The signatory ceremony of the "Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification" and its newly drafted amendment, by the Roman Catholic Church and the Lutheran World Federation on October 31st in Augsburg, has not only, evoked joyful ecumenical assent, but has also raised questions about the actual theological value and internal coherence of these documents as well as about the formal legitimacy of the signatory act. According to the author's argument, a thorough analysis of the new, supplementary documents, the "Joint Official Statement" and its "Appendix reveals that further consensus has been reached on only three points, namely the common understanding of the heavenly reward promised for good works, the divine assurance of salvation to the faithful and the doctrine of justification as criteria for the teaching and the practices of the church. However, in spite of the joint use of Lutheran theological formulations in the "Appendix", no sufficient consensus has been reached with regard to the most crucial points, i.e. the question of justification by faith alone, the sinfulness of the justified and the understanding concupiscence. Furthermore, the insinualation of an of an agreement between the Formula of Concord and the Tridentine concept of cooperation, as expressed in the "Appendix", is null and void, since it is based on a serious equivocation with respect to the term of cooperation". Therefore, the signing of these supplementary documents by the executive of LWF may be seen as a rather arbitrary act, all the more, since the member churches, to which any doctrinal decision would in fact pertain, had not been previously, asked to approve them. Yet, such an approval is the indispensable prerequisite to any true and sincere ecumenical consensus.

Enthalten in:
Theologische Literaturzeitung; 1999/Nr.11 Monatsschrift für das gesamte Gebiet der Theologie und Religionswissenschaft (1999)

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Serie / Reihe: Theologische Literaturzeitung

Personen: Flogaus, Reinhard

Schlagwörter: Katholische Kirche Rechtfertigungslehre Stellungnahme Historisch-kritische Forschung Lutherischer Weltbund Gemeinsame Erklärung zur Rechtfertigungslehre