Clark Theological College

Aolijen, Mokokchung
Paper Presentation

Topic : - The Ecumenical Theology

Presenter : - Manerjoy
Respondent : - Letgougun
Course Guide : - Dr. Tiameren

Introduction
Unity is a basic issue among Christians and within the Church.As reasoned discourse about God
ecumenical theology is focusing on God’s will for unity among Christians. It is theological
reflection on the unity of the Church as it is willed by God. And as a way of reflection of the
Christian faith on its own nature, ecumenical theology is dealing with the different theologies
being in dialogue with one another in the ecumenical movement. It tries to bring these different
theologies into a dialogue.India is a country of many religions and different philosophical
schools. Indian society and its culture developed by the plurality of religions. Christianity also
has its roots in Indian religious traditions from the very early stages of its origin and growth. The
complex Indian religious scenario urged many scholars in the past to define Christianity in an
Indian context. S. J. Samartha is one among such Indian theologians who primarily concerns to
dialogue and harmony with the people of other faiths in the pluralistic context of
Asia.1Therefore, this paper is attempted to discuss about the Ecumenical Theology particularly
the understanding of religious dialogue with other faiths opined by Indian theologian S. J.
Samartha.

1. The word “Ecumenical”:

The word “Ecumenical” comes from Late Latin oecumenicus, from Late Greek oikoumenikos,
from Greek oikoumene the inhabited world, from feminine of oikoumenos, present passive
participle of oikein to inhabit, from oikos house. 2The word in its turn is a combination of two
words oilosfor a “house” and a “meno” for “to live” and thus may well be explained as “living in
a house”. The Greeks used it in a colloquially universal, non-theological, popular and inclusive
sense to describe the earth and human inhabitance or dwelling in it. 3Oikoumene is used fifteen
times in the New Testament and always means either the inhabited world or earth or inhabitants
1
Sunil
Koshy,https://www.academia.edu/41920856/Theology_of_Stanley_J_Samartha_A_Missiological_Appraisal
(Accessed on 12/02/2024).
2
Vanlalawmpuia, Seminar Paper on “Mission and the Ecumenical Movement” Aizawl Theological College
on 27 th July, 2012.
3
O.L. Snaitang, A History of Ecumenical Movement: An Introduction (Bangalore: BTESSC/SATHRI,
2004), 11.

1
of the world. Thus it originally meant worldwide or general in extent, influence, or application.
Applied to the church, it meant general or universal, such as the ecumenical councils of the early
Christian centuries. In more recent times it has taken on the connotation of first a quest for
Protestant unity and then the unity of all Christian communions, based on the Scriptural text
John 17:11, the statement in Jesus’ high priestly prayer for the disciples ‘that they may be one, as
we are one.”4

The various nounces of this terms were, (i) Oikomene refers to the whole inhabited world, i.e.
‘all people everywhere’ (Acts 17:30) (ii) It refers to the whole of Roman Empire under the
Caesars, i.e. ‘all world’ (Lk. 2:1) (iii) It referred to the whole church especially within the Roman
Empire, i.e. the Ecumenical Councils (iv) It mean a theological category of a universal validity,
i.e. the statements of belief are called ‘ecumenical creeds’ (v) In its present sense it reers to the
unity and relation between two or more Christian denominations and (vi) It is an expression used
in 1937 to underscore an awareness of a world Christian fellowship. 5Therefore, the word is now
used to designate a modern Christian movement concerned with the unity and renewal of the
church and its relationship to God’s reconciling and renewing mission throughout creation.6

2. The Ecumenical Theology

Before the commencement of the ecumenical movement in the twentieth century, the idea of
unity has a long history.7Ecumenical theology is a common theology based on biblical insights
with relevant appeal to issue facing societies in the contemporary world.Ecumenical theology is
a collection and meeting point of the experience of reflections of God’s people all over the
world, facilitated by bodies like the World Council Churches (WCC). 8‘Ecumenical theology’is
theological reflection aimed at nurturing the unity of the Christian church, or at overcoming
schism between divided churches.9 The theological discussion has featured prominently in the
quest for church unity which has loomed largely in the 20 th century Christianity. After the
Stimulus Edinburgh Missionary Conference in 1910, the conference to confront divisive issues
of doctrine, polity and practice gave birth to the Faith and Order movement. For ecumenical
4
Vanlalawmpuia, Seminar Paper on “Mission and the Ecumenical Movement” Aizawl Theological College
th
on 27 July, 2012.
5
Monodeep Daniel, “Ecumenical Movements and Dalit-Adivasi Awakening’ in Rethinking Theology in
India: Christianity in the Twenty-first Century edited by James Massey & TK John (New Delhi: Manohar Publishers
& Distributors, 2013), 219-220.
6
John R. Mott, “The Ecumenical Vision: Toward an Integration of Unity, Mission, Justice and Renewal “in
The Ecumenical Movement (Geneva: World Council of Churches, 2016), 1.
7
Monodeep Daniel, “Ecumenical Movements and Dalit-Adivasi Awakening’ in Rethinking Theology in
India: Christianity in the Twenty-first Century edited by James Massey & TK John, 219.
8
Israel Selvanayagam, Samuel Amirthan’s Living Theology (Bangalore: BTESSC, 2007), 19-20.
9
Joseph L. Mangina, “Ecumenical Theology”, in The Dictionary of Historical Theology edited by Trevor A.
Hart (Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2000), 170-171.

2
theology the primary goal is the visible unity to be obtained. Church-dividing views should be
abandoned, especially in the form of false contrasts. 10 In the course of the twentieth century,
however, “ecumenical theology” has come to refer to a specific branch of theological work, with
its own distinctive goal, style, and central texts. Most often “ecumenical theology” refers to
theology produced with the conscious intent of contributing to the recent movement toward a
greater or more visible unity of the church. 11Although the word ‘ecumenical’ comes from the
Greek word, oikomene, ‘the inhabited earth’, currently it is linked to the specific Christian Spirit,
movement and set of organizations that seek religious reconciliation . The first major division of
the church took place when the Eastern and Western churches separated in 1054 and this has
been continued up to the present day. The 16 th century saw a further division of the world church
with the Protestant Reformation. The trend in division among the Protestants is being continued
till the present day.12

Spiritual developments and missionary movement in the 18th and 19th centuries provided a
conducive atmosphere that eventually led to the successful holding of an epochal and landmark
World Missionary Conference at Edinburgh in 1910. It was held from 14 to 23 June of 1910,
which was a significant milestone assembly for the growth of Ecumenical movement. Altogether
eight commissions were held and dealt with various issues, including on how to develop
cooperation and promote unity among the churches and mission agencies. 13It was the
culmination of mission leaders’ united efforts to bring missionaries, native leaders, mission
societies and boards to a common sense of unity for world evangelization. John R. Mott and
other ecumenical leaders strongly affirmed the possibility of reaching the non-Christian world
with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Christian movements towards interdenominational cooperation
had mostly the objective of mission and evangelism and not just cooperation or unity. The
concern was for the successful fulfillment of the Great Commission. Ecumenical leaders saw
unity as an important means in which the Church could pursue and expedite the task of
converting the “heathens” and planting the churches.Inter-denomination unity was not just an
effort to heal the wounds of division but an intense necessity for the common objective of
evangelization. It was during this period that John R. Mott made his catchy slogan,
“Evangelization in the generation”.14

10
Amit Thomas, Basics of Christian Theology (New Delhi: Christian World Imprints, 2016), 151-153.
11
Michael Root, “Ecumenical Theology”, in The Modern Theologians edited by David F. Ford
(Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishers Ltd, 1998), 538-539.
12
K. M. George, Christianity in India through the Centuries (Secunderabad: Authentic BOOKS, 2007), 71.
13
Samuel Raja Sekhar Bobbili, “Origins and manifestations of the Modern Ecumenical Movement during
the 19th and 20th Centuries and its developments in India”, Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative
Research (July 2023, Volume 10, Issue 7), 239-241.
14
O.L. Snaitang, A History of Ecumenical Movement: An Introduction , 97-98.

3
3. S. J. Samartha’s on Religious pluralism
The plurality of religions and cultures is an ancient phenomenon, but the perception of this fact
has been changing during the past few decades. To discuss religious pluralism without taking
into account the larger context where political and economic factors are probably as the religions
would be to miss to depth and complexity of the phenomenon and it’s far reaching effects on
human relations in the global community. It is necessary to recall both the political and religious
changes that have came to pass after the end of the colonial period and the profound spiritual
concern and emotion feeling with which people of different faiths respond to religious pluralism
today. In the word of Samartha, the colonial period was a ‘period when the pluralism of religions
and cultural in the world was regarded as a bump on the rosd to be flattened out in the interest of
Christianity and western culture. But, those who were its victims do not find it easy to forget it
not only because its consequences are very much alive today but also because new forms of
colonialism are emerging at the present time.15

4. Samartha’sTheological Concerns
The service with WCC had a great impact in Samartha’s later theological view point which
ispluralistic in its very nature but have relative flavours. He recognized the religious as well
associo-cultural plurality worldwide in different parts of the world especially in India. Along
withhis WCC experience his early life also had its roots for his later theological view. He
wasbrought up in a multi-religious society with little tension or conflict. His close friends in
theprimary school in the little village of Perdur were two Hindus and two Muslims. He kept
intouch with them over the years, even after his service in Geneva. 16For him dialogue is a living
relationship with people of other faith and so denial of neither uniqueness of Christ nor any loss
of his own commitment to Christ but rather a genuinely Christian approach to others must be
human, personal, relevant and humble. It is searching for a community along with our neighbor
in love or with love. He used the word ‘witnessing’ rather than terms like campaign or crusade.
For Samartha, Jesus Christ always points to God and so he was “Theo-centric” and he also
believes that spirit is working in other religious traditions. 17For Samartha, we can no longer talk
of God’s work in the lines of neighbours of other faiths in purely negative terms. Rather God’s
self-disclosure in the lines of neighbours of other faithsand the secular struggles of human life
should also be recognized as theologically significant. “The relation of the particularity of the
Lordship of Jesus Christ to other particularities should be considered not in terms of rejection but
in terms of relationships.”18So dialogue should proceed in terms of people of other faiths and
ideologies rather than of theoretical, impersonal systems.19
15
Amit Thomas, Basics of Christian Theology: Traditional & Contemporary, 153,
16
Sunil
Koshy,https://www.academia.edu/41920856/Theology_of_Stanley_J_Samartha_A_Missiological_Appraisal
17
Amit Thomas, Basics of Christian Theology: Traditional & Contemporary, 153,
18
S. J. Samartha, The Lordship of Jesus Christ and Religious Pluralism (Madras: CLS, 1981), 14
19
S.J. Samartha, “Guidelines on Dialogue with People of other faiths ideologies” in The Ecumenical
Movement edited by Michael Kinnamon& Brian E. Cope (Geneva: WCC Publications,1997) ,408-413.

4
4.1.Understanding on Scripture
According to Samartha, Christians are living in a multi-religious world where exists scriptures of
other faiths. These ‘other scriptures’ provide spiritual support and ethical guidance to millions of
their adherents. He comments about the discussion of scriptural authority of the Bible that “The
notion that the Bible is the ‘true’ Scripture and all other scriptures are ‘false’ is so stamped in the
minds of many Christians which negate any further discussion on it. These scriptures other than
Bible nourished the life of the people of Asia for thousand years.” Thecriteria derived from one
scripture cannot be applied to judge other scriptures and the authorityof one scripture cannot be
imposed on other scriptures. It is imperfect to impose one scriptureas the only authority over
against other scriptures. In this context the quest for a newhermeneutics arise in the Asia. 20

Samartha had a strong opposition on the biblical theologies which is of total western essenceand
are not suitable for the Eastern or Asian context. There are “exclusive” elements in
everyscripture and they are important only for that particular community for their self
understandingand identity of each community of faith. They should not be relativised, but
accepted as legitimate within the boundaries of particular communities of faith but cannot be
extended toothers. As Bible has its authority for Christian life, the scriptures of our neighbours
also hold itsauthority to its adherents. Bible cannot be the norm or authority for people of other
faiths.21

4.2. Understanding on God: The Mystery of God

To interpret God, Samartha borrow the pluralistic arguments of John Hick and others.
TheAdvaita Vedanta thought influenced him to formulate a satisfactory framework for
religiouspluralism. He describes God as Sat (Truth), Absolute, Mystery, Truth of the Truth (
SatyasyaSatyam), Ultimate Reality, etc. His favorite term for the divine reality is ‘Mystery’. The
terms ‘Brahman’ and ‘God’ are culturally conditioned. So, the term Mystery is more acceptable
because it does not have cultural connotations. The human response to the Mysteryis diverse. A
sense of Mystery provides a point of unity to all plurality. This Mystery, Truthof the Truth
(Satyasya Satyam) is the Transcendent Centre that remains always beyond andgreater than
human concern. It is beyond cognitive knowledge (tarka). It is open to vision(dristi) and intuition
(anubhava). Samartha further says that Mystery cannot be fully known. Itis experienced in
different ways. He acknowledges different world religions as differentresponses to the Mystery.
When one religious community claims that they are unique orexclusive or final knowledge, it is
irrelevant. Exclusiveness puts fences around the Mystery.22

4.3. Understanding on Jesus Christ

20
S. J. Samartha, One Christ Many Religions: Towards a Revised Christology (Bangalore: South Asia
Theological Research Institute, 1992), 66-67.
21
S. J. Samartha, One Christ Many Religions: Towards a Revised Christology,75-84,
22
S. J. Samartha, One Christ Many Religions: Towards a Revised Christology,105-106.

5
Samartha says that doctrine of trinity,which explains God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is an
attempt to make a sense to thismystery. He says that“No one could have anticipated in advance
the presence of God in the lifeand death of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Christ of God is a confession
of faith by the Christiancommunity.” It does not mean that Mystery is disclosed only in one
particular person at oneparticular point. There is definite New Testament witness to the
relationship of God in Christ. Church has always exalted, glorify, and deify Jesus Christ. It is not
Jesus rose from the dead but God raised him from the dead. Samartha did not want Jesus to be
given a cult figure over against other religious figures. By telling this he never meant to ignore
the divinity of Jesus Christ but to avoid the “Christomonism”. He says that the divine -human
encounter in Jesus Christ should notbe distorted into an encounter between Christianity and other
religious traditions.

4.4. Understanding on Salvation

According to Samartha in the multi-religious situation like India salvation and for what we
aresaved is understood in a different way. As the Mystery is plural and articulated in
differentways the concept of sin and salvation also has its different articulations in different
religioustraditions. In New Testament the salvation is through Jesus Christ and “Christians have
used the term ‘sin’ to describe the human predicament, Hindus might use avidya (ignorance) and
Buddhist dukha (sorrow) as the condition from which deliverance is sought. The notions of
mokshaand nirvana as the ultimate goal of deliverance are conceived differently, as also the ways
of discipline advocated as necessary to attain these goals.” It shows the alternative ways of
salvation in the multiple religious traditions which negate the Judeo-Christian-Western claim of
universal salvific criterion. If salvation comes from God then possibilities should be left open to
recognize the validity of other experiences of salvation. It is not to question the validity of
Christian experience of salvation in Jesus Christ but to question the exclusive claims of
Christians which have no any evidence in history.23

4.5. A Revised Christology in a Pluralistic Context

The need for revised Christology in this context should be obvious.Samartha hold a pluralist
position to promote inter-faith dialogue in India. In his opinion, the Christology for India and
Asia must be revised. According to him, plurality belongs to the very structure of reality and in
theological terms plurality may even be the will of God for all life. The fundamental character of
the religiously plural world is dialogical and polymorphic. So the morality of mutual respect in
obedience to the dialogical principle is essential for living and working together. This is perhaps
the most significant element in the new perceptions of religious pluralism today. But the
exclusive claims of the traditional Christology makes it difficult to have dialogue with people of
other faiths and so difficult for persons belonging to different religious traditions to live together
in harmony. Obviously, religious dimensions influences contemporary global situation, such as

23
S. J. Samartha, One Christ Many Religions: Towards a Revised Christology,105-106.

6
political, social, and economic life, and the ways in which people respond to the power of
science and technology. So in any Christological reflections of today there should be recognition
of the ties that link the communities of Christians across the manifold differences of time, space
and culture.The traditional Christologies are imported from the West to the rest of the world that
lack a theological response to the presence of other religions. This is because they are developed
in an entirely different historical and cultural Asian and more particularly Indian context. This
amplifies the need for a relevant revised Indian Christology.24

5. S.J. Samartha’sSix “Tentative Suggestions” as Guidelines for Inter-faith Dialogue

Before the Addis Ababa Assembly (1971), Samartha wrote some articles about the nature and
purpose of dialogue as an ecumenical concern. One of his articles was then published in 1972 in
the Journal of Ecumenical Studies under the title The Progress and Promise of Inter-Religious
Dialogue. He wrote six guidelines to dialogue, of which, according to him, three could be
classified as bilateral dialogue and the others as multi-lateral dialogue.The six tentative
suggestions are:

1. The basis of inter-religious dialogue is the commitment of all partners to their respective faiths
and their openness to the insights of the others. 2. The objective of dialogue is not a superficial
consensus or the finding of the most acceptable common factor. It must lead to the enrichment of
all in the discovery of new dimensions of Truth. 3. Dialogue should not be limited to mere
academic discussion on religious matters. Living together in dialogue should help communities,
particularly in multi-religious societies, to shed their fear and distrust of each other and to build
up mutual trust and confidence. 4. It is important to emphasize that dialogue should be much
wider than academic discussion of religious ideas. Dialogue must touch all aspects of religion,
ritual and significance of symbols and devotional experiences. It is much more than verbal
communication. 5. With reference to strengthening the efforts for peace the following points may
be noted: a) People of different religious persuasions should be brought together to consider
common human concerns in which all are involved irrespective of their religious affiliations. b)
In the interest of justice and peace it is necessary for world religions to come out more openly on
the side of the poor, the powerless and the oppressed. c) World religious organizations should
manifest greater concern to work for peace in particular situations where there are conflicts. 6.
Inter-religious dialogues should also stress the need to study fundamental questions in the
religious dimension of life. Religions are man’s responses to the mystery of existence and quests
for meaning in the midst of confusion.25

24
S. J. Samartha, One Christ Many Religions: Towards a Revised Christology, 105-106.
25
Sunil
Koshy,https://www.academia.edu/41920856/Theology_of_Stanley_J_Samartha_A_Missiological_Appraisal

7
Conclusion
From the above discussion we couldsee that the ecumenical theology is not just a movement of
institutions, conferences, ideologies or issues but also a movement of individual persons. The
movement's goal is to demonstrate to the world that all Christians share the same belief in and
worship of Christ amid its diversity. It is also means that ecumenical theology is bringing
together in terms of different denominations and practices into one umbrella. On the other hand
ecumenical theology also needs to holds the mutual respect of other religions and living together
in peace and harmony. As such S.J. Samartha’sunderstanding of theological concerns on
scripture, God, Jesus Christ, Salvation and revised Christology in Asia and particularly in Indian
contexts is very important. S. J. Samartha who was very much concern with other religions for
dialoguesand to live with Peace and harmony and Christ is seen in other religions as well.

Bibliography
Snaitang,O.L. A History of Ecumenical Movement: An Introduction. Bangalore:
BTESSC/SATHRI, 2004.
Daniel,Monodeep. “Ecumenical Movements and Dalit-Adivasi Awakening’ in Rethinking
Theology in India: Christianity in the Twenty-first Century edited by James Massey & TK John.
New Delhi: Manohar Publishers& Distributors, 2013.

8
Mott,John R. “The Ecumenical Vision: Toward an Integration of Unity, Mission, Justice and
Renewal “in The Ecumenical Movement. Geneva: World Council of Churches, 2016.

Selvanayagam, Israel.Samuel Amirthan’s Living Theology. Bangalore: BTESSC, 2007.

Mangina,Joseph L. “Ecumenical Theology”, in The Dictionary of Historical Theology edited by

Trevor A. Hart. Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2000.

Thomas, Amit.Basics of Christian Theology. New Delhi: Christian World Imprints, 2016.

Root,Michael. “Ecumenical Theology”, in The Modern Theologians edited by David F. Ford.

Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishers Ltd, 1998.

George,K. M. Christianity in India through the Centuries. Secunderabad: Authentic BOOKS,

2007.

Bobbili,Samuel Raja Sekhar. “Origins and manifestations of the Modern Ecumenical Movement
during the 19th and 20th Centuries and its developments in India”, Journal of Emerging
Technologies and Innovative Research, July 2023, Volume 10, Issue 7.

Samartha,S. J. The Lordship of Jesus Christ and Religious Pluralism. Madras: CLS, 1981.

Samartha,S.J. “Guidelines on Dialogue with People of other faiths ideologies” in The

Ecumenical Movement edited by Michael Kinnamon& Brian E. Cope. Geneva: WCC
Publications,1997.
Samartha, S. J. One Christ Many Religions: Towards a Revised Christology. Bangalore: South
Asia Theological Research Institute, 1992.
Net Source
SunilKoshy,https://www.academia.edu/41920856/
Theology_of_Stanley_J_Samartha_A_Missiological_Appraisal (Accessed on 12/02/2024).
Unpublished
Vanlalawmpuia, SeminarPaper on “Mission and the Ecumenical Movement” Aizawl Theological
College on 27 th July, 2012.