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 …
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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The philosophy and theology of René Girard
Police and anti-immigration protestors clash at Cronulla, Sydney, in December 2005 The French philosopher René Girard (1923–2015) is perhaps best known for his work on the relationship between desire, violence, and religion in modern thought. Trained as a literary critic yet ranging widely across anthropology and theology, he developed a unified vision of human behaviour that …
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What is local ecumenism?
Local ecumenism is the practice of Christian unity at the level of a neighbourhood, town, city, or region. Rather than being driven primarily by national church leaders or international theological dialogues, local ecumenism brings together Christians from different denominations to pray, learn, serve, and witness together in their own communities. It is the lived expression …
Finding my place in the story of God
Last week, we looked at the big picture of the conquest of the city of Jericho, recorded in Joshua chapter 6. Today, I want to focus on the small picture of one of the Canaanite residents of that city. What comes to mind when I mention the character Bianca in Othello, Belle in Gone with the Wind, Fantine in Les Miserable, Satine …
All Told 