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Prospects for Ecumenical Ethical Witness
Author(s) -
Iosso Christian,
Stephens Darryl W.,
Willer Roger A.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
the ecumenical review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.104
H-Index - 7
eISSN - 1758-6623
pISSN - 0013-0796
DOI - 10.1111/erev.12400
Subject(s) - witness , convergence (economics) , environmental ethics , identification (biology) , sociology , epistemology , law , philosophy , political science , ecology , biology , economics , economic growth
Ecumenical ethics is in need of a methodology for identifying when a common moral witness exists across communions, despite apparent dissimilarities. This essay illustrates, via the case of ecological witness, the promise of internally differentiated convergence as a conceptual catalyst for that identification. Differentiated convergence is linked here with a multidimensional account of ethics to enable close examination of the ecclesial documents of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), the Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), and the United Methodist Church (UMC) – three traditions whose diverse ethical approaches and positions historically have been sources of ecumenical disagreement and contention. This investigation results in (1) the demonstration of a convergent ecumenical witness on the issue of climate change and (2) a methodological contribution to ecumenical ethics.