'Unity that sanctifies diversity' Cottesloe revisited

The Cottesloe Consultation (1960) is an important milestone in the ecumenical struggle against apartheid and racism in general. This article tries to find out whether the theological arguments developed within the ecumenical movement are solid enough to withstand the threat of divisions on the basis of race, nation, tribe, and ethnicity that have the potential to tear apart the one church of Christ. In order to answer the questions the historical and textual background of the text of the Cottesloe Consultation is analyzed. It reveals that exactly at the place where the text tries to theologically justify the diversity of people within the unity of the church of humanity, the drafters could not rely on help from the theological commission of the World Council of Churches, and relied on an expressions coming from the defense of the then apartheid churches in South Africa, that is “unity sanctifies diversity”. It illustrates that next to a moral answer the theological argument still requires further development

The Heidelberg Catechism and the church

What is the ecumenical potential and what are the limitations of the teaching on thechurch in the Heidelberg Catechism 450 years after its publication? This contributionprovides an analysis of the only two Questions/Answers in the HC that specificallydeal with ecclesiology. It also searches for references to ministry. After comparingwith other, much more elaborate expositions of the theological meaning on thechurch in catechisms written by members of the drafting team of the HC, the articleputs the HC ecclesiology in historical perspectives and explains its conciseness onthe issue. After describing more recent interpretations of the teaching of the churchin the HC, the text offers a list of ecumenical potentials and limitations

Religions and Reconciliation of Conflicting Socio-Cultural Identities

In the many cases of conflicts co-fuelled by sociocultural identity contestations, religions cannot play the role of reconcilers, because they have become part of the problem through association with one of the contesting parties. This contribution argues that, in order to come to terms with this, religions have to rediscover the reconciliation practices within their traditions, become more critical of their own past reconciliation record, and develop a theology that pays proper attention to the challenges generated by sociocultural identities. The argument is illustrated with an analysis of the role played by Christian churches in South Africa during the apartheid era