Lutheran-Roman Catholic Agreement on Justification: Suggestions for Talking about God Today

The recent agreements between Lutherans and Roman Catholics on the doctrine of justification was hailed as perhaps the most significant breakthrough of the modern ecumenical movement. This article looks briefly at the issues at stake on both sides and how these have been addressed in the Joint Declaration. Working with comments from Avery Dulles and Jürgen Moltmann, it argues that the Joint Declaration is important for the future orientation of the doctrine, in particular as an example of discourse about God. While recognising that each ecclesial family has and will retain its distinctive way of speaking about God, it is argued that for the sake of our common humanity we also need a common discourse. In what should be a challenge to both Protestants and Roman Catholics, it is proposed that such a discourse must be a sacramental discourse.