The starter-discussion paper which introduced the subtheme to the group was presented by Professor E. Valyi-Nagy, Hungary, and is summarized as follows:

The gospel of the glory of God in Jesus Christ is good news of salvation (2 Cor 4.4).
The glory of God in Christ means his closeness to us in revelation. This closeness to us does not cancel out his withdrawnness and "precise hiddenness" (E. Jüngel). As "the world of Christ" (Schweizer) this glory means God's transcendence in the forsaken Jesus.
Like the gospel itself, the glory of God in Christ is a power. It rescues us from the power of darkness and inspires us to joyful patience (Col 1.11).
The glory of God in Christ heals by directing man wholly and undividedly towards God. This healing is manifested in daily life as the "transvaluation of all values" or as the "revolutionizing" of the person who believes ( cf. JM Lochman).
Knowledge of the glory of Christ is fulfilled in the glorification of God. This glorification is "the form of existence which corresponds most closely to human nature" (G. von Rad). Glorification means participating in Jesus Christ, entering into his forsakenness in this world and, consequently, sacrifice and solidarity with those who are forsaken. Only in union with this participation can we experience and understand the "festival of freedom" (Lochman) and the "joy of the first freed creatures in all creation" (Moltmann).

Questions

How are we to understand the relation between knowledge of the glory ( doxa ) of God, and therefore of God Himself in Christ, and the religions of the world? How are we to distinguish clearly between a christological confession and a cultural absolutism on the part of Christians?
Is it possible and legitimate to make our experience of God's closeness a principle for interpreting God's will in the world? To what extent does God's withdrawnness thwart this procedure?
How does concentration on God alone become openness and receptivity in relation to the world?
What are we to understand by the connection between sacrificial and silent discipleship, on the one hand, and commitment to the cause of the oppressed, the disinherited, etc.?

II

Discussion in the group led to the following summarized work-product which was received by the plenary session of the centennial consultation:

The glory of God in Jesus Christ

is good news of salvation;
is God's closeness which does not cancel out his hiddenness;
is a power rescuing us from darkness and inspiring us to joyful patience;
heals by directing us wholly and undividedly towards God.

Knowledge of the glory of God is fulfilled in the glorification of God.

Some of the main points from the discussion are:

The glory of God is seen in the whole life of Jesus - equally in his desolation as well as in his triumphs.
Today the church in every part of the world must exist in a multireligious environment. One approach would be for the church to concentrate on witnessing by its faith and practice alone. Another approach would be to enter into dialogue with other religions, ideologies and sciences, in order to witness to God's glory.
Witnessing to Christ continues to be difficult given the varieties of culture and the danger of equating Christianity with culture. (There are cultural differences within every nation as well as between nations.) At the same time a Christian's culture is the medium used to express religion inspite of the tensions and dilemmas encountered. Nevertheless the love contained in the gospel enables the Christian to bridge all cultural differences.
The church to be relevant must face the problems of the world which are often serious threats to the perceiving of the glory of God and the future of humanity. Some of the more serious problems are: ecological abuse; tensions between races, classes, and sexes; industrial tensions and unrest; inflation; manipulation by many persons and forces; nuclear proliferation; justice.

In confronting these problems, the Christian's vertical relationship must be strengthened in order that the horizontal relationships be effective.

The witness of the Christian must be practical which may include involvement in the pain and suffering of a situation. The motivation of such witness is the reconciling power of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Also, humanity is a part of creation and nature. This requires a responsiveness to and a responsibility for nature and suggests the need for the development of the doctrine of creation with particular attention to the ecological crisis. We also need a fresh study and understanding of eschatology.

Christians discover God's will in the life of our Lord made flesh, the Word incarnate. The personally experienced nearness of God in Jesus Christ enables us to interpret the will of God and permits us to bear witness to it, even though our perceptions may be erroneous. God's hiddenness deprives us of any ultimate assurance that what we stand for in a particular issue corresponds really to God's will. It calls us to humility and openness towards other expressions of faith and hope. The hiddenness of God teaches us that the glory of God is best shown forth in the cross, ie where people abandon all se1f-assertion, and engage themselves in the redeeming service of mankind.

"Concentration on God" is inseparable from a posture of "openness and receptivity to the world," as well as responsiveness to and involvement in the world. This connection is found in the very character of God revealed in Christ: in his righteousness, justice and compassion; in his being-for-the-world. Evangelical commitment to Jesus Christ must not be sacrificed to a preoccupation with complex human issues. At the same time concentration on Christ must not be accompanied by withdrawal from the world. This raises the question of the need for balance between evangelical proclamation and practical involvement.

Christians are called to reflect the glory of God in both personal and corporate lifestyles.

We see God's glory in persons who commit themselves to the concerns of others.
We see God's glory in people who take upon themselves the burden of the oppressed and disinherited.
We see God's glory in the witness of people who bear their oppressions in sacrifical and willing discipleship.