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Ecumenism (also oecumenism, œcumenism) refers to initiatives aimed at greater religious unity or cooperation. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE) Christ is the English term for the Greek ( Khristós) meaning "the anointed " The virgin birth of Jesus is a religious Tenet of Christianity and Islam which holds that Mary miraculously conceived Jesus while The crucifixion of Jesus is an event recorded in all four Gospels (;;) which takes place after his arrest and trial and includes his scourging Within the body of Christian beliefs the resurrection of Jesus is a core event on which much of Christian doctrine and theology depend Church (disambiguation Christian Church and the word church are used to denote both a Christian association of people and a Place of worship The term New Covenant (; Greek:, diathēkē kainē is used in the Bible (both in the Hebrew Bible and the Greek New Testament) to refer The Twelve Apostles (Greek apostolos, "someone sent out" e This article is about the canonical books of the New Testament The purpose of this timeline is to give a detailed account of Christianity from the beginning of the current era ( AD) to the present Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin In Western Christianity, the Old Testament refers to the books that form the first of the two-part Christian Biblical canon. Books of the Bible are listed differently in the canons of Jews and Catholic, Protestant, Greek Orthodox Slavonic Orthodox Georgian Armenian Apostolic A Biblical canon or canon of scripture is a list or Set of Biblical books considered to be authoritative as Scripture by a particular religious The biblical apocrypha (from the Greek word ἀπόκρυφος meaning hidden) are books published in an edition of the Bible whose canonicity Christian Theology is discourse concerning Christian faith Christian theologians use biblical Exegesis, rational analysis and argument SSC RF "Troitsk Institute of Innovative and Termonuclear Research" or TRINITY for shprt Троицкий Институт инновационных и термоядерных In many religions the supreme Deity ( God) is given the title and attributions of Father. Christian views of Jesus consist of the teachings and beliefs held by Christian groups about Jesus including his divinity humanity and earthly life In mainstream Christianity, the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost is one of the three entities of the Holy Trinity which make up the single substance This is an overview of the History of Christian Theology from the time of Christ to the present Christian Theology is discourse concerning Christian faith Christian theologians use biblical Exegesis, rational analysis and argument Christian apologetics is a field of Christian theology that aims to present a rational basis for the Christian faith, defend the faith against objections Christian tradition is a collection of Traditions of practice or belief associated with Christianity. Early Christianity is commonly defined as the Christianity of the three centuries between the Crucifixion of Jesus ( c This is a general introduction to ecumenical councils For the Roman Catholic councils, see Catholic Ecumenical Councils. A creed is a statement of Belief — usually Religious belief — or Faith often recited as part of a religious service See also Evangelism, Christianization A Christian mission has been widely defined since the Lausanne Congress of 1974 as that which The East-West Schism, or the Great Schism, divided medieval Christendom into Eastern (Greek and Western (Latin branches which later became known as the The Crusades were a series of military campaigns of a religious character waged by much of Christian Europe against external and internal opponents The Protestant Reformation was a reform movement in Europe that began in 1517 though its roots lie further back in time Denominationalism|List of Christian denominations|Church (disambiguation A Christian denomination is an identifiable religious body under a common name structure and doctrine within A sermon is an oration by a Prophet or member of the Clergy. Sermons address a Biblical, theological, or religious topic Prayer is an important theme in Christianity, and there are several different forms of prayer Christianity and other religions appear to share some elements Christian movements are theological, political or philosophical interpretations of Christianity that are not generally represented by a specific church Christian music is music that is written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian life A Liturgy is a set form of ceremony or pattern of worship Christian liturgy is a pattern for worship used (whether recommended or prescribed by a Christian congregation or The liturgical year, also known as the Christian year, consists of the cycle of liturgical seasons in Christian churches which determines when Christian symbolism is defined as the investing of outward things or actions with an inner meaning the expression of Christian ideas Christian art is Art produced in an attempt to illustrate supplement and portray in tangible form the principles of Christianity. Throughout the History of Christianity, a wide range of Christians and non-Christians alike have offered criticisms of Christianity, the Church, and Christians A religion is a set of Tenets and practices often centered upon specific Supernatural and moral claims about Reality, the Cosmos

In its broadest sense, this unity or cooperation may refer to a worldwide religious unity; by the advocation of a greater sense of shared spirituality across the three Abrahamic faiths of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Spirituality, in a narrow sense concerns itself with matters of the Spirit, a concept closely tied to religious belief and Faith, a transcendent reality Judaism (from the Greek Ioudaïsmos, derived from the Hebrew יהודה Yehudah, " Judah " in Hebrew יַהֲדוּת Yahedut Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. Most commonly, however, ecumenism is used in a more narrow meaning; referring to a greater cooperation among different religious denominations of a single one of these faiths. Church (disambiguation A religious denomination is a subgroup within a Religion that operates under a common name tradition and identity

The word is derived from Greek οἰκουμένη (oikoumene), which means "the inhabited world", and was historically used with specific reference to the Roman Empire. Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly Ecumene (also spelled œcumene or oikoumene) a term originally used in the Greco-Roman world to refer to the inhabited earth (or at least the known The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial Today, the word is used predominantly by and with reference to Christian denominations and Christian Churches separated by doctrine, history, and practice. List of Christian denominations (or Denominations self-identified as Christian) ordered by historical and doctrinal relationships Doctrine (Latin doctrina) is a codification of beliefs or "a body of teachings quot or "instructions" taught principles or positions as the History is the study of the past particularly the written record Those who study history as a Profession are called Historians Etymology Within this particular context, the term ecumenism refers to the idea of a Christian unity in the literal meaning: that there should be a single Christian Church. Church (disambiguation Christian Church and the word church are used to denote both a Christian association of people and a Place of worship

Contents

Christian ecumenism and interfaith pluralism

Christian ecumenism, in the narrower sense referred to above, is the promotion of unity or cooperation between distinct religious groups or denominations of Christianity. For some Catholics it may, but not always, have the goal of reconciling all who profess Christian faith to bring them into a single, visible organization, i. e. through union with the Roman Catholic Church. For some Protestants spiritual unity suffices.

According to Edmund Schlink,most important in Christian ecumenism is that people focus primarily on Christ, not on separate church organizations. Edmund Schlink (1903 Darmstadt -1984 was a leading German Lutheran theologian in the modern Ecumenical movement, especially in the World Council of In his book Ökumenische Dogmatik (1983), he says Christians who see the risen Christ at work in the lives of various Christians and in diverse churches, realize that the unity of Christ's church has never been lost (pages 694-700; also his "Report," Dialog 1963, 2:4, 328), but has instead been distorted and obscured by different historical experiences and by spiritual myopia. Both are overcome in renewed faith in Christ. Included in that is responding to his admonition (John 17; also Philippians 2) to be one in him and love one another as a witness to the world. The result of mutual recognition would be a discernible worldwide fellowship, organized in a historically new way (pages 707-708; also Skibbe, A Quiet Reformer 1999, 122-4; Schlink, The Vision of the Pope 2001).

Christian ecumenism is distinguished from interfaith pluralism. Religious pluralism (rel Comparative religion) is a loosely defined expression concerning acceptance of different Religions and is used in a number of related Ecumenism in this broad sense is called religious pluralism, as distinguished from ecumenism within a faith movement. Standing against ecumenism is the traditional Orthodox Church which staunchly maintains there is but one church, the historic Orthodox church. Leading the anti ecumenical movement in the 1980s was Fr. John Boylan of the OCA. The interfaith movement strives for greater mutual respect, toleration, and co-operation among the world religions. The term interfaith or interfaith dialogue refers to cooperative and positive interaction between people of different religious traditions (ie The world's principal Religions and spiritual traditions may be classified into a small number of major groups or world religions'.

Ecumenism as interfaith dialogue between representatives of diverse faiths, does not necessarily intend reconciling their adherents into full, organic unity with one another but simply to promote better relations. In Literature, Organic unity is a concept founded by the philosopher Plato. It promotes toleration, mutual respect and cooperation, whether among Christian denominations, or between Christianity and other faiths.

Three approaches to Christian unity

 v • d • e  Christian Denominations in

For a significant part of the Christian world, the highest aim of the Christian faith is the reconciliation of all humanity into a full and conscious union as one Christian Church, visibly united with mutual accountability between the parts and the whole. List of Christian denominations (or Denominations self-identified as Christian) ordered by historical and doctrinal relationships The desire is expressed by many denominations of Christendom, that all who profess faith in Christ in sincerity, would be more fully cooperative and supportive of one another. Christendom usually refers to Christianity as a territorial phenomenon

Christian ecumenism can be described in terms of the three largest divisions of Christianity: Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestant. While this underemphasizes the complexity of these divisions, it is a useful model.

Roman Catholicism

Main article: Catholic Church and ecumenism

Like the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Church has always considered it a duty of the highest rank to seek full unity with estranged communions of fellow-Christians, and at the same time to reject what it saw as promiscuous and false union that would mean being unfaithful to or glossing over the teaching of Sacred Scripture and Tradition. The Roman Catholic Church has been heavily involved in the ecumenical movement since the Second Vatican Council (1961-1965 The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian Communion in the world

Before the Second Vatican Council, the main stress was laid on this second aspect, as exemplified in canon 1258 of the 1917 Code of Canon Law:

  1. It is illicit for the faithful to assist at or participate in any way in non-Catholic religious functions. The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, or Vatican II, was the twentieth century Ecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic Church.
  2. For a serious reason requiring, in case of doubt, the Bishop's approval, passive or merely material presence at non-Catholic funerals, weddings and similar occasions because of holding a civil office or as a courtesy can be tolerated, provided there is no danger of perversion or scandal.
Historic meeting between Pope Paul VI and Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras in Jerusalem in 1964.
Historic meeting between Pope Paul VI and Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras in Jerusalem in 1964. Pope "Patriarch of Constantinople" redirects here For the institutional church itself see Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. Aristocles Spyrou / Αριστοκλής Σπύρου) ( March 25, 1886 - July 7, 1972) was the 268th Ecumenical Patriarch of

The 1983 Code of Canon Law has no corresponding canon. Canon Law, the Ecclesiastical law of the Catholic Church, is a fully developed legal system with all the necessary elements courts lawyers judges a fully articulated It absolutely forbids Catholic priests to concelebrate the Eucharist with members of communities not in full communion with the Catholic Church (canon 908), but allows, in certain circumstances and under certain conditions, other sharing in the sacraments. And the Directory for the Application of Principles and Norms on Ecumenism, 102[1] states: "Christians may be encouraged to share in spiritual activities and resources, i. e. , to share that spiritual heritage they have in common in a manner and to a degree appropriate to their present divided state. "

Pope John XXIII, who convoked the Council that brought this change of emphasis about, said that the Council's aim was to seek renewal of the Church itself, which would serve, for those separated from the See of Rome, as a "gentle invitation to seek and find that unity for which Jesus Christ prayed so ardently to his heavenly Father. Pope John (numberingBlessed "[2]

Some elements of the Roman Catholic perspective on ecumenism are illustrated in the following quotations from the Council's decree on ecumenism, Unitatis Redintegratio of 21 November 1964, and Pope John Paul II's encyclical, Ut Unum Sint of 25 May 1995. Unitatis Redintegratio is the Second Vatican Council's Decree on Ecumenism. Events 164 BC - Judas Maccabaeus, son of Mattathias of the Hasmonean family restores the Temple in Jerusalem. Year 1964 ( MCMLXIV) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the 1964 Gregorian calendar. Pope Ut Unum Sint ( Latin: 'may they be one' is an Encyclical by Pope John Paul II of May 25 1995. Events 1085 - Alfonso VI of Castile takes Toledo Spain back from the Moors. Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995

Every renewal of the Church is essentially grounded in an increase of fidelity to her own calling. Undoubtedly this is the basis of the movement toward unity . . . There can be no ecumenism worthy of the name without a change of heart. For it is from renewal of the inner life of our minds, from self-denial and an unstinted love that desires of unity take their rise and develop in a mature way. We should therefore pray to the Holy Spirit for the grace to be genuinely self-denying, humble. gentle in the service of others, and to have an attitude of brotherly generosity towards them. . . . The words of St. John hold good about sins against unity: "If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us". So we humbly beg pardon of God and of our separated brethren, just as we forgive them that trespass against us.

—[3]

Christians cannot underestimate the burden of long-standing misgivings inherited from the past, and of mutual misunderstandings and prejudices. Complacency, indifference and insufficient knowledge of one another often make this situation worse. Consequently, the commitment to ecumenism must be based upon the conversion of hearts and upon prayer, which will also lead to the necessary purification of past memories. With the grace of the Holy Spirit, the Lord's disciples, inspired by love, by the power of the truth and by a sincere desire for mutual forgiveness and reconciliation, are called to re-examine together their painful past and the hurt which that past regrettably continues to provoke even today.

—[4]

In ecumenical dialogue, Catholic theologians standing fast by the teaching of the Church and investigating the divine mysteries with the separated brethren must proceed with love for the truth, with charity, and with humility. When comparing doctrines with one another, they should remember that in Catholic doctrine there exists a "hierarchy" of truths, since they vary in their relation to the fundamental Christian faith. Thus the way will be opened by which through fraternal rivalry all will be stirred to a deeper understanding and a clearer presentation of the unfathomable riches of Christ.

—[5]

The unity willed by God can be attained only by the adherence of all to the content of revealed faith in its entirety. In matters of faith, compromise is in contradiction with God who is Truth. In the Body of Christ, "the way, and the truth, and the life" (Jn 14:6), who could consider legitimate a reconciliation brought about at the expense of the truth?. . . Even so, doctrine needs to be presented in a way that makes it understandable to those for whom God himself intends it.

—[6]

When the obstacles to perfect ecclesiastical communion have been gradually overcome, all Christians will at last, in a common celebration of the Eucharist, be gathered into the one and only Church in that unity which Christ bestowed on his Church from the beginning. We believe that this unity subsists in the Catholic Church as something she can never lose, and we hope that it will continue to increase until the end of time.

—[7]

While some Eastern Orthodox Churches commonly baptize converts from the Catholic Church, thereby refusing to recognize the baptism that the converts have previously received, the Catholic Church has always accepted the validity of all the sacraments administered by the Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox Churches.

The Catholic Church likewise has never applied the terms "heterodox" or "heretic" to the Eastern Orthodox Church or its members. Even the term "schism", as defined in canon 751 of its Code of Canon Law ("the withdrawal of submission to the Supreme Pontiff or from communion with the members of the Church subject to him"), does not, strictly speaking, apply to the situation of the concrete individual members of the Eastern Orthodox Church today as viewed by the Catholic Church.

Eastern Orthodoxy

The Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Orthodox churches each consider themselves to be the original church, from which the West was divided in the fifth and eleventh centuries, respectively. Oriental Orthodoxy is the communion of Eastern Christian Churches that recognize only three Ecumenical councils — the First Council of Nicaea, the The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian Communion in the world Several of these churches have in recent years engaged in theological dialogue with each other and with some of the Western churches, though short of full communion. The Eastern Orthodox have participated in the Interfaith movement, with students active in the World Student Christian Federation since the late 19th century and some Orthodox patriarchs enlisting their communions as charter members of the World Council of Churches. The World Student Christian Federation ( WSCF) is a federation of autonomous national Student Christian Movements (SCMs forming the youth and student arm of the global The World Council of Churches ( WCC) is an international Nevertheless, the Orthodox have not been willing to participate in any redefinition of the Christian faith toward a reduced, minimal, anti-dogmatic and anti-traditional Christianity. Christianity for the Eastern Orthodox is the Church; and the Church is Orthodoxy—nothing less and nothing else. Therefore, while Orthodox ecumenism is "open to dialogue with the devil himself", the Orthodox have defined their position in the ecumenical movement as being "witnesses to the truth", the goal being to reconcile the heterodox (i. Heterodoxy includes "any opinions or doctrines at variance with an official or orthodox position" e. , non-Orthodox) back into Orthodoxy.

One way to observe the attitude of the Orthodox Church towards non-Orthodox is to see how they receive new members from other faiths. Non-Christians, such as Buddhists or atheists, who wish to become Orthodox Christians are accepted through the sacraments of baptism and chrismation. In Christianity, baptism ( Greek, "immersing" "performing Ablutions " is the ritual act with the use of water by which one is admitted Chrismation is the name given in Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Catholic churches as well as in the Assyrian Church of the East Protestants and Roman Catholics are sometimes received through chrismation only, provided they had received a trinitarian baptism. SSC RF "Troitsk Institute of Innovative and Termonuclear Research" or TRINITY for shprt Троицкий Институт инновационных и термоядерных Also Protestants and Roman Catholics are often referred to as "heterodox", which simply means "other believing", rather than as heretics, implying that they did not willfully reject the Church. Heresy is an introduced change to some system of belief especially a religion that conflicts with the previously established canon of that belief However, such policies are decided by each individual church, and more traditional groups will receive all converts only by baptism and chrismation.

There has always been a segment within the Orthodox Church that is wary of ecumenical involvement, and in recent years greater restraint has been shown by leaders within the various national churches. Any work to embrace estranged communions must strenously guard against a promiscuous and false union with them. There is at present no official intercommunion between Orthodox and non-Orthodox churches.

Anglicanism

For more details on the on-going dialogue between Anglicanism and the wider Church, see Anglican communion and ecumenism. Anglican interest in ecumenical dialogue can be traced back to the time of the Reformation and dialogues with both Orthodox and Lutheran churches in the sixteenth century

the members of the Anglican Communion have generally embraced the Ecumenical Movement, actively participating in such organizations as the World Council of Churches and the NCCC. See also Anglicanism The Anglican Communion is an international association of national Anglican churches The World Council of Churches ( WCC) is an international National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC or AmeriCorps*NCCC is an AmeriCorps program in which 18 to 25-year-olds dedicate 10 months to address national and community Most Anglican provinces have special departements devoted to ecumenical relations; however, the influence of Liberal Christianity has in recent years caused tension within the communion, causing some to question the direction ecumenism has taken them. For liberal political views within Christianity see Christian left.

Each member church of the Anglican Communion makes its own decisions with regard to intercommunion. Full communion is a term used in Christian Ecclesiology to describe the relationship of communion, with mutually recognized sharing of the same essential The 1958 Lambeth Conference recommended “that where between two Churches not of the same denominational or confessional family, there is unrestricted communio in sacris, including mutual recognition and acceptance of ministries, the appropriate term to use is ‘full communion,’ and that where varying degrees of relation other than ‘full communion’ are established by agreement between two such churches the appropriate term is ‘intercommunion. The Lambeth Conferences are decennial assemblies of Bishops of the Anglican Communion convened by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Full communion is a term used in Christian Ecclesiology to describe the relationship of communion, with mutually recognized sharing of the same essential Full communion is a term used in Christian Ecclesiology to describe the relationship of communion, with mutually recognized sharing of the same essential ’

Full communion has been established between Provinces of the Anglican Communion and these Churches:

The Episcopal Church USA is currently engaged in dialogue with the following religious bodies:

Protestantism

Nicolaus Ludwig, Count von Zinzendorf,(1700-1760) the renewer of the Unitas Fratrum/ Moravian Church in the 18th Century, was the first person to use the word "ecumenical" in this sense. The Old Catholic Church is a Christian denomination originating with churches (many of them German -speaking that split from the Roman Catholic Church in The Philippine Independent Church, officially the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI, is a Christian denomination of the Catholic tradition The Mar Thoma Church is a Christian denomination from Kerala, the South Western State of India. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America ( ELCA) is a mainline Protestant denomination headquartered in Chicago Illinois. The Episcopal Church is the official name of the Province of the Anglican Communion in the United States. Churches Uniting in Christ (CUIC brings together ten mainline American denominations (including both predominantly white and predominantly This page is about the Moravian Church globally For information about the church in a particular geographic area use the links at Organisation below The Presbyterian Church (USA or PC (USA is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination in the United States. The United Methodist Church is the largest Methodist denomination and the second largest Protestant denomination in the United States. The Reformed Episcopal Church is an Anglican Church in the United States and Canada. The Anglican Province of America (APA is one of a number of "Continuing" Anglican churches in the United States. Nikolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf und Pottendorf, Imperial Count of Zinzendorf and Pottendorf, ( May 26, 1700 &ndash May 9, 1760 This article is about the coordinating body of the Moravian Church worldwide This page is about the Moravian Church globally For information about the church in a particular geographic area use the links at Organisation below His pioneering efforts to unite all Christians, regardless of denominational labels, into a "Church of God in the Spirit"---notably among German immigrants in Pennsylvania--were misunderstood by his contemporaries and 200 years before the world was ready for them. The German people (Deutsche are an Ethnic group, in the sense of sharing a common German culture, descent and speaking the German language as The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ( often colloquially referred to as PA (its abbreviation by natives and Northeasterners is a state located in the Northeastern

The contemporary ecumenical movement for Protestants is often said to have started with the 1910 Edinburgh Missionary Conference. The 1910 World Missionary Conference, or the Edinburgh Missionary Conference was held June 14 to 23 1910. However this conference would not have been possible without the pioneering ecumenical work of the Christian youth movements: the Young Men's Christian Association (founded 1844), the Young Women's Christian Association (founded 1855) and the World Student Christian Federation (founded 1895). The Young Men's Christian Association (" YMCA " or " the Y " was founded on June 6, 1844 in London England by a young man The World Student Christian Federation ( WSCF) is a federation of autonomous national Student Christian Movements (SCMs forming the youth and student arm of the global Led by Methodist layman John R. Mott (former YMCA staff and in 1910 the General Secretary of WSCF), the World Mission conference marked the largest Protestant gathering to that time, with the express purposes of working across denominational lines for the sake of world missions. Methodism is a movement within Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations John Raleigh Mott ( May 25, 1865 &ndash January 31, 1955) was a long-serving leader of the YMCA and the World Student Christian See also Evangelism, Christianization A Christian mission has been widely defined since the Lausanne Congress of 1974 as that which After the First World War further developments were the "Faith and Order" movement led by Charles Henry Brent, and the "Life and Work" movement led by Nathan Soderblom. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Charles Henry Brent ( April 9 1862 – March 27 1929) was an American Episcopal Bishop who served in the Philippines The World Council of Churches ( WCC) is an international Lars Olof Jonathan Söderblom ( 15 January 1866 &ndash 12 July 1931) was a Swedish clergyman Archbishop of Uppsala in

Eventually, formal organizations were formed, including the World Council of Churches in 1948, the National Council of Churches in the USA in 1950, and Churches Uniting in Christ in 2002. The World Council of Churches ( WCC) is an international Year 1948 ( MCMXLVIII) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the 1948 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA (usually identified as National Council of Churches, or NCC) is an association of 35 Christian Year 1950 ( MCML) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Churches Uniting in Christ (CUIC brings together ten mainline American denominations (including both predominantly white and predominantly See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. These groups are moderate to liberal, theologically speaking, as Protestants are generally more liberal and less traditional than Anglicans, Orthodox, and Roman Catholics.

Protestants are now involved in a variety of ecumenical groups, working in some cases toward organic denominational unity and in other cases for cooperative purposes alone. Because of the wide spectrum of Protestant denominations and perspectives, full cooperation has been difficult at times. Edmund Schlink's Ökumenische Dogmatik 1983, 1997 proposes a way through these problems to mutual recognition and renewed church unity. Edmund Schlink (1903 Darmstadt -1984 was a leading German Lutheran theologian in the modern Ecumenical movement, especially in the World Council of

In 1999, the representatives of Lutheran World Federation and Roman Catholic Church signed The Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification, resolving the conflict over the nature of Justification which was at the root of the Protestant Reformation, although some conservative Lutherans did not agree to this resolution. The Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification is a document created by and agreed to by clerical representatives of the Roman Catholic Church and the Lutheran In Christian theology, justification is God 's act of declaring or making a sinner righteous before God The Protestant Reformation was a reform movement in Europe that began in 1517 though its roots lie further back in time On July 18, 2006 Delegates to the World Methodist Conference voted unanimously to adopt the Joint Declaration. The World Methodist Council, founded in 1881, is an association of churches in the Methodist tradition which comprises most of the world's Wesleyan denominations [1] [2]

Contemporary developments

The original anathemas (excommunications) that mark the "official" Great Schism of 1054 between Catholics and Orthodox were mutually revoked in 1965 by the Pope and the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople. The East-West Schism, or the Great Schism, divided medieval Christendom into Eastern (Greek and Western (Latin branches which later became known as the Year 1965 ( MCMLXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the 1965 Gregorian calendar. "Patriarch of Constantinople" redirects here For the institutional church itself see Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. But just as the original schism developed over time rather than erupting overnight, reconciliation is proceeding slowly.

The year 2006 saw a resumption of the series of meetings for theological dialogue between representatives of the Roman Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox Churches, suspended because of failure to reach agreement on the question of the Eastern Catholic Churches, a question exacerbated by disputes over churches and other property that the Communist authorities once assigned to the Orthodox Church but whose restoration these Churches have obtained from the present authorities. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. This article refers to Eastern Churches in full communion with the Holy See

Catholic and Orthodox bishops in North America are engaged in an ongoing dialogue. They are meeting together periodically as the "North American Orthodox-Catholic Theological Consultation". It has been meeting semi-annually since it was founded in 1965 under the auspices of the Bishops’ Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA). Year 1965 ( MCMLXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the 1965 Gregorian calendar. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops ( USCCB) is the official leadership body of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States. The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops officially joined the Consultation as a sponsor in 1997. Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar The Consultation works in tandem with the Joint Committee of Orthodox and Catholic Bishops which has been meeting annually since 1981. Year 1981 ( MCMLXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 Since 1999 the Consultation has been discussing the Filioque clause, with the hope of eventually reaching an agreed joint statement. Filioque, a Latin phrase meaning "and (from the Son" In Western Christianity, it was added to the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed

Similar dialogues at both international and national level continue between, for instance, Roman Catholics and Anglicans.

Organizations such as the World Council of Churches, the National Council of Churches USA, Churches Uniting in Christ, and Christian Churches Together continue to encourage ecumenical cooperation among Protestants, Eastern Orthodox, and, at times, Roman Catholics. The World Council of Churches ( WCC) is an international The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA (usually identified as National Council of Churches, or NCC) is an association of 35 Christian Churches Uniting in Christ (CUIC brings together ten mainline American denominations (including both predominantly white and predominantly Christian Churches Together in the USA (CCT is a Christian Ecumenical group formed in 2006 to "broaden and expand fellowship unity and witness among the diverse There are universities such as the University of Bonn in Germany that offer degree courses in "Ecumenical Studies" in which theologians of various denominations teach their respective traditions and, at the same time, seek for common ground between these traditions. The University of Bonn ( German: Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn) is a public research university located in Bonn, Germany

United and uniting churches

Main articles: United and uniting churches and :Category:United Uniting churches

Influenced by the ecumenical movement, the "scandal of separation" and local developments, a number of United and Uniting churches have formed; there are also a range of mutual recognition strategies being practised where formal union is not feasible. United and uniting churches are churches formed from the merger or other form of union of two or more different Protestant denominations. An increasing trend has been the sharing of church buildings by two or more denominations, either holding separate services or a single service with elements of all traditions.

Opposition to ecumenism

See also: Sobornost

A very sizable minority of Christians oppose ecumenism. Sobornost (Russian definition Spiritual community of many jointly living people They tend to be from churches of fundamentalist or charismatic backgrounds and strongly conservative sections of mainline Protestant churches. Fundamentalist Christianity, also known as Christian Fundamentalism or Fundamentalist Evangelicalism, is a movement that arose mainly within British and The term charismatic movement describes the adoption from the early twentieth century onwards of certain beliefs typical of those held by Pentecostal Christians — specifically Greek Old Calendarists claim that the teachings of the Seven Ecumenical Councils forbid changing the church calendar through abandonment of the Julian calendar. Greek Old Calendarists ( Greek: Παλαιοημερολογίτες Paleoimerologites) are groups that separated from the Orthodox Church of Greece The Julian calendar, a reform of the Roman calendar, was introduced by Julius Caesar in 46 BC and came into force in 45 BC (709 Ab urbe condita They regard ecumenism as compromising essential doctrinal stands in order to accommodate other Christians, and object to the emphasis on dialogue leading to intercommunion rather than conversion on the part of participants in ecumenical initiatives. The Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki, Greece, organized a meeting in September 2004 entitled "The Inter-Orthodox Theological Conference 'Ecumenism: Origins – Expectations – Disenchantment'", whose negative conclusions on ecumenism can be read on the Orthodox Christian Information Center site.

Traditionalist Roman Catholics also see ecumenism as aiming at a false pan-Christian religious unity which does not require non-Catholics to convert to the Catholic faith. Traditionalist Catholics are Roman Catholics, or people who identify as Roman Catholics who believe that there should be a restoration of many or all of the liturgical Traditionalist Roman Catholics see this as a contradiction to Catholic interpretations of the Bible, Pope Pius XI's Mortalium Animos, Pope Pius XII's Humani Generis and other documents. Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin Pope Pius XI ( Latin: Pius PP XI; Italian: Pio XI; May 31 1857 &ndash February 10 1939) born Pope Some evangelical and many charismatic Christians view ecumenism as a sign of end times apostasy before Jesus Christ's return as prophesied in the Bible, and see substantial similarities between the doctrinal stance of end-times false teachers, as described in 2 Peter 2:1-2, and the theological pronouncements of certain leaders of ecumenical movements. End time, End times, or End of days are the eschatological writings in the three Abrahamic religions and in doomsday scenarios in various other Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE) In Christianity, the Second Coming is the anticipated return of Jesus Christ from Heaven to earth an event that will fulfill aspects of Messianic

Attitude of some Evangelical Protestants

A majority of Evangelical churches, including most Baptists, a minority of Lutherans, Seventh-day Adventists, non-denominational Christians, and Evangelical Christian denominations such as the Christian and Missionary Alliance church, do not participate actively in the ecumenical movements. Baptist is a term describing individuals belonging to a Baptist church or a Baptist denomination. Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the teachings of the sixteenth-century German reformer Martin Luther The Seventh-day Adventist (abbreviated " Adventist " Church is a Christian denomination which is distinguished mainly by its observance In Christianity, the term non-denominational refers to those churches that have not formally aligned themselves with an established denomination, or remain otherwise The Christian and Missionary Alliance (C&MA is an Evangelical Protestant denomination within Christianity. The doctrine of separation is adopted by some Evangelical churches towards churches and denominations that have joined ecumenical activities. The doctrine of separation, also known as the doctrine of non-fellowship is a belief among some religious groups that the members of a church should be separate from "the world" Many Pentecostals, such as Assemblies of God, shun ecumenism, but some organizations, including some Pentecostal churches, do participate in ecumenism. The World Assemblies of God Fellowship, or Assemblies of God for short is the world's largest Pentecostal denomination with over 283413 churches and outstations Pentecostalism is a renewalist religious movement within Christianity that places special emphasis on the direct personal experience of God through the Baptism Other American conservative Protestant Churches, such as the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, Presbyterian Church in America, and Free Methodist Church, often view ecumenism in ways similar to their evangelical counterparts. The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS founded in 1847 in Missouri, is the eighth largest Protestant denomination in the United States and the second-largest The Presbyterian Church in America (PCA is a Protestant denomination, the second largest Presbyterian church body in the United States The Free Methodist Church, is a denomination of broader Methodism.

Many evangelical churches, particularly those in the Baptist tradition, practice congregational self-government, in which the local congregation manages its own affairs and makes decisions regarding theological questions and worship styles. Since the local congregation is seen the highest ecclesiastic authority, there is no compelling reason for these churches to seek a formal merger of denominations. Many evangelical churches do partake in church associations like the National Association of Evangelicals or World Evangelical Fellowship, and cooperate through para-church ministries like World Vision or Young Life. National Association of Evangelicals (NAE is an agency dedicated to coordinating cooperative ministry for evangelical denominations of Protestant Christians The World Evangelical Alliance (WEA is a global association with its leadership office in Vancouver Canada which serves as a network for evangelical organizations and World Vision, founded in the United States in 1951 is an international Christian relief and development organization whose stated goal Young Life is a Christian non-denominational incarnational ministry based in Colorado Springs, but more commonly the name refers to the outreach arm of Evangelical churches sometimes cooperate with mainline Protestants, Roman Catholics, and Eastern Orthodox Christians in projects such as disaster relief or political lobbying. Some of the more conservative Evangelicals, usually called fundamentalists, and Pentecostals view interdenominational activities or organizations in more conservative circles such as the National Association of Evangelicals or Promise Keepers as a softer form of ecumenism and shun them while others do not. Fundamentalism refers to a "deep and totalistic commitment" to a belief in and strict adherence to a set of basic principles (often Religious in nature a reaction National Association of Evangelicals (NAE is an agency dedicated to coordinating cooperative ministry for evangelical denominations of Protestant Christians Promise Keepers is an international conservative Christian organization for men, based in Denver, Colorado, United States, self-described

Many Baptists in the United States have notoriously opposed ecumenism and even cooperation with other Baptists, as illustrated by the recent example of the Southern Baptist Convention's decision to withdraw from the Baptist World Alliance. The Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC) is a United States -based mostly conservative Christian denomination The Baptist World Alliance is a worldwide alliance of Baptist churches and organizations formed in 1905 at Exeter Hall in London during the first Baptist The Baptist World Alliance, while seeking co-operation among Baptists, is not specifically a staunch ecumenical body, and yet conservative fundamentalist elements within the Southern Baptist Convention have forced that denomination to withdraw from even that small effort to ecumenical cooperation. Fundamentalists within the SBC cited the BWA's acceptance of Baptist denominations which practiced the ordination of women, which the SBC officially opposes. Critical observers of the SBC noted that the SBC withdrew from the BWA when the BWA accepted the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, a moderate Baptist body formed by theologically moderate Baptists alienated by the SBC's fundamentalist direction.

A considerable number of Baptists within the United States belong to loose networks of like-minded fundamentalists known as Independent Baptists. Independent Baptist churches (also referred to as Independent Fundamental Baptist, or IFB are Christian churches holding to generally Baptist beliefs Many of these churches, as well as other fundamentalist groups, believe that modern Bible translations are heretical and that most denominations, including other Baptists and evangelicals, are apostate. These fundamentalists often believe that ecumenism may lead to an apostate counterfeit Christianity lead by the Anti-Christ, possibly in collusion with the Vatican. [8]

In 2001 a group of Pentecostals broke from traditional opposition to ecumenical movements and formed the International Circle of Faith.

A rather large minority of Catholic opposition to ecumenism centers on Traditionalist Roman Catholics and associations such as the Society of St. Pius X. Traditionalist Catholics are Roman Catholics, or people who identify as Roman Catholics who believe that there should be a restoration of many or all of the liturgical The Society of St Pius X ( SSPX) is an international Traditionalist Catholic organisation whose official Latin name is Fraternitas Sacerdotalis In fact, opposition to ecumenism is closely associated with antagonism, in the case of Traditionalist Roman Catholics, to abandonment of Latin (among many other issues) in the celebration of Mass, and, in the case of Greek Old Calendarists (who speak of "the arch-heresy of ecumenism"), to abandonment of the Julian calendar. Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. The Mass is the Eucharistic celebration in the Latin liturgical rites of the Roman Catholic Church. Greek Old Calendarists ( Greek: Παλαιοημερολογίτες Paleoimerologites) are groups that separated from the Orthodox Church of Greece The Julian calendar, a reform of the Roman calendar, was introduced by Julius Caesar in 46 BC and came into force in 45 BC (709 Ab urbe condita

Ecumenical organizations

Main article: Christian church directory

Nondenominational organizations opposing ecumenism

See also

References

  1. ^ Directory For The Application Of Principles And Norms On Ecumenism
  2. ^ Encyclical [http://www.newadvent.org/library/docs_jo23ap.htm Ad Petri cathedram
  3. ^ Unitatis Redintegratio, 6-7)[www. Campus Crusade for Christ is an Interdenominational Christian organization that promotes Evangelism and discipleship in over 190 countries around The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA (usually identified as National Council of Churches, or NCC) is an association of 35 Christian The World Student Christian Federation ( WSCF) is a federation of autonomous national Student Christian Movements (SCMs forming the youth and student arm of the global Action of Churches Together in Scotland (ACTS is a national ecumenical organisation of churches in Scotland, founded in 1990. Christian Churches Together in the USA (CCT is a Christian Ecumenical group formed in 2006 to "broaden and expand fellowship unity and witness among the diverse Churches Together in Britain and Ireland ( CTBI) is an Ecumenical organisation Churches Uniting in Christ (CUIC brings together ten mainline American denominations (including both predominantly white and predominantly The Conference of European Churches (CEC was founded in 1959 to promote reconciliation dialogue and friendship between the churches of Europe at a time of growing Cold War The Fellowship of Saint Alban and Saint Sergius is a religious organization founded in 1928 to facilitate contact between Eastern and Western Christians specifically Anglican The Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity origins are associated with the Second Vatican Council which met intermittently from 1962-1965 The World Council of Churches ( WCC) is an international The World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC is a fellowship of more than 200 churches with roots in the 16th-century Reformation, and particularly in the theology of Edinburgh Churches Together brings together Church of Scotland, Scottish Episcopal Church, the Roman Catholic Church, the Methodist Church, the The Iona Community, founded in 1938 by the Rev George MacLeod, is an Ecumenical Christian Community of men and women from different The ecumenical Monastic Community of Bose ( Monastero di Bose) was established by Catholic layman Enzo Bianchi in 1965 New Monasticism, or Neomonasticism, is a modern day iteration of a long tradition of Christian monasticism that has recently developed within certain Christian communities The Byzantine Discalced Carmelites are a community of Cloistered nuns of the Byzantine Ruthenian Catholic Church living committed to a life of prayer according to The Independent Fundamental Churches of America (increasingly known only as IFCA International) is an association of independent Protestant churches located largely List of Christian denominations (or Denominations self-identified as Christian) ordered by historical and doctrinal relationships Church union is the name given to a merger of two or more Christian Denominations. Full communion is a term used in Christian Ecclesiology to describe the relationship of communion, with mutually recognized sharing of the same essential The Lund Principle is an important principle in ecumenical relations between Christian churches Unitatis Redintegratio is the Second Vatican Council's Decree on Ecumenism. vatican. va/. . . /ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_decree_19641121_unitatis-redintegratio_en. html]
  4. ^ Encyclical Ut unum sint, 2[www. vatican. va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_25051995_ut-unum-sint_en. html]
  5. ^ Unitatis Redintegratio, 11[www. Unitatis Redintegratio is the Second Vatican Council's Decree on Ecumenism. vatican. va/. . . /ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_decree_19641121_unitatis-redintegratio_en. html]
  6. ^ Encyclical Ut unum sint, 18-19[www. vatican. va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_25051995_ut-unum-sint_en. html]
  7. ^ Unitatis Redintegratio, 4[www. Unitatis Redintegratio is the Second Vatican Council's Decree on Ecumenism. vatican. va/. . . /ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_decree_19641121_unitatis-redintegratio_en. html]
  8. ^ Jack Chick on The Vatican

Bibliography

External links

Dictionary

ecumenism

-noun

  1. (philosophy) ecumenical doctrines and practices, especially as manifested in the ecumenical movement
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