The Oxford Handbook of Ecumenical Studies ed. by Geoffrey Wainwright and Paul McPartlan

Abstract

Reviewed by: The Oxford Handbook of Ecumenical Studies ed. by Geoffrey Wainwright and Paul McPartlan H. George Anderson The Oxford Handbook of Ecumenical Studies. Edited by Geoffrey Wainwright and Paul McPartlan. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2021. xvii + 686 pp. The ecumenical movement is one of the two Christian renewal movements of the twentieth century. It already has its own Dictionary (1993) and a three-volume History (1986, 2004), so what can a "Handbook" provide? The Oxford University Press Handbook series aims to give "authoritative and up-to-date surveys of original research" by "leading figures in the discipline" who offer "critical examinations of the progress and direction of debates, as well as a foundation for future research." I can only say "mission accomplished." The forty-two authors are a galaxy of ecumenical stars who lived and led the ecumenical movement through its golden age. Regrettably, several have died since completing their essays, but they have left a legacy of memories, critiques, and suggestions that will stimulate further research. Each brief essay is an introduction to a topic followed by a list of references that support its conclusions and then suggested resources for general information. The five sections provide a multi-dimensional survey of ecumenism—its history, significant doctrinal issues, key organizations, continental variations, and methodology. Writers from Orthodox to Baptist and Pentecostal recount their confession's experience in the movement. William G. Rusch, the former ecumenical officer of the [End Page 120] Lutheran Church in America and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, writes for the Lutherans (137–152). These various confessional perspectives converge on several points: the significant entry of Roman Catholics after the Second Vatican Council, the "golden age" that followed, the sense of an "ecumenical winter" at the turn of the century, and the unsettled questions that remain: Is the goal of ecumenism "visible unity," "reconciled diversity," or "conciliar fellowship?" Is the Eucharist a means of unity or its culmination? How can decisions made by experts effect change at the grass roots? The persistence of these questions, and others, has led to a sense of stagnation among ecumenists. Perhaps it is time for this renewal movement to be renewed. The impetus might be coming from the other twentieth-century renewal movement that has often been seen as a rival to ecumenism: Pentecostalism. The book's major sections provide a series of perspectives that will contribute to a multi-dimensional way of testing this hypothesis. Its section on "History" traces tensions and mutual criticism between ecumenists and Pentecostals. The following section on confessional "Traditions" contains Telford Work's essay, "Pentecostal and Charismatic" (187–204), a clear-eyed look at the changing face of the movement and the gifts it offers to ecumenism. Essays in the section on "Achievements and Issues" note a significant Roman Catholic-Pentecostal dialogue on baptism (254) but also point out Pentecostalism's lack of a "coherent theology of the church" (236). The section on "Instruments" offers glimpses of the Pentecostal movement gradually overcoming its initial suspicion of councils of churches, then its tentative participation in some elements of the World Council of Churches, and finally its full membership in the Global Christian Forum. The survey of "The Global Scene" documents Pentecostalism's dramatic growth in the "Global South." The final Handbook section, "Debate and Prospects," highlights conflicting goals for the ecumenical movement: "reconciled diversity," "visible unity," or some form of "spiritual" affinity. Cardinal Kurt Koch, in his presidential address to the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity (594–609), deplores this lack of consensus and notes that the debate is being complicated by a "pentecostalization of Christianity," and suggests that it may be seen as a "fourth [End Page 121] mode of being Christian" alongside the traditional confessional families. This "case study" on Pentecostalism illustrates how the Handbook provides a wealth of intriguing leads for further research. It will be just as useful for general readers who want to learn more about specific aspects of the ecumenical movement. H. George Anderson Green Valley, Arizona Copyright © 2023 Johns Hopkins University Press and Lutheran Quarterly, Inc.