This summer, I read about the ecumenical movement in World War II. The ecumenical movement was an attempt to unify the churches in Europe to rise against the Nazi Church. It was also a greater theological movement to bring more unity to Christ’s church. This led me to visit different churches with family and friends. I visited Orthodox, Methodist, Lutheran, Episcopal and some Presbyterian churches. By no means was this summer comprehensive; there is still so much more to see and learn.
The Dora Maclellan Brown Memorial Chapel at sunset. Sunday, September 10th.
I have interviewed a few friends of mine who are non-Reformed Christians on this subject.
Nathaniel Petucci is a sophomore at Covenant, and he is Eastern Orthodox. Petucci greatly enjoys his time here at Covenant. Petucci was raised in the PCA church, but since discovering Orthodoxy, he has not turned back.
He chose Covenant because he was already aware of the workings of the PCA church. He appreciates learning about Reformed theology, and he really appreciates how dedicated the college is to being true to the Gospel.
Petucci’s main complaint about Covenant is how loud and contemporary the worship in the chapel is. He argues that the drums are too loud, and they should be using the hymnal more. Nathaniel still sings during chapel, but he does wish that the organ was used, and he wishes that students did not raise their arms up during worship.
Another student that I interviewed for this article reported that he’s heard a lot of anti-Catholic and some anti-Baptist jokes from students and faculty. This student’s name will be changed to Frank to ensure anonymity.
Frank says that “every church is going to have sin and they are all going to be corrupt” in some way. He is aware that no church is free from its problems.
While Pettuci struggles because most students do not understand Eastern Orthodoxy, Frank’s issue is a bit more complex. He says that “there are a lot of assumptions made” when he tells people that he is Catholic. He also recalls his theology classes from his earlier years at Covenant— that there were comments made about Baptists and Catholics in a negative way. “It’s one thing to make a joke, but it’s another thing to mean it.” He asks rhetorically: “Do you really think that your own church is without fault?”
At Covenant, one thing which Frank notices is a level of arrogance that some Presbyterians have. There is little humility for other denominations or sects.
Since coming to Covenant, Frank’s views and opinions have changed a lot. He is very thankful for his time at Covenant, and if he hadn’t come, he doesn’t know if he would have had to question himself in the ways that he has. He feels that he has been positively challenged and changed in many positive ways.
When asked what he would change about Covenant, Frank says that he wishes that the organ was used in chapel. He acknowledges that it’s unlikely that it would be used in every chapel, but would be more than happy if it were incorporated once a week.