Conference of European Churches - Office of Communications

Press release No. 08-38/e

Geneva, 30 June 2008

Theology of religions must not lead to watering down the Gospel

Churches in Dialogue Commission of CEC reflects on interreligious dialogue and dialogue between Orthodox Churches and Churches of the Reformation

“Theology of Religions is one aspect of coming towards a recognition of the truth of the Gospel – and it must not lead to watering down the clarity of the Gospel”; “Jesus Christ is the centre of Christian theology and, as such, also the centre of the Theology of Religions. Attempts to replace the ‘christocentric’ approach of theology by a ‘theocentric’ one are problematical”. These are some of the findings of the Churches in Dialogue Commission of the Conference of European Churches (CEC) in its statement “On the way to a common theology of religions in Europe”. The statement was adopted at the annual meeting of the Commission in Pullach, Germany, from 23-27 June 2008.

The above mentioned affirmations do not represent the view of the Commission itself, as “it is not the responsibility of the Commission itself to engage in interreligious dialogues”; they are rather the result of the examination of a series of church statements on the Theology of Religions, and represent some of the points on which European churches seem to agree. Among other points of agreement is the assumption that “God’s saving will is universal: God wants to lead all people into fellowship with His truth” and that “the creaturely nature of human beings and their being in the image of God is the basis for respect a priori for all religious beliefs”.

The statement also lists a series of points on which the member churches of CEC seem to disagree when confronted with the issue of dialogue with other faiths. With this exercise, the Churches in Dialogue Commission “whilst not identifying itself with any of the positions of member churches, is trying to reflect upon perspectives for a common basis of a Theology of Religions. In seeking to identify this basis, CEC aims to establish which are the theological concepts and criteria which are used by the member churches of CEC in their relations with other religions”.

The meeting of the Churches in Dialogue Commission was preceded by a consultation on dialogues between the Orthodox Churches and Churches shaped by the Reformation and reform movements (see our press release No. 08-37). The meeting also included reports on past and ongoing activities, as well as priorities for the future work, in view of the next Assembly of CEC, which will be held in Lyon, France, from 15-21 July 2009.

"The meeting of the Churches in Dialogue Commission in Pullach was the most constructive one of this commission so far”, said Father Prof. Viorel Ionita, Director of the Commission. “Participants highly appreciated the Consultation on dialogues between the Orthodox Churches and the Churches shaped by the Reformation. They strongly recommended the continuation of this consultation process. It is for the first time that almost all theological dialogues with Orthodox participation were evaluated in a comparative way. The meeting of the Churches in Dialogue Commission which followed the consultation adopted first of all a statement on the Theology of Religions in Europe, which is also a very specific contribution from this Commission. Finally, the Commission shaped its future work so that it should successfully conclude its mandate next year as a specific contribution to the 13th CEC Assembly".

Both the consultation and the Churches in Dialogue meeting were held in Pullach (Bavaria) at the Seminary of the United Evangelical Lutheran Church in Germany.

For the full text of the approved texts please see:

Communiqué from the Consultation on Dialogues between Orthodox Churches and other member churches of CEC

Statement: On the way to a common Theology of Religions in Europe

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The Conference of European Churches (CEC) is a fellowship of some 120 Orthodox, Protestant, Anglican and Old Catholic Churches from all countries of Europe, plus 40 associated organisations. CEC was founded in 1959. It has offices in Geneva, Brussels and Strasbourg.

For more information:
Luca Negro
CEC Secretary for Communications and Information
Phone +41 22 791 64 85 or 791 63 25
Fax +41 22 791 62 27
e-mail: Luca.Negro@cec-kek.org