Love and Witness

Come and See: A Theological Invitation to the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace is a paper approved by the Commission on Faith and Order of the World Council of Churches (WCC) in 2017. It includes an invitation to ponder the role of peace as the Church journeys in a world of many reli­gions. The Church cannot hide from the world: “The pilgrim Church is not a community closed in on itself; rather, it is called to share the joyful news of the gospel in a vibrant and inviting way in the complex realities of today.”1 These complex realities, however, need to be handled with respect and care: “There is need further to consider the way Christians move together and how witness happens with truthfulness and integrity in a pluralist context. This should occur in a way which shares the gospel without imposing it on others, recognizing the co-pilgrimage of all cre­ation with whom the church shares the world and inviting the world to participate in the good news (Rom. 8:22-23).”2

This document, Love and Witness, fleshes out more fully the insights of Come and See with regard to peace and religious plurality. It seeks to engage with the insights of the WCC and others, asking what our many traditions can say together about the encounter with other religions as we journey toward visible unity – engagement that is a necessary part of the Church’s pilgrim way. How does the pilgrim Church journey in the midst of religious plurality in ways that bring joy, peace, and reconcilia­tion to the world? What are the implications of these reflections for the search for Christian unity?