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A listing of recent publications of note in ecumenical topics (November 2011).
Dr. Mitzi Budde, NAAE Vice-President (2011-13), develops this list
for the Washington Theological Consortium website.
Journal Articles
Ecumenical Texts
Recent Books
New Journal Articles of Note on Ecumenism
Carter, David. “Encountering Christ the Savior: Church and Sacraments.” Ecumenical Trends 40:9 (October 2011): 129-137.
A Methodist member of the British Catholic-Methodist dialogue summarizes the August 2011 ninth report of the Methodist-Roman Catholic International Commission on Dialogue that bears the same title as the ET article.
De Witte, Pieter. “‘The Apostolicity of the Church’ in Light of the Lutheran-Roman Catholic Consensus on Justification.” Ecclesiology 7:3 (2011):317-335.
A Roman Catholic theologian from Leuven critiques the understanding on apostolic succession reached in the international Lutheran-Roman Catholic dialogue process following the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification, takes issue with the extension of the JDDJ concept of differentiated consensus to “differentiated participation” in apostolic ministry, and argues that the Apostolicity dialogue document neglects to reflect adequately Roman Catholic theology of how apostolicity is secured through the historic episcopate.
“Forty Years of Walking Together”: Theme Issue on the Anglican-Roman Catholic Dialogue of Canada. Ecumenism No. 182 (Summer 2011):
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Flynn, Kevin. “Ecumenical Dialogue and Formation for Ministry”: 3-5.
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Clifford, Catherine E. “The Founding of ARC Canada”: 6-10.
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O’Gara, Margaret. “A Fruitful Time: Early Years of the Anglican-Roman Catholic Dialogue of Canada (1976-93)”: 11-14.
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Clough, Brian. “The Pastoral Care of Interchurch Marriages”: 15-16.
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Brown, Susan Mader. “Where Do We Go Together from Here?: A Canadian Catholic Perspective on IARRCUM’s Advice”: 17-21.
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Mangina, Joseph L. “Benedict’s Bible: An Anglican Response to the Apostolic Exhortation Verbum Domini”: 22-25.
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“A Joint Service of Worship to Celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Anglican-Roman Catholic Dialogue in Canada”: special pull-out section.
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Drainville, Dennis. “Forty Years of Dialogue: Reflections of a Practical Ecumenist”: 26-27.
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Lapierre, François. “Anglican-Roman Catholic Dialogue”: 28-29.
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Bolen, Donald. “Covenant between the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Regina and the Anglican Diocese of Qu’Appelle”: 30-34.
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Routhier, Gilles. “An Unfinished Pilgrimage”: 35-37.
Morris, Jeremy. “Edinburgh 1910-2010: A Retrospective Assessment.” Ecclesiology 7:3 (2011): 297-316.
Analyzes four “narratives of change” by which the Edinburgh 1910 conference has been understood historically in the intervening century (secularization, empire, nationalism, and gender) and argues that the significance of the ecumenical contribution of the Conference has been exaggerated while its mission strategy has been underappreciated.
“The Next 100 Years: New and Renewed Strategies for the Ecumenical Mission”: Papers from the 2010 Annual Meeting of the North American Academy of Ecumenists. The Journal of Ecumenical Studies 46:3 (Summer 2011):
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Meyer, Russell. “Introduction: Remembering and Conversion, Companions and Allies, and our Ecumenical Future”: 305-310.
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Best, Thomas F. “A Tale of Two Edinburghs: Mission, Unity, and Mutual Accountability”: 311-328.
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Clifford, Catherine E. “Unity and Mission One Hundred Years On”: 329-342.
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Baum, Gregory. “The Churches Challenged by the Secularization of Culture”: 343-352.
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Philip (Riabykh), Hegumen. “The Russian Orthodox Church and Ecumenism”: 353-358.
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Routhier, Gilles. “Living in the Same House”: 359-364.
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Hamilton, Karen A. “People of Paradox”: 365-367.
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O’Gara, Margaret. “Witnessing the Ecumenical Future Together”: 368-377.
Thompson, David M. “Background to the Disciples-Catholic Dialogue.” Call to Unity Issue 12 (October 2011): 21-29.
A Disciples theologian who has been on the international dialogue since 1980 summarizes the four rounds of dialogue now completed between the two churches, in this paper presented to the preparatory meeting for the fifth phase of dialogue, tentatively to be named “Formed and Transformed at the Table of the Lord.”
Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2012: “We Will All Be Changed by the Victory of Our Lord Jesus Christ (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:51-58)”: Preaching Material on the 2012 Week of Prayer Theme.
White, John F. “A New Order for a New Day – A Call to Be One: Hush, Someone is Calling our Name: 26th Peter Ainslie Lecture on Christian Unity.” Call to Unity Issue 12 (October 2011): 7-10.
The Ecumenical and Urban Affairs Officer for the African Methodist Episcopal Church speaks for unity in all circumstances: Jesus is calling the churches “to provide the forum in which each church can articulate the judgments that shape, and even qualify, its relationship to the others so that honest sharing of commonalities, divergences and differences will help all churches pursue the things we share in common” (p. 10).
New Ecumenical Texts
Almen, Lowell G. and Richard J. Sklba, eds. The Hope of Eternal Life: Lutherans and Catholics in Dialogue XI: Common Statement of the Eleventh Round of the U.S. Lutheran-Catholic Dialogue. Minneapolis: Lutheran University Press, 2011.
The final report of the most recent round of U.S. Lutheran-Roman Catholic Dialogue traces the biblical and historical issues on theological topics around the afterlife, and identifies common affirmations, distinctive teachings, convergences, and challenges on death and intermediate states, judgment, heaven and hell, purgation, prayer for the dead, and indulgences.
Disciples of Christ-Roman Catholic International Commission for Dialogue. “The Presence of Christ in the Church, with Special Reference to the Eucharist: Fourth Agreed Statement of the Disciples of Christ-Roman Catholic International Commission for Dialogue, 2003-2009.” Call to Unity Issue 12 (October 2011): 58-74.
The report reiterates the two traditions’ shared commitment to unity, describes Christ’s presence through the world, the church, and the sacraments, finds convergence and differing emphases in Eucharistic theology around real presence and sacrifice, and describes disagreements around episcope and how the ordained represent Christ.
International Ecumenical Peace Convocation. “Glory to God and Peace on Earth: The Message of the International Ecumenical Peace Convocation, May 2011.” Call to Unity Issue 12 (October 2011): 44-46.
National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA. “Christian Understanding of War in an age of Terror(ism): A Vision and Study Paper.” Call to Unity Issue 12 (October 2011): 47-57.
World Council of Churches, Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, and the World Evangelical Alliance. “Christian Witness in a Multi-Religious World: Recommendations for Conduct.” The Ecumenical Review 63:3 (October 2011): 347-352.
The culmination of a five-year study process, this statement is intended to provide a practical model for churches and mission boards to use in developing local guidelines for witness and mission with those of other faiths and those without a faith affiliation.
World Council of Churches Central Committee. “An Ecumenical Call to Just Peace.” Call to Unity Issue 12 (October 2011): 37-43.
This text was “received, endorsed and commended for reflection, collaboration and common action” by the Central Committee in February 2011.
World Council of Churches Commission of the Churches on International Affairs Working Group on Social Justice and Common Goods. “Social Justice and Common Goods: Policy Paper.” The Ecumenical Review 63:3 (October 2011): 330-342.
New books of Note in Ecumenism
Beilby, James K. and Paul Rhodes Eddy, eds. Justification: Five Views. Spectrum Multiview Books. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2011.
This work of comparative systematic theology on the doctrine of justification presents five perspectives: Michael S. Horton on the traditional Reformed view, Michael F. Bird on the progressive Reformed view, James D.G. Dunn on the “new perspective” view, Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen on the deification view, and Gerald O’Collins, S.J. and Oliver P. Rafferty, S.J. on the Roman Catholic view. The work becomes a written theological dialogue and debate as responses from each of the other authors are presented for every view. These authors are mostly engaged in the justification debate arising out of contemporary biblical scholarship and refer to the ecumenical literature on justification only occasionally. The “Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification,” for example, is lauded as a “remarkable achievement” (p. 287), but is addressed in only a few pages. The lack of inclusion of a Lutheran view is noted by the editors, who claim that Horton’s traditional Reformed view is “functionally identical” (p. 10) to a traditional Lutheran view and that Kärkkäinen’s deification view is a less traditional Lutheran view.
Collins, Paul M. and Barry Ensign-George, eds. Denomination: Assessing an Ecclesiological Category. London: T & T Clark, 2011.
A lively debate on the concept of denomination (and how it relates to the ecumenical task), in response to a paper presented by Barry Ensign-George at the Ecclesiological Investigations group of the American Academy of Religion. Ensign-George’s paper describing “denomination” as contingent, intermediary, interdependent, partial and permeable leads the collection, followed by various denominational responses: Anglican (Paul Avis), Baptist (Steven R. Harmon), Lutheran (Gesa Elsbeth Thiessen), United Methodist (Russell E. Richey), Orthodox (Elena Vishnevskaya), Pentecostal (Wolfgang Vondey), Society of Friends (Ann Riggs), Presbyterian (Amy Plantinga Paul), Roman Catholic (Peter De Mey), and a global perspective (Kirsteen Kim).
Ellis, Ian M. A Century of Mission and Unity: A Centenary Perspective on the 1910 Edinburgh World Missionary Conference. Dublin: The Columba Press, 2010.
An accessible summary of the Edinburgh 1910 conference, its purposes and accomplishments, and its reverberations in ecumenism through the ensuing century, written by the editor of The Church of Ireland Gazette.
Granberg-Michaelson, Wesley. Unexpected Destinations: An Evangelical Pilgrimage to World Christianity. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 2011.
The personal, spiritual and theological memoir of the recently retired general secretary of the Reformed Church in America, who also served on the World Council of Churches staff and helped to establish Christian Churches Together and the Christian Forum.
Leahy, Brendan. Ecclesial Movements and Communities: Origins, Significance, and Issues. Hyde Park, NY: New City Press, 2011.
“This is by far the strongest introductory book I have found describing the lay ecclesial movements at work in the international Roman Catholic Church today (2011)” – Gerald Stover.
Norgren, William A. Faith and Order in the U.S.A.: A Brief History of Studies and Relationships. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 2011.
The first director of Faith and Order for the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA summarizes its highlights from 1957 to 1999 in 85 pages, with the emphasis on his years of tenure, 1957-1971.
Prepared for the
Washington Theological Consortium
Ecumenism Resources Webpage
Mitzi J. Budde, November 30, 2011 |
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