Unification

Question 1

What does ecumenical mean?

Answer 1

Inhabited world

Question 2

what is the ecumenical movement?

Answer 2

The quest for unity.

Question 3

What do many Bible passages show?

Answer 3

The conviction that all Christians are in a deep fellowship with God and therefore can and should live in a deep fellowship with each other.

Question 4

Why are the four gospels different?

Answer 4

They each have different perspectives on the life and teachings of Jesus.

Question 5

What could be seen as the most important challenge to the Ecumenical movement?

Answer 5

The question of what churches need to agree on and what they can surrender as ‘non essential’.

Question 6

What can the ecumenical movement be traced back to?

Answer 6

The Edinburgh world missionary conference of 1910.

Question 7

What makes the Edinburgh world missionary conference so outstanding?

Answer 7

It brought together an unprecedented number of Christian groups and after led to the formation of Church organisations which are now the world council of churches.

Question 8

What happened at the EWMC?

Answer 8

1200 missionaries from 160 missionary boards gathered for 10 days to consider reports about various aspects of missionary work.

Question 9

What was the goal of the EWMC?

Answer 9

To bring into being a self governing and self supporting church in each ‘non Christian nation’.

Question 10

What progress needed to be made according to the EWMC?

Answer 10

Stop focusing on disputed theological questions and focus on the need felt by all Churches to spread the Christian message.

Question 11

What was the only resolution from the EWMC?

Answer 11

A committee should carry on coordinating missionary activity.

Question 12

Why could the EWMC be viewed as a breakthrough for the cause of ecumenism?

Answer 12

There was an acceptance of one another despite different denominational labels, a willingness to work together and a commitment to further gatherings.

Question 13

Why could the EWMC be seen as exclusive?

Answer 13

Soley an evangelical Protestant gathering and no Roman Catholic or Orthodox churches were invited.

Question 14

What did the Orthodox Patriarch of Constantinople do in 1920?

Answer 14

Proposed the ‘league’ of churches as a response to God’s desire for Church unity.

Question 15

When was the International Missionary Conference founded?

Answer 15

1921

Question 16

What did the International missionary conference do?

Answer 16

Extended the work of 1910 by bringing together Church leaders from around the world to consider issues such as the Christian message in a secular world.

Question 17

What is the Life and Work Movement?

Answer 17

Met in 1925 and focused on the promotion of social responsibility amongst Christians.

Question 18

Who are the Faith and Order Movement?

Answer 18

Met in 1927 to consider matters of doctrinal divisions between churches.

Question 19

What was the most comprehensive merger?

Answer 19

Formation of the Church of South India in 1947, it merged Anglican, Methodist, Presbyterian, Congregational, lutheran and Reformed Churches in one denomination.

Question 20

Who proposed the World Council of Churches?

Answer 20

In 1937, leaders from the Life and Work and Faith and Order movements met together and proposed it.

Question 21

When and where was the first assembly of the World Council of Churches?

Answer 21

Amsterdam in 1948.

Question 22

What does the WCC define itself as?

Answer 22

‘a fellowship of churches which accept our Lord Jesus Christ as our God and Saviour.’

Question 23

How often is the WCC meetings?

Answer 23

Every 7 years is a general assembly.

Question 24

What was significant about the 1961 WCC assembly?

Answer 24

• WCC revised its definition to include reference to scriptures and to the Trinity.
• The first Pentecostal Christian Church joined the WCC
• The first Roman Catholics attended as official observers

Question 25

According to the WCC, what does the visible unity of the Church include?

Answer 25

• A common confession of the apostolic faith
• A common sacramental life
• Mutual recognition of all members and their ministries.
• Common service to the world so all might believe.

Question 26

What are the three areas that the WCC work in?

Answer 26

• Unity, mission and ecumenical relations
• Public witness and Diakonia
• Ecumenical formation

Question 27

What does diakonia mean?

Answer 27

Activities aimed at justice and peace for the poor and oppressed.

Question 28

How did the Catholic Church respond to the growth of the ecumenical movement?

Answer 28

Church did not react positively in the 1920s.

Question 29

What did Pope Pius do in 1928?

Answer 29

Published a letter which declared that the only way to realise the will of Christ for the Church unity was for all Christians to simply return to the Church of Rome.

Question 30

What did Pope Pius fear?

Answer 30

That agreements between churches would lead to watered down doctrines and eventually irreligion.

Question 31

What did the Roman Catholic Church do in 1948?

Answer 31

Refused to join the WCC and forbade its members from attending as observers.

Question 32

When was the new Pope elected and what did this mean?

Answer 32

1958, Pope John was elected meaning that a new approach was taken to ecumenism.

Question 33

What happened in 1960 and why was it significant?

Answer 33

The Pope met the Archbishop of Canterbury. The first time the Archbishop had visited the Vatican in 600 years.

Question 34

Who was appointed by the Pope in 1960?

Answer 34

A secretariat for promoting Christian unity with the purpose if developing an ecumenical spirit in the Catholic Church.