One Hundred Years of Catholic Mission (original) (raw)

A Century of Catholic Mission: Roman Catholic Missiology 1910 to the Present

2013

Edinburgh, was a suggestive moment for many people seeking direction for Christian mission in the twenty-first century. Several different constituencies within world Christianity held significant events around 2010. From 2005, an international group worked collaboratively to develop an intercontinental and multi-denominational project, known as Edinburgh 2010, and based at New College, University of Edinburgh. This initiative brought together representatives of twenty different global Christian bodies, representing all major Christian denominations and confessions, and many different strands of mission and church life, to mark the Centenary. Essential to the work of the Edinburgh 1910 Conference, and of abiding value, were the findings of the eight think-tanks or 'commissions'. These inspired the idea of a new round of collaborative reflection on Christian mission-but now focused on nine themes identified as being key to mission in the twenty-first century. The study process was polycentric, open-ended, and as inclusive as possible of the different genders, regions of the world, and theological and confessional perspectives in today's church. It was overseen by the Study

The Ecumenical Movement in 1920: (3) A New Beginning for Ecumenical Missionary Cooperation

World Council of Churches' website

This is the third of a series of short texts on the ecumenical movement in 1920. The 1910 Edinburgh missionary conference appointed a Continuation Committee to implement it decisions. The Continuation Committee relied once again on the leadership of Joseph Oldham and John Mott. It created the periodical "International Review of Missions" and established, especially in Asia and Africa, national missionary councils that pioneered national councils of churches or regional councils of churches. The Great War of 1914-1918 crashed the spirit of unity and virtually paralysed the ecumenical work. A meeting held in Crans, near Geneva, in 1920 was the moment of healing and reconciliation. It led to the decision to establish an International Missionary Council.

HOW WORLD CHRISTIANITY SAVED THE ECUMENICAL MOVEMENT

Protestantismo em Revista, 2020

The following article examines how the expansion of world Christianity in the course of the twentieth century contributed to change and renew the ecumenical movement. This article argues that an expanded notion of the oikoumene and the ecumenical which takes into account social, economic, and cultural differences is crucial for the future of the ecumenical movement. The article highlights the challenges faced by the modern ecumenical movement and examines its historical roots in eurocentric conceptions of mission and unity, which informed, among others, the World Missionary Congress in Edinburgh (1910), and its subsequent ramifications, including the 1916 Panama Congress on Christian Work in Latin America. Bringing attention to a decolonial shift in world Christianity that challenges the hegemonic approach to ecumenism, the article diachronically points concrete cases such as the Tambaram World Missionary Conference, Vatican II, the formation of EATWOT, the Global Christian Forum (GCF), and Pope Francis' declaration "Querida Amazonia" to illustrate an alternative ecumenical model impacted by what was once seen as the margins. By looking at these examples, the article attempts to show that the turn to the indigenous in world Christianity offers another possible ecumenical path, carved through an intercultural hermeneutics that decenters colonial Christendom, relocates the Christian loci of enunciation, and engages dialectically with multiple cultures, traditions, and religions as they manifest their own pretension to universal truth.

Revisiting Mission at Vatican II: Theology and Practice for Today's Missionary Church

Theological Studies, 2013

The author argues that a closer and fresh reading of the Vatican II documents with an eye to the theme of mission might suggest that it is closer to the heart of the council's original intention than a cursory and dated reading might indicate. Indeed the church's mission is more urgent today than ever, given the shift of Christianity's center of gravity to the Global South, massive migration to the Global North, and widespread secularism. Revisiting the council's documents can offer substantial help for developing a theology and practice for today's missionary church.

The Future of Mission in the World Council of Churches

2004

In this article, Michael W. Goheen summarizes and evaluates a debate between ecumenical pioneer Lesslie Newbigin and former WCC general secretary Konrad Raiser. Raiser exemplifies a trinitarian approach to ecumenism and mission that recognizes the universal presence of the Holy Spirit among all peoples and religions, and so would cease to have a Ghristocentric focus. For Newbigin, while a trinitarian approach to ecumenism and mission is of paramount importance, an abandonment of the centrality and universality of Jesus Christ is something that cannot be abandoned. In the end, says Goheen, the differences between Raiser and Newbigin are differences revolving around the meaning of Jesus Christ and his atoning work on the cross.

The Reshaping of Mission in Latin America

2015

The centenary of the World Missionary Conference of 1910, held in Edinburgh, was a suggestive moment for many people seeking direction for Christian mission in the 21 st century. Several different constituencies within world Christianity held significant events around 2010. From 2005, an international group worked collaboratively to develop an intercontinental and multidenominational project, known as Edinburgh 2010, based at New College, University of Edinburgh. This initiative brought together representatives of twenty different global Christian bodies, representing all major Christian denominations and confessions, and many different strands of mission and church life, to mark the centenary. Essential to the work of the Edinburgh 1910 Conference, and of abiding value, were the findings of the eight think-tanks or 'commissions'. These inspired the idea of a new round of collaborative reflection on Christian mission-but now focused on nine themes identified as being key to mission in the 21 st century. The study process was polycentric, open-ended, and as inclusive as possible of the different genders, regions of the world, and theological and confessional perspectives in today's church. It was overseen by the Study