The United Church of Christ has developed its distinctive theological identity since 1957, having drawn upon the four mainstream traditions and various hidden histories that came together at its birth. It has been profoundly shaped by movements for racial and social justice, the organizational thrust of old-line Protestantism, the changing role of women, new patterns of immigration, and ongoing ecumenical efforts to embody the unity of the Christian church. This seventh volume showcases the theological work of the United Church of Christ from 1957 to 2000 and invites its leaders and members to become more theologically self-conscious.

The United Church of Christ was formed in 1957 to be first and foremost a proactive agent in the often tangled but nonetheless breathtaking ministry and mission of ecumenicity in the pursuit of ever greater visible unity among the diversity of Christian churches. This singular task of ecumenicity is arguably the most crucial in the formulation of an ecclesiology essential to the United Church of Christ as a "united and uniting" church; a mission Albert Walsh refers to in this book as her God given "vision-and-vocation." In United and Uniting, Walsh contends that the identity and self-understanding of the UCC at both national and local levels is best comprehended as a "Christ-centered" and "conciliar" fellowship, and therefore her ecclesiology must be fundamentally ecumenical. A Christ-centered ecumenicity must shape, inform, and characterize the whole of her ecclesiology, and membership in the UCC is defined almost exclusively in terms of a "conciliar" identity. Walsh advocates a return to ecumenical formation at the level of the grassroots or membership in the local congregation as holding the greatest promise for furtherance of the wider ecumenical mission.

Colonial and National Beginnings examines the Congregational and German Reformed traditions as they developed in Colonial America until the era of the Civil War. Edited by Elizabeth C. Nordbeck and Lowell H. Zuck. Series editor Barbara Brown Zikmund.

The Congregational-Christian Union, the history of the Evangelical and Reformed Church, and the ecumenical passion of these traditions are developed in this sixth volume of the series.

Ancient and Medieval Legacies overviews Christian movements from the first to the fifteenth centuries AD, highlighting theological and liturgical evolution from the time of the early Christians to the beginnings of the Reformation. Edited by Reinhard Ulrich. Series editor Barbara Brown Zikmund.

Written by an international team of distinguished scholars, this comprehensive book introduces students to the fundamental historical, systematic, moral and ecclesiological aspects of the study of the church, as well as serving as a resource for scholars engaging in ecclesiological debates on a wide variety of issues.