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Church

Church. Ecumenism, ministry , spirituality. Ecumenism. Unity – an unnecessary ideal? All Christian churches carry out: Evangelism Service to the world. Ecumenism. Theologically it seeks to : Make manifest the Kingdom of God amongst all peoples

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Church

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  1. Church Ecumenism, ministry , spirituality

  2. Ecumenism • Unity – an unnecessary ideal? • All Christian churches carry out: • Evangelism • Service to the world

  3. Ecumenism • Theologically it seeks to: • Make manifest the Kingdom of God amongst all peoples • To work out God’s purposes of redemption and salvation through out the world Has been interpreted as ‘you-come-in-ism’ by Catholics!

  4. Forms of Unity • Of origin: in the Trinity • Of nature: the Church in the body of Christ • In baptism: the validity of baptism is generally recognised so we are all incorporated into Christ • In the Spirit: all those being saved have within them the Spirit and so they are united

  5. Unity - • In charity: where there is charity and love, there is God • Of life: we share many common structures and organisations across the Christian spectrum • Of destiny: we are heading for the same destiny, may one day be in the same ‘saved’ state so in a sense we are already unified.

  6. ARCIC • Anglican and Roman Catholic study groups on various topics • Very little significant difference pinpointed • The ordination of women intervened to prevent further unification between Catholics and CoE • For some, not so much the ordination of women as the way in which the decision was reached

  7. The Church and Ministry • All Christians have a ministry • ‘The common priesthood of the faithful’ • And the ministerial or hierarchical priesthood • LG: ‘these differ essentially and not only in degree’ N10 • These ministries are interrelated • Each shares in the priesthood of Christ

  8. Ordained women? - For • Exclusion violates human dignity and baptismal mandate to participate in the Church’s mission • Deaconesses in the early church (1 Tim 3:8-13; 5:2;) • Nothing positively excludes ordination of women • Women have demonstrated a capacity to fulfil this role

  9. And: • ‘the tradition’ – said to exclude women - may well be in its infancy! • Exclusion of women on the basis of gender assumes a radical inferiority • Jesus called no one to ordained priesthood as distinct from discipleship and apostolate • The cultural context is vastly different • The growing requirement of the Eucharist to be celebrated

  10. Women's’ ordination: arguments against • The tradition has consistently been against it • Jesus did not call women to priesthood, even his mother • The ordained priest acts in the name of Christ and must be able to represent him physically as well as spiritually. • No one has a right to ordination • Some ambiguity about the ordination of women called deaconesses in the NT

  11. Collaborative ministry • ‘The Sign We Give’ 1989 • Ordained and lay working together • Result? Poor to middling • Ministry may be an area where Vat 2 hasn’t yet made a difference

  12. Spirituality in the Church today • The role of the parish: a spiritual flame? • Vatican emphasis (General Directory for Catechesis n257) • Movements today: many, varied and increasing • And generally outsideof the parish • A response to the world?

  13. Spiritual Movements today • Taize, Iona, Northumbria • Focolare • Ascent • L’Arche • Youth 2000 • St Egidio • Many third orders • These are just examples- there are hundreds more

  14. Pope Francis on Taize..Dec 2014 • Speaking of the search for full communion between the Churches in Istanbul he cited 3 voices calling particularly for unity: the poor, victims of conflict and the young. • “The young people today who implore us to make progress toward full communion....[for example] come together through the Taize community. They do not do this because they are not aware of the differences....but because they are able to see beyond them; they are able to embrace what is really important and what already unites us” • Taize website 12/14

  15. Orthodox developments • 20c movements with the fall of communism • Re-establishment of the Russian Orthodox Church (165 million of 250 million Orthodox Christians) • Currently 14 autocephalous churches • Arguments about who should be considered autocephalous – Council May 2016 • In Ukraine 2 new churches because of political upheaval - should they be recognised? • World conflict now preventing further rapprochement between Orthodox and Catholicism • Is Putin the saviour of Christians in the Middle East?

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