ABSTRACT
A ctive effort for the reunion of Christendom has been the most remarkable phenomenon of recent Christian history. If America, with its many sects all on a position of equality in the eyes of the State, has proved a particularly fruitful soil for such growth, the general tendency has nevertheless been universal. For this there are many reasons. Historically, most people have become convinced that the foundation of one visible Church was inherent in the very beginning of Christianity. Doctrinally, it has become more and more difficult to justify the existence of warring sects. Practically, the claims of the mission-field have made such divisions seem wasteful and extravagant, and the claims of the work at home have made it necessary to show a united front against the social evils of the day. In face of the great tasks that loom before the new generation, the barriers that were raised by old controversies seem crumbling to decay. And the Great War, both by throwing together many nations and many schools of thought, and also by holding before men the hope of a new world of unity and peace, has quickened the efforts and energies of all who look forward to an ultimate reuniting of the Church on earth. As we study the record of these movements we find that behind the struggles of to-day stretches a long line of past endeavour. No sooner had the Reformation achieved the break-up of Christendom than tentative efforts began to be made to piece it together again. Until recent times those attempts have been abortive; it is the significant feature of the present day that at last some definite steps have been taken towards retrieving this failure.
