Christian Reconcilication Carnival: Recognizing the peacemakers

Hi all

And welcome to Christian Reconciliation Carnival #14, in which I give some recognition to those who have worked toward Christian Reconciliation in 2008 around the blogosphere. Your suggestions and nominations were solicited back in December, and I have also looked around for who has been working towards reconciliation.

So here, in no particular order, are the people I have seen working towards Christian reconciliation in 2008. If I have forgotten someone, feel free to drop a comment and I would be glad to update this list. Below the Reconcilers 2008 list, please find additional reconciliaton-related posts of note.

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Reconcilers 2008

Hospitality
Here I'd like to recognize those providing forums and creating environments of Christian fellowship across our divides.

• Jeremy Pierce of Parablemania has been organizing the Christian Carnival every week for a long time now. The Christian Carnival is one of the main forums in which Christians from all different viewpoints meet and interact.
• Michael Spencer's Boar's Head Tavern is one of the regular hang-outs of many Christians around the internet. At the Tavern, you can usually find lively conversation from members of various Christian groups. The ale may be virtual reality, but the fellowship is real.

Building bridges
Here I'd like to recognize those working across group lines on efforts of understanding each other and clarifying their differences.

• Josh S of MetaLutheran (aka Fearsome Pirate) has an interesting venture going: he and an Eastern Orthodox Christian are "trading places" ... something like foreign exchange students in each others' churches. I'm not sure how it's working out but I love the idea. Makes me wonder: What if every church had a foreign exchange program?

Rubbish removal
Here I'd like to recognize those working within their own groups to remove logs from their own eyes. It is my firm belief that if each group was to clean up its own first, at least half the work of reconciliation would be done.

• The Singing Owl called out her own (Pentecostals and friends) in Stop the (Charismatic) Insanity!

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Reconciliation-minded posts

Reconciliation-minded posts -- including disagreements handled with civility -- around the blogosphere since the last Carnival:

Father Stephen posts an excerpt from a Russian lay theologian's work, The Church is One.

Internet Monk looks at an example of a good Christian way to critically engage another Christian in reviewing Justin Taylor's look at John Piper.

The St Athanasius and St Cyril Theological Library had an update on steps being taken by the Eastern Orthodox and the Oriental Orthodox towards full unity in communion.

Kevin at FamilyHood Church talks about an increasing willingness to recognize brothers and sisters in Christ despite doctrinal divides in Child's Play.

Internet Monk asked, "How can a person grow spiritually in the next year?" and posted responses from an Eastern Orthodox priest, an Anglican priest, a Baptist pastor, a Roman Catholic spiritual director, a Methodist pastor, and a Lutheran pastor.

Adrian Warnock keeps a level head while writing an installment of the ongoing atonement debate, here responding to Steve Chalke.