Ekklesia and Ecumenism in the Body of Christ: Unity from the Ground-Up

This article explores the implications for Christian unity from the perspective of the lived faith community, the ekklesia. While bilateral and multilateral dialogues have borne great fruit in bringing Christian denominations closer together, as indeed it will continue to do so, considering how the...

全面介紹

Saved in:  
書目詳細資料
主要作者: Wendlinder, Anastasia Christine (Author)
格式: 電子 Article
語言:English
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Journals Online & Print:
載入...
Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
出版: MDPI [2018]
In: Religions
Year: 2018, 卷: 9, 發布: 12, Pages: 1-11
Further subjects:B Aggiornamento
B unity-in-diversity
B Ecumenism
B bilateral dialogue
B Ecclesiology
B body of Christ
B Christianity
B 宗派
B Ecumenical
B 集會
B Ressourcement
在線閱讀: Presumably Free Access
Volltext (Verlag)
Volltext (doi)
實物特徵
總結:This article explores the implications for Christian unity from the perspective of the lived faith community, the ekklesia. While bilateral and multilateral dialogues have borne great fruit in bringing Christian denominations closer together, as indeed it will continue to do so, considering how the ecclesiological identity of the faith community both forms and reflects its members may be helpful in moving forward in our ecumenical efforts. This calls for a ground-up approach as opposed to a top-down approach. By “ground-up” it is meant that the starting point for theological reflection on ecumenism begins not with doctrine but with praxis, particularly as it relates to the common believer in the pew. The ecclesiological model “Body of Christ” provides a helpful vocabulary in this exploration for a number of reasons, none the least that it is scripturally-based, presumes diversity and employs concrete imagery relating to everyday life. Further, “Body of Christ” language is used by numerous Christian denominations in their statements of self-identity, regardless of where they lie on the doctrinal or political spectrum. In this article, potential benefits and challenges of this ground-up perspective will be considered, and a way forward will be proposed to promote ecumenical unity across denomination borders.
ISSN:2077-1444
Contains:Enthalten in: Religions
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.3390/rel9120390