For the Good of the Church: Unity, Theology and Women
Gabrielle Thomas
SCM Press, 2021, 256pp, pbk. £25
For the Good of the Church is a fascinating and useful book on
two counts. It demonstrates a practical application of receptive
ecumenism and it gives insight into the experiences of women
in churches in England. It is, in other words, both practical and
informative.
Chapter One introduces and defines receptive ecumenism.
Central to it is the question each Christian tradition should ask:
‘what do we need to learn from another tradition to help us address
difficulties in our own?’ An image of receptive ecumenism is ‘a
church holding out its hands to receive a gift from another, hands
that bear wounds’ (p. 11). The focus is on exchanging gifts, rather
than on identifying differences. It is in this spirit that Thomas works
with ecumenical groups of women to identify their experiences of
church.
Chapter Two lays out the research design. Working together
receptively reveals that women want unity among their churches,
that receiving from one another is a positive experience, that each
tradition can learn from others, and that receptive ecumenism has
potential to heal wounds.
Chapter Three is both striking and painful from the perspective
of women’s experiences. Thomas’ participants were asked to
respond to three prompts:
1. Gifts according to my experiences of working in a church.
2. Wounds according to my experiences of working in a church.
3. Gifts in another’s church, which would contribute to healing
wounds in my tradition (p. 59).
There are responses to each from Catholic, Baptist, Methodist,
Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, Assemblies of God, Independent
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