THE JOURNAL OF WORLD CHRISTIANITY FOR THE HOLY AND GREAT COUNCIL 11 (2021)

 



 Journal of World Christianity Vol. 11, No. 1, 2021

World Christianity is a field of study that encompasses analysis of the histories, practices, and discourses of Christianity as is found on six continents. The Journal of World Christianity is particularly concerned with comparative studies of both local forms of Christianity in the areas in which it has historically existed or presently exists, and with the place of Christianity in inter-religious dialogue, the history of interactions between Christianity and persons of other faiths, and interactions between Christian groups separated by confessional, ecclesiastical, geographical, or geo-political divides.

 

Daniela Christova Augustine:

Where the Spirit Dwells: Reflections on “The Encyclical of the Recent Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church” through an Eastern-European Pentecostal Lens (pp. 4-16)

https://doi.org/10.5325/jworlchri.11.1.0004


Abstract

The present article looks at the Encyclical of the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church (Crete, 2016) and its implications for ecumenical relations between Orthodox and Classical Pentecostals. The text reflects on the Encyclical through an Eastern-European Pentecostal perspective, engaging its inherent ecclesiological pneumatology, by focusing on three interrelated themes, namely, the understanding of the church as a continuing Pentecost, the apostolic succession as a guardian of the church’s charismatic essence, and the church’s sobornost—its pneumatic conciliarity and catholicity.

John P. Burgess:

A Protestant Response to “Relations of the Orthodox Church with the Rest of the Christian World” (pp. 17-29)

https://doi.org/10.5325/jworlchri.11.1.0017

Abstract

This article sets forth a Protestant response to three key aspects of the Holy and Great Council’s “Relations of the Orthodox Church with the Rest of the Christian World” and related statements: (1) the Council’s understanding of ecumenical relations, (2) its vision of God’s transfiguration of all reality, and (3) the relation between theological reflection and church practice. The article concludes that Protestants will learn from the Council’s vision of world transfiguration, even as they disagree with some of the ecclesiological implications that the Council draws from this vision.

Dale M. Coulter:
Response to the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church (pp. 30-38) https://doi.org/10.5325/jworlchri.11.1.0030
Abstract

The Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church was a momentous event not simply for the Orthodox world, but for all Christians. In this response, I suggest that the Council opened the door to a new set of relations centered on the recognition of the “historic name” of other churches outside the boundaries of Orthodoxy. The theological ground for this claim is the realization of the fullness of Christ in the life of the people of God through the Spirit. I turn to two areas of opportunity for further dialogue between Orthodox and Pentecostals. The first is the Christian life and the role of the sacraments while the second is proselytism

Peter C. Phan:
The Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church: A Roman Catholic Appraisal (pp. 39-59)
https://doi.org/10.5325/jworlchri.11.1.0039

Abstract

The article appraises from the Catholic perspective the document titled “The Relations of the Orthodox Church with the Rest of the Christian World.” It begins by giving a brief overview of the relations between the Catholic Church and the Othodox Church up to the Second Vatican Council (1962–65) as the immediate context to evaluate the HGC’s document on ecumenism. Next, it analyzes and evaluates the most salient points of the document. Finally, it offers an appraisal of the document from the Catholic perspectives and concludes by pointing out some issues that require urgent attention from both the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church.

Brandon Gallaher:
The Holy and Great Council of Crete and Eastern Orthodoxy’s Struggle for Identity in the Modern West (pp. 60-99) https://doi.org/10.5325/jworlchri.11.1.0060
Abstract

These are responses to the essays by Daniela Augustine, John Burgess, Dale Coulter and Peter Phan on the Orthodox Council of Crete of June 2016.

Elizabeth H. Prodromou:
Disciplinary Trespassing, Historical Analysis, and Geopolitics: A Commentary on the Ecumenical Significance of the Event of the Holy and Great Council of Crete (pp. 100-117) https://doi.org/10.5325/jworlchri.11.1.0100
Abstract

This essay is a commentary on assessments of the ecumenical significance of the Holy and Great Council (HGC) of the Orthodox Church at Crete in 2016. Relying on methods on Albert Hirschman’s notion of disciplinary trespassing and Jo Guildi and David Armitage’s commitment to long-range historical analysis, the essay considers the HGC as an event whose ecumenical potential was understood by the Ecumenical Patriarchate as inextricably linked to the realities of pan-Orthodox unity. The category of geopolitics is introduced as a key factor in explaining the challenges of Orthodox unity that shaped the preparations and processes of the HGC, constrained the fulsomeness of ecumenical outputs and impacts of the Crete event, and laid bare the challenges of religious pluralism and diversity within Christianity in the contemporary world

Kyriaki Karidoyanes FitzGerald:
Holy Council Ecumenical Responses: An Orthodox “Snapshot” Reflection in Time (pp. 118-130) https://doi.org/10.5325/jworlchri.11.1.0118
Abstract

The editors of the Journal of World Christianity invited the author to offer an Orthodox reply to four ecumenical responses (Catholic and Protestant) to the historic 2016 Holy and Great Council held on the island of Crete. Written from both a theological and phenomenological perspective, this evaluation serves as a “snapshot in time” regarding the unprecedented significance of this extraordinary event. Furthermore, responses called attention to some major issues that diverse groups of Christians are facing today, vis-à-vis one another, and especially regarding the Orthodox Church.