THE PRESENT STATE OF ECUMENISM

Abstract

The 500th Anniversary of the Reformation offers an occasion to reflect on the progress of the ecumenical movement, now over 100 years old. If a new atmosphere of respect and cooperation exists between many churches, there are new obstacles to reconciliation in the areas of demographics, institutional concerns, and theology, leading some to speak of a period of stagnation or “ecumenical winter.” The WCC's convergence text, The Church: Towards a Common Vision, is a promising document, but it is seen by many of the “new” churches of the Global South as too Western and Eurocentric. This essay concludes with some suggestions for moving ahead of the present impasse.