JAYSON CASPER
Evangelicals have critiqued the ecumenism of former World Evangelical Alliance head Thomas Schirrmacher.
CHRISTIANITY TODAY
JUNE 25, 2026
Image courtesy of Thomas Schirrmacher
Eleven American Pentecostal pastors sat nervously with Pope Francis at the Vatican in June 2016. The meeting, arranged by Thomas Schirrmacher, then chair of the theological commission of the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA), was an opportunity for the guests to ask the pontiff anything they wanted. Two years earlier, Francis had publicly apologized for past Catholic persecution of the charismatic movement.
At the time, the Italian Evangelical Alliance had cautioned against growing ecumenical openness where “insurmountable” doctrinal obstacles exist. The American delegation was similarly opposed to Schirrmacher’s engagement but had agreed to the meeting. No one wanted to ask the first question. Amid the awkwardness, Francis took the initiative.
He asked the delegation to pray for him.
Schirrmacher said what followed was a life-changing experience for the Pentecostals. They prayed for the pope. He prayed for them. By the end, he said, their theological concerns didn’t matter much anymore as they agreed with Schirrmacher that Francis was a genuine believer and had no intention to convert them to Catholicism.
Matters of theology and doctrine have always mattered to Schirrmacher, who turns 66 today. The German theologian has four doctoral degrees and authored more than 100 books, including a six-volume treatise on ethics. Committed to Christian unity, he served as general secretary of the World Evangelical Alliance from 2021 to 2024. Yet his life has been a lightning rod of controversy—particularly when he neared the halls of power.
Even seemingly straightforward truths, he finds, have prompted critical reaction.
“If I say, ‘God is love,’” said Schirrmacher, “it could start a global discussion.”
Image courtesy of Thomas Schirrmacher
Eleven American Pentecostal pastors sat nervously with Pope Francis at the Vatican in June 2016. The meeting, arranged by Thomas Schirrmacher, then chair of the theological commission of the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA), was an opportunity for the guests to ask the pontiff anything they wanted. Two years earlier, Francis had publicly apologized for past Catholic persecution of the charismatic movement.
At the time, the Italian Evangelical Alliance had cautioned against growing ecumenical openness where “insurmountable” doctrinal obstacles exist. The American delegation was similarly opposed to Schirrmacher’s engagement but had agreed to the meeting. No one wanted to ask the first question. Amid the awkwardness, Francis took the initiative.
He asked the delegation to pray for him.
Schirrmacher said what followed was a life-changing experience for the Pentecostals. They prayed for the pope. He prayed for them. By the end, he said, their theological concerns didn’t matter much anymore as they agreed with Schirrmacher that Francis was a genuine believer and had no intention to convert them to Catholicism.
Matters of theology and doctrine have always mattered to Schirrmacher, who turns 66 today. The German theologian has four doctoral degrees and authored more than 100 books, including a six-volume treatise on ethics. Committed to Christian unity, he served as general secretary of the World Evangelical Alliance from 2021 to 2024. Yet his life has been a lightning rod of controversy—particularly when he neared the halls of power.
Even seemingly straightforward truths, he finds, have prompted critical reaction.
“If I say, ‘God is love,’” said Schirrmacher, “it could start a global discussion.”
