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Call to Discipleship: Mission in the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace is a collection of study documents of the WCC Commission on World Mission and Evangelism 2018-2021. They give an overview of the state of the missiological thinking and practice of the ecumenical movement at the end of the 2010s and beginning of the 2020s. Each study document is preceded by a short introduction.

Studie der Kommission für Glauben und Kirchenverfassung Nr. 235

Gegenwärtige Spannungen innerhalb und zwischen Kirchen sind oft das Ergebnis von Uneinigkeit in moralisch-ethischen Fragen. Angesichts der Dringlichkeit der Angelegenheit hat es sich die Kommission für Glauben und Kirchenverfassung des Ökumenischen Rates der Kirchen zur Aufgabe gemacht, die Kirchen bei der Suche nach einem Weg, das gegenseitige Verstehen zu vertiefen, zu unterstützen. Aufbauend aus den Lernerfahrungen aus den moralisch-ethischen Urteilsbildungsprozessen verschiedener kirchlicher Traditionen und einer Reihe von historischen Beispielen schlägt dieses Studiendokument ein Analyseinstrument vor, um das Wissen über die Prozesse zu vertiefen, zu erkennen, wie und warum Unterschiede auftreten können, gemeinsame Überzeugungen zu bekräftigen und auf diese Weise Koinonia zu stärken. Anstatt sich nur auf die Ergebnisse eines Urteilsbildungsprozesses zu konzentrieren, kann das Verständnis des Prozesses zu einem neuen Weg für den Dialog führen. Das Studiendokument schlägt die Vorstellung des Gewissens der Kirche vor. Wo anerkannt wird, dass Kirchen danach streben, Gottes Willen zu erkennen und zu tun, um dem Evangelium treu zu bleiben, kann ein Dialog mit der Annahme beginnen, dass der Partner aufrichtig ist, ohne dabei notwendigerweise das Ergebnis seines Urteilsbildungsprozesses zu akzeptieren.

 

Receptive Ecumenism can be described as an ecumenism of the wounded hands. It brings to the fore the self-critical hospitality, humble learning, and ongoing conversion that have always been quietly essential to ecumenical work. “What do we, in our tradition, need to learn and receive, with integrity, from others?”

The book is meant for all those interested in the theological relations between mission and unity, as well as in Receptive Ecumenism. It is intended for all who are interested in the practical consequences of committing themselves to foster the unity and mission of the Church in the world. It serves both academics and practitioners engaged in mission and unity. If the book can be a source of inspiration for them, it will have fulfilled its purpose.

Faith and Order Paper no. 236

This report was developed by the WCC Commission on Faith and Order as part of an ongoing conversation by churches about the Church that has included various elements. Following the publication of the two volumes of Churches Respond to The Church: Towards a Common Vision, this text provides an accessible summary of the findings of a process that took years of intense and hope-filled listening. It provides some highlights and impressions of what those who have listened have discerned what they heard.

The Commission on Faith and Order hope that readers will find this short text fascinating, challenging, and significant and that it will encourage the churches to take stock of the theological unity made evident here.

Faith and Order Paper No. 235

The study document “Churches and Moral Discernment: Facilitating Dialogue to Build Koinonia,” harvests the fruits of the study process on moral discernment which began in 2015. In its analysis, the document describes patterns in the complex negotiations between continuity and change as churches respond to moral challenges. At its core, the study document invites the churches to more deeply understand the significance of “the conscience of the church” in moral discernment processes and points to its ecumenical potential. The document offers a tool to analyse core elements in the conscience of the church that shape moral discernment.