Reflections on the Global Christian Forum
What difference does another conference on Christian unity have on the way congregations actually relate to one another? Bishop Brian Farrell, Secretary of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, urged those gathered at the third Global Christian Forum in Bogata, Columbia to work out the consequences of what they had discovered together. Among others who shaped the experience, […]
Re-examining Missiology in the New France
Existing histories of the brief Franciscan Recollect mission to New France (1615–1629) tend either to overstate the assimilatory character of the Recollect missionary vision or to overlook their comprehensively political vision. Through a close re-reading of early Recollect sources in her Journal of Early Modern Christianity article, “Helping ‘our Canadian brothers’: Early Recollect Missiology as an […]
Global Christian Forum Installs New Secretary
At the third gathering of the Global Christian Forum, Rev. Dr. Casely Essamuah (’03) was installed at the new Secretary. Surrounded by delegates from 64 nations and represented twenty two different Christian traditions, Essamuah was charged to lead the ecumenical organization that facilitates interaction among Christians globally.
Demographic Mosaic of World Christianity
At the third gathering of the Global Christian Forum, Gina A. Zurlo (’17) explained to the leaders of twenty two Christian traditions from 64 countries, some of the new factors that are reshaping the look of Christianity around the globe. She placed particular emphasis on the emergence of Independent Christian groups, whose identity is neither […]
Mission and the Methodist Connexion in Southern Africa
The Methodist Church of Southern Africa installed the leader of its Mission unit, Rev. Dr. Kenaleone Ketshabile (’12), as the new bishop of the Kimberly, Namibia, and Bloemfontein District. The District is mostly rural and rich in many languages including Afrikaans, English, Sesotho, Setswana, etc. Its vision and mission is aligned with the Connexional one – that […]
Call for Papers: Chinese Christianities
For the AAR 2018 meeting in Denver, CO, the call for papers has gone out, with a deadline of March 1. You can see the full listing of program units on their website: https://papers.aarweb.org/program_units. Certain program units may be of interest, such as the World Christianity Unit. In particular, I would like to draw your attention to […]
Challenges and Prospects: Christianity in India
The Orthodox Christian Network, a media ministry associated with the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America, recently interviewed Jesudas Athyal regarding the growth and health of Indian Christianity as well asa closer look at the religious situation in India today. The conversation can be listened to online.
Call for Papers: Medical Missions and Health
Call for Papers Journal of Social History of Medicine and Health Special Issue on Medical Missions and Health The term “Medical Missions” is most strongly associated with nineteenth and twentieth century Christian missionaries from Europe and the United States traveling to countries in Asia, Africa, or Latin America and practicing medicine, providing education leading to […]
Sexual Politics and Christianity in Africa
In his most recent book, Christianity, Globalization, and Protective Homophobia, Visiting Researcher Kapya Kaoma illuminates the complex and contested nature of sexual politics in sub-Saharan Africa. He examines the way competing understandings of sexuality collide and intermingle, and seeks a way beyond the impasse.
Missionary Projects and Indigenous Responses in the Asia Pacific
The past decade has witnessed a remarkable resurgence of historical and anthropological interest in the reasons, practices, moralities and effects of indigenous conversion to Christianity. Rejecting conceptualizations of conversion that would restrict it a priori to a clearly demarcated ‘religious’ space, recent scholarship on conversion has highlighted the entanglements between Christian mission and modernity, imperial […]