The Trinity and Ecumenical Church Thought : the Church-Event. Ashgate New Criitical Thinking in Religion, Theology and Biblical Studies

Some hundred years from inception, the ecumenical movement is stagnating. William C. Ingle-Gillis argues that the problem lies in modern ecumenism's treatment of denominational Churches as provisional entities requiring reunion to be more fully Christ's Body. In a work unique both to ecumenical studies and to trinitarian theology, the author redefines ecclesial life from the premise that God's essence is personhood-in-communion and that the ultimate calling of human persons is to share as fully in the divine life as Christ himself. Concluding that the Churches are, by the Spirit's action, a tangible, dynamic event, wherein God makes visible his on-going reconciliation of the world to himself, Ingle-Gillis argues that the Churches' true life lies in coming-together, rather than being-together. This conclusion places ecumenism at the heart of Church life and witness.

Some hundred years from inception, the ecumenical movement is stagnating. William C. Ingle-Gillis argues that the problem lies in modern ecumenism's treatment of denominational Churches as provisional entities requiring reunion to be more fully Christ's Body. In a work unique both to ecumenical studies and to trinitarian theology, the author redefines ecclesial life from the premise that God's essence is personhood-in-communion and that the ultimate calling of human persons is to share as fully in the divine life as Christ himself.

Concluding that the Churches are, by the Spirit's action, a tangible, dynamic event, wherein God makes visible his on-going reconciliation of the world to himself, Ingle-Gillis argues that the Churches' true life lies in coming-together, rather than being-together. This conclusion places ecumenism at the heart of Church life and witness.

Contents......Page 8 Acknowledgements......Page 10 List of abbreviations......Page 12 PART 1 The provisionalist ecclesiology of modern ecumenism......Page 14 1 Ecumenism and ecclesiology......Page 16 2 Survey of ecumenical provisionalism......Page 44 PART 2 Trinitarian ontology: the ecclesiological cornerstone......Page 68 3 Principles of trinitarian ontology and cosmology......Page 70 4 The Spirit in the economy of being and salvation......Page 96 PART 3 Event-ecclesiology and -ecumenism......Page 134 5 Ecclesiological principles......Page 136 6 Event-ecclesiology: a response to provisionalism......Page 174 Bibliography......Page 210 C......Page 228 E......Page 229 I......Page 231 N......Page 232 R......Page 233 U......Page 234 Z......Page 235 "Some hundred years from inception, the ecumenical movement is stagnating. William C. Ingle-Gillis argues that the problem lies in modern ecumenism's treatment of denominational Churches as provisional entities requiring reunion to be more fully Christ's Body. In a work unique both to ecumenical studies and to trinitarian theology, the author redefines ecclesial life from the premise that God's essence is personhood-in-communion and that the ultimate calling of human persons is to share as fully in the divine life as Christ himself. Ingle-Gillis argues that the Churches' true life lies in coming-together, rather than being-together."--BOOK JACKET