Ecumenical Ecclesiology Unity, Diversity and Otherness in a Fragmented World

This is a rich collection of fifteen articles by European, North American and Asian theologians who are concerned with the concept, life, unity and future of the church. It offers a wealth of broad perspectives on ecclesiology by scholars from Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox backgrounds. The first section, 'Perspectives on Ecumenical Ecclesiology', comprises reflections on postmodern ecclesiologies as well as on the development and problems concerning ecumenical methods and models of unity. The second section, 'Communion Ecclesiology and Otherness', provides some pertinent deliberations on how an ecclesiology of communion can integrate otherness. In particular, Zizioulas' communion ecclesiology is critically examined, the possibility for a retrieval of Eucharistic theology between Catholics and Orthodox is put forward, and Tillard's communion ecclesiology is appraised as offering resources for innerdenominational otherness. The final section, 'Ecclesiology in Global Contexts', considers critically the possibility of evangelical ecclesiology as an answer to ethnic impaired Christian community. The role of the (Catholic) Church and its values in Europe and vis-à-vis the European Constitution is examined. The Church of Nigeria's Constitutional Revision (2005) and its ecclesial- ecumenical implications comes into focus, and three notable concepts of unity, as developed by three Indian scholars, S.K. George, John Sadiq and Karem David, are evaluated.

CONTENTS Acknowledgements Contributors Preface Linda Hogan Introduction Gesa E. Thiessen Part I Perspectives on Contemporary Ecumenical Ecclesiology 1. Driving the Haywain: Where Stands the Church 'catholic' Today? Gerard Mannion 2. Seeking Unity: Reflecting on Methods in Contemporary Ecumenical Dialogue Gesa E. Thiessen 3. The Struggle for an Organic, Conciliar and Diverse Church - Models of Church Unity in Earlier Stages of the Ecumenical Dialogue Miriam Haar 4. Church and Covenant: Theological Resources for Divided Denominations Edwin C. van Driel 5. Comprehensive Vision: The Ecumenical Potential of a Lost Ideal Andrew Pierce 6. Integrity, Alternative Aggressions, and Impaired Communion Wendy Dackson Part II Communion Ecclesiology and Otherness 7. The Church and the ‘Other': Questions of Ecclesial and Divine Communion Paul M. Collins 8. Being Church: A Critique of Zizioulas' Communion Ecclesiology Travis E. Ables 9. Retrieving Eucharistic Ecclesiology Radu Bordeianu 10. Communion Ecclesiology and Ecumenical Experience: Resources for Inner-Denominational Otherness Brian P. Flanagan 11. Evangelical Ecclesiology as an Answer to Ethnic Impaired Christian Community? An Inquiry into the Theology of Miroslav Volf Eddy Van der Borght Part III Ecclesiology in Global Contexts 12. On Being a European Catholic: The Politics of Inclusion Encounters an Ecclesiology of Exclusion Julie Clague 13. Instruments of Faith and Unity in Canon Law: The Church of Nigeria Constitutional Revision of 2005 Evan Kuehn 14. Sacral Authority and Pastoral Ministry: A Shamanistic Inculturation of the Protestant Church in Korea Hak Joon Lee 15. Confucianism, Internationalism, Patriotism and Protestantism: The Ecclesiological Matrix of Japanese Christian Activists in Japan and the U.S. Diaspora Madeline Duntley Index