Unity has become a catchword in present-day Christianity. Everybody talks about unity and wants to promote unity. What is meant by it? There are several accounts and many projects of unity. Among the various options, two seem to be the most influential ones outside of the evangelical world. One has to do with the 1982 Lima document Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry. It expounds the mainstream view of unity that can be found in important circles of the World Council of Churches. The other is the Vatican II decree on ecumenism Unitatisreditengratio (1964) which sets forth the vision for unity of the Roman Catholic Church. What are their theological foundations and how can be they assessed biblically? What are the implications for the unity of the church and of humankind? Are there better options that are more biblically grounded? This is part 4 of a 6-part series on engaging Roman Catholicism from an Evangelical perspective.

Leonardo De Chirico is the pastor of Breccia di Roma, a church that he helped plant in Rome in 2009, and Vice Chairman of the Italian Evangelical Alliance. He earned degrees in history (University of Bologna), theology (ETCW, Bridgend, Wales) and bioethics (University of Padova). His PhD is from King's College (London). He is a lecturer of historical theology at Istituto di Formazione Evangelica e Documentazione in Padova, Italy. Additionally, Leonardo is the director of the Reformanda Initiative, which aims to equip evangelical leaders to better understand and engage with Roman Catholicism, and the leader of the Rome Scholars and Leaders Network (RSLN).

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