Life and Work
An early ecumenical movement seeking, along with the Faith and Order Movement, the reunion of the separated Christian churches. Unlike the Faith and Order Movement, whose principal concern was theological, Life and Work emphasized the practical cooperation of separated churches in the moral, ethical, and social application of Christian faith in the world. It stressed the relation of the Christian faith to society, politics, and economics. Doctrinal differences between the churches were minimized. The earliest and chief proponent of the movement was Archbishop Nathan Söderblom of Uppsala, of the Swedish Lutheran Church. The first Universal Christian Conference on Life and Work met at Stockholm, Aug. 19-30, 1925. The second meeting, which was called the World Conference on Church, Community, and State, met at Oxford, July 12-26, 1937. The Episcopal Church sent seven delegates to the second meeting. Life and Work became a commission of the World Council of Churches when the WCC was founded in 1948. See World Council of Churches (WCC); see Faith and Order.
Glossary definitions provided courtesy of Church Publishing Incorporated, New York, NY,(All Rights reserved) from “An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church, A User Friendly Reference for Episcopalians,” Don S. Armentrout and Robert Boak Slocum, editors.