Is unity foundational for Christian faith and practice, or has ecumenism had its day? Reframing the Ecumenical Movement argues that the UK ecumenical movement is in a period of paralysis, immobilised by fear (of each other and of the rapidly changing global and UK contexts). Using her experience as a former trustee of Churches Together in England, and through historical research into the British ecumenical movement, Victoria Turner uncovers forgotten stories of how the ecumenical movement has changed lives and delivered exciting projects and change. In this volume she tells the story of the witness and work of the ecumenical movement, especially in relation to Britain. Through delving into the archives, it traces how the churches have seized control of the ecumenical instruments, and how the movement of ecumenism, consequently, has become stuck. Reframing the Ecumenical Movement reminds readers of the inspirational justice work of ecumenism, including: the Programme to Combat Racism, the Community and Race Relations Unit of the British Council of Churches, the Student Christian Movement, the Decade in Solidarity with Women and CTBI’s work on sexual abuse. These examples of protest and persistence come together in a theology of oikumene that reminds the ecumenical movement today that there is no unity without solidarity.
