‘Ecclesia semper reformanda’. Renewal and Reform beyond Polemics

This volume is the fruit of the eleventh Leuven Encounters in Systematic

Theology (LEST XI) which was organized by Leuven’s Faculty of Theology

and Religious Studies from 11-14 October, 2017. On the occasion of the

five-hundredth anniversary of the Reformation, this conference focused

on the ongoing need for the renewal and reform of the Churches, a

desideratum encapsulated in the well-known adage, Ecclesia semper

reformanda. The quest for such renewal constitutes a challenge for

theologians of all confessional traditions. This volume focuses

particularly on the themes and topics that were at the forefront of the

theological controversies which raged during the transitional period

between the Middle Ages and the Early Modern Period, some of which are

still unresolved.

Part I focuses on the foundations of theology, viz. Scripture,

tradition(s), and/or reason. Part II investigates the important

theological issues that have their roots in the Reformation Era,

including the tensile relationship between sin, grace, free will,

justification and sanctification, and the controversies related to the

Eucharist, including the notion of sacrifice. Part III examines

democratization and leadership structures in the Church. Part IV

explores what a historically-informed awareness can contribute to an

ecumenically-oriented reflection on the renewal and reform of the Church

today.