Here is a comprehensive introduction to the spirituality and theology of the ecumenical movement as a whole, with an emphasis on the place of the Catholic Church, particularly the Catholic Church in the United States, within it. It surveys the issues that the churches have considered serious enough to separate over, and the development in recent times of methods for healing those divisions. Included is a review of key Catholic and World Council of Churches documents on ecumenism, as well as specific relationships among churches: Orthodox; Anglican; Lutheran; Methodist; Presbyterian and Reformed Disciples of Christ; Evangelical; Southern Baptist; and Pentecostal partners. A concluding chapter draws together some of the priorities for the proximate future of the ecumenical movement.
This one-volume introductory text acquaints seminary and university students, as well as religious professionals, with the history, development and organization of ecumenical relationships between the several Christian churches, in a concise and comprehensible manner.