Author: Rod Benson

Theologian, researcher, teacher, writer, foodie, husband, dad. Works at Moore College.
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Why some Churches decline formal ecumenical membership

Wahroonga Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Sydney, home of the flagship congregation, South Pacific Division. Some Christian communities decline formal membership of ecumenical organisations, although their reasons differ. The Seventh-Day Adventist Church, for example, carefully distinguishes between cooperation and institutional membership when it comes to relations with other churches. Adventists regularly collaborate with other denominations in education, …

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Denominational perspectives on the ecumenical movement

L’Église Saint-Nicolas, Heremence, Switzerland. Designed by Walter Maria Förderer, constructed 1967-1971. This article outlines the diversity that exists among Christian Churches regarding ecumenical cooperation. Roman Catholic perspectives The Roman Catholic Church’s contemporary understanding of ecumenism is grounded principally in Unitatis Redintegratio. The Second Vatican Council affirmed that all baptised Christians share a genuine, though imperfect, communion …

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Contemporary forms of ecumenism

Bosjes Chapel, above the tranquil Breede Valley, Western Cape, South Africa. In an increasingly fragmented world, ecumenism offers a compelling witness that the gospel has the power to overcome historical, cultural, and theological divisions. The modern ecumenical movement does not seek to erase denominational identities or create a single worldwide institution. Rather, it seeks what …

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The ecumenical call to Christian unity

Ecumenism is the movement among Christians to seek greater unity, cooperation, and reconciliation across the many traditions of the Christian faith. Derived from the Greek word oikoumene, meaning “the whole inhabited world,” the term originally referred to the universal church spread throughout the world. Today, ecumenism encompasses every effort to deepen relationships between churches, heal historic …

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Ecumenism as a response to the gospel of Jesus Christ

The ecumenical movement is often associated with an image of Jesus and the faithful on a journey in a boat. Ecumenism is often misunderstood as an attempt to minimise theological differences or merge churches into a single institution or movement. In reality, ecumenism is a theological response to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Christians pursue …

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