Cross at the Heart of the Church

Petre Maican is a Research Fellow in the Institute for Christian Studies at Radbound University, The Netherlands.

• Introduction1. Form and Diversity in Ecclesial Context2. The Form of Christ Crucified as the Centre of the Cosmic ChurchSection 1: Form as God’s EcstasySection 2: The Form of Human Ecstasy3 The Form of Christ Crucified as the Centre of the Universal Church4 The Form of Christ Crucified as the Centre of the Church at Denominational Level5 Unity, Diversity and Ecclesial RecognitionGeneral ConclusionBibliographyIndex

Maican provides a fascinating Orthodox engagement with Catholic and Protestant ecclesiologies, resulting in a dynamic understanding of ecclesiality as transparency to the form of Christ crucified, interpreted differently in the words and actions of each denomination. The author provides a meaningful way of recognizing the ecclesial character of the other, safeguarding intra-Christian diversity as the entire world moves towards deification – an eschatological unity in which creation becomes a cosmic church. Maican’s cruciform ecclesiology will surely have a resounding ecumenical impact.