Christian Theology in a Chinese Idiom
Visiting researcher Dr. Jesse Ciccotti recently gave a lecture on "Christian Theology in a Chinese Idiom," sponsored by ChinaSource. Watch the lecture video below! The lecture is also available for download, as is Dr. Ciccotti's suggested reading list on the topic. Learn more about the lecture and Dr. Ciccotti's research interests at the ChinaSource page.
Festschrift Honors Alumnus Rev. Dr. Heigo Ritsbek
A new festschrift, Scripta Amicis (Tallinn, 2021), with essays in Estonian and English, honors the life and work of Rev. Dr. Heigo Ritsbek, Patriarch of the Anglocatholic Church. Dr. Ritsbek studied under Prof. Dana Robert at the Boston University School of Theology, graduating in 1996 with a DMin. Dr. Ritsbek's autobiography, Tagasivaade (2020), is also available. Throughout his life, he has ministered in many countries around the world, including Estonia, Germany, United States, Austria, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Latvia, the Ukraine, South Africa, Uganda, France, Canada, Finland, Russia, Georgia, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Denmark, Lithuania, and Italy.
OMSC Moves to Princeton Theological Seminary
The CGCM congratulates the Overseas Ministries Study Center for its move, after 99 years, to Princeton Theological Seminary. Boston University School of Theology graduates and faculty have had a close relationship with the OMSC for many years. Alumnus and distinguished missiologist Dr. Gerald H. Anderson was the Director of the OMSC from 1976 to 2000. During that time, the International Bulletin of Mission Research, which he edited, became the premier English-language journal in mission studies. Research Professor Dr. Jonathan Bonk was Director of the OMSC from 2000 to 2013. During his tenure, the Dictionary of African Christian Biography was founded, with Dr. Michèle Sigg as manager. Prof. Dana Robert, a Contributing Editor to the IBMR, chaired the Program Committee of the OMSC for nine years. Now as it moves to Princeton, she will be one of three members of the Advisory Board of the OMSC@PTS. Another member of the Advisory Board is Bishop Ian Douglas, a distinguished alumnus in Mission Studies and World Christianity. Our association with the OMSC is deep and strong, and we wish it all the best as it begins a new chapter of its existence as OMSC@PTS under Dr. Thomas Hastings and Dr. Easten Law.
This video, produced by the OMSC, celebrates the organization's long history. Further information on the history of the OMSC can be found here.
Lamin Sanneh Research Grants Available
The Overseas Ministry Study Center (OMSC) at Princeton Theological Seminary is now accepting proposals for two research grants established in honor of Professor Lamin Sanneh. The grants will fund work by scholars from the Middle East, Oceania, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Africa, or Asia in the field of mission studies, intercultural theology, or related fields. Both of the two recipients will receive $10,000 for their research, and applications are due by July 30. Find the details and requirements here.
Prof. Roldán-Figueroa Named Director of Center for Latin American Studies
Congratulations to Dr. Rady Roldán-Figueroa, who has just been named the new director for the Center for Latin American Studies at the Pardee School of Global Studies! Prof. Roldán-Figueroa, Associate Professor of the History of Christianity at the School of Theology and a CGCM faculty associate, is a specialist in the history of early modern global Catholicism. His latest publication is The Martyrs of Japan: Publication History and Catholic Missions in the Spanish World (Spain, New Spain, and the Philippines, 1597–1700) (Brill, 2021). Learn more news about his new appointment at the Pardee School here.
25 Years of the UMC Order of Deacon
In commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the creation the Order of Deacon in the United Methodist Church, Dr. Benjamin Hartley ('05) recently reflected on The Deacon: Ministry through Words of Faith and Acts of Love, a book he co-authored with Paul E. Van Buren in 1998. This discussion between the two authors appeared in UM & Global, a blog that highlights the global connections in the UMC. Hartley discusses the impact of faculty members at STH in the progress of his thinking about the work of the diaconate.
In fall 2021, Hartley will become Associate Professor of Mission and World Christianity and Director of Strategic Initiatives at Seattle Pacific University. He is an expert on the mission leader John R. Mott, and his essay, "Pragmatic Internationalist: John R. Mott’s Negotiation of Nationalisms and Racism, 1895-1925," will appear in a forthcoming essay collection edited by Drs. Dana Robert and Judith Becker.
Call for Essay Proposals: Methodism & American Empire Project
Dr. David W. Scott and Dr. Filipe Maia are leading the Methodism & American Empire Project, a forthcoming collection of essays on the connections between Methodism (or churches in the Wesleyan tradition) and US imperialism. Dr. Scott is the mission theologian for the United Methodist Church and a visiting researcher with the CGCM, and Dr. Maia is Assistant Professor of Theology at BUSTH. A detailed description of the project's thematic concept is available here.
They welcome proposals for essays which interact with the following themes:
- Historical essays tying Methodist missionary activity and the expansion of United States foreign interests. Case studies could include US missionaries in Puerto Rico, Western Africa, the Philippines, the impact of US expansions on the church in the United States, and international structures of Methodism, etc.
- Theological and ethical reflections on Wesleyan theology, Empire studies, and political theology.
- Liturgical, worship, and ministry resources (sermons, liturgies, litanies, biblical studies, Sunday school lessons, etc.) for church communities to engage in anti-imperial reflections.
- Practical resources on activism, advocacy, and mission focused on Methodist communities and contexts.
Essay proposals are due August 31, 2021. Proposals should include 300–400-word description of the project and ought to be submitted as an email attachment to the editors, David Scott (dscott@umcmission.org) and Filipe Maia (fmaia@bu.edu). Accepted proposals will be communicated to authors by September 30, 2021.
Dr. Jesse Ciccotti on “Christian Theology in a Chinese Idiom”
Register to attend here.
Bulhoek Centenary Symposium
On May 24, 2021 (8:00-12:50 SAST), the University of Pretoria Centre for the Advancement of Scholarship and the Johannesburg Institute of Advanced Study are hosting a symposium which will remember the Bulhoek Massacre of 1921, in which members of the Israelites Church were killed by Union police and in which its leader, Enoch Mgijima, was arrested.
In Memory of C. René Padilla (1932-2021)
On April 27, C. René Padilla, the influential Ecuadorian theologian and publisher, passed away. Padilla is best known for his articulation of misión integral, a theology of mission which emphasizes the equal and interrelated importance of evangelism and social engagement. Padilla was an influential speaker at the First Lausanne Congress of 1974, and he served as a staff person for the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students (IFES) for much of his life. He was the co-founder, with his wife Catherine, of the Centro de Estudios Teológicos Interdisciplinarios (CETI), the leader of the Kairos Center for Integral Mission, and head of Kairos Publishing. He is the author of many articles as well as the collection entitled Mission Between the Times: Essays on the Kingdom (1985, 1st ed.).
A full obituary can be found at Christianity Today.
René Padilla's daughter, Dr. Ruth Padilla DeBorst ('16), a BU alumna who studied with Dr. Dana Robert, also serves with CETI and the International Fellowship for Mission as Transformation (INFEMIT).