Less Ecumenism, more Oikoumene

Throughout this blog I have contrasted the words ecumenism and oikoumene.  I use the English word in the narrow sense of relations between churches, whilst the Greek I use to mean the wider reconciliation of the whole cosmos to God.

When we consider the content, the 'What?' of ecumenical conversations, it is hard for me to resist the call of this wider subject area.  Indeed, oikoumene is the topic of transformational reception, my third dimension of ecumenical conversations.

Of course, what I can't resist is easily resisted by most ecumenists.  Usually ecumenical conversations are about the churches.  How churches differ and how they might change to accommodate each other.  This accounts for many of the difficulties modern ecumenism is encountering.  Most people are voting with their feet because they no longer see the point.

We face a time in the early twentieth century something like the Edwardian era in the last century.  It was a logical continuation of the Victorian era, brought to an abrupt end in 1914.  Similarly, we have seen a growth in wealth, primarily but lately not exclusively in the West, which has continued throughout my life, effectively since the end of the second world war.  We all know it cannot go on for ever.  So far our political leadership has kept up the pretense that we can continue with business as usual.  More people learn each day that all of us are living a lie.  So, now what?

Let's face it the churches have colluded with the politicians.  The call of transformational reception is to address this wider oikoumene, to bring the inherited wealth and wisdom of our traditions to bear upon what is happening to humanity.  The contribution ecumenism can make to oikoumene is to bring more than one approach to bear.  Through ecumenical conversations, we have all learned much more of our own and others traditions, let's use that knowledge for the benefit of all.

Does this mean I'm advocating the abandonment of our formal talks?  Not exactly.  What we need to do is recognise that our traditions do not stay the same, what we see as the same tradition 100 years ago is significantly different to the tradition we know today.  Why do traditions change?  Because of their encounter with the world, the wider oikoumene.   

Now we have an opportunity to move forward together.  A complex interplay of traditions entering into a complex exchange with the wider world.  This is God's call to God's churches, to respond to his call to move onto the wider oikoumene.