AN 'OPEN-ENDED DISTINCTIVENESS'

Insofar as the twentieth century has often been referred to as the ecumenical century, the twenty-first seems poised to become known as the century of World Christianity. Into this situation, the present study seeks to show the ongoing relevance of Wolfhart Pannenbergs ecclesiological and ecumenical proposals and, in doing so, finds that his eschatologically-oriented and historically-rooted emphasis upon an open-ended distinctiveness is exactly the kind of corrective that the emerging theological paradigm of World Christianity needs if it wants not only to stay contextually open-ended, but remain distinctively Christian in outlook and character as well. Towards that end, the book begins with the story of ecclesiologys definitional expansion (from the time of the Reformation to now) before tracing the biographical and ideational roots of Pannenbergs overall programme. The study then proceeds by outlining the main contours of Pannenbergs ecclesiology and ecumenism, especially as such pertain to World Christianity. In this regard, several facets of Pannenbergs thought are highlighted for consideration, including his understanding of the church as sign of the kingdom, his doctrine of participation in Christ, his reassertion of the churchs missionary task, his (underdeveloped) personalist and social thought-structures, his (ironically relevant) Constantinianism, his (directly relevant yet abstract) notion of creative love, and his views concerning contextualization and the ecumenical potential of the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed of 381. While much that is here developed serves as a healthy corrective for an emerging theological paradigm that is still maturing, some surprising critical insights arise that also flow the other way.