The Nolde Lecture, Lutheran Seminary of Philadelphia, October 1, 2013 The Legacy of Ecumenical Protestantism: Nolde's Contribution

Abstract

AbstractScholars of the “new history” of the post–World War II ecumenical movement claim that ecumenical Protestantism left a contradictory legacy. It advanced the development of a more pluralistic, equitable social order, stressing the importance of a moderate center between theological and political extremes. At the same time, it did so because of parochial theological beliefs that were tied to a privileged social position it inadvertently helped to undermine, thereby advancing the secularization of society. However, a reconsideration of the contributions of Fred Nolde to ecumenical Protestantism challenges that account. It strongly confirms the progressive, centrist impact of the movement, but it also shows that while ecumenicals like Nolde were parochial in some ways, they held other decidedly antiparochial beliefs, beliefs that welcomed equal liberty for everyone everywhere—believers and nonbelievers alike—but did not surrender everything to the forces of secularization. They favored protecting the right of ecumenicals on an equal footing with everyone else to continue speaking up in public for a politics and theology of the center. Whether that message can help reclaim the lost center of American religious and political life remains to be seen.