Ecumenical dialogue texts--the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification

Continuing a series of posts calling attention to selected resources featured in Appendix 1, "Resources for Ecumenical Engagement," in Ecumenism Means You, Too: Ordinary Christians and the Quest for Christian Unity (Cascade Books, 2010):

The Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification (JDDJ) was officially confirmed by the Lutheran World Federation and the Roman Catholic Church on October 31, 1999, in Augsburg, Germany—482 years after Martin Luther posted the “95 Theses” on the door of the Schlosskirche in Wittenburg. This “differentiated consensus” on the doctrine that divided the Western church in the sixteenth century was the outcome of decades of dialogue between representatives of the Lutheran and Catholic churches and is one of the most significant recent achievements of the ecumenical movement. In 2006 the JDDJ was officially joined by the World Methodist Council, so that it may now be said that there is substantial agreement between Catholics, Lutherans, and Methodists in their teaching about justification by faith as the gracious gift of God. Along with Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry (World Council of Churches, 1982), the JDDJ is one of the two most significant advances attained in ecumenical dialogue thus far.

Both the JDDJ and the statement of Methodist association are available online (see hyperlinks above) and in print: Lutheran World Federation and Roman Catholic Church, Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans, 2000); Geoffrey Wainwright, “World Methodist Council and the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification,” Pro Ecclesia 16, no. 1 (Winter 2007) , pp. 7-13).

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