Come holy Spirit,Diagnose, Heal and Reconcile:Lingering Questions from Athens

Abstract

The 2005 Athens Mission Conference was unique in several respects, not simply because this was the first major ecumenical mission meeting to be held in a predominantly Orthodox context. Apart from the rich and visible participation of the various Orthodox traditions from around the globe, the meeting was further enriched by the official participation of the Roman Catholic and the sizeable presence of the Evangelical and Pentecostal churches. By all accounts, the conference perhaps provided a platform for the broadest gathering of all Christian confessional groups. Such a large gathering, however, brings with it certain challenges as well. One key question is how can the widening participation in the ecumenical movement enrich the distinct direction the movement has attained during the last half a century - direction in terms of the visible unity of the churches, inter-faith relations, focus on justice-peace concerns, an increased and just participation of women in the life of the church and other ditch concerns. For the very survival of the ecumenical movement in a meaningful way, it is crucial that we maintain, in our journey forward, the dialectical tension between participation and direction. There are other specific questions that come from the Athens Conference: the Conference was the first major ecumenical mission gathering to choose a theme focussing on healing and reconciliation. At the week-long Conference attended by a large number of medical practitioners, theologians and church leaders, there were, however, no sessions on the larger social and political question that affect healing and reconciliation. Could the theme have been dealt with at a level deeper than was seen at Athens? This paper argues that, with all the potential for wider ecumenical participation initiated at Athens, what was lacking at the conference was a keen theological and social analysis of the various missional challenges before us today.