Discussing the Concept of "Conservative Ecumenism"

The article continues the discussion of the concept of “conservative ecumenism”, proposed by the author in 2017 to describe conservative Christian alliances in defense of traditional values. Main debates have revolved around the use of the term “ecumenism” in the case of such alliances. The article proposes minimal criteria of being “ecumenical” — those that the author calls “ecumenical consciousness”. The question of whether striving for Christian unity is a necessary criterion of ecumenism is considered. Based on the work of George Lindbeck, the author shows that the normative image of ecumenism as a movement to achieve unity as a mandatory condition was wrong, and that negotiating unity was not the only possible form of ecumenical interaction. The article also discusses the relationship between theology and ideology in connection with ecumenism.