Ecumenical Visions For The 21st Century

"The world needs people with Christian passion, spiritual commitment, theological competence and persistence to recapture and rearticulate a biblically well-grounded ecumenical vision and what it implies for the unity of the church in the context of world Christianity in the decades to come." -- Olav Fykse Tveit, General Secretary, World Council of Churches *** In an era when life itself is imperiled, Christians around the world are challenged to authentically bear witness to the God of life and to justice and peace. Ecumenical Visions for the 21st Century - prepared as a core resource for theological reflection - equips Christians to discern and develop relevant and responsible insights in many arenas of Christian engagement. The anthology includes 44 key documents from the last two decades of ecumenical work, most in full texts. It illuminates the changing face and features of world Christianity, with particular focus on Asian Christianity and Christianity in Korea, and it highlights important ecumenical convergences in Christian unity, mission, advocacy, and service. Additionally, the book presents the latest and best ecumenical thinking about Christian engagement on issues of justice and peace, poverty, the economy, education, gender, climate change, migration, HIV and AIDS, and interreligious encounter. A full bibliography and CD-ROM with 20 supplemental readings are also included.

What is Ecumenism? Is Christian unity a legitimate hope or just a pious illusion? The aim of this book is to analyze the real obstacles that stand in the path to unity and to propose solutions, where these are possible. Distinguished authors from the main Christian denominations offer a unique insight into the problem of Christian divisions and the relationships between Christian communities. This work is not a politically correct exercise in diplomacy; rather, it informs the reader about the actual state of the ecumenical dialogue.

The Ecumenical Movement of the 20th century saw the formation all around the world of voluntary associations of separated and autonomous Christian churches in a defined geographical area which have sought to manifest their fellowship with one another, engage in common witness and service, and advance towards the goal of visible unity. At the dawn of the 21st century, many of these councils of churches face difficult times. This lively introduction describes the history and theological basis of these bodies, notes the tensions often arising within them and discusses three specific contemporary challenges: the proposal that ecumenical organisations should expand to become inter-religious bodies, the development of ecumenical leadership, and the relationship between spirituality and ecumenism. This book is about councils of churches and the people who are part of them. How do councils look when they correspond to the ecumenical vision? What qualities are desirable in volunteer and professional ecumenical leaders? What are the spiritual marks and fruits of ecumenical commitment? In what ways should councils address the relationship between Christian churches and people of other faiths? Here is a book that will help in the ongoing process of calling Christians to reframe their picture. Shared life is the norm. Division demands explanation. A unique resource for anyone interested in ecumenism.

This book contains fresh insights into ecumenism and, notwithstanding claims of an “ecumenical winter,” affirms the view that we are actually moving into a “new ecumenical spring.” It offers new theological insights in the areas of Christology, Pneumatology and Trinitarian theology, and discusses developments in ecumenism in the USA, UK, Australia, India, and Africa, as well as in ecumenical institutions such as the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Anglican Roman Catholic Commission (ARCIC).

Das Attribut "katholisch" wird in vielen Kontexten als Konfessionsbezeichnung einer bestimmten Kirche missverstanden. Die in diesem Band vorgelegten Vorträge der 18. Wissenschaftlichen Konsultation der Societas Oecumenica beleuchten die ökumenische Bedeutung der "Katholizität" die alle Kirchen im Glaubenbekenntnis bekennen. Dabei werden auch die Spannungen zwischen Einheit und Viefalt sowie die Herausforderungen durch neuere Entwicklungen in der weltweiten Christenheit in den Blick genommen. In many contexts the attribute "catholic" is misunderstood as a confessional term describing one specific church. The papers of the 18th Academic Consultation of Societas Oecumenica presented in this book give insights to the ecumenical significance of the "catholicity", which all churches confess in the Creed. They also take into consideration the tensions between unity and diversity as well as the challenges by new developments in worldwide Christianity.

The five themes around which Campbell organizes these essays and sermons--written by 20 Presbyterian Church (USA) scholars, pastors and church leaders--is organized Christology and preaching, the church and evangelism, missions and service, the authority and interpretation of Scripture, and ecumenism and the Reformed tradition.

Jonas Jonson, who was directly involved with the ecumenical movement for forty years, offers in this book an inside perspective on an ever-changing global Christianity. Reviewing developments in ecumenism from the 1960s to the present, Jonson discusses the decolonization of mission, interreligious relations, God s preferential option for the poor, and unity in diversity. He also maps the global ecumenical landscape and presents the Fourth Church — comprising charismatic, Pentecostal, and evangelical movements of the twentieth century. How did the ecumenical movement respond to the fall of communism, the opening of China, and the globalization of financial markets? Why did so many big churches, caught in the whirlwind of change, retreat from their ecumenical commitments in order to promote and protect their own interests? Jonson addresses these questions and more in this comprehensive review of global Christianity and the ecumenical movement.