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.
Spiritual Seeking among Ghanaian Immigrants to the US
Dr. Nicolette Manglos-Weber, CGCM faculty associate, was recently featured in the podcast series sponsored by the journal Sociology of Religion. In the conversation, Dr. Manglos-Weber shares about one of her latest articles, "The Contexts of Spiritual Seeking: How Ghanaians in the United States Navigate Changing Normative Conditions of Religious Belief and Practice." The article itself can be accessed here.
“Standing with Women Leaders from Africa and Latin America” Virtual Event
On Monday, May 10, at 10am (EDT), United Methodist Women will host a virtual event, "Standing with Women Leaders from Africa and Latin America," which is the organization's "Voices from the Field" event of this quarter. The discussion will feature four Regional Missionaries: Catherine Akale, Elmira Sellu, Finda Quiwa, and Andrea Reily Rocha Soares. The group will share real-life stories of courage and ingenuity and how United Methodist Women international work impacts the lives of women and their families.
Andrea Rocha Soares is a BU alumna, having received her MDiv with a concentration in mission in 2010. She is a native of Ribeirão Preto, Brazil, and an elder in the Methodist Church in Brazil. She was commissioned by United Methodist Women in 2015.
Register to attend the event here. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Please save the confirmation; it contains your personal link to the event.
Margaret Rigg Collection Available at Boston University Theo Arts Gallery
Many pieces of artwork from the Margaret Rigg Collection are now available for virtual viewing through the Boston University Theo Arts Gallery. Dating back to the late 1950s and 1960s, the works explore theological themes like crucifixion, la pieta, and the holiness of the body through the lens of the beginning of the Cold War and the burgeoning military-industrial complex. Rigg brought these artworks around to schools, Sunday Schools, and other groups of children to share how art and theology intersect. The media, choice of colors, and, at times, harsh subject matter, reflect the turbulence of the period.
This artwork was preserved as part of the research work of CGCM visiting researcher Dr. Ada Focer ('16) on the Methodist Student Movement. The periodical of the movement, motive magazine, has also been preserved through the work of Dr. Focer, the CGCM, and the STH library. Its issues are available digitally here.
The artwork can also be viewed physically at the School of Theology Library (745 Commonwealth Avenue, 2nd floor, Boston, MA 02215).
Panel on Pursuing Unity in Church and World
On April 21, 12:00-1:30pm (CDT), North Park Theological Seminary in Chicago, Illinois, is hosting a panel on the topic "Pursuing Unity in Church and World." CGCM Director Dr. Dana Robert will speak on the panel alongside Rev. Dr. Kevin Blue and Rev. Dr. Soong-Chan Rah. Learn more about the panel theme in North Park's event flier, and register to attend here!
Alumnus on “Serving the Global Church as a World Christian”
BU alumnus Dr. Daewon Moon ('17) recently contributed an article to Africanus Journal entitled "Serving the Global Church as a World Christian." In the article, Dr. Moon reflects on his participation in churches in South Korea during his childhood, his time with Youth With A Mission (YWAM), and his training and service in various parts of the world, with a specific focus on his work in Burundi.
Dr. Moon is also preparing to publish his dissertation research on the East African Revival of the 1930s-40s as a book entitled Becoming Saved Ones.
A fellow BUSTH alum, Dr. William David Spencer, also contributed to this issue of Africanus with a review of The Story of Creeds and Confessions: Tracing the Development of the Christian Faith (ed. Fairbairn and Reeves, 2019).
John Thornton to Speak on Religion & Slavery in the Kingdom of Kongo
On April 21 at 4pm, Dr. John Thornton, CGCM faculty affiliate, will speak on "Religion, the Kingdom of Kongo and the Slave Trade" as a part of the W.E.B. DuBois lecture series at the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard University.
Register here: https://harvard.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_M8YrmuXmSfGf9PdoPUBqqQ
New Africa-Focused Journal on Public Theology
Theology & the Arts in the African Context
On May 26-27, the Center for Primal and Christian Spirituality at the Akrofi-Kristaller Institute of Theology, Mission and Culture will hold a Theology and the Arts Symposium on the theme "Christian Faith and the Arts in Africa: Bridging the Cultural Divide." Register here!
Bible & Conscience: International Online Conference on Martin Luther’s Impact
"Unless I am convinced by Scripture and plain reason – I do not accept the authority of the popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other – my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not recant anything for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. God help me. Amen."
Lecture on Patronesses of Early Modern Missions in China
On Tuesday, April 13, Dr. Eugenio Menegon, one of the CGCM faculty affiliates, will deliver a lecture in the East Asian Studies Speaker Series at Johns Hopkins University. His talk is titled "The Matriarch, the Duchess, the Queen, and the Countess: Patronesses of the Catholic Mission in Early Modern Chinese-European Relations," and it is sponsored by the Singleton Center for the Study of Pre-Modern Europe and the Program for the Study of Women at the Department of History.
The lecture is open to all. Zoom link: https://jhubluejays.zoom.us/j/95619239725