Research and Cooperation

Departmental Research and Affiliations:

The aims of Ecumenical Theology are to discover and grasp the differences between the various Christian denominations with respect to their historical origins and development, their current culturally situated establishment. This entails a critical reflection upon the given differences that would constitute denominational separation, understanding them, and it therefore lends itself towards the possibility of opening up inter-denominational agreement and dialog.

Some of the subject areas of Ecumenical Theology researched at the Ecumenical Institute include:

• Research into the fundaments of denominations
• Basic Ecclesiastical issues:
• Questions regarding the nature and task of the church
• The relationship of a ‘visible’ to the ‘hidden’ church
• The church as an institution
• Research regarding the relationship between actual churches
• Problems of sacramental teaching
• Problems of recognition of duty and obligation
• The very idea of unity
• Hermeneutics and the range of ecumenical dialogue
• The relationship between the Christian church and non-Christian religions

The Institute cooperates with:

• EKD: Evangelical Church in Germany
• VELKD/UEK: United Evangelical-Luther Church of Germany/Union of the Evangelical Church in the EKD
• GEKE: Community of Protestant Churches in Europe (CPCE)
• OAK: Ecumenical Association of Evangelical and Catholic Theologians
• KEK: Conference of European Churches
• ÖRK: World Council of Churches