The End of the Age of Reformation? 2017 as an Ecumenical Approach to the Reformation

Abstract What was the message of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in 2017 in Germany? In preparation for the jubilee, there was an intensive debate on how to commemorate this anniversary. Critical examinations by historians warned about personalizing this anniversary too much by showing that the anniversaries in the past were usually politically “exploited.” In the end, it became clear for several reasons that an adequate commemoration of the Reformation jubilee today could be justifiable only in an ecumenical celebration serving both commemoration and reconciliation. In this regard, the 2017 jubilee was the first Reformation anniversary to be commemorated ecumenically. And in this respect, the year 2017 marks the end of the controversial age of Reformation.