Ecumenical Perspectives Five Hundred Years After Luther’s Reformation

This book offers ecumenical essays that focus on Reformation Christianity and on current Lutheran-Catholic understandings and relationships. It addresses important issues, including the meaning of the Reformation, the reception of Luther in Germany and beyond, contemporary ecumenical dialogues, and pathways to the future. There is also some inclusion of Jewish and Orthodox traditions as well as attention to global issues. Taken as a whole, the primary method of this book is theology informed by history, hermeneutics, ethics, and social theory. Within the structure of the book can be found the classic hermeneutical circle: What was the meaning of the Reformation for Luther in his own time? What are various ways in which Luther and the Reformation have been interpreted in history? How does knowledge of these things help us today to understand the Reformation and to move forward? Gerard Mannion held the Joseph and Winifred Amaturo Chair in Catholic Studiesat Georgetown University, where he was also a Senior Research Fellow of the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs. Dennis M. Doyle is Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Dayton, where he has taught for over thirty-five years. Theodore G. Dedon is a PhD candidate in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at Georgetown University specializing in Religion and International Affairs.