The Tie that Binds: A Resource for the People of the United Methodist Church

There is an old hymn that most people who have ever attended church before should recognize, Blest Be the Tie That Binds. The first verse reads, "Blest be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love. The fellowship of kindred minds is like to that above." That "tie that binds" is the basic underlying theme of the entire Christian religion. It is from this tie that Ecumenism was born. But what is that tie, and what is Ecumenism? Ecumenism is very simply, Christian unity. In order to answer these questions, you must first understand the Biblical foundation of this ministry, the history of how it came into existence, what our denomination has to say about this matter, and finally, what the future may hold for ecumenism.