Authority in the Church: An Ecumenical Reflection on Hermeneutic Boundaries and Their Implications for Inter-Church Relations

by Keelan R. Downton

Overview

This work examines the nature of authority in the Christian Church through analysis of major reform movements of the 16th Century and major ecumenical documents of the 20th Century. Authority in the Church begins with a probing historical analysis of authority as expressed in five competing ecclesial models of the 16th Century: Martin Luther, John Calvin, the Anabaptists, Thomas Cranmer, and the Council of Trent. It follows this analysis with a theological evaluation of authority in the church as expressed in the ecumenical conversations between the Catholic and Protestant traditions in the 20th Century. This approach employs a hermeneutic method in which the historical analysis proceeds from the vantage point of 20th Century ecumenical conversations and issues raised in the sixteenth century debates inform the theological analysis. Out of this interaction, Downton proposes a three-fold model of authority comprised of textual, existential, and ministerial aspects as a common framework for engaging the issue of authority productively in ecumenical context.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780761834243
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	05/16/2006
Pages:	254
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.57(d)

About the Author

R. Keelan Downton is the Faith and Order Postdoctoral Fellow at the National Council of Churches of Christ USA. He received his Ph.D. in Church History from Queen's University Belfast in Northern Ireland.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Foreword
Chapter 2 Preface
Chapter 3 Introduction
Chapter 4 1. Developments Leading Up to the Sixteenth Century
Chapter 5 2. Martin Luther's Conception of Authority
Chapter 6 3. John Calvin's Conception of Authority
Chapter 7 4. The Anabaptist Conception of Authority
Chapter 8 5. Thomas Cranmer's Conception of Authority
Chapter 9 6. Authority at the Council of Trent
Chapter 10 7. The Growth of the Ecumenical Movement
Chapter 11 8. Authority at Vatican II
Chapter 12 9. Authority in Baptism, Eucharist, and Ministry
Chapter 13 10. Authority in International Bilateral Dialogues
Chapter 14 11. Implications for Inter-Church Relations
Chapter 15 Selected Bibliography
Chapter 16 Index
Chapter 17 About the Author

Editorial Reviews

Central to the task of the Church is a common witness to the Gospel. In our divided state, that witness can only be realized when we resolve how we might, together, proclaim that Word of God and adjudicate our differences. This volume is an invaluable contribution to the understanding of the traditions of authority that witness to the Christian Tradition and the reconciling initiatives of the churches as they move toward full communion in authority. It will be a contribution to all of our churches…

Brother Jeff Gros

Central to the task of the Church is a common witness to the Gospel. In our divided state, that witness can only be realized when we resolve how we might, together, proclaim that Word of God and adjudicate our differences. This volume is an invaluable contribution to the understanding of the traditions of authority that witness to the Christian Tradition and the reconciling initiatives of the churches as they move toward full communion in authority. It will be a contribution to all of our churches...--Brother Jeff Gros, FSC, Professor of Church History, Memphis Theological Seminary

From the Publisher