1 Introduction
Over the twenty-first century there has been a rise of polarization across the world in a number of areas, including: the expression of hatred on social media; divisions over sexual identity; campaigning for climate justice alongside climate change denial; the persecution of refugees; a secularist intolerance of people of faith, leading to divisions between church and world, and increasingly, racism, populism and nationalism. Some of these have taken place not only in society in general, but have also been in evidence in the church. There have been times of fierce internal struggle between different traditions of the church, and within different churches. The divisions and separations of churches from one another that have taken place over many centuries provide examples of polarization, rather than offering an alternative way forward of the reconciliation that is found in God’s gift of communion for the world. Separation of one Christian tradition from another can lead into an inward focus of strengthening a separate identity rather than an outward focus of setting an example of reconciliation to a divided world.
This chapter looks at the way in which the understanding, development and rootedness in the church of koinonia (communion) offers an essential response to countering polarization, both between churches and in the world. The argument will be made that God’s gift of koinonia takes God’s people deeper into the open, generous relationship with the triune God, leading to a transformed and transforming loving relationship with one another and with God’s world. The relationality that shapes the life of the Holy Trinity is poured out as a gift to God’s world in order to reverse polarization.
I begin by examining the origins and significance of koinonia, then set this understanding within a reference to the historical separation of the churches and the way this can be seen as polarizing, before looking at twentieth century ecumenical initiatives which have taken up and developed the idea of koinonia. Next comes the focus on the issues emerging from a contemporary
2 The Origins and Significance of Koinonia
Koinonia is the Greek word in the New Testament predominantly translated as ‘communion.’ ‘Communion’ is often seen as referring specifically to the sacrament of Holy Communion, the body and blood of Jesus Christ, embodied in bread and wine. The use of koinonia rather than communion, comes as a reminder of the broader understanding of communion in terms of the relationality within the three persons of the Holy Trinity: Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer, offered as a gift to God’s people and opening up human relationality.
Koinonia arises out of the relationship between Father, Son and Holy Spirit and is received in the church as a gift, drawing people into the profound mystery of participation in the life of the triune God. This sharing in God’s life leads to a deepening of the significance of relationship, especially in the midst of diversity, within the church, which is offered to a polarized world. Koinonia counters the increasing polarization that is seen in church and world, by pointing to the way in which God holds people and creation lovingly together, leading to the difficult path of holding diverse people and views together.
This understanding of the link between Holy Communion, personal relationality and the Trinity has been helpfully developed by a number of writers in recent decades.
Michael Welker looks at the diverse understandings of Holy Communion and concludes with a focus on the Trinity: “In the celebration of holy communion human beings enter into a relationship with the triune God.”1 This understanding of the significance of the relationship with the triune God has been expanded by a number of writers in terms of the nature of persons (both the persons of the Trinity and with regard to human relationality) and the nature of the church. Awad begins by examining the nature of the self in modernity and takes this thinking further by reflecting on the nature of the
Volf looks at ways in which the Trinity can be seen to be embodied in the church.3 Fox’s work draws together classical and feminist understandings of the Trinity, and focusses on the significance for each of these areas of both personhood and female images in relation to God.4
The significance of the use of koinonia is both theological and practical as is seen in the outworking of the personal relationality that is a mark of the Trinity. Koinonia holds together the theological emphasis on the triune God, with the living reality of God embodied in the church, as in the example of the sacrament of Holy Communion. This embodiment is fulfilled by the sacrificial living out of the church’s life in the world.
Understanding God’s gift of koinonia as already present within each of the churches’ separated traditions, raises up the need to re-focus, in each tradition and between traditions, on both the otherness and the presence of God, seeing the way in which God is specifically encountered in any one tradition as both a true reality and yet also pointing to the otherness of the one God who holds all people together. Holding together the sense of encounter with God in one tradition with the awareness of the otherness of God, who holds all the traditions together, points to the need for mutual listening as a key component for addressing polarization. A consequence of this listening is the openness to the mutual examination of the different understandings and interpretations of scripture and tradition, and of the diverse ways in which the one triune God is perceived to be present in the church and the world, to see what can be learnt from one another and how the knowledge of God is not completely contained in any one tradition. Entering more deeply into the nature of koinonia offers a way of modelling how the church can address issues of division, (including in such areas as doctrine, sexuality, peace and justice work, or scriptural interpretation) both within churches and between different traditions of the church. The Christian witness in the world is strengthened when churches are seen to speak and act and live together, in places of struggle, injustice and oppression in the world.
3 The Separation of Churches Historically
Particularly during the second Christian millennium, there have been periods of separation and division within and between churches. Some of these have led to polarization, as for example, during periods when people have been excommunicated for their particular understandings and interpretation of the faith or when separated churches have been established that are not recognised by the church from whom they have separated and do not recognise the church from which they have separated. Excommunication carries with it the meaning of putting a person outside the communion of the faith, and runs counter to the inclusive relational koinonia revealed in the triune God.
I refer to three periods in the history of the church with regard to times of separation that have taken place in different contexts and centuries and for different reasons, to look at the ways in which each of these times of separation could be seen to be polarizing.
… a schism for which today we are aware that despite the existing theological and ecclesiological disputes, a major role should also be attributed to cultural and political reasons. It is of great importance that the separation of the Christian East and Christian West, affected terribly Christian universalism, and helped to increase tendencies towards particularism. If, after this significant politico-religious split, the West became more aggressive, seeking after its dominion, expansion, and supremacy to the detriment of Christian East, the latter became more defensive and suspicious, and at the same time less universalistic, seeking how to be protected from both Latin and Muslim (Arab first, and later Turkish) conquest.7
The second example follows from the sixteenth century division within the western church, between what became known the Roman Catholic Church and the various traditions of Reformation Churches. In Europe, reformers such as Luther, Melanchthon, Calvin, and Zwingli, sought to reform the Western Church, in continuity with what they saw as neglected aspects of the Christian faith in the later medieval period. An example of this reforming trend is seen in the seventeenth century in England, when, after the sixteenth century split between the English Church and the Roman Church, there was a further period of separation within English churches. This was symbolised by the 1662 Act of Uniformity, requiring bishops and a common prayer book for weekly use in Sunday worship. This led to clergy being ejected from the Church of England, and the formation of independent, separatist churches. It is ironic to note that an Act which sought unity by imposing uniformity in terms of worship, authority, and organizational structure led in practice to the entrenchment of diverse, separated Christian traditions in England.8
The third historical example of separation is of a different nature, looking at the growth of Pentecostalism as a separate tradition of the church. Warrington begins his work Pentecostal Theology by writing, “Just over 100 years ago, Pentecostalism was born. Since then, it has grown to be one of the biggest
Vondey describes the growth of Pentecostalism and its complexity: “today’s Pentecostalism is a global phenomenon, an ecumenical melting pot, a theological puzzle consisting of a multiplicity of voices and positions, and a major factor in the shaping of late modern Christianity.”11
While the early days of the rise of Pentecostalism saw an inevitable separation from what might be seen as their parent churches, in view of the emphasis on the experience of the Holy Spirit in the local congregation, it is interesting to note the gradual growth of ecumenical discussions and dialogues in which Pentecostals are involved, particularly in the twenty-first century.12
These three periods of the churches’ history point to the way in which, when churches are separated from one another, what they offer to the world about unity, koinonia and overcoming polarization is diminished. There are complex reasons for the situations in which the separation of churches occurs. Different Christian traditions each have their own sense of faithfulness to the gospel, leading to the establishment of separate churches, nationally, internationally or locally. However, separated churches diminish the Christian witness to the one God, who holds creation and people in all their diversity together, and reduce the possibility of a positive churches’ response to polarization.
4 Ecumenism as a Response to Polarization
In order for the separation which leads to polarization to be addressed, churches need to wrestle and share together with the issues about the faith that are understood differently. These discussions can take place locally, nationally, regionally and internationally, both internally within one particular tradition of the church and externally with Christians of different traditions. Wrestling and sharing together bears fruit when it takes place through engaging together in prayer, reflection and activity. The recent significant work of Receptive Ecumenism has opened the door for Christians from different traditions to engage with a deeper understanding of where each tradition comes from: “The essential principle behind Receptive Ecumenism is that the primary ecumenical responsibility is to ask not ‘What do the other traditions first need to learn from us?’ but ‘What do we need to learn from them?’”13 The decades across the twentieth century saw positive developments with regard to a growing ecumenical approach. I will describe four areas in which the theme of koinonia has emerged: first, the 1910 and 2010 Edinburgh world mission conferences; second, the 2nd Vatican Council; third, the work of the World Council of Churches; and, fourth, bi-lateral ecumenical dialogues.
Firstly, the 1910 World Mission Conference in Edinburgh.14 This conference followed earlier international missionary conferences in Liverpool (1860), London (1885), and New York (1900). More representative than its predecessors, it served as an important stimulus to the twentieth century ecumenical movement, for where previous conferences had been not had a specific ecumenical approach and had been largely evangelical, participants at the Edinburgh
The 1910 conference was commemorated in 2010 in Edinburgh, with a further look at mission.16 This conference embraced a much wider spectrum of participants than 1910, including Orthodox, Anglican, Lutheran, Reformed, Methodist, Baptist, Seventh Day Adventist, Roman Catholic, Evangelical, Pentecostal and Independent traditions.
The opening two speakers referred to the challenging issues of unity and diversity. WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit said: “Mission and unity belong together. To be one in Christ is to witness together to Christ.” Rev. Dr Geoff Tunnicliffe, international director of the World Evangelical Alliance said that although it would not be realistic to expect historical differences to be solved in a few days, he hoped that during the conference participants will be able to “listen to one another with love and respect, build bridges rather than create chasms, pray together, learn together, establish new friendships.” In saying this, he was pointing to key aspects of the reception and working out of God’s gift of koinonia.
The idea of the Church as communion, as a reciprocity of churches, is of notable significance ecumenically. It can help us to overcome the divisions we have inherited and forestall threatened schisms. It cannot be the goal of ecumenism to arrive at a uniform church ruled from one centre, in which pluriformity is abolished. The goal of ecumenical efforts is not a universal Church organisation, but for churches to recognise each other as such.18
Thirdly, the task of developing a shared understanding of what koinonia might mean for the life of the church and the life of the world was taken up by the World Council of Churches (WCC).
In 1991, the theme of the WCC Canberra Assembly was ‘Come Holy Spirit, Renew the Whole Creation.’ In 1993, the WCC Fifth World Conference on Faith and Order in Santiago de Compostela, looked in detail at the koinonia aspects of this theme and published the report On the Way to Fuller Koinonia.19 (The report contained insights from the Roman Catholic church, which, while not a member of the WCC, is a full member of the Faith and Order Commission.) This conference included an examination of the scriptural understandings of koinonia, and the outworking of koinonia in ‘Faith, Life and Witness,’ as part of a reflection on the background to koinonia and the seeking of future ecumenical directions. Wider ecumenical thinking was further developed by the Faith and Order Commission, leading to the 2013 report Together Towards a Common Vision.20 Lorelei Fuchs offers a helpful analysis of the focus on koinonia in both WCC meetings and publications, and in international dialogues.21
Fourthly, there has been a range of international bilateral dialogues. An example of the way in which communion has been taken up in International Dialogues involving the Roman Catholic Church, is that of the Anglican Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC). This Commission reflected in the second and third phases of its meetings “on the church as Communion, local and universal, and how in communion the local and universal Church come to discern right ethical teaching.”22
In the next section I offer a more detailed example of one specific dialogue, the International Reformed Anglican Dialogue (IRAD), of which I was co-chair. I highlight its emphasis on using the word koinonia rather than communion.
An ecumenical winter, however, is not the death of ecumenism. It is a season when, under the cover of the snow, new life can be prepared, when it is necessary to formulate once again and in different terms what kind of unity we want to move towards and what can strengthen advances in this direction and what prevents them.23
There are many different ways of looking at ecumenical issues, from the theological to the cultural, from international and national agreements to local co-operation, from what happens in practice in relation to mission to what is possible in terms of prayer and worship together. These four areas outlined here point to the growing significance of the thinking about koinonia in a range of international dialogues within and between different traditions of the church. They are offered as a sign of the new life that is possible when churches come together, despite their differences, to look at their shared gifts and the way in which the gift of God’s koinonia embraces diversity. In this way, the separation that too easily leads to polarization can be addressed and offered as a starting point for addressing the deep-seated issues of polarization across the world.
5 An Example of Dialogue: International Reformed Anglican Dialogue (IRAD), 2015–2020
I turn now to a recent example of an international dialogue between two different traditions of the church, in order to look at how thinking about koinonia has worked out in practice between these traditions; at some of the possibilities and challenges that this understanding opens up; and at the significant interpretation of koinonia in terms of ‘responsible communion.’ This interpretation indicates the way koinonia points to the church’s engagement with God and the world, making possible open and loving relationships between people and in communities, and thus countering the move towards polarization.
The Anglican Communion, formed in 1867, predates by well over a century the much more recent World Communion of Reformed Churches, formed in 2010 by the significant union between the World Alliance of Reformed
The Anglican Consultative Council and the World Alliance of Reformed Churches first engaged in formal dialogue from 1981 to 1984, producing the report God’s Reign and Our Unity.25 This report covered a wide range of topics, including a renewed missionary perspective; issues with regard to Baptism, Eucharist and ministry in the church; the form of unity, and a range of practical suggestions for developing the shared conversation. For a range of reasons, not least the challenges presented by the priority or otherwise of ecumenical dialogue and areas of disagreement such as ordained ministries, this report and its recommendations were only taken forward in a limited way.
In 2011 a meeting was held in Geneva between representatives of the two communions and a proposal made for a further dialogue, which began in 2015. The first part of the schema for the dialogue identified communion as a key area of conversation.26 Taking this area forward was felt to provide a way of looking at the underlying commitment of Christian faith and life, rather than looking at issues of organization and structure which might initially prove to be too contentious. The need was identified to step back from the disagreements over these areas in order to develop a shared understanding of God’s gift
A number of presentations were made in the early meetings of IRAD around the theme of communion, in order to deepen a mutual understanding and awareness of this theme in the two communions.27 These included looking at scriptural interpretations, from the understanding of covenant in the Hebrew scriptures, to looking at friendship, wisdom, and sacrifice in the New Testament. Theological and historical perspectives on the nature of communion were shared, as well as the undergirding trinitarian origins of communion, as God’s gift and calling. The possible unity and diversity of communion was examined, as well as the role of communion in social transformation and the consequences of living in communion. Wider ecumenical thinking was referred to, including the WCC report Together Towards a Common Vision.
To avoid discussions being abstract theological debates, at each meeting the theological reflection was rooted in the place in which the meetings were held, and papers were given by people who came from that context. Input to the meetings came also from the wider leadership of the churches represented in each setting.
In Kerala, India, insights were gained from the Church of South India (formed in 1947) and the Church of North India (formed in 1970), united churches which have drawn together Anglicans and a range of other Protestant churches. Input was received about the significant nature of these two churches, and the challenges faced internally and in the India context. These two churches provide helpful models of what is possible when Christians of different traditions commit to working and sharing together across a country.
In Cambridge, UK, a visit was made on the Sunday morning to share in worship in a Local Ecumenical Partnership between the Church of England and the United Reformed Church, where there is one joint congregation. Local Ecumenical Partnerships across the UK have offered a way of sharing together between different Christian traditions, in order to serve and witness more effectively in a local community
Meeting in Durban, South Africa, opened up a conversation about the apartheid era and the way in which some churches colluded with the evils of
The meeting in Vancouver, Canada, focussed on indigenous people and their unjust treatment in different parts of Canadian society, including by the church, with a challenge to listen to the voices of marginalised people, when shaping the life and witness of the church.
The final meeting was in Hiroshima, Japan, where a survivor of the atomic bomb testified to the need for peace and peace-making internationally, and the importance of people of all faiths and none working for a world in which there is an end to war.
The South African appeal for ‘responsible communion’ formed a significant part of the conversation. The responsible nature of communion is seen as arising out of God’s gift of koinonia for all the world and the need to embody this communion in each part of the world. This understanding offered a helpful way forward, in terms of seeing communion as engagement with the world, not just as an internal church matter and reinforcing the way in which living in the life of the triune God involves both the community of the church and the participation in God’s transforming life in the world.
I turn now to highlight the understanding of koinonia as developed in the Dialogue, followed by a reference to the significance of worship in receiving koinonia, and then pointing to the IRAD conclusions, before drawing out more general conclusions.
5.1 Taking up the Language of Koinonia
The use of the word koinonia rather than communion enabled the commission to look beyond traditional understandings of communion, in order to develop new insights in understanding the Trinity, relationality and the connection between responsible communion and the church’s mission in the world. The report highlighted issues such as life-denying forces and marginalised people, and said “It is critical for mission that the Church finds ways to attend to conflict without allowing it continually to divide.”28 This emphasis points to the significance of the way in which koinonia is seen as addressing polarization.
… is not always our lived experience, as the gift of koinonia is not fully received. The commission’s discussions about koinonia emerged not only from ecumenical concerns, but from the reality that both Anglican and Reformed Christians have been experiencing fierce internal struggles and threats of division within our respective communions, as well as in society at large.
The report emphasises both the undergirding understanding of koinonia as it flows out of the life of the triune God as understood in scripture and the tradition of the church, and the development of this koinonia in ecclesiological and missional thinking.
Even extremely demanding difference and conflict have the potential to teach us more fully about koinonia precisely because they demand empathy, deep listening, patience, and humility, which are also necessary for relationships that deepen and grow rather than fracture. Though conflict can be destructive, the gift of koinonia turns us away from a posture of defence and persuasion toward one of honest listening and a desire for mutual understanding. In the redemptive work of Christ, koinonia disarms destructive conflict. The fullness of koinonia amid diversity moves us beyond our fear so as to approach others with curiosity, openness, and compassion.30
Worship and liturgy are primary points in which the people of God together encounter the triune God and receive the gift of koinonia, through sharing together as God’s people in listening to the Word and receiving the bread and wine. The meetings of IRAD took place in the context of morning and evening prayer, drawing on the riches and insights of the two different traditions. At the beginning and end of each meeting, Holy Communion was celebrated by the co-chair from one tradition, with the Word being shared by the co-chair from the other tradition.
Growing in God’s gift of koinonia means being drawn more fully to God, and receiving the insights from different traditions of the church. These insights are particularly received through sharing in the varied spirituality and worship that the different traditions have to offer.
Out of this sharing, participation in the divine life is deepened, and the people of God are given the power to live out God’s life in relation to one another and in God’s world. The recognition that each tradition offers worship in response to God’s call, gives the starting point from which to engage in discussions about different understandings of the way in which worship is practiced between the different traditions.
Worship develops the sense of God’s presence and otherness. Looking at worship not just for what it contains and what the sources of disagreement are with regard to different practices in different traditions, but for what the purpose of worship is and the way it can be shared is valuable in terms of sharing koinonia and being renewed in God’s gift with one another and for all creation. Being drawn together in worship to the shared source of faith in the triune life, offers the possibility of difference, disagreement and polarization being changed to a renewed appreciation and reception of the transforming power of the loving God.
5.3 IRAD Conclusion
Anglicans and Reformed assert strongly that koinonia is a gift of God for the whole of creation. It is a participation in the Divine life, through which we encounter the eschatological gift of the New Creation even in a world torn apart by division, conflict and exploitation.
Together our communions believe that this abundant, life-giving koinonia inspires a sense of gratitude in the life of our churches. Even in situations of conflict, great danger, marginalisation, secularization or persecution, the irrevocable gift of koinonia inspires joyful confidence in all the churches as they seek to share the relational abundance of Christ with those around them.31
While the IRAD commission represents a small team of people from the Anglican and Reformed traditions, it offers to the wider church the significant insights it has been drawn to during the course of its meetings.
The gift of koinonia has strong implications for the Church’s life and health. Despite the real pain of historical separation and manifold disagreement, the nature of koinonia as gift was never ours to possess alone nor to deny to one another. Due to the abundance of God’s gift, it is inappropriate and inaccurate to speak of having being “in or out” of communion with one another. There are profound implications for how we speak of one another, and of our churches’ sharing in the same koinonia.
In receiving the divine gift we recognize God’s calling to testify to the gift of koinonia in the life of the church, to share the gift of koinonia in our mission to the world, and to make new disciples. Our two communions also witness to the current incompleteness of the Church’s life.32
6 Conclusion
The historical separation of churches referred to in this chapter diminished with the growth of ecumenical conversations, agreed reports and shared action in the twentieth century. However, this diminishment did not lead to the overcoming of separation. Instead, new issues came to the fore, such as sexual identity, the role of women and the issues with regard to people of different ethnicities, causing division both within and between different traditions of the church.
Deepening the shared understanding of koinonia, within and between traditions, offers a way of overcoming polarization, both within the church and in the world. This deeper understanding starts with faith in the one God, who is yet three in one. It emphasises the significance of relationality, starting with the relationality between the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and then moving to see the ways in which this relationality can be embodied in humanity and creation. Key to this emphasis on relationality is seeing the self in new ways, no longer in a self-centred isolationism and individualism, but as finding wholeness in relation with God and others. Coming closer to the mystery and presence of God invites an attitude of awe, wonder and humility, rather than a self-defensive argument that ‘I and I only, have the truth.’
Developing a deeper understanding of koinonia addresses polarization by pointing to the way in which embodying the loving relationality of the one God in the churches’ shared life, helps to face up to the challenges of historical differences and divisions. This offers a polarized world a different way forward, of mutuality and the need to struggle relationally with differences rather than letting them divide. Part of the struggle is about being drawn into relating to those who are different, accepting that, as for example in racism or sexism, differences are second order issues, not a cause for alienation or segregation.
This chapter develops the premise that the church is helped by looking at these areas in her own life, in order to contribute more fruitfully to counter the rise of polarization in the wider community. This is integral to being faithful to God and God’s call to the world. Koinonia is a gift that arises from both the otherness and mystery of God as well as the incarnation and presence of God, and focusses on being drawn into relationality and inclusiveness. It is this gift that opens up the possibility of countering polarization by building loving, diverse and open communities, within the church and in the world.
Bibliography
Neuner, P. “The Church as Koinonia, a Central Theme of Vatican 2,” The Way, March/July 1990, www.theway.org.uk.
Vondey, W. “The Unity And Diversity Of Pentecostal Theology: A Brief Survey for the Ecumenical Community in the West,” article on www.academia.edu.
M. Welker, What Happens in Holy Communion? (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2000), 167–176. In his appendix he offers a helpful list of books and dialogues that have looked at Holy Communion between 1931 and 1990, 177–181.
N.G. Awad, Persons in Relation (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2014).
M. Volf, After Our Likeness: The Church as the Image of the Trinity (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998).
P.A. Fox, God as Communion: John Zizioulas, Elizabeth Johnson, and the Retrieval of the Symbol of the Triune God (Collegeville: The Liturgical Press, 2001). Fox holds together the significant thinking of the Orthodox theologian, John Zizioulas, alongside that of the Roman Catholic feminist thinker, Elizabeth Johnson.
Kallistos Ware gives an account of the event in 1054 and of the history that led up to the separation of East from West, a separation that continued to develop in the centuries after 1054. K. Ware, Orthodox Church (London: Penguin Books, 1964), 51–81.
J. Zizioulas, Communion and Otherness (London: T&T Clark, 2006), 196.
P. Kalaitzidis, “Theological, Historical, and Cultural Reasons for Anti-Ecumenical Movements in Eastern Orthodoxy,” in Orthodox Handbook on Ecumenism, eds. P. Kalaitzidis et al. (Oxford: Regnum Books International, 2014), 134–152, 141(19).
A. Sell, The Great Ejectment of 1662: its Antecedents, Aftermath and Ecumenical Significance (Eugene: Pickwick Publications, 2012) offers a helpful analysis of the causes of the separation and the ecumenical challenges raised.
K. Warrington, Pentecostal Theology (London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2008). The many footnotes in the first chapter provide a comprehensive overview of publications on Pentecostalism.
A.H. Anderson and W.J. Hollenweger, Pentecostals after a Century (Sheffield, Continuum International Publishing Group, 1999); W.K. Kay, Pentecostalism: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011); D. Dayton, Theological Roots of Pentecostalism (Ada: Baker Academic, 1987). These writers offer a broader outline of the movement including referring to John Wesley and the development of the Holiness Movement in the USA and the role of revivals in various parts of the church.
W. Vondey, “The Unity And Diversity Of Pentecostal Theology: A Brief Survey for the Ecumenical Community in the West,” article on www.academia.edu with reference to his book Pentecostalism: A Guide for the Perplexed (London and New York: Bloomsbury, 2013).
As for example the 2020 international dialogue between the World Communion of Reformed Churches and Pentecostalism, or the dialogue in England between the Church of England and Pentecostal churches.
Receptive Ecumenism started with the initiative of Professor Paul Murray and the Durham University Catholic Studies Centre. It has held international conferences in 2006, 2009, 2014 and 2017 and published a range of books, articles and chapters in books.
World Missionary Conference, Edinburgh 1910, Reports of Commissions (Edinburgh: Oliphant, Anderson & Ferrier, 1910) gives an indication of the range of issues covered.
The majority came from Britain and North America, though 40 societies from other European countries and 12 from South Africa and Australasia were also present. For further summary information see https://archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk/data/gb231-ms3291 (accessed October 23, 2020).
See conference website, Edinburgh 2010 conference website (accessed October 23, 2020), for further information including list of speakers and texts of conference papers.
Second Vatican Council, November 21, 1964.
P. Neuner, “The Church as Koinonia, a Central Theme of Vatican 2,” The Way, March/July 1990, www.theway.org.uk.
T.F. Best and G. Gassmann (eds.), On the Way to Fuller Koinonia, WCC Faith and Order Report (Geneva: WCC publications, 1993). The Roman Catholic Church, while not being a member of the WCC, has been a full member of the WCC Faith and Order Commission since 1968.
Together Towards a Common Vision (Geneva: WCC publications, 2013).
L.F. Fuchs, Koinonia and the Quest for an Ecumenical Ecclesiology (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2008).
Unity, Faith and Order: Report to Anglican Consultative Council 2017.
I. Noble (ed.), Essays in Ecumenical Theology 1 (Studies in Reformed Theology) (Leiden: Brill, 2018), 219–243. The appendix has a helpful analysis of some of the specific issues.
Further information about the two communions, their history, their current membership, and their areas of work, may be found on the websites of the Anglican Communion and of the World Communion of Reformed Churches, http://www.anglicancommunion.org and http://wcrc.ch (both accessed October 23, 2020). A more detailed analysis would indicate that these two communions are not equally balanced, in terms of size of membership, in different countries around the world. In some countries there are more Anglican churches and members than Reformed, and in other countries it’s the other way round. In some countries there are several different national churches that are part of the Reformed tradition, and only one Anglican church nationally.
God’s Reign and Our Unity (London: SPCK, 1984).
Schema for Anglican-Reformed Dialogue, part 1, with regard to communion:
The Nature of Communion
Reformed and Anglican reflection on their own understanding of communion and identity
Mutual responsibility and accountability of churches within Communions
Mutual recognition and interchangeability of ministries within Communions
Biblical and theological foundations of communion
Degrees of communion (from mutual recognition of baptism through to the full visible unity of the Church)
Communion rooted in justice and justice rooted in communion.
The IRAD communiques, giving a brief summary of the meetings in Kerala 2015, Cambridge 2016, Durban 2017, Vancouver 2018 and Hiroshima 2019, may be found on the websites of the Anglican Communion and the World Communion of Reformed Churches (see footnote 23). The presentations were made by the members and staff of the IRAD dialogue teams and reflected both the traditions from which the speakers came and the contexts of the various IRAD meeting places around the world.
Koinonia, God’s Gift and Calling: The Hiroshima Report of the International Reformed-Anglican Dialogue (London: Anglican Consultative Council, 2020), paragraph 52 in Section 3, “Koinonia in Mission.” (In its focus on koinonia, the IRAD report has three main sections. The first looks at insights from scripture and church history; the second considers the life of the church; the third turns to mission.).
Koinonia, God’s Gift and Calling, “Introduction.”
Koinonia, God’s Gift and Calling, section on “Ecclesiology.”
Koinonia, God’s Gift and Calling, “Conclusion.”
Koinonia, God’s Gift and Calling, “Conclusion.”