Subject: History of the Ecumenical Movements (259).
Topic: Early Beginnings of modern ecumenical movement: Evangelical and Missionary movements of the 19th century
Introduction:The modern ecumenical movement started to develop dynamically in the middle of the 19th century. This development was initiated and sustained mainly by various lay movements including several Christian associations of young men and women, as well as by the concern of missionaries who became increasingly aware of the fact that confessional and denominational divisions negatively affect the very message of the evangelization. Among the youth movements, the WorldStudent Christian Federation (WSCF), founded in 1895, quickly became an organization of great importance. In its branches different parts of the world were represented and worked together. The Federation provided a forum where the problems and challenges of the ecumenical rapprochement were discussed. Moreover, WSCF was the international organization in which several of the new leaders of the ecumenical movement obtained an important part of their “ecumenical formation.”
1. The Ecumenical Movement:
1.1. The Ideal of the Ecumenical: Ecumenical Movement was anattemptto unite the divided Christian Churches of the world to recognize their essential unity and to move toward new concord and reunion. It is for the inhabited earth, but in current usage it is ordinarily linked to thespecific Christian’s spirit,movement and set of organizations that seek religious reconciliation.Itwas about the year 1054 that thesplitting of the Eastern and Western churches was started and lasted up to the present day. In the early part of the 16th century the western churches also was split as a consequence of attempt to reform during the period known as the Protestant Reformation. That schism has also not been overcome. Meanwhile, for over 450 years, Protestantism itself has been divided and in the middle of the 16th century there was
Bibliography: “Mission.”In the New Encyclopedia Britannica.Edited by Robert McHenry, vol. 8. Chicago: University of Chicago, 1993, 187-188. “Missionary Movement.”In the Dictionary of Mission Theology: Evangelical Foundation. Edited by John Core. Nottingham: Inter-Varsity Press, 2007, 405-406. “Missionary Movements.”In the Encyclopedia Americanna.Eedited by Charles W “The Challenge.”Crisis and Challenge of the Ecumenical Movement. Switzerland: WCC Publications, 1994. George, Dr. K. M. Department of Christianity Through the Centuries. Tiruvalla: ChristavaSahityaSamitti, 2005. Kurian, Jacob. Paulos Mar GregoriosOn Ecumenism. Delhi: ISPCK, 2006. Marty, Martin E. “Ecumenical Movement.”The Encyclopedia Americana, vol.9. Danbury: Grolier Incorporated, 1992: 623. McGee, Gary B. “Evangelical Movement.” in The Evangelical Dictionary of World Missions. Edited by A. Scott Moreau. USA: Maker Books, 2000, 337-340. Neill, Stephen. A History of Christian Missions.New York: Penguin, 1964. Pierard, R.V. and W.A. Elwell.“Evangelicalism.”In Evangelical Dictionary of Theology.Edited by Walter A. Elwell. Michigan: Baker Academic, 1984: 405-410. Schnabel, Eckhard J. Early Christian Mission. Vol.1. USA: Inter Varsity Press, 2004. Snaitang, O. L. A History of Ecumenical Movement: An Introduction. Bangalore: BTESSC, 2012. Thomas, M. M. Recalling Ecumenical Beginnings. Delhi: ISPCK, 1987. Tucker, Ruth A. “The Christian And Missionary Alliance.”By A. B. Simpson in From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya.Michigan: The Zondervan Corporation Grand Rapids, 1983. Yohannan, K. P. Revolution in World Mission., Carrolton, TX: Gospel For Asia, 2004. WEBLIOGRAPHY http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission_(Christianity) (Accessed on 17 Nov 2013). themissionalconference.com/files/movements_Addison-excerpt.pdf (19/10/2013) www.abqhcf.com/sermons/handouts/2011/.../MissionsNotes