Items of Interest May 14, 2012 Issue

Committed to Christian hope

Shirley T. Paulson

The Faith & Order Commission   of the National Council of Churches launched its new 2012–2015 Quadrennial project in Boston March 15–17. Thirty-eight theologians from a variety of Christian communions (denominations) met at the headquarters for the Christian Science Church on Thursday and Saturday, and at the Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology on Friday.

For the next four years, the Commission will be studying, praying, deliberating, and writing together on the overall theme, “ ‘The hope that is in you’ (I Peter 3:15): Christian Hope in Challenging Times.” 

Three subgroups will tackle the top issues threatening social, church, and spiritual authority and peace. These three themes have been identified as church governance and the ability to accommodate tensions over divisive issues; violence, especially that which arises from religious belief and practice; and marginalization within the church. With a focus on hope, the Faith & Order Commission expects to give to churches and to the country some guidance and theological basis for addressing the forces that tear us apart. 

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