| FOREWORD |
VII |
| INTRODUCTION |
1 |
| I. ECUMENICAL RECEPTION: VITAL FOR ACHIEVING UNITY |
4 |
| A. RECEPTION IN THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH: YESTERDAY, TODAY AND TOMORROW |
4 |
| B. ECUMENICAL RECEPTION |
7 |
| C. CONTINUALLY RECEIVING THE ECUMENICAL MOVEMENT AND ITS RESULTS IN THE LIFE OF THE CHURCHES |
9 |
| D. ECUMENICAL RECEPTION IN THE REFLECTION OF THE JOINT WORKING GROUP |
11 |
| E. LEARNING POINTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS |
13 |
| II. HOW ECUMENICAL RECEPTION HAPPENS: THE EXPERI-ENCE OF CHRISTIAN WORLD COMMUNIONS |
15 |
| A. THE PROCESSES OF RECEPTION |
15 |
| B. HOW THE PROCESSES WORK |
16 |
| C.LEARNING POINTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS |
23 |
| III. OVERCOMING THE DIVISIONS OF THE PAST: RECEPTION PROMOTING RECONCILLIATION |
25 |
| A. THE NEW CONTEXT FOSTERING RECEPTION |
25 |
| B. TOWARDS OVERCOMING FIFTH CENTURY DIVISIONS |
26 |
| a. BISHOPS OF ROME AND ORIENTAL ORTHODOX PATRIARCHS |
27 |
| b. THE BISSHOPS OF ROME AND THE PATRIARCH OF THE ASSYRIAN CHURCH OF THE EAST |
27 |
| c. THE OFFICIAL DIALOGUE OF THE EASTERN ORTHODOX AND ORIENTAL |
28 |
| d. CHRISTOLOGICAL AGREEMENT OF THE EASTERN ORTHODOX AND ORIENTAL ORTHODOX CHURCHES |
29 |
| C. TOWARD OVERCOMING THE DIVISIONS OF 1054 |
29 |
| D. TOWARDS OVERCOMING DIVISIONS FROM THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY |
34 |
| a. THE COMMUNITY OF PROTESTANT CHURCHES IN EUROPE - THE LEUENBERG CONCORD |
36 |
| b. THE COMMUNITY OF BRITISH AND IRISH ANGLICAN CHURCHES AND NORDIC AND BALTIC LUTHERAN CHURCHES - THE PORVOO COMMUNION |
37 |
| E. THE ROLE OF THE SPONSORING BODIES AS AGENTS OF RECEPTION |
43 |
| a. AN EXAMPLE OF ECUMENICAL RECEPTION WITHIN THE WCC ITSELF |
45 |
| b. AN EXAMPLE OF THE WCC RECEIVING THE RESULTS OF A BILATERAL DIALOGUE REPORT |
45 |
| c. FORUM ON BILATERAL DIALOGUES |
46 |
| d. THE CONTINUING RECEPTION OF BAPTISM, EUCHARIST AND MINISTRY |
47 |
| F. LEARNING POINTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS |
49 |
| 1. LEARNING POINTS |
49 |
| 2. RECOMMENDATIONS |
50 |
| IV: WHEN ECUMENICAL RECEPTION IS A STRUGGLE |
51 |
| A. CHALLENGES TO RECEPTION |
51 |
| B. LEARNING POINT AND RECOMMENDATIONS |
55 |
| V. ECUMENICAL FORMATION: A KEY TO ECUMENICAL RECEPTION |
56 |
| A. FORMATION AND RECEPTION |
56 |
| B. TRACING THE HISTORY OF ECUMENICAL FORMATION IN THE JWG CONTEXT |
58 |
| C. ARTICULATING ECUMENICAL FORMATION |
59 |
| D. LEARNING POINTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS |
62 |
| VI. CONCLUSION: AN APPEAL TO THE CHURCHES |
64 |
| AN APPEAL TO THE CHURCHES |
64 |