ecumenism

The grim future of communion with the Russian Orthodox Church

The ecumenical leader who talked me out of burning my ordination certificate

“It's the nature of the gospel to upend settled views.”

The Dutch ecumenist believed the church can—and must—challenge hateful ideologies.

At mass with my friend, I received grace through hospitality—without receiving bread and wine.

He was known for the intellectual rigor of The Nature of Doctrine. But what drove him was a commitment to Christian unity.

He is best known for his 1984 book The Nature of Doctrine and his engagement in the ecumenical movement.

It was the all-time paperback best seller. But Good News had its critics.

After the global meeting in Crete, conciliarity and orthodoxy hang in delicate balance.

October 31, 2017 draws near. How should we mark it, especially those of us who care about Christian unity?

Growing up as a cradle Presbyterian and a preacher’s kid, Presbyterianism was my sociocultural world. When my father got angry with me or my sister, he would often preface his remarks with the exasperated endearment, “Child of the covenant!”

Among the hearty New Englanders with whom I serve and pastor, there are a few souls who refuse to close church on account of bad weather, ever. The Lord God created shovels and road salt and boots and wool socks as sure signs of the Almighty’s intention that we go to church. Some of these pastors hold deep theological convictions that the people of God should gather for worship every Sunday in rain, snow, sleet, or hail. Others are just defiant Yankee curmudgeons who would rather be assigned to eternal damnation than admit defeat by a winter storm.

Whatever the motivation, I love this stubborn streak within the church.

This is a document drafted by Michael Breininger, senior pastor of Richland Center Fellowship in Wisconsin, in his capacity as president of the Richland County Ministerial Association; it was adopted by the RCMA. Read more about the RCMA and the friendship between Breininger and Five Points Lutheran Church pastor Larry Engel in Debra Bendis's article "No Longer Strangers."

Jeffrey Gros, one of the liveliest and most penetrating ecumenical thinkers I ever encountered, died earlier this month. A conversation with Jeff was always illuminating as well as a bit disorienting, for he had the many voices of global Christianity freshly cataloged in his brain.