Thoughts on faith, culture, and public life.
The Ecumenical Center, World Council of Churches, Geneva, as it looked in 1970 (lower half of photograph). Ecumenism is a movement that seeks to foster greater unity, reconciliation, and cooperation among Christians. The term derives from the Greek word oikoumene (“the whole inhabited world”) and reflects Jesus' prayer that his followers "may all be one" (John 17:21). …
Continue reading "Ecumenism across the Christian traditions"
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, …
Continue reading "Why some Churches decline formal ecumenical membership"
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 …
Continue reading "Denominational perspectives on the ecumenical movement"
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 …
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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