At the Heart of Christian Unity: ‘The Go-Between God’
The County Ecumenical Officer for Norfolk & Waveney reflects on why the Holy Spirit is the central force at the heart of Christian unity
5-minute read
I often come across commentators who say that the drive for Christian unity is not dependent on the efforts of people but is a gift of the Holy Spirit. This assertion should not come as a surprise to Christians as, essentially, we believe the Glory and breath of God is everywhere and in all things including cultures, religions and all people.
The Holy Spirit, however, plays an especially crucial role in the ecumenical desire, which is an aspiration deeply rooted in the will of Christ who prayed for His followers to be one (see John 17:21). Here, I want to examine how the Spirit energises and sustains Christian unity.
In my work across Norfolk and Waveney, I encounter a rich tapestry of Christian traditions: Anglican, Methodist, Baptist, Roman Catholic, URC, Salvation Army, Quaker, Orthodox, Pentecostal, Free, Independent, and more. Each brings a distinct heritage, form of worship, and even theology. In this diversity (although I experience the effort waxing and waning somewhat) I still find a shared desire for deeper unity in Christ.
In reflecting on this deep desire, I have recently read John V. Taylor’s 1972 book The Go-Between God: The Holy Spirit and the Christian Mission. I was recommended the book by my parish priest when I was keen to learn more about the Holy Spirit. The book is a classic pneumatological work that, at least for me, has given a better understanding into how the Spirit energises and sustains Christian unity. Taylor’s insight is that the Spirit is literally the “go-between God”. This view has helped me better understand that Christian unity is not simply an ecclesial programme, policy, or even part of a religious tick-box exercise (which, to be frank, it sometimes feels like) but a Spirit-wrought reality at the core of our Christian life.
Taylor begins with an affirmation that the Spirit is not an abstract force, but a relational presence that enables greater awareness, communication, and mutual recognition which, in turn, leads to meaningful communion with others. In discussing how we experience the Spirit, he writes: “Every time I am given this unexpected awareness towards some other creature and feel this current of communication between us, I am touched and activated by something that comes from the fiery heart of the divine love…” (p. 20).
This ‘current of communication’ is precisely the dynamic presence of the Holy Spirit, which draws us not only toward God, but toward one another in authentic encounter. For ecumenism, this means that unity is not something achieved solely by human negotiation or ecclesial planning but is the thing the Spirit initiates and nurtures in and through our relationships. Clearly, the language here is deeply relational. Taylor describes the Spirit as facilitating ‘mutual awareness’ a recognition of the other as ‘other’, and yet beloved of God. He explains that Christians call this ‘go-between’ the Holy Spirit because: “…Christians find it quite natural to give a personal name to this current of communication… They call him the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God…” (p.19).
What I think Taylor is getting at is that the Spirit is the presence that stands between us and our neighbour (or in ecumenism between our traditions) that creates a bridge of recognition and connection. So, in the desire for Christian unity, when we meet our brothers and sisters from other traditions with openness, respect and humility, that is not merely good ecumenical practice it is the Spirit at work making us aware of one another as members of Christ’s body.
In this sense, the Holy Spirit is the bond of love and unity between the Father and the Son, and by extension, among believers. The Spirit draws Christians into communion both with God and one another, forming the Church as one body in Christ, where individual members are united in their diversity (see 1 Corinthians 12:12-13).
Taylor goes on to describe how the Holy Spirit opens our awareness to both God and the world: “The Holy Spirit is that power that opens eyes that are closed, hearts that are unaware and minds that shrink from too much reality… The Spirit of God is that power of communion that which enables every other reality, and the God who is within and behind all realities, to be present to us” (pp.21-22).
Ecumenism, therefore, begins with ‘awakened eyes’ or seeing Christ in others. Even when liturgical language, worship, and theology are different across traditions, unity is still a Spirit-enabled vision, one that dissolves barriers of fear and suspicion and opens us to the common image of Christ we share. This aligns with how Taylor insists that faith under the Spirit is a way of seeing and experiencing in the light of divine presence. Indeed, the Holy Spirit leads the Church into all truth (see John 16:13) illuminating the path towards authentic unity. This involves deepening the understanding of shared beliefs and resolving theological differences through dialogue and prayerful discernment.
In The Go-Between God, Taylor also describes how the Spirit is central to communication itself. In the New Testament story of Pentecost, the Spirit enables the apostles to speak in many languages, and all in the diverse crowd hear in their own tongues. This is the Spirit as enabler of mutual understanding and shared witness, a powerful metaphor for ecumenical dialogue. For our local churches in Norfolk and Waveney, this means that when we come together in worship, dialogue or mission initiatives that cross denominational boundaries (as we will during the Week of Prayer for Christian unity this month) we are participating in ‘Spirit-given’ communication that transcends church and human barriers of language, tradition and history.
Here we have diversity in unity, the Spirit distributes various gifts and charisms for building up the Church and fostering unity (see Ephesians 4:3-13). While diverse, these gifts complement one another, illustrating how differentiated unity can be a source of strength rather than division.
Perhaps the most poignant part of Taylor’s work, and one that speaks powerfully to the heart of Christian unity, is his picture of the Spirit in everyday human encounters. In closing his book, Taylor recounts a deeply moving story of a West Indian woman grieving the sudden death of her husband, and the simple, compassionate presence of a teacher who sits with and embraces her, wordlessly offering comfort. In reflecting on that moment, Taylor writes: “That is the embrace of God, His kiss of life. … And the Holy Spirit is the force… [in those] mingled tears falling onto those clasped hands. He is as close and as unobtrusive as that, and as irresistibly strong” (p. 265).
In such moments, we are reminded that the Spirit does not work only in grand theological constructs, but in tiny gestures of love, in mutual presence, compassion, and shared humanity. At its heart Christian unity blossoms not from calculated strategies, but from the Spirit-given capacity to see Christ in one another, to share in each other's pain, to serve together joyfully and sacrificially, in empathy and love. The Holy Spirit instils love (the greatest theological virtue) in the hearts of believers. And it is this love that ought to compel Christians to seek reconciliation and unity with others in order to transcend divisions through genuine charity and forgiveness (see 1 Corinthians 13).
This reflects Taylor’s conviction that the Spirit’s work is to draw us into communion with God and with one another, thus fulfilling the prayer of Christ that “they may all be one” (John 17:21). If we listen and are receptive, the Spirit continually opens our eyes, softens our hearts, and awakens us to realities that human negotiation and effort alone cannot achieve. Seen in this light, Christian unity is not merely our institutional goal it is the Spirit’s gift and action within us.
In Norfolk & Waveney, as in the wider Church, I believe that we are called to be agents of that Spirit-wrought unity. To gather, listen, pray and serve together, trusting that where we meet in Christ’s name the Holy Spirit is present among us. As Taylor’s Go-between God, the Spirit invites us into a communion rooted in love, mutual awareness and shared life in Christ. May the Holy Spirit continue to draw us together across our different traditions in the confidence that the longing for Christian unity is itself a Spirit-given and Divine desire.
Reference
Taylor J. (2021) The Go-Between God: The Holy Spirit and the Christian Mission, 3rd ed, originally published 1972, scm press: London.
Article by Dr Ian Watson whose lay views are his alone.
Photo of the Holy Spirit courtesy of Ian Watson