Early in The Lord of Rings, there’s this climactic scene where leaders from every race gather at Rivendell. They are called in response to a common threat, an enemy which intends to destroy all of Middle Earth. Yet each character arrives leery. Histories of oppression and abuse plague their relationships and each wonders whether they can fight together.
But then Elrond, Lord of Rivendell, speaks:
“Strangers from distant lands, friends of old, you have been summoned here to answer the threat of Mordor. Middle Earth stands upon the brink of destruction; none can escape it. You will unite or you will fall. Each race is bound to this fate, this one doom. Bring forth the ring, Frodo.”
Recognizing their shared destiny, they unite. And the enemy falls. But why does this matter?
Because the same thing is happening right now among Christians.
Several Protestant groups, long divided from the Catholic Church, are now joining her in an unprecedented fellowship to battle for religious liberty. Reuters breaks the story in an article titled, Bishops Plan Big Birth-Control Battle Expansion
“The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops plans to work with other religious groups, including evangelical Christians, on an election-year public relations campaign that may include TV and radio ads, social media marketing and a push for pastors and priests to raise the subject from the pulpit.
Along with the Southern Baptist Convention, the National Association of Evangelicals stands ready to contribute money and manpower to the bishops’ campaign, said Galen Carey, an association vice president.
The group is also considering the unprecedented step of asking pastors of every evangelical denomination across the country to read their congregations an open letter protesting the contraception mandate as an assault on religious liberty.“
For those like me who yearn for Christian unity, this is not just delightful: it’s downright invigorating. Sherry Weddell, a fellow convert from Evangelicalism, shares my joy (from Facebook):
“Every evangelical denomination protesting the contraception mandate (something that very few believe in) on the behalf of the Catholic Church? Stunning. Miraculous. Ecumenism on a level that we haven’t seen before.”
I’m always fascinated at how the darkest moments in history galvanize people the most. For example, hurricanes in Florida pull disconnected neighbors into community and earthquakes in Haiti reveal that solidarity is still alive.
The HHS’s current assault on Catholic belief is doing the same thing. It’s uniting disparate tribes. It’s launching an ecumenical movement that Christians have long been waiting for. And, as Tolkien wrote, it has now tied each Christian tradition to one fate.