The Prospects of Intrafaith Dialogue in Nigeria

Abstract

This study is the story of the efforts of Nigerian Christians to form a monolithic church. The major problem was how to overcome division which accompanied European Christianity. The search has demonstrated that the church in Nigeria cannot attain organic union in the sense of absolute unity because Christian union is ultimately eschatological in nature. The destiny of the church is organic union to which its total incorporation in Christ leads. It looks forward into the far future of the final consummation. In the interim, the visible church can only achieve unity in a more restricted concept of unity-in-diversity which constitutes a point on the road to ultimate union with Christ. Thus the multiplicity of denominations does not abolish the essential unity of the visible church.