News of the extended network of faculty, alumni, students, visiting researchers, and mission partners is regularly updated, and some of the big ideas or major events in Global Christianity are covered in the CGCM News.
Essamuah (’03) Meets with the Pope
Casely Essamuah recently met with the pope. Essamuah is the secretary of the Global Christian Forum, which is a unique gathering of global Christian churches and organizations bringing together all the major streams of world Christianity. The GCF is an open space where all Christians can meet to nurture unity by fostering mutual respect and understanding as well as by addressing together common challenges.
You Must Remember This
Recently, Anicka Fast ('20) was interviewed by the Mennonite Missionary Network for a podcast on "You Must Remember This." Drawing on her dissertation, Fast reflects on how the stories of mission become the history of mission. She shares about why some stories get preserved and remembered, while others become forgotten. Plus, Rod Hollinger-Janzen gives insight into how AIMM (Africa Inter-Mennonite Mission) worked with Fast to unearth forgotten narratives from a century ago.
International Missionary Council Centenary
In November 2021, the World Council of Church's Commission on World Mission and Evangelism sponsored a global event to commemorate the formation of the International Missionary Council on its 100th anniversary. The three-day event included three plenary sessions, which were recorded and available for viewing. The presentation on "What happened at Lake Mohonk at its Outcome," was delivered by Prof. Dana L. Robert.
"What happened at Lake Mohonk and its Outcome"
"The past, present, and future of cooperation in mission in World Christianity"
Ireland, Mayfield, and Menegon to Give Lectures for the Institute of Qing History at Renmin University of China
中国人民大学清史研究所讲座Lectures by Institute of Qing History, Renmin University of China中外关系与中西文化交流系列第2讲
Sino-Western Relations and Culture Exchange Series, No.2中西文化关系史的新数字资源――中国基督教历史资料库（CHCD）：架构与展望New Digital Humanities Resource on Sino-Western Cultural Relations――China Historical Christianity Database: Structure and Prospect主讲人：马飞立（Alex MAYFIELD），波士顿大学神学院（School of Theology, Boston University）梅欧金（Eugenio MENEGON），波士顿大学历史系（Dept. of History, Boston University）主持人：刘贤（Xian LIU），中国人民大学清史研究所（Institute of Qing History, Renmin University）时间：12月10日December 10th(Friday)，9:00-10:30 am（Beijing Time）12月9日 December 9th(Thursday)，8:00-9:30 pm（US EST Time）腾讯会议(Tencent Meeting in China or VooV meeting abroad)：170-259-713会议密码(Password)：121010中外关系与中西文化交流系列第3讲
Sino-Western Relations and Culture Exchange Series, No. 3民国基督教海报的双重解读Interpretations on Chinese Christian Posters in Republican China主讲人：艾德恩（Daryl IRELANFD），波士顿大学神学院(School of Theology, Boston University)主持人：刘贤（Xian LIU），中国人民大学清史研究所（Institute of Qing History, Renmin University）时间：12月17日December 17th(Friday)，9:00-10:30 am（Beijing Time）12月16日December 16th(Thursday)，8:00-9:30 pm（US EST Time）腾讯会议(Tencent Meeting in China or VooV meeting abroad)：441-477-633会议密码(Password)：121717
Alumna Ruth Padilla DeBorst (’16): “Fleeing the hot spots: Climate change, migration and mission”
On November 16, 2021, BU STH alumna Dr. Ruth Padilla DeBorst ('16) delivered the Alexander Duff Lecture as part of COP26, entitled “Fleeing the hot spots: Climate change, migration, and mission.”
Her lecture is available on YouTube here and was followed by responses from two World Christianity Ph.D. students, Nuam Hatzaw and Alec Simpson, and a time of discussion.
The Alexander Duff Lecture was sponsored by the Church of Scotland and co-hosted by the Centre for the Study of World Christianity and the Centre for Theology and Public Issues (New College, School of Divinity, University of Edinburgh).
Revisiting East Asia through Mission Collections
Conference Panel on Missionary Archives: register for the Zoom meeting at this link. The event will be recorded and will be posted online later as well. See attached abstracts.
New England Regional Association for Asian Studies Meeting
Monday December 6, 2021, 10:30-11:45AM US EST (16:30-17:45 Central European Time; 23:30-24:45 China time; 24:30-1:45AM, Japan/Korea)
at Harvard University (on Zoom).
Panel B1: “Revisiting East Asia through Mission Collections in New England”
(on resources at the BC Ricci Institute; Columbia University; Yale University; Harvard University; BU CHCD).
“Digital Frontiers: The China Historical Christian Database”
Alex Mayfield (Boston University)
“The Archival Collections on East Asia at the Yale Divinity Library”
Christopher Anderson (Yale University)
“The Harvard-Yenching Missionary Collection”
Sharon Li-shiuan Yang (Harvard-Yenching Library)
“The Ricci Institute: A Global Resource for the Interdisciplinary Study of Christianity in East Asia”
Mark Mir and M. Antoni Ucerler SJ (Boston College)
Dana Robert’s Extended Interview from Jesus the Game Changer Season 2
Dana Robert is a featured guest in the second season of Jesus the Game Changer. Host Karl Faase speaks to over 50 guests around the world about how and why the gospel spread to become a global faith. View the trailer here.
Dana Robert's expertise contributes to the series overall, and Olive Tree Media recently released an extended interview with her on several platforms.
To access Dana Robert's extended interview, view a shortened version on YouTube and the full interview as a podcast or on Olive Tree Media's streaming service.
IMC Centenary Conference: Dana Robert’s Lecture and North American Panel
The IMC Centenary Conference concluded on Thursday, November 18th, after three days of virtual gatherings. The program included eight regional presentations on the history of missional collaboration and three public lectures.
Dana Robert delivered one of the three public lectures to the global, virtual conference attendees. Her lecture, "What happened in Lake Mohonk and its outcome," detailed the individuals, events, and movements that led to the founding of the IMC at Lake Mohonk, NY, in 1921. Dr. Robert highlighted innovative and forerunning mission themes and commitments evidenced in the work, relationships, and words of the early IMC. We will post the lecture for public viewing once it has been made available.
North American Regional Contribution
Following Dr. Robert's lecture, a panel of Executive Committee members from the North American Study Process on Missional Collaboration offered a regional presentation reporting on aspects of the history, research findings, and early observations. 
The panel was introduced by Dana Robert and moderated by Rev. Dr. Casely Essamuah. Dr. Ben Hartley offered a short lecture on the history of John R. Mott. Dr. Carlos Cardoza-Orlandi, Dr. Ronald Wallace, Dr. Christopher James, Dr. Julie Ma, and Dr. David Scott presented unique aspects of the study's findings to date. Mr. Andy Mott, the grandson of the late John R. Mott, attended as a special guest and offered words of reflection and gratitude. Dr. Essamuah concluded the presentation with a summary of initial findings for ongoing reflection.
The North American panel was one of eight regional presentations that included reports from New Zealand, Latin America, Asia, the Caribbean, the Middle East, Africa, and Europe. The Study Centers and their research are a part of the ongoing IMC Study Process on Missional Collaboration. Findings from the eight regions will be presented to the WCC General Assembly 2022 and published later for a broader readership. The CGCM will post details as they are available.
“Reconciliation: Figuring out World Christianity amidst Conflicts,” CCCW Lecture Wednesday 24 November 2021, 4 pm GMT, Online
The fifth and final lecture in the CCCW Silver Jubilee Lecture series on Transfiguring World Christianity will be delivered on the topic “Reconciliation: Figuring out World Christianity amidst Conflicts,” by Dr Irini Thabet, Assistant Professor, Ain Shams University, Cairo, & Member ofthe Egyptian Senate, tomorrow, Wednesday 24th November, 4pm, GMT, Online. The Session will be chaired by Canon Sarah Snyder, Director, Rose Castle Foundation.
More information about the Lecture and the speaker is included in the flyer attached.
If you would like to join, please email centre@cccw.cam.ac.uk.
More information about the CCCW Silver Jubilee Lectures 2021is found here: Events - Cambridge Centre for Christianity Worldwide.
Yale-Edinburgh Group Conference, 28-30 June 2022 World Christianity: Legacy and the State of the Field
The 2022 Yale-Edinburgh Group conference will offer a tribute to Andrew Walls and Lamin Sanneh, co-founders of the conference thirty years ago, as it engages with their legacy. This will be both retrospect and prospect. What have we learned from Walls, Sanneh, and their generation? In what ways has their legacy imposed limitations on the field, and in what ways do we need critically to consider new approaches to the study World Christianity? How have the approach, methods, and parameters of the study of World Christianity developed in recent years? For example, panels might consider the nature of translation as a predicate of the expansion of Christianity, as well as exploring new avenues of recent scholarship in World Christianity, such as the role of migration or theological evolution in mission, or the de-territorializing of Christian faith in the development of global Christianity.
In light of continuing uncertainty over the feasibility of international travel, the 2022 conference will be trialing a new format. This will combine in-person and online panels at Yale Divinity School in New Haven, CT, with “hub” panels in Edinburgh, Ghana, Kenya and Singapore. The conference timetable will allow participants to attend panels in multiple locations online. If travel conditions allow, a small number of bursaries will be available as usual for participants who wish to use Day Mission library resources and attend New Haven panels in person.
More details about the conference and where to submit your abstract will be available in the new year.
Chloe Starr, Emma Wild-Wood, Alex Chow
If you have any questions, please contact Martha Smalley here.