European theologians begin church unity study project

Posted by Kendall Harmon

Four theologians began discussions in Geneva, Switzerland this week to define the guidelines of a new project promoted from within the Conference of European Churches. The initiative hopes to study how the different Churches understand unity.

According to a statement released by the Conference of European Churches (CEC), the project is investigating church unity as it relates to church identity at the theological, theoretical level as well as in church practices.

The four theologians taking part in the discussion are British Anglican Dr. Paul M. Collins from the University of Chichester, German Catholic Dr. Myriam Wijlens from University of Erfurt, Finnish Dr. Minna Hietamaki from the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland and Orthodox Dr. Viorel Ionita from the CEC's Churches in Dialogue Commission.

Read it all.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • Anglican Provinces • Church of England (CoE) • * Religion News & Commentary • Ecumenical Relations • Other Churches • Lutheran • Orthodox Church • Roman Catholic • * Theology • Ecclesiology

4 Comments
Posted February 28, 2010 at 2:35 pm [Printer Friendly] [Print w/ comments]



1. Conchúr wrote:

Wonderful! Another self-congratulatory exercise in mutual admiration.

February 28, 6:11 pm | [comment link]
2. Lutheran-MS wrote:

What is each of them going to have to give up, Lutherans their Confessions and their soul???

February 28, 8:02 pm | [comment link]
3. Jeff Thimsen wrote:

Why so quick to dismiss the hope for Christian unity?

February 28, 9:49 pm | [comment link]
4. The young fogey wrote:

Cui bono? By now all of these academics know well what the other side believes and most of the people in the churches are not trying to kill the people in the other churches any more. That’s as good as it gets in this life. Union talks beyond that are asking for impossible compromises and are a waste of time. The deadlocked, non-negotiable issues: Catholic: infallible church; Protestant: fallible, changeable church. RC: divinely instituted papacy with universal jurisdiction; Orthodox: it’s a man-made rank of the divinely instituted episcopate for the good order of the church, nothing more.

February 28, 11:40 pm | [comment link]
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