Friday, April 1, 2011
Peter, Leadership, and Ecumenism by Wes Sutermeister
The issue of leadership and authority is central
to any ecumenical dialogue that takes place between different church communions
around the world, and this fact is seen most clearly in ecumenical discussions
that have taken place between Anglicans and Roman Catholics. These discussions
center around the role of Peter’s leadership among the apostles as found in the
New Testament, as well as the role of bishops as successors to the apostles in
the early church. The figure of Peter is presented in the New Testament as the
spokesperson of the apostles (Acts 3:15; 10:41). He is the first to proclaim
the Gospel to the Jews and the first to open the Christian community to the
Gentiles in his interaction with Cornelius. Paul himself seems to recognize the
prominence of Peter when he meets with him (Gal. 1:18-19), and seems to accepts
Peter’s lead at the Jerusalem council (Acts 15). However, Peter is not given
special importance in the New Testament because of anything in himself, but
because of his particular calling by Christ (Luke 6:14; John 21:15-17). This
calling was to follow the way of Jesus: to lead by serving others, not by
dominating them (Luke 22:24). He was to strengthen the brethren through service
(Luke 22:32). His major job was to help preserve unity within the Church. Whether
or not we agree that the bishop of Rome is a successor to Peter, we must
recognize Peter as the first and prime example of Christian leadership. Any
genuine Christian leadership must share his “ecumenical” vision of preserving
unity.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I am reminded when reading this of an old film staring Anthony Quinn titled, The Shoes of the Fisherman. In the film, Quinn plays an Eastern Catholic archbishop who has recently been released from a Soviet prison. At the death of the current pope, Quinn’s character finds himself elected to the papacy. Later in the film, in order to prevent a nuclear war between the USSR and China, Quinn’s character vows to sell any major piece of art held in the Vatican Museum and to empty the Vatican treasuries in order to buy food for those starving in China.
ReplyDeleteWhile I have a deep respect and love for the Catholic Church and the current pope, I find it striking that popes throughout history have rarely taken such measures. I agree that Peter does provide a “prime example of Christian leadership.” It is unfortunate, however, that whereas he chose to live a life of poverty, his successors have typically chosen to live in wealth and luxury. Quinn’s character, when making his proclamation, declares that the Church can survive without all of its wealth, as it had in its earliest days. I think such a measure would indeed move the Church towards unity and common mission within the world.