Prof. Grosshans 2015 in Dialogue of the EKD with the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople
© Grosshans
Conference at the Myanmar Institute of Theology in Yangoon, Myanmar on "Buddhist and Christian Attitudes to Religious Diversity"
© Grosshans
Excursion to Ihlara Valley in Cappadocia with a
© Grosshans
Icon in a cave church in Ihlara Valley in Cappa
© Grosshans
Joint Christian - Muslim seminar in Muenster with students of islamic theology of Ankara University on "doctrines and practices in Christianity and Islam"
© Grosshans

Profile of the Institute


The theological work of the Institute of Ecumenical Theology is directed to three horizons:

  • the theologies of the various Christian denominations,
  • the manifold churches of the global Protestant Christianity in their different contexts,
  • and the relations of Protestant churches (and theologies) to non-Christian religions.

In the first horizon, ecumenism within Christianity, at present the focus is on the ecclesiology of the Orthodox churches and its differences to the ecclesiology of Protestant churches.

In the second horizon, ecumenism within Protestant Christianity, the emphasis is on the many Protestant churches in the the global South and their theological development.

In the third horizon, inter-faith ecumenism, research at present concentrates on the relation between Christians and Muslims with a special emphasis on the situation in Indonesia.

To enquire these ecumenical horizons the Institute of Ecumenical Theology has established various research projects and cultivates some (formal and informal) international cooperations and contacts.