Govada Dyvasirvadam, b. 1951, General Secretary, Church of South India; contributed articles.

What is Ecumenism? Is Christian unity a legitimate hope or just a pious illusion? The aim of this book is to analyze the real obstacles that stand in the path to unity and to propose solutions, where these are possible. Distinguished authors from the main Christian denominations offer a unique insight into the problem of Christian divisions and the relationships between Christian communities. This work is not a politically correct exercise in diplomacy; rather, it informs the reader about the actual state of the ecumenical dialogue.

Ecumenism: A Guide for the Perplexed is a comprehensive introduction to the methods, achievements, and future prospects of the modern ecumenical movement. The authors begin the volume by charting out a serviceable definition of ecumenism, a term that has long been a source of confusion for students of theology and church history. They review the chronology of the modern ecumenical movement and highlight the major events, figures, accomplishments, and impasses. This historical survey is followed by critical examinations of three significant challenges for contemporary ecumenical theology and practice. Along the way, the authors provide commentary upon the difficulties and prospects that the ecumenical movement might anticipate as it enters this new millennium.

This book contains fresh insights into ecumenism and, notwithstanding claims of an “ecumenical winter,” affirms the view that we are actually moving into a “new ecumenical spring.” It offers new theological insights in the areas of Christology, Pneumatology and Trinitarian theology, and discusses developments in ecumenism in the USA, UK, Australia, India, and Africa, as well as in ecumenical institutions such as the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Anglican Roman Catholic Commission (ARCIC).

This book is a response to the growing recognition of Receptive Ecumenism as a concept and process that has the potential to bring about the greater flourishing of the Church, both within denominations and across the Church universal.

At the end of a century which saw the rise of a world-wide movement for church unity, many observers would say that ecumenism has fallen on hard times. Among the churches which have historically been the mainstay of the ecumenical movement, many face the new millennium with uncertainty about their own identity and mission. This challenging book by the former general secretary of the World Council of Churches weaves together concerns and hopes he has heard expressed by church leaders around the world, insights that have emerged from ecumenical reflection on the church and on the world, and biblical images of the nature of the Christian community. The author outlines a vision of how the dynamism of the movement towards a world-wide fellowship of churches and of its institutional expression in bodies like the World Council might be rekindled in the face of the daunting challenges of the years ahead.