46th International Ecumenical Seminar

July 4 - 11, 2012, in Strasbourg, France

Theme:

What to Do about 2017?

The Ecumenical Challenge of an Anniversary

Theme:

In 2017, the beginning of the Reformation five hundred years earlier will be remembered in many places throughout the world. The Reformation, or rather the Reformations, of the sixteenth century profoundly influenced the history of the church in many different ways. Accordingly, the relationship of the various Christian churches to the Reformation is also different, almost to the point of opposition. The Lutheran churches owe their very existence to the theology of the Reformers and the events of the sixteenth century. But there was not only a Wittenberg Reformation; there were also Reformations in Zürich, Geneva, and Canterbury, not to mention the radical Reformation of the Anabaptists. So the term "Reformation" designates an extremely complex network of theologies and events. Even the Roman Catholic church can be understood in a certain sense as deriving from the Reformation, in its acceptance or rejection of the Reformers' assorted concerns. As a result, the remembrance of the Reformation is an ecumenical task par excellence; the self-understanding of the churches, their relationship to their history and to each other, all come into play. 2017 will be the first time that the anniversary of the Reformation takes place during the ecumenical era. Previous celebrations emphasized confessional self-aggrandizement at the expense of other churches. An ecumenical observance of the Reformation is a true novum, though a first effort at such an event could already be seen in the 1980 remembrance of the Augsburg Confession (1530).

In our International Ecumenical Seminar 2012, theologians from many different confessional families-Anglican, Lutheran, Mennonite, Methodist, Orthodox, Pentecostal, Reformed, and Roman Catholic-will present the relationship of their church to the Reformation and bring their various perspectives into conversation with one another. What do the various churches each perceive in the Reformation: a theological inheritance that wisely binds and guides them? or burdens and deficiencies, convictions and attitudes that even today seem to be largely in error? At the same time, reformation is not only something that lies in the past; reformation is the ongoing task of the churches, the obligation constantly to assess whether their preaching and life in ever-new situations still serve and conform to the word of God. The relationship of the churches to the Reformation and their readiness to undertake reformation today correspond to their ecumenical relationships with one another. For this reason, the remembrance and celebration of 2017 and the preparations leading up to it are a testing ground for ecumenism. Our Seminar will have the very important task of bringing the various perceptions of 2017 into a critical and constructive conversation, so that the different memories of the Reformation do not hinder the churches from giving a united witness to Christ but rather, precisely through the difficult work of remembering this anniversary, they gain a new vision of their common service for God.

Our seminars are not only about formal theology and scholarship. They are also a chance for personal exchange, for participants to get to know each other and each other's different backgrounds. The fact that our participants come from such a variety of countries and churches makes these opportunities that much more fascinating. The seminar affords ample space, both in the plenum and in the workshops, for such exchange. Not planned, but all the more important, are the many spontaneous conversations at exquisite French dinners, in the cafeteria or over wine in one of the many restaurants in medieval Strasbourg.

Languages:
English and German are the main languages of the Seminar. Lectures and discussion will be simultaneously translated into and out of these languages. Participants may also express themselves in French in the plenary discussions. A French language discussion group will be set up if there is a sufficient number of French-speaking participants.

Dates:
July 4 (arrival and reception in the evening) to July 11 (departure after breakfast), 2012, in Strasbourg, France.

Information:
Inquiries by email should be directed to the Institute for Ecumenical Research: StrasEcum[AT]ecumenical-institute.org
(please replace [AT] by the sign @ )

Postal address:
Institute for Ecumenical Research
8, rue Gustave Klotz
F - 67000 Strasbourg, FRANCE

Participants of the 45th International Ecumenical Seminar

2011