Reading Mark 9:38-40 with the Prism of Ecumenism in Nigeria

Abstract

The effort to institute ecumenism in Nigeria has met with persistent failure. Although the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) was formed to promote unity among the various Christian denominations in the country, it has not been able to achieve its goal. Through the millennia, Mark 9:38-40 has been used to support official and unofficial ecumenism and religious dialogue activities. This study aims to investigate Jesus’ synoptic utterances, combining redaction-critical and socio-historical analysis to re-present the interpretations of such New Testament echoes of what Jesus expects of the Church of our day. The exegesis of the text is founded on two major assumptions: first, pluralistic expressions were remnants of Christianity before 70 AD. Second, such diverse representations must be understood in their biblical canonical context, as well as in relation to later early Church efforts to streamline theology and ecclesial institutions. If successful, these must also point the way forward in the quest for Christian unity and peaceful coexistence, but we may need to reinterpret the purposes of ecumenism and dialogue.