Interview
Please expound upon the distinction between being church in the world and being church for the world.
Hamley: To bring theologians together from many churches and many nations means that they bring the world together with them. We cannot meet together and talk theology without acknowledging the histories and present moment that have shaped who we are, the people and places we belong to, and the relationships that we have with others beyond our own communities. Study Group 3 therefore explores how we do theology as people that are in the world, as theologians, as Christians, as citizens, as human beings. However, while we are in the world, we are also called to be for the world – to reflect the love that God has for a broken world, and to engage with the questions and struggles of our world in a way that promotes the values of the Gospel of peace and reconciliation.
As such, we are looking at a number of interrelated issues, and asking what difference it can make for us to think together as Christians and as theologians about these things, and how this shapes our ecumenical endeavour. This is true not just of the subject of our work, but also of how we do our work, of our methodology: we have agreed to take decolonisation and contextualisation as guiding threads for our reflections. This is in recognition that to do theology is never a-political; in a world of conflict and violence, how we do theology matters, and we want to model a way of doing theology that foregrounds forgotten, dismissed, or unheard voices, and challenge hegemonic and oppressive discourse, so that we can move towards true peace and reconciliation. This methodology has to chart a careful course between attending to context and the uniqueness of local voices, while at the same time holding on to what it is that we hold in common, and how we express what we hold in common. Here, we may focus on the incarnation as a model of complete contextualisation and particularity as well as a site of universality and transcendence.
Please offer an overview of the most recent work in the three sub-areas in Study Group 3: methodological considerations; issues of violence, persecution, and war; and questions of justice, peace, and reconciliation.
Hamley: Beyond methodology, we recognise that much theology around violence, conflict, peace, and justice has been done from particular viewpoints, and that in a world in which geopolitical stability is currently hugely uncertain, it is important for us to revisit these concepts together so we can learn from one another and take the opportunity to speak together. We are considering questions of theological anthropology and how a Christian anthropology can help us understand and respond to the reality of conflict, war, violence, and persecution, and from there, look at our ecclesial responsibility in responding to these realities in ways that will foster peace and reconciliation. We are asking in particular, what is the significance of thinking, exploring, and speaking together, rather than apart, on questions that may also divide us.
Is there a special emphasis on young people as part of being a church in and of the world?
Hamley: As we consider what we would like our group to write or produce, we have thought carefully about different levels of engagement and accessibility, and the need to engage with the concerns of today’s youth, and to communicate in a variety of media, rather than primarily through a printed report. We agree that doing an in-depth piece of profound theology matters, and we also want to communicate this to multiple audiences, particularly younger audiences, in ways that will truly reflect and engage with their concerns, questions, and hopes.
Call to all Christians: Message of the Sixth World Conference on Faith and Order
Photogallery: Sixth World Conference on Faith and Order, 2025
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