essential than outward demonstrations of Christianity. 

Strengths and Challenges Facing Eastern Churches 

The Eastern Orthodox churches are characterized by the continuity of the apostolic church, whereby its bishops are considered successors of the first apostles. Some strengths of the eastern churches include: 

Decentralized Governance 

After the division of the eastern and western churches during the fragmentation of the Roman Empire, the eastern churches maintained the principle that the church should maintain the local language of the community where the church is located (BBC, 2008). Additionally, the churches are self-governing. The eastern churches maintain autonomy by having an episcopal form of government; each local church is governed by a bishop (Chetachi, n.d.). It is a strength for the church because decision-making is simple. There is a unity of structure and church doctrine. Eastern churches all possess local titles that reflect the residents' culture rather than a national one. Local titles provide congregants with a sense of identity and pride, resulting in personal ownership of the churches' mission by congregants. 

Eastern Churches have a Unified Faith. 

The eastern orthodox churches are guided by a unique faith drawn in a similar approach to theology, worship, and traditions. They share the belief with other churches that God became man through Jesus Christ, belief in salvation through his crucifixion and resurrection. There are differences in their way of worship and other Christian churches. The unifying aspects of eastern orthodox faith include: 

Doctrine Standards 

The old testament bible of the eastern orthodox church is a translation of the ancient Jewish teachings into Greek. Reliance on this wisdom of the church's founders enables the passing of apostolic teachings in their original form. The various generation of eastern church believers then understands the fundamental belief that the holy spirit inspired those teachings and that he is still present today. 

The Prayer Custom 

The eastern churches place special emphasis on prayer in the individual life of a Christian. The sacraments of baptism, worship, and the Eucharist take place in cycles of prayer. These prayers are usually sung at dawn and sunset. The emphasis on liturgy prayer demonstrates that the eastern churches value congregants gathering together in worship. According to those who study religion, the eastern churches have survived even in the face of predominant Muslim rule in the middle east is because the doctrine appeals to the intellectual, emotional, and aesthetic needs of human beings. 

The eastern church liturgy involves music, art, models, and symbols, which enable the communication of the Christian message to all people-educated or not. The various liturgy symbols and traditions are founded on the historical and cultural foundations of the church, which encourages familiarity and personal ownership of the churches' mission (Cross & Thompson, 2020). Fasting is also fundamental to the life of eastern church believers as it is accepted that it is the foundation of all good.” Weekly fasting usually takes place on all Wednesdays and Friday. Besides, there are four fasting periods eastern churches adhere to, including lent, the fast of the apostles, the dormition of fast, and the Christmas fast. 

Penance 

All eastern churches incorporate confessions in their faith. The method of carrying out the confession differs from the Roman Catholic in that it occurs in an open area within the church. Both the priest and the congregant seeking penance stand facing across and the four gospels. The roman catholic tradition involves the separation of the priest and congregant by the grille. The distinction is important to eastern church congregants as it signifies that forgiveness comes from God, and the priest only serves as a witness. All of these standardized practices prevent the occurrence of subdivisions. 

Weaknesses of the Eastern Churches 

The Exclusive Nature of Eastern Churches 

It is evident is orthodox churches believe that they are meant to be missionaries or teach apologetics to members of other faiths. This is a repetition of the failure of the early Roman church who believed they were the sole truth and authority on Christianity. The eastern church is an active member of the ecumenical council. 

As Timothy ware, an English bishop, asserts, this action benefits the eastern church to bear witness to what they believe and listen to others in order to better understand the truth that they have been entrusted with. Such a view on listening to other views is centered on finding the many other ways in which the eastern church is right. The only religious truth that exists can only be found within the eastern orthodox faith. 

The eastern church has demonized the western faith as much as the Roman Catholic did to Mark Luther. A key feature of this is the contamination model, which highlights that the translation of Thomas Aquinas's teachings into Greek impurified the legitimacy of the orthodox tradition. 

Ethnocentrism 

The eastern churches have done much in terms of empowering ethnic communities through a community initiative that care for senior individuals and provide education. However, in most cases, these initiatives are confined to particular ethnic groups rather than benefit the wider community. Part of the reason for ethnocentrism is to keep the eastern church faithful subjugated. As cultural diversity grows within the church, eastern orthodox bishops maintain autonomy over church decisions whereby the church congregation is not allowed to choose their local church leaders. 

Opinion on Possible Reunion and What It Would Look Like 

There is a possibility of reuniting the roman catholic and the eastern orthodox churches. Already both faiths share similarities in that they accept the Nicene’s creed, have identical priestly responsibilities and church governments, as well as baptism and eucharistic sacraments (Hequet, 2019). Both the eastern churches and the Roman Catholic are conservative in teaching morals compared to protestants. 

In recent times, the interactions between Roman Catholic leaders and the eastern churches have improved. Some contributing factors to this include lifting ex-communications in 1965 and frequent meetings between the pope and the ecumenical patriarch of the Orthodox faith. There is mutual respect for the belief and the culture of the other party. For instance, the pope cannot travel to countries that have predominantly orthodox faithful without an invitation from the Orthodox church. 

If a reunion did occur, it would be characterized by the Pope's inclusion in the Orthodox faith. The implications of this would include the integration of some Roman Catholic traditions in the Orthodox faith, such as allowing the Catholic Eucharistic ceremony to the orthodox faithful. 

Conclusion 

The schism and the communion families that emerged, as a result, indicate that it is impossible to try and separate the church from politics. The early church millennium had spiritual and political authority using the papal system to restore order in the Roman Empire. The situation is similar today where the pope is a voice of authority speaking against political injustices. 

References 

American Bible Society. (2017). The Holy Bible: containing the Old and New Testaments: revised standard version . 

BBC. (2008). Religions - Christianity: Eastern Orthodox Church . https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/subdivisions/easternorthodox_1.shtml. 

CHETACHI, U. G. (n.d.). FORMS OF CHURCH POLITY. 

Cross, A. R., & Thompson, P. E. (2020).  Baptist Sacramentalism 3 . Wipf and Stock Publishers. 

Florescu, M. (2019). Dogmatic Questions and Practical Issues in the Unnoficial Bilateral Theological Dialogue between the Eastern Orthodox Churches and the Oriental Orthodox Churches.  Review of Ecumenical Studies Sibiu ,  11 (3), 456-472. 

Hequet, S. (2019). From Conflict to Communion: Lutheran-Catholic Common Commemoration of the Reformation in 2017.  Lutheran Quarterly ,  33 (4), 471. 

Murray, P. D. (2018). Living Catholicity differently: on growing into the platitudinous plurality of Catholic Communion in God. Council for Research in Values and Philosophy. 

Rich, B. Tradition or Traditions? The case of sex and gender.  For I am Wonderfully Made: Texts on Eastern Orthodoxy and LGBT Inclusion , 88-107. 

Roudometof, V. (2019). Church, State, and Political Culture in Orthodox Christianity. In  Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics .