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  • June 4, 2010

    Long Delayed Ecumenical Dialogue on Moral Issues Should Begin

    Friends:

    As I said in class yesterday–and said also at the North American Academy of Ecumenists last September and the National Workshop on Christian Unity this April–the long-delayed dialogue on personal morality should begin and is actually beginning.

    In an article to be published in the Journal of Ecumenical Studies this summer–which was a presentation at NAAE last September–Michael Root surveys the dialogues and finds some dialogue on moral issues but not much in-depth consideration.

    The Catholic-Episcopal Dialogue in the United States has begun to work in this arena.

    I believe that we should move forward with this process–It was called for in the 1990’s but not embraced. Now controversial decisions by some Christian communities have put moral issues ‘on the front burner.’

    I think that we should, as always, pray for the guidance of the Spirit.

    While some of these issues seem intractable, I believe that 30 years ago a Joint Declaration on Justification seemed difficult if not impossible–yet we now have a Declaration. I don’t think we should underestimate the power of the Spirit.

    Peace,
    John