Ecumenical

The Roman Catholic Church and Oriental Orthodox Churches in the U.K. have welcomed an "unprecedented" move towards unity this week.

The Churches have launched a new book entitled "Joint Statements" outlining areas of theological agreement between the two denominations.

The book was developed by the Catholic-Oriental Orthodox Regional Forum (COORF) and presented by the body's co-chairs Bishop Angaelos, General Bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the U.K., and the Catholic Archbishop of Southwark Kevin McDonald. more >>

Alabama Christian leaders have filed a lawsuit this week to stop the state from enacting the “nation’s most merciless” anti-immigration law, claiming it would prohibit Christians from living out their faith and the mandates of Scripture.

Plaintiffs in the suit filed Monday include leaders of the Episcopalian, Methodist and Roman Catholic churches in Alabama, who represent 338,000 of the state’s faithful.

The ecumenical group insists the new immigration law, effective September 1, could ensnare Christian leaders who unknowingly administer religious sacraments, such as Holy Communion, to illegal immigrants. more >>

GENEVA – “Historic” was the word of the day today as the World Evangelical Alliance, World Council of Churches and Vatican launched a landmark document on the ethics of mission.

“Christian Witness in a Multi-Religious World” is the first joint document of its kind in church history and seeks to identify not only the biblical call to evangelism but also the ethical mandates of Christian witness.

It offers recommendations for Christian conduct in the mission field and is a joined up response to criticisms leveled at Christians by some religious communities against what they perceive to be “unethical methods.” more >>

Leading Ecumenicals from around the world have asked for forgiveness for Christianity’s history of being complicit in violence, injustice, racism and discrimination.

At the conclusion of the International Ecumenical Peace Convocation (IEPC) nearly 1,000 delegates pledged to work closer with other faiths to establish peace in global communities.

Delegates expressed their regret at the complicity of Christians in violence: “We realise that Christians have often been complicit in systems of violence, injustice, militarism, racism, casteism, intolerance and discrimination,” they said. “We ask God to forgive us our sins, and to transform us as agents of righteousness and advocates of just peace.” more >>

Churches around the world kicked off on Tuesday The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.

And ecumenical leaders are emphasizing that the week is "not just a nice occasion for friends to gather."

Rather, "it is a time to give thanks to God for the gift and promise of unity, to be renewed in our ecumenical resolve by the assurance of God’s leading, and to recommit ourselves to participate in what God is doing to overcome the barriers between God’s children," said the Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon, general secretary of the National Council of Churches. more >>

A group of church leaders issued what it claims to be the first and only clergy response to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s famous "Letter from Birmingham Jail."

Christian Churches Together in the U.S.A. – which includes leaders from Protestant, Catholic, Pentecostal, Orthodox and evangelical churches – said in a one-page letter that though virtually all church bodies have made formal statements against racism, many have failed to go beyond "spoken commitments."

"Too often we have elected to be comfortable rather than prophetic. Too often we have chosen not to see the evidence of a racism that is less overt but still permeates our national life in corrosive ways," they lamented. more >>