Charting Churches in a Changing Europe: Charta Oecumenica and the Process of Ecumenical Encounter (Currents of Encounter 28) (Currents of Encounter)

The countries of Europe are seeking to redefine themselves, both individually and in relation to each other. This volume examines the role of the Christian churches at various levels of that process. The Charta Oecumenica, a ground-breaking document from the Conference of Churches in Europe and the Council of European Bishops' Conferences, aimed to set forth the ecumenical response of the European Christian Churches to the living out of faith in today's world. Four theologians, Protestant, Roman Catholic, Orthodox and Lutheran, respond to this document, assessing its strengths and the areas where further development is required. At least implicitly this discussion raises questions about the nature of catholicity and communion, a topic the following four essays address. What is catholicity, what happens when there is too strong an emphasis on the national church, and are there models of gradual church communion to which the churches could assent? Gradual communion sets out to attain full, including sacramental, unity and the final two essays explore how sacramental theology might assist in this process. Martien E. Brinkman Martien E. Brinkman -- Kajsa Ahlstrand Martien E. Brinkman -- Kajsa Ahlstrand -- Peter de Mey Martien E. Brinkman -- Kajsa Ahlstrand -- Peter de Mey -- Dorin Oancea Martien E. Brinkman -- Kajsa Ahlstrand -- Peter de Mey -- Dorin Oancea -- Oliver Schuegraf Martien E. Brinkman -- Kajsa Ahlstrand -- Peter de Mey -- Dorin Oancea -- Oliver Schuegraf -- Martien E. Brinkman Martien E. Brinkman -- Kajsa Ahlstrand -- Peter de Mey -- Dorin Oancea -- Oliver Schuegraf -- Martien E. Brinkman -- Anton Houtepen Martien E. Brinkman -- Kajsa Ahlstrand -- Peter de Mey -- Dorin Oancea -- Oliver Schuegraf -- Martien E. Brinkman -- Anton Houtepen -- Eddy Van der Borght Martien E. Brinkman -- Kajsa Ahlstrand -- Peter de Mey -- Dorin Oancea -- Oliver Schuegraf -- Martien E. Brinkman -- Anton Houtepen -- Eddy Van der Borght -- Johannes Oeldemann Martien E. Brinkman -- Kajsa Ahlstrand -- Peter de Mey -- Dorin Oancea -- Oliver Schuegraf -- Martien E. Brinkman -- Anton Houtepen -- Eddy Van der Borght -- Johannes Oeldemann -- Maria Clara Lucchetti Bingemer Martien E. Brinkman -- Kajsa Ahlstrand -- Peter de Mey -- Dorin Oancea -- Oliver Schuegraf -- Martien E. Brinkman -- Anton Houtepen -- Eddy Van der Borght -- Johannes Oeldemann -- Maria Clara Lucchetti Bingemer -- Ivana Noble Martien E. Brinkman -- Kajsa Ahlstrand -- Peter de Mey -- Dorin Oancea -- Oliver Schuegraf -- Martien E. Brinkman -- Anton Houtepen -- Eddy Van der Borght -- Johannes Oeldemann -- Maria Clara Lucchetti Bingemer -- Ivana Noble -- Bernd Jochen Hilberath -- Appendix: Martien E. Brinkman-- Kajsa Ahlstrand-- Peter de Mey-- Dorin Oancea-- Oliver Schuegraf-- Martien E. Brinkman-- Anton Houtepen-- Eddy Van der Borght-- Johannes Oeldemann-- Maria Clara Lucchetti Bingemer-- Ivana Noble-- Bernd Jochen Hilberath-- Appendix: En Route To Koinonia: Church Communion In Transition / Martien E. Brinkman -- The Significance Of The Charta Oecumenica Today: Critical Comments From A Protestant Perspective / Kajsa Ahlstrand -- An Assessment Of The Charta Oecumenica From A Roman Catholic Perspective / Peter De Mey -- Church Communion And The Reception Of Ecumenical Dialogues: An Orthodox Perspective / Dorin Oancea -- Enough Is Enough?: Preconditions For Church Communion From A Lutheran Perspective / Oliver Schuegraf -- The Modern Inculturation Debate And The Catholicity Of The Church / Martien E. Brinkman -- The Catholicity Of The Church: A Matrix Of Faith And Life In View Of God's Final Kingdom / Anton Houtepen -- Uniting Europe As A Challenge To The Future Of National Churches / Eddy Van Der Borght -- Gradual Church Communion As An Ecumenical Model?: Some Remarks From A Roman Catholic Perspective / Johannes Oeldemann -- The Roman Catholic Understanding Of Sacramentality And Its Potential For Church Unity / Maria Clara Lucchetti Bingemer -- From The Sacramentality Of The Church To The Sacramentality Of The World: An Exploration Of The Theology Of Alexander Schmemann And Louis-marie Chauvet / Ivana Noble -- Epilogue / Bernd Jochen Hilberath. Edited By Tim And Ivana Noble, Martien E. Brinkman, [and] Jochen Hilberath. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. In this section four authors respond to the Charta Oecumenica from different confessional positions.