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Doubt and Hope
Author(s) -
Shmaliy Vladimir
Publication year - 2021
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.12626
Subject(s) - witness , ecumenism , impossibility , theme (computing) , context (archaeology) , sociology , christianity , epistemology , aesthetics , law , theology , philosophy , history , political science , archaeology , computer science , operating system
The article examines the theme of the forthcoming assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC) in the context of previous assemblies – in particular, of Orthodox participation in them. More specifically, it examines the question of why the word “church” is absent in the themes of the assemblies of the WCC and how this is related to the problem of Christian unity. The article shows that due to the impossibility of offering a unanimous witness to belonging to one visible church, the WCC emphasizes that divided Christians are united in Christ. The article considers the question of how the ecumenical theology of “the world,” as reflected in assembly themes and its relationship to Christian unity, has changed during the history of the WCC, and Orthodox perspectives on the relationship between the church and the world. Finally, it refers to the challenges associated with an emphasis on the theme of “ecumenism of love.”