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