Ecumenism and Asceticism

It has not always been appreciated over the past decades of rapprochement between formerly antagonistic ecclesial communities that lasting peace cannot simply begin with dialogue or strategizing for the future of a relationship: it must begin with spiritual work and transformation within the communities that would take steps to reconcile. Peace and conflict research has made clear that identities and relationships alike accrue damage from histories of antagonism and the traumas of past violence, which cannot simply be set aside through formal accords as though they did not continue to constrain the available mentalities, emotional conditions, and very self- understanding of communities in the present. Painstaking ecumenical formation (which includes the uprooting of corrupt attitudes toward otherness and the weeds of rancor sown by history) therefore has to precede productive ecumenical engagement – even as guided and strategic encounter is doubtless crucial to ecumenical formation.

We invite papers engaging in questions about the role of asceticism, broadly construed, in ecumenical affairs, for instance: formation for ecumenical engagement, ecumenical spirituality, prayer practice as fuel for ecumenical compassion, shared prayer as a wavelength for attuning hearts, virtue ethics and the theological anthropology of ecumenical engagement, the ways that closed or captive epistemologies foreclose on the possibility of authentic ecumenical understanding, the sins/passions/demons that exacerbate or incentivize corroded relationships and the ascetic traditions that confront such forces, monastic settings as venues for ecumenism or as training grounds for ecumenical virtue and praxis.

By August 1, 2022, please send a proposed paper abstract of 300-500 words by email to submissions@ecumenists.org, along with a current CV. Limited scholarships are available for student participation, by application (please include with your proposal a brief statement of financial need and other sources of funding available to you). Conference format will be hybrid, allowing for remote attendance of paper sessions. More information will be forthcoming on the conference location and accommodation options.

NAAE Programming Committee