OBERLIN, Ohio — Marking 50 years since a prominent ecumenical gathering in Oberlin, Ohio, representatives from a host of Christian denominations July 23 wrapped up a five-day conference promoting a new wave of interdenominational unity.
Speaking to the nearly 300 in attendance from 80 different Christian denominations and organizations, theologian James Forbes compared the effort, which was organized by the National Council of Churches’ (NCC) Faith and Order Commission, to a revival.
“If there ever was a time for a new Great Awakening to happen in our nation, the time is now,” Forbes said, telling ecumenists that they were “the salt of the earth.”
According to the NCC, the modern ecumenical movement can be traced to a 1957 conference in Oberlin, the first to include Roman Catholic representatives.
This year’s conference gained a special urgency after the Vatican’s recent assertion that Protestant denominations are not churches “in the proper sense.”
Attending the conference were representatives from Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, Pentecostal, Anglican and evangelical denominations. In addition to speakers, panels and small-group discussions, breakout sessions covered topics such as Faith and Order in a Post-modern World and New Horizons for Christian Unity.
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