Witnessing Together - Who, What and to Whom? The Concept of Witness in Together Towards Life and The Church:
General Material Designation
[Article]
Other Title Information
Towards a Common Vision
First Statement of Responsibility
Ida Heikkilä
.PUBLICATION, DISTRIBUTION, ETC
Place of Publication, Distribution, etc.
Leiden
Name of Publisher, Distributor, etc.
Brill
SUMMARY OR ABSTRACT
Text of Note
'Witness' belongs to the central vocabulary of contemporary ecumenism. Despite its ecumenically significant role the concept has not been defined in ecumenical dialogues, neither analysed in academic research. Already a rough mapping of dialogue documents shows that the concept is used in various ways and contexts but not in a coherent or conscious way. This article studies the meaning of 'witness' in two ecumenical documents issued by the World Council of Churches, 'Together towards Life. Mission and Evangelism in Changing Landscapes' (2012) and 'The Church: Towards a Common Vision' (2013). Both documents see witness as the characteristically Christian way of participating in the mission of the Triune God but give it different roles in the life of the church.