Ecumenism, conceived as the task of knitting together the divisions within Christianity on behalf of the entire world, may extend as far back as New Testament times and the debate concerning Gentile missions at the Jerusalem Conference. However, the term “ecumenism” is itself modern, unlike its more ancient cognate “ecumenical,” and reflects an intentionality and sense of urgency coordinate with an era of religious freedom, pluralism, and globalism.
According to a 1997 study by the WORLD COUNCIL OF CHURCHES (WCC), “there is no authoritative definition of the term, and it is in fact used to characterize a wide range of activities, ideas and organizational arrangements” (“TCUV,” p. 4). Part of the terminological difficulty is that an old wineskin is being made to hold new wine. The terms “ecumenism” and “ecumenical” both derive from the Greek oikoumene, which referred to a geographical—not theological or ecclesiological—reality, that is: “the whole inhabited world.” This is the usage in scripture. During the patristic era “ecumenical” assumed a more ecclesiological connotation meaning the whole church. From the first, therefore, ecumenism was dual: concern for all humanity; concern for the unity of Christians.
The term “ecumenical” was seldom used until the nineteenth century, although a few European Protestant leaders, like the Swiss founder of the Red Cross, Henri Dunant, began speaking of an “ecumenical spirit,” apparently referring to the promotion of cooperation and unity among Christians. The specific nature of that unity was unclear.
This usage was also complicated by the fact that the task of promoting Christian unity was never conceived as an end in itself but linked to a grander mission—to witness and serve the whole world (the oikoumene). Thus the actual corporate “reunion” of divided churches expresses only a small part of what is generally meant by ecumenism.
As these terms became increasingly common in twentieth-century Protestantism—and Christianity generally—different ecumenical orientations materialized: ecclesial ecumenism, theological ecumenism, mission-driven ecumenism, and even interfaith ecumenism, which broadens the term beyond its specifically Christian content. Although useful to evaluate differences in emphasis and orientation, these orientations overlap in practice. What unites all forms of ecumenism is the divine imperative to reconnect Christians to each other and to the presence of God in the world.
This is the complete article, containing 367 words
(approx. 1 page at 300 words per page).
