Ecumenism: From Handholding to Engagement

In the six years since the Rev. Eugene Carson Blake first proposed the creation of a giant Protestant superchurch, participants in the annual Consultation on Church Union have spent their time sparring over preliminary issues. Last week in Dallas came what Episcopal Bishop Robert Gibson of Virginia called "a crucial moment": delegates from the eight churches in the C.O.C.U.* agreed on a set of principles for the merger, clearing the way for preparation of a formal union plan.

Much Agreement. Summing up the agreement, Methodist Theologian Albert Outler suggested that the denominations had...