Ecumenism in Exile

By Peter-Ben Smit

1. Introduction

The origins of "Ecumenism in Exile" lay in an ecumenical homily that I gave in the context of a liturgical service that marked the end of a unit of clinical pastoral training at a challenging hospital in Manhattan.1 Searching for an appropriate topic that would neither deny differences among the religious traditions present nor overemphasize them, and at the same time address the immediate context, that of a hospital where illness, pain, and death are an omnipresent reality, while this reality is at the same time removed from everyday life outside of the hospital. "Exile" presented itself as a suitable theme, especially as it is articulated both in the Jewish and in the Christian Scriptures.2

In this essay, however, the potential of the notion of "exile" will be probed for addressing the questions "What are the prospects for ecumenism in the 21 st Century?" and "What difference can Christian churches make together?"3

It will be argued specifically that capturing the current situation of the ecumenical movement as embodied by the WCC as "exile" will make it possible not only to describe its current (problematic) situation, but also to point towards a way forward - a way forward that is intimately connected to having faith in God's care for the ecumenical movement, entrusting it to his providence.

In order to argue this thesis and to articulate it more clearly, this essay will draw on the heritage of the Bible and the early church, liturgical and ecumenical tradition, and contemporary systematic theology from a number of different traditions.4

2. Exile as a Central Theme of Biblical and Early Christian Tradition and Liturgy

As is of some Jewish-Christian inter-religious importance, the theme of exile permeates both Jewish and Christian Scriptures.5 Beginning with first three chapters of Genesis and reaching until the end of the Book of Revelation, the recognition of being in exile, either existentially or socially and politically and the longing to be redeemed from it, is omnipresent. Both the story of Israel and the story of Jesus, especially of his death and resurrection are seen within the framework of the Passover. In fact, it is not overstatement to argue that the all the accounts of "God's mighty acts" as they are witnessed to in Scripture become quite meaningless without this context. The homily referred to above that was the beginning of my awareness of the importance of exile for both pastoral care and ecumenism, focused on Psalm 137 as part of both Christian and Jewish heritage, to give one particularly clear example of the importance of the notion of exile in biblical tradition.

Biblical-theologically, therefore, the following may be retained: Easter, Jesus' Passover, the feast of the Resurrection, is only celebrated after the darkness of Good Friday, and it becomes rather meaningless without the death of Jesus on the cross and his "exile" in the grave. This is obvious, just as it is obvious that the Exodus from Egypt has no particular meaning without the previous sojourn in slavery. Also the psalms of lament, many of which reflect the situation of the Babylonian exile, become meaningless precisely without this context of the exile.6

What should be recognized as well, is that exile of Christians, an existence in the periphery of the Roman Empire, came for the theological traditions of the East and West that have since become dominant in the ecumenical movement as well, generally speaking to an end in the mid-fourth century.7

However, this does not mean that the notion of being in exile disappeared completely. Quite on the contrary, many of the ascetic traditions, both in East and West, have retained a very lively awareness of being in exile on earth and of being on a journey. Also, the liturgical tradition of the early church, both pre- and post-Constantine retained an eschatological perspective that clearly articulated the notion of being in exile on earth.8 In fact, it may well be argued that it was especially the liturgy of the church that retained the eschatological awareness, and with that the awareness of living in exile in the course of the history of the church.9

However, in the past century, it has come to a renewed interest in and awareness of the importance of eschatology in Christian theology in general,10 not least specifically in its cosmic dimensions, which, to be sure, also roots in an increased awareness of being "in exile." This does not need to be argued here extensively.11 Rather, the focus should turn to some particular concerns that have been raised more recently.

3. The Recurrence of Exile in Contemporary Theology

As indicated above, the notion of exile has resurfaced in contemporary theology in a number of instances, of which three will be highlighted here.

3.1. (Post)Modernity and the Absence of God

First, in the context of his explorations in practical and systematic theology in a Western European context, the Dutch theologian Dingemans has proposed that the notion of "exile" rather than the notion of "exodus" is appropriate for establishing a paradigmatic connection between biblical notions, specifically the notion of the uncertainty of God's actions on behalf of God's people in the context of their exile, and contemporary (modern and postmodern) experience, in which God's actions are also uncertain.12

Even though there are obvious differences between the despair of the Israelites in exile - their question was largely: has our god lost against the god(s) of our oppressors -, and the religious doubt of (post)modern people, whose question is more along the lines of "is there any god at all?", it seems that Dingemans still uses the notion of "exile" in a helpful way, namely to articulate the experience of the absence of God, or, probably as its flipside, the overwhelming brokenness of the world.13

3.2. Theologies of Liberation and Struggle and the Exile

Second, one of the theological paradigms that, in all its varied uses and further developments, has drawn much attention to itself in especially the last four decades of the 20th century, is that of the theology of liberation.14 Without being able to discuss this theological paradigm in full, it is worthwhile to draw the attention to the fact that one of its aspects is the analysis of the poor and oppressed in analogy to either the oppressed Israelites in Egypt or the Israelite exile in Babylon. Quite irrespective of the particular theology of liberation that is studied, therefore, "exile" plays an important role in it, even if the focus will typically be on ways out of the exile.

Especially in the context of the development an indigenous theology of liberation in the Philippines, however, the notion of the struggle to survive in the exile, rather than to find a way out of it, has received a prominent position.15 The theology of struggle, as this particular theology is called, recognizes that the church it identifies with - the church of the poor - is in exile and that the church needs to relate to this. Hence, this particular model emphasises not so much liberation, but rather focuses on the struggle for liberation itself:

"The theology of struggle is not about theology as such. Its primary concern is the Philippine struggle itself: how to participate in that struggle as Christians, how to make available in that struggle the resources of the Christian life and tradition, and how to make alive Christian spirituality in that struggle.

(…) The theology of struggle is about immersion in the primary reality of Philippine society: the reality of millions and millions of people who suffer, who are oppressed, who are deprived, who are victims - but have not lost hope, who are not passive - but who struggle, who fight not only for their liberty but our liberty as well, and for the building of a more just, free and compassionate society."16

The question that is asked is therefore not so much how the church can (help) solve a particular situation, but rather how the church can involve itself in a situation of exile. This, it seems is worthwhile to retain for the purposes of this essay.

3.3. Powerlessness and Exile - Peace Churches and Exile

A further line of theological thought about exile that may be made fruitful for the ecumenical movement has been set forth by Weaver,17 writing from within the Mennonite tradition. He explores the notion of exile on the basis of the thought of John Howard Yoder, another representative of the traditional peace churches, and Edward W. Said, and with specific reference to the Israel-Palestine conflict. It is the theoretical basis and less the concrete application of his considerations that is of interest here. Following Yoder's lead,18 Weaver outlines the existence of both the Jews in their Babylonian exile and the situation of (the early) Christians in their diaspora (and hence exile, cf. Jas. 1:1, 1 Pet. 1:1) as one of "not being in charge." They have no own power structures to rely upon as they do not rule part of the respective empires (Babylonian, Roman) that they are part of. Instead of relying on the (potential for) violence that actual political power entails, the (Jewish and Christian) exiles rely fully (and non-violently) on God's sovereignty, and, in the case of early Christians, on the affirmation that Christ has already overcome the powers of this world.19 In a globalized world that is generally speaking post-Christendom, this is an important resource. Beyond this, Yoder argues, in the Bible exile is not to be seen as retributive punishment of Israel only.

Rather, exile is also a fresh opportunity for mission and for the rediscovery of ultimate reliance on God's sovereignty. Jesus ultimate non-violence and (vindicated) reliance of God is paradigmatic in this respect.20 Early Christian communities continue this pattern until the Constantinian settlement, this, at least, is Yoder's view. Weaver also brings the productive side of exile as Yoder identifies it, namely as a place for rediscovery of absolute reliance on God, in dialogue with Edward Said's view of exile. Said view's the exile, defined as the place those persons occupy in (or outside of) society that are at odds with it and are (partially) excluded in terms of power and honor.21

Essay: Ecumenism in ExileStill according to Said, in this (partially selfinflicted) metaphorical exile, the intellectual, resp. the critic has a particular responsibility, namely to offer a critique of society: "Exile for the intellectual in this meta-physical sense," Said explains, "is restlessness, movement, constantly being unsettled, and unsettling others. You cannot go back to some earlier and perhaps more stable condition of being at home; and, alas, you can never fully arrive, be at one with your new home or situation."22

Essay: Ecumenism in ExileAt the same time, Said is adamant to ensure that exile does not develop into an aesthetical or hermeneutical category only, arguing that the real exile of real people - his own Palestinian Christian background plays an important role here - always has to have the priority over the "metaphorical" exile of the critic: "On the twentieth-century scale, exile is neither aesthetically nor humanistically comprehensible: at most the literature about exile objectifies an anguish and a predicament most people rarely experience first hand; but to think of the exile informing this literature as beneficially humanistic is to banalize its mutilations, the losses it inflicts on those who suffer them, the muteness with which it responds to any attempt to understand it as "good for us." Is it not true that the views of exile in literature and, moreover, in religion obscure what is truly horrendous: that exile is irremediably secular and unbearably historical?"23

Weaver brings the insights of Yoder and Said together in the following way, emphasizing the particularly theological contribution of Yoder, which he sees affirmed in Said's nontheological analysis: "[W]hile doubt and existential agony drive Said's exilic intellectual to rewrite her text again and again, the exilic community—the church—for Yoder is driven not by doubt but by the workings of the Holy Spirit to engage continually in the theological, missionary task of bringing the Gospel into new thought worlds. Lacking any theological horizon, Said can only view the poeisis of the text as production and construction, whereas for the church the textual task of revising and renewing its proclamation of the Gospel occurs within the framework of pathos, of a suffering receptivity to the Word of the Triune God."24

3.4. Concluding Observations

Thus, it may be retained at this point that "exile" is a notion that is both strongly embedded in (Jewish-)Christian tradition and that has never been absent from it completely (cf. above, section 2), and also a notion that has received considerable attention in recent theological reflection. The latter was the case with the general return of an awareness of being in exile through the reintroduction of eschatology, the rediscovery of exile in liberation theology, systematic-theological reflection on Western European religious experience (or the absence of it), and finally in a theological discourse emerging from the tradition of the peace churches, (with its emphasis of relying on God's providence, rather than on human power), receiving insights from postcolonial theory. Thus, the notion of "exile" is used to address a variety of situations in which churches and their members find themselves in, ranging from the relationship between church and world in general, factual political and social exile (either because of the faith or because of other reasons), "exilic" situation in the personal life (illness, the experience of God's absence, etc.), to the "metaphorical" exile of the critic. The question that remains now is how all of this could relate to a vision for ecumenism in the 21st century.

This will be considered in the next section.

4. Ecumenism in Exile: Ecumenism for the 21st Century

4.1. Introduction

At the outset, it should be noted that the concept of "exile" is not particularly prominent in the output of the WCC. For example, the word does not occur in the documentation to which one was referred for the essay contest for which this essay has been written.25 Nevertheless, it is consonant with it. In fact, the title of this contribution can be read in a number of ways that are all closely related to the current situation of the ecumenical movement, its challenges and its prospects in the 21st century. As will be discussed below, ecumenism can seen to be in exile from the agenda of many of the WCC member churches,26 the ecumenical church can be seen as being in exile in the world, exile (political, social, etc.) is a real experience of many members of the WCC member churches and the world they live in,27 at the same time exile plays a role in the metaphorical sense of the word as well, as creativity and self-criticism often takes place from the margins, also within the ecumenical movement,28 and the "exile" of the ecumenical movement from the agenda of many churches has lead to "exilic" self-reflection.29 It is with respect to these interactions of exile and ecumenism that the potential of the notion of "exile," as outlined above (2-3.4), for addressing the future of ecumenism in the 21st century will be probed now.

4.2. Ecumenism in Exile I: Church and World

As will have become clear in the considerations offered above, it is an ecclesiological insight with a venerable tradition that the church and its members are "in exile" in the world (cf. esp. 1 Pet. 1:1, 1 Jas. 1:1), which is to a large extent the same as saying that the church is in the world, but not of it. This gives the church (or the churches) also the "exilic," critical and creative distance from the world that was described earlier (3.4), while they will remain outsiders at the same time. This is not a new insight, but it describes the context for ecumenical theology and the ecumenical movement, as it strives for full visible unity in the particular context of a globalized, post-Christendom world. At the same time, however, the quest for ecumenical unity is placed within a particular framework, namely that of the brokenness of the world and, given that exile is oriented towards exodus, the eschatological fulfillment of that quest.

4.3. Ecumenism in Exile II: Ecumenism and the Churches

As stated in the introduction to this section (4.1.), it is appropriate to describe the ecumenical movement as being "in exile" from the agenda of, for example, many of the member churches of the WCC. This leads both to a loss of touch with these members, a loss of influence and power, and a need to rethink one's identity and mission; at the same time, since viewing the ecumenical movement as "in exile" also acknowledges the critical and creative distance the WCC has vis-à-vis of its member churches. A good statement of "the ecumenical movement in exile" (at least as far as the WCC is concerned) can be found in a 1997 statement by the WCC's central committee:

"As the member churches of the WCC seek together to discern the promises and challenges of a new century and a new millennium, the WCC and the ecumenical movement are passing through a period of uncertainty. There are signs of a weakening of ecumenical commitment, of a growing distance between the WCC and its member churches, and of a widespread perception among the young generation that the ecumenical movement has lost its vitality and does not provide relevant answers to the pressing problems of today. Internal factors are preventing many churches from maintaining their level of financial support, thus obliging the WCC to reduce its activities; and some member churches are experiencing internal conflicts and even the threat of schism because of their participation in the ecumenical fellowship. All this gives added urgency to the effort of clarifying a common understanding of the WCC and its role within the ecumenical movement."30

Thus, "exile" cannot only describe the place of the church in the world, but also the current situation of the ecumenical movement, especially as far as the relationship of the WCC and its member churches is concerned. This is valuable heuristically and also underlines the need for renewal within the ecumenical movement, as this is necessary in any exile.

4.4. Exile and the Experience of the Ecumenical Church

As noted, exile is part of the experience of the church and its members in many ways. Above, exile was presented as a category to describe the relationship between church and world, which obviously has to do with the experience of Christians in the world as well. However, the experience of Christians being "exiled" (either literally, or in terms of their denial of a full role in society) by others because of their faith is only part of the experience of exile in the church. On a broader level, experiences of being displaced (and dispowered) for other reasons are just as important. These other experiences include actual physical displacement and exile because of political (e.g. war, but also including discrimination based on ethnicity, gender, sex, etc.) or natural reasons (e.g. an earthquake, a drought, etc.). The experience of exile in these senses is identical with the experience of the brokenness of the world as such and thus closely related to the ecclesiological notion of the church's existence "in exile" on earth.

As obviously not only Christians experience the brokenness of this world, and as was pointed out earlier (section 2) that "exile" is a notion that pervades both Jewish and Christian Scriptures, both the various experiences of exile and the religious reflection upon it maybe a resource for interreligious dialogue in addition, as well as a common ground for mission.

This, however, does not mean that exile is a notion that is shared in exactly the same way by all religions, but its experience may be a common resource for missionary projects that aim at "humanizing" the world. The Christian view of the brokenness of this world will have to articulate itself in dialogue with other views of it.31

4.5. Exile: Critique and Renewal

As outlined above, in some ways it is possible to describe the ecumenical movement as being in exile (4.3). Apart from being in exile from the world, which has always been part of its self-understanding, it is now also to some extent in exile from the churches that are involved.

When following the lead of Yoder and Said (cf. above, 3.4.), this situation means that the ecumenical movement, specifically as embodied in the WCC, will, by virtue of being in exile, enter into a phase of critical reflection, especially upon its own identity, leading towards reorientation. The helpful thing about the notion of exile is, however, that is does not deny the negative side of the situation at all - especially Said is adamant about this -, but that it does point towards the creative potential that is inherent in it. The question remains, naturally, in which direction this reorientation should move. The sections of this essay surrounding this one address this.

4.6. Exile and Hospitality

Visible unity in its fullest sense - understood as the unity of the ecclesia militans, expectans, and triumphans - is in itself an eschatological goal,32 which will only be reached when the redemption of the world is completed, then, in a sense, the broken world as we know it is also in exile from itself as God's good creation. The goal of full visible unity of the WCC means therefore to bring churches together that are themselves exiles in the world. Furthermore, churches that are estranged from one another can be seen as being in exile from the unity that they are called to and that they have in Christ, and thus also exiled from each other.

An awareness of being in exile in these ways raises the awareness of a need for giving each other hospitality: all churches share the fate of being exiles in the world and exiles from the unity that they are called to, since they are exiles from one another. Hospitality for other traditions - as such fundamental to ecumenical hermeneutics, both vis-à-vis of texts and of "other" readings of texts as embodied by other Christians. -, may well be a result from being aware of the shared condition of exile. In fact, framing one's self-understanding as Churches within the ecumenical movement this way, may well lead to further the recognition of legitimate diversity within a theological framework.33 In terms of the rediscovery of one's own tradition, being in exile may provide an impulse to revisit instances of being in exile in other places in the history of Christianity and to reincorporate the experiences made then into today's theological discourse. Furthermore, at a more general plane, this sense of being exiled and in need of hospitality and healing may also become a resource that can inform the healing of other broken relationships in the world; churches themselves may operate as wounded healers, to borrow a concept popularized by Henri Nouwen.34

4.7. Sojourning in Exile

As was indicated already (cf. above, 4.4.), the term "exile" may well describe many contemporary experiences in the globalized world, i.e. of being dislocated and dispowered in whatever way. These experiences are shared by Christians (and non-Christians alike), and, by capturing it under the heading of "exile," a place that invites both rethinking and a movement out if it, they may become a locus for common work and witness, precisely in the sectors of reality where such exile is experienced: social, psychological, physical, political, etc. When using the example of "globalization" this may be illustrated as follows. Whereas globalization is often seen to have a large impact regionally, e.g. the North-South divide, ecumenical consultation shows also that the negative as well as the positive impact is also highly diverse within these two hemispheres. Recognizing that all are in the same "exile," but that not all are affected by it in the same way, might help to overcome obstacles between the North and the South that would otherwise stand in the way of visible church unity. For this, however, renewed ecumenical consultation on what such global visible unity means is necessary. In other words, processes that have in the past decade led to statements by the WARC, LWF, WCC, and also the Roman Catholic Church,35 should be continued. Without a common, or at least to some extent shared understanding what the conditions of "exile in empire" are, common action becomes difficult. At the same time, recognition of this shared situation may be a basis for friendship and personal relationships, which are so central for retaining the impetus of the ecumenical movement.

4.8. Spirituality of Exile - Ecumenical Spirituality

No discussion of ecumenism can be complete without considering its spiritual aspects. This is not only the awareness of Walter Cardinal Kasper,36 but also of the tradition that initiated the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, now in its 100th year. Earlier, reference was made to the eschatological dimension of liturgy that has been retained and, especially in the past century, rediscovered as part of the heritage that many churches share. This dimension of the Eucharist makes the congregation aware of being in exile - otherwise no such eschatological outlook would be necessary. Notably in the Lima-report (section on the Eucharist, 22-26), the eschatological orientation of the Christian (Eucharistic) liturgy is clearly stated. This is a spiritual treasure that should be valued for the understanding of the ecumenical movement as a movement "in exile" with the eschatological reign of God as its destination and goal. Also, as became clear when considering the biblical witness about exile (2, cf. esp. also 3.4.), being in exile entails entrusting oneself to God's providence and sovereignty, being powerless oneself.

5. Concluding Observations

Drawing all the observations, originating in ecumenical chaplaincy worship, made above together, it seems that the description of the ecumenical movement as being "in exile" is both an apt description of its current situation, especially as addressed by various bodies of the WCC on the initiative of Konrad Raiser,37 and also a pointer towards its possibilities and prospects in the 21st century. The use of the notion of "exile" is in this way not a recipe that solves all the problems of the ecumenical movement (specifically as it is embodied in the WCC), but it is a heuristically helpful description, as it helps to capture the situation of the ecumenical movement theologically (in exile in the world) and institutionally (in exile from the agenda of its member churches), and the at same time it helps to capture the possibilities for change and innovation that are inherent in the current situation of the ecumenical movement, especially as embodied in the WCC, understood as exile.

When using the current "exilic" situation as a resource - without denying its downsides - , the churches committed to ecumenical movement may be able to find new ways for living out their common calling as ek-klesiai, called out of the world into exile, often in the metaphorical sense, but as the experience of many Christians today and of the church throughout the ages show, this exile is often all too real as well, both because of reasons directly connected with the Christian faith, sometimes for other reasons (illness, political turmoil, etc.). In this way, it may be possible to further the goal of full visible unity among the churches,38 while at the same time offering the gift of healing and reconciliation that they themselves experience to the world, not least in the form of the gift of the experience the church has in existing "in exile" for as long as it exists.

In this way, the churches, living as exiles in the world, entrusting themselves to God's providence, and growing together in unity in the ecumenical movement - thus recovering and healing from the exile from one another in which they exist -, can both further this process of rapprochement and at the same time, as wounded healers, offer its fruits to the world; an appropriate conclusion for a study of exile and ecumenism that began in the context of hospital chaplaincy.

1 The group of chaplains in training came from various different Christian and Jewish traditions; the population of the hospital was even more diverse than this.

2 Here, "Jewish Scriptures" indicates what is variously known as the "Old Testament" or the "Hebrew Bible"; "Christian Scriptures" indicates both Testaments. The terms "Jewish" and "Christian" Scriptures are used here especially, because of the original setting in which the theme of "Exile" emerged.

3 The two leading questions of the essay contest for which this piece is being written.

4 Given the intended length of this essay, bibliographical references will have to be kept to a minimum and will have an exemplary rather than an exhaustive character.

5 Cf. for an overview: Daniel Smith-Christopher, A Biblical Theology of Exile Overtures to Biblical Theology (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2002).

6 Here, the interreligious perspective will have to be left behind; see for a contemporary and particularly outspoken articulation of the importance of exile in Jewish tradition, however: Marc H. Ellis, Practicing Exile: The Religious Odyssey of an American Jew (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2000).

7 Cf. e.g. Joerg Rieger, Christ and Empire. From Paul to Postcolonial Times (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2007), 23-67. 69-117.

8 A classical study of this subject is still: Geoffrey Wainwright, Eucharist and Eschatology (New York : Oxford University Press, 1981).

9 Cf. for the tradition of the East, Alexander Schmemann, The Eucharist. Sacrament of the Kingdom (trans. Paul Kachur; Crestwood: St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, 1988), esp. 27-48.

10 Cf. e.g. the perspective offered by Jerry L. Walls, "Introduction" in: idem (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Eschatology (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008), 3-18, 9-12.

11 The theology, resp. eschatology of Jürgen Moltmann may well be seen to be exemplary in this respect, cf.

Jürgen Moltmann, The coming of God: Christian Eschatology (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1996), and especially idem, Theology of Hope: a Contemporary Christian Eschatology (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1991) - both are translations from earlier publications in German.

12 Cf. G. D. J. Dingemans, Als Hoorder onder de Hoorders: Hermeneutische Homiletiek Handboek Praktische Theologie (Kampen: Kok, 1991), 92ff. Dingemans develops his view on the basis of the eschatology of Moltmann, but prefers the notion of "exile" over that of "exodus." 13 As the author writes from the context of a Western European minority Church, this particular perspective is particularly close to his own context and experience.

14 Cf. in general the contributions in: Christopher Rowland (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Liberation Theology (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999), esp. the introduction by the editor (1-16).

15 Cf. in general, e.g. Mary Rosario Battung/Liberato C. Bautista (eds.), Religion and Society. Towards a Theology of Struggle 1-2 (Manila: Forum for Interdisciplinary Endeavors and Studies: 1988-1991); Eleazar S. Fernandez, Toward a Theology of Struggle (Maryknoll: Orbis, 1994). This topic cannot be discussed at any length here.

16 Battung/Bautista (eds.), Religion 2, 13.

17 Cf. for this and the following: Alain Epp Weaver, "On Exile: Yoder, Said, and a Theology of Land and Return," Cross Currents 52 (2003), 439-461.

18 Specifically: John Howard Yoder, "On Not Being in Charge," in: J. Patout Burns (ed.) War and Its Discontents: Pacifism and Quietism in the Abrahamic Traditions (Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Press, 1996), 74-90.

19 Cf. e.g. John Howard Yoder, The Politics of Jesus: Vicit Agnus Noster (2nd rev. ed.; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1994), 239.

20 Cf. John Howard Yoder, For the Nations: Essays Public and Evangelical (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), 64, idem: "Jesus the Jewish Pacifist," in: idem, The Jewish-Christian Schism Revisited (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2003), 48.

21 Cf. Edward W. Said, Reflections on Exile and Other Essays (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2000), 174-178.183: "those on the one hand who belong fully to the society as it is, who flourish in it without an overwhelming sense of dissonance or dissent, those who can be called yea-sayers; and on the other hand, the nay-sayers, the individuals at odds with their society and therefore outsiders and exiles so far as privileges, power, and honors are concerned." Cf. also: ed. Gauri Viswanathan (ed.), Power, Politics, and Culture: Interviews with Edward Said, (New York: Pantheon Books 2001), 56.

22 Edward W. Said, Representations of the Intellectual: The 1993 Reith Lectures (New York: Pantheon Books, 1994), 39.

23 Said, Reflections, 174. As Weaver notes, "secular" means here that exile has no inherent meaning in a theological framework, in fact, it has no meaning beyond the meaning that the exiled themselves can produce.

24 Cf. Weaver, "Exile," 449.

25 Cf. the documents made accessible under: www.oikoumene.org/?id=contest (accessed 20 February, 2008).

26 According the perception of the WCC itself, cf. Central Committee of the WCC, Towards a Common Understanding and Vision of the World Council of Churches, 1.8.-1.9. See: www.oikoumene.org/en/resources/documents/assembly/porto-alegre-2006/3-preparatory-andbackground- documents/common-understanding-and-vision-of-the-wcc-cuv.html (accessed 20 February 2008). Cf. also the 2003 Antelias-document (http://www.oikoumene.org/en/resources/documents/wccprogrammes/ ecumenical-movement-in-the-21st-century/youth/20-11-03-from-antelias-with-love.html, accessed 20 February 20, 2008), and the 2004 Chavannes-de-Bogis-statement (http://www.oikoumene.org/en/resources/documents/central-committee/geneva-2005/reports-anddocuments/ gen-11-final-statement-from-the-consultationbr-ecumenism-in-the-21st-century.html, accessed 20 February 2008).

27 For a good overview, cf. Central Committee of the WCC, Towards a Common Understanding and Vision of the World Council of Churches, 1.7-1.8. www.oikoumene.org/en/resources/documents/assembly/portoalegre- 2006/3-preparatory-and-background-documents/common-understanding-and-vision-of-the-wcccuv.

html (accessed 20 February 2008).

28 Cf. for the cooperation of the WCC as the 'center' of ecumenism with the margins of the ecumenical movement (i.e. other groups and organizations): ch. 4 of the 1997 statement by the Central Committee of the WCC, Towards a Common Understanding and Vision of the World Council of Churches, cf.

www.oikoumene.org/en/resources/documents/assembly/porto-alegre-2006/3-preparatory-andbackground- documents/common-understanding-and-vision-of-the-wcc-cuv.html (accessed 20 February 2008) (accessed 20 February 2008).

29 Cf. e.g. Jill Hawkey, Mapping the Oikoumene. A Study of Current Ecumenical Structures and Relationships (Geneva: World Council of Churches, 2005), Central Committee of the WCC, Towards a Common Understanding and Vision of the World Council of Churches, 1.10-1.15, et passim (www.oikoumene.org/en/resources/documents/assembly/porto-alegre-2006/3-preparatory-andbackground- documents/common-understanding-and-vision-of-the-wcc-cuv.html (accessed 20 February 2008).

30 Central Committee of the WCC, Towards a Common Understanding and Vision of the World Council of Churches, cf. www.oikoumene.org/en/resources/documents/assembly/porto-alegre-2006/3-preparatoryand- background-documents/common-understanding-and-vision-of-the-wcc-cuv.html (accessed 20 February 2008), 1.4.

31 Cf. for overviews of Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, and new religious traditions: Walls (ed.), Handbook, 113-212.

32 In this sense, the Church is an eschatological entity; however, the use of the word "exile" also suggests a protological place for the Church.

33 This concern seems to be the main drive behind the document "Called to Be One Church" as it was adopted by the 2006 WCC General Assembly in Porto Allegre, cf.

www.oikoumene.org/en/resources/documents/assembly/porto-alegre-2006/1-statements-documentsadopted/ christian-unity-and-message-to-the-churches/called-to-be-the-one-church-as-adopted.html (accessed, 20 February 2008).

34 Henri J. M. Nouwen, The Wounded Healer: Ministry in Contemporary Society (Garden City: Doubleday, 1972).

35 For some of these statements and accompanying actions, cf. the overview of the ecumenical journey given in: WCC, Alternative Globalization Addressing Peoples and Earth (AGAPE) (WCC: Geneva, 2005), 46-60.

36 Cf. e.g. Walter Cardinal Kasper, A Handbook for Spiritual Ecumenism (Hyde Park: New City, 2007).

37 Cf. e.g. Hawkey, Mapping, 1.

38 Cf. the 2006 Constitution and Rules of the WCC, I: "The World Council of Churches is a fellowship of churches which confess the Lord Jesus Christ as God and Saviour according to the scriptures and therefore seek to fulfill together their common calling to the glory of the one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit." (http://www.oikoumene.org/en/resources/documents/assembly/porto-alegre-2006/1-statementsdocuments- adopted/institutional-issues/constitution-and-rules-as-adopted.html, accessed 20 February 2008).