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.
World Christianities Essay Prize
The Journal of Ecclesiastical History is pleased to announce a new World Christianities Essay Prize of £500, funded in part by a generous donation from the Cambridge Centre for Christianity Worldwide. The prize will be awarded each year to the author of an original research article on any subject relating to the history of Christianity outside Europe and North America since the year 700. Contributions are welcome from any historical subdiscipline and with any chronological or geographical focus within those parameters. Previously published work and items under consideration by other journals will not be eligible. Contributions will be assessed anonymously and are open to any author regardless of seniority or background. Entries from junior scholars are warmly encouraged.
The judges will be seeking to award the prize to an essay which displays rigorous and groundbreaking research, effectively communicated, and of significance to the wider discipline. The winning submission will be published as an article, normally in the following April issue of the Journal, and the authors of other high-quality submissions may also be invited to publish in the Journal. The judges reserve the right not to make an award in the event that no submission meets the required standard.
Submissions should be prepared in accordance with the journal’s style guide and should not exceed 8,000 words, including notes.
The closing date for submissions is 31 March 2019, and the outcome of the competition will be announced in September 2019. Submissions should be sent as email attachments, with ‘World Christianities Prize’ in the subject line, to Mrs Mandy Barker at jeh@robinson.cam.ac.uk.
Exemplary articles on World Christianities published in the journal to date are freely available to download here.
In Praise of Greatness: Nimi Wariboko and Africa’s Leading Public Intellectuals
Nimi Wariboko is featured in a new book on Africa’s leading public intellectuals and living legends. The book, In Praise of Greatness, by the famous historian Professor Toyin Falola of the University of Texas chronicles the life and scholarship of Africans who have made substantive contributions to knowledge. Wariboko is cited as one of Africa's intellectual pioneers.
The back cover explains: In Praise of Greatness, employing poems and prose, pays homage to those African scholars, artists, and public intellectuals who have been exemplary in developing significant ideas and institutional legacies with far-reaching political, social, and cultural impact. Here are remarkable lives of dedicated service that have transformed society, extended the frontiers of knowledge, preserved values, and offered unique perspectives that replace universalism with pluriversalism. In twenty-two chapters that deploy dynamic poetics, distinct cultural tools, and rich traditions, the book presents multiple global-local biographies of preeminent scholars, living legends, and intellectual giants of Africa and its diaspora. Through individual stories, cumulative analyses demonstrate the existence and elaboration of an ontological and epistemic infrastructure that embodies the powerful paradigms that are essential to attaining progress, promoting ethical scholarship, and presenting distinguished Africans to the outside world. The book argues for the maintenance of strong academic traditions and new social thinking beyond patriarchy, as well as more serious attention to poetic and artistic creativity in surviving, navigating, and transforming the varying forces of modernity and globalization with meticulous and sustained attention to local needs and contexts. In Praise of Greatness advances the agenda of nation building by showcasing the formidable works and enduring genius of prominent individuals who have discovered pathways to optimal outcomes for themselves and others through myriad heroic efforts and honorable relationships of generosity and trust. In Praise of Greatness seeks to inspire intellectual productivity in an emergent generation of scholars; to provide a unique lens for interpreting the past and present; and to promote a collective narrative around African development.
Nimi Wariboko is the Walter G. Muelder Professor of Social Ethics at the Boston University School of Theology and a Faculty Associate of the Center for Global Christianity and Mission.
Global Ecumenism
In December 2018, Rev. Dr. Casely Essamuah ('03), the Secretary of the Global Christian Forum, had an audience with Pope Francis at the Vatican. One of the books that Essamuah is handing the Holy Father is a copy of his dissertation, Genuinely Ghanaian: A History of the Methodist Church, 1961-2000.
Call for Papers: African Language, Literature, Music and Prayer Repertoires
Nagel Legon International Conference 2019
Call for Papers:
African Language, Literature, Music and Prayer Repertoires: Exploring Indigenous Epistemologies and Spiritualities
Date: July 24th–26th, 2019
Venue: University of Ghana, Legon
Contact/Queries: nagel.legon.conference@gmail.com
BACKGROUND
Christianity in Africa offers an abundance of linguistic resources that serve as a wellspring for African spirituality and values. However, while current scholarship that engages African Christianity often focuses on the rapid growth and diverse expressions of the faith on the continent and in the African diaspora, the role of language, music, film, and literature as significant articulations of African spirituality and values remains largely unexplored.
The language that is appropriated to convey experiences of faith and spirituality, including names, attributes and the language used to describe supernatural entities and deitiesmay be seen to represent the embodiment of the contemporary experiences of people’sperceptions. African literature, proverbs, songs, prayers, and appellations are not only repositories of these names and attributes but also fuller expressions of African experiences and perceptions of supersensible entities and their interactions with humans, but also important expressions of indigenous spirituality and values. Similarly, in praise genres we find what has variously been called grassroots, oral, spontaneous, or implicit theology, and represents a typeof “reflective theology” in its own right. Film, home videos and African literary works are yet other mediums in which aspects of African religious values and Christian spirituality are regularly featured.
By engaging religious studies, theology, social sciences, and the arts, this conference seeks to explore indigenous epistemologies and spiritualities through the prism of African language, literature, music, and prayer repertoires. We solicit contributions that explore, engage and analyze African literary works, music, prayers, oral histories, appellations, film, or praises in Africa and the African diaspora, in order to discern ways in which African spirituality and values are perceived and expressed by individuals and religious institutions and local communities. Contributions that raise issues of gender, ethnicity, identity, and colonialism/post-colonialism would be welcome. The conference seeks to demonstrate the importance of inter- and cross- disciplinary scholarship between the arts, humanities, and social sciences for more well- rounded, holistic engagement with African religions and spirituality.
This conference is hosted by the University of Ghana’s Department for the Study ofReligions in partnership with the Nagel Institute’s African Theological Advance Initiative, which is generously supported with funding from the Templeton Religion Trust. For further details, please see https://calvin.edu/centers-institutes/nagel-institute/projects/african-advance/
Please note: for all of the sub-themes, references to Africa or African refer equally to the African diaspora. Papers engaging issues of gender and marginalized voices are particularly welcome. Sub-themes and potential topics around which the conference is organized include but are not limited to the following:
- African spirituality and values from African theological and/or indigenous epistemological lenses
- African religions and spirituality as portrayed in African literature (colonial/post-colonial novels, dramas, poetry, biography/autobiography, etc.)
- African values and spiritualities in historical context
- Contemporary expressions of African religions, spirituality and values in film and media
- African indigenous agents and the promotion of African values and spirituality within
African Christian mission history
- Oral expressions of African religions, spirituality, and values (prayer, proverbs, parables,
storytelling, idioms, etc.)
- African spirituality and values expressed within African music (gospel music; reggae;
worship music; popular cultural music etc.)
- African spirituality, gender and sexuality explored within language, literature and worship
contexts
***Abstracts/Panel proposals: Each prospective presenter should submit an abstract of not more than 250 words by email to nagel.legon.conference@gmail.com by January 31st, 2019.Abstracts must be prepared as Microsoft Word documents and should include the presenter’sname, title of paper, institutional affiliation, and contact information (mailing address, phone number, and email address). Panel proposals should be sent as one document with an overall abstract, and should also include the abstract and personal information for each panel member/presenter. Participants will be notified about the status of their proposals by February 20th, 2019.
***Conference Registration and Rates: (including selected refreshments, lunches, and the conference banquet)
Early Bird Rates (March 1st–30th):
- Participants from the Global North: $100USD
- Participants from the Global South: $80
- Students/unwaged: $50USD
Late Registration Rate (April 1st–May 10th):
- Participants from the Global North: $150USD
- Participants from the Global South: $110USD
- Students/unwaged: $50USD
Accommodations: bookings will be available at African Studies Yiri Lodge (Legon Campus):
- Single room @$70USD
- Standard Room $50–$80USD
- Deluxe room @ $100USD
- Suite @ $120USD
Participants may also choose to make their own bookings at the nearby Erata hotel. Prices are subject to change; we will post the most up-to-date figures as they are available:
- Single Room @$100USD
- Double Room @$120USD
**Delegates should be aware that traffic within the city to/from the University can be very heavy and time-consuming; therefore we encourage you to stay on campus!
Additional Extras:
We are planning excursions before/after the conference to Cape Coast and Elmina Castles, as well as within Accra. We are also in discussions with the hosts of “Panafest 2019” to see howour participants might join in some of their events. Panafest is an event dedicated to African dance, music, and other performing arts to be held in Cape Coast, 25th July to 2nd August. Further details and costs for these extras will be posted as they become available.
Call for Papers: Mission Amid Global Crises
Today perhaps more than ever before, global missionaries encounter numerous forms of crises andhuman suffering in the normal course of their work. Whether it’s poverty in Africa, a Tsunami insoutheast Asia, human trafficking in India, or refugees in Europe and America, the likelihood that missionary efforts will intersect with some form of global crisis appears to be on the rise. What does this mean for mission theology and practice in the 21st century? How will these events shape the future of the church engaged in the Missio Dei? These issues raise important missiological questions for the church, including:
- How do these realities impact the ongoing debate between holistic missions advocates and those who emphasize proclamation?
- What are the implications for indigeneity when it comes to responding to global crises? How can disaster relief efforts build on the knowledge and cultural insight of local churches and local believers? How can local believers be an integral part of disaster response?
- What contextual theologies are coming from the global south that inform modern mission praxis as it relates to human suffering?
- What do global crises mean for North American and European churches, especially in light of materialism and individualism that often characterize Western churches?
- How do global crises and resulting needs affect fundraising strategies?
- How do missionaries and organizations engage in responsible evangelism in the midst of crises?
- How does the concept of Missio Dei relate to responding to human need?
- What are churches among the poor doing to respond to crises in their own communities?
- How do global crises especially affect women and children? How can the church on mission serve the needs of women and children in crises?
Papers are solicited that address these and other related topics from missiological, theological, historical, sociological, and/or regional perspectives.
To propose a paper, send a topic title and 200-300 word abstract to marcus.dean@houghton.edu yourregional EMS vice president. Paper proposals submitted by January 23, 2019, will receive priority consideration for acceptance. Accepted papers should be 4500-7000 words in length and use Chicago Turabian author-date citation format. Selected papers presented at the regional meetings will be invited to be presented at the annual EMS meeting in Dallas, September 13-15, 2019, leading to the possibility of being published as a chapter in the EMS Annual Compendium for 2020.
2019 EMS conference chairs:
Kirsten Priest (kersten.priest@indwes.edu)
Michelle Raven (Michelle.Raven@ciu.edu)
Jerry M. Ireland (irelandj@evangel.edu)
Remembering Lamin Sanneh
Professor Lamin Sanneh, a dear friend and member of the original DACB Advisory Council passed away suddenly on January 6, 2019. Professor Sanneh's involvement with the DACB began in August 1995, when the DACB was little more than an idea. Since that time, his interest in the enterprise remained constant. His association with the project in its early days lent it the academic credibility essential to its success. He will be sorely missed. We will be publishing his obituary and a full tribute in the near future.
--Jonathan Bonk
Both Jonathan Bonk and Dana Robert spoke about the loss of Lamin Sanneh in Christianity Today. In addition, Dana Robert spoke to the Washington Post as it created an obituary for Professor Sanneh.
Call for Papers: Religion, Race, and Africa
|
|
|
Call for Presentations: Stewardship, Simplicity, and Mission
ASM Annual Meeting 2019
The American Society of Missiology will meet June 14-16, 2019, at St. Mary’s College, South Bend, IN. The theme for this year’s annual meeting is: Lifestyles of the Rich and Faithful: Stewardship, Simplicity, and Mission. For a full statement of the conference theme visit the ASM website. Registration for the annual meeting will open in February 2019. Please consider joining us!
Call for Presentations
As we come to grips with the economic and cultural consequences of globalization, where the gap between the rich and the poor has only widened, it feels timely to mine the depths of the rich biblical theme of stewardship and its missional implications, which include issues of solidarity with the poor, economic inequalities, theologies of wealth and prosperity, and personal lifestyles. Plenary speakers Ronald J. Sider, Fr. Benigno Beltran, and Debra Mumford, and a host of practitioners will inspire and facilitate us in conversations around stewardship, simplicity, and mission.
Papers might address topics including (but not limited to):
- Stewardship and Mission
- Wealth and Poverty
- Money and Mission
- Simple Lifestyle
- Compassion, Justice, and Reconciliation (Holistic Mission)
- Challenging Social Injustices: Sexism, Racism, and Classism
- Prosperity Gospel
- Environmental concerns
- Urban mission
- Community Development/Transformation
We also welcome presentations that fit the theme less formally, but which engage mission studies more generally.
We strongly encourage teams of three or more presenters to collaborate and submit proposals for panel sessions focused on shared themes. As space permits, we also invite proposals for high quality individual papers that are not linked to a formally proposed panel session.
This year, we also invite proposals for Works-in-Progress. For more information about presentation formats, see the Presentation Guidelines on the ASM website.
Submitting Proposals
To submit a presentation proposal: https://goo.gl/forms/AIoDiZNCFW2e2R2H2
To submit a panel session proposal: https://goo.gl/forms/6Ua5AzqT4hCCJVP12
To submit a Korean-language presentation proposal: https://goo.gl/forms/mkmmGSybstiGMtTc2
The deadline for all panel, paper, and colloquium submissions is January 25, 2019. Confirmation of accepted panel and paper proposals expected by March 8, 2019.
Questions?
● For presentation proposals, contact Madge Karecki (ASM 2nd VP; mmkarecki@outlook.com) and Shari Madkins (Parallel Sessions coordinator; shari.madkins@emory.edu)
● For the ASM travel pool, contact Robert Danielson (ASM treasurer; robert.danielson@asburyseminary.edu)
● For the conference in general, contact Al Tizon (ASM President; al.tizon@covchurch.org)
Call for Papers: Reimagining Mission
Reimagining Mission: Teaching mission for a changing world
The Association of Professor of Missions extends an open call for paper presentation proposals for its annual meeting June 13-14, 2019. Those interested in presenting a paper at APM should submit a proposed tile with a 150-200 word abstract to A. Sue Russell, APM President at sue.russell@asburyseminary.eduby March 30, 2019.
Theme: This year we will consider how we can reimagine mission to teach mission in a changing world. At the close of the 20thcentury, several books were published looking forward to what mission would look like in the 21stcentury. They discussed trends such as supporting national workers, theological drifts, short term mission explosion, tent making, justice, creation care, partnership, international mission movements. We are now two decades into the 21stcentury and it is time to take stock of where mission is headed in the next 20 years.
How do the changes in the world affect how we imagine and teach mission. Specifically, how do we prepare people for what mission will look like in 20 years, 30 years and beyond? What trends that were predicted at the close of the 20thcentury still apply today? What has changed in the landscape of mission for which we need to prepare people? What kinds of skills do people need to encounter the challenges of mission in the next decades? Who will be involved in the next global mission movement?
Papers are encouraged that address a wide range of topics for the teaching of mission in the next two decades. We especially encourage young scholars and future professors of mission to participate in this conversation. There are several areas that papers may address, including:
Looking back:Papers are encouraged to look at predictions that were made regarding trends for 21st century missions, such as diaspora mission, refugees, globalization, urbanization, etc. and discuss how they have shaped and will continue to shape teaching mission in the future. They may also address concepts and theories that need to be revised and/or expanded, or theories that are no longer relevant for mission today.
Looking Forward–Practitioners of Missions. Papers may address who will be the next practitioners of mission. With the rise of the ‘nones’ in North American and Europe, the rise of the global church, and the move of mission to the local church, how do we prepare the next generation of practitioners? What is the role of professors of mission in equipping the church and supporting global partnerships and global mission practitioners?
Looking Forward–New Approaches: Papers may seek to address new approaches to mission in a changing context. What are the possibilities for ecumenical partnerships, missional churches, interreligious dialogue, communal living, missional churches, and social action?
Looking forward–Training and Support: What are new methods to train and support the next generation of practitioners? What will training programs look like, what new delivery systems, educational programs, and training programs will effectively equip the next generation of mission practitioners?
Looking forward– New Challenges: What new challenges will mission practitioners face and how do we prepare them for challenges such as an increase in violence, natural disasters, political instability, persecution, displaced peoples, etc? What new strategies are needed for the changing world? How do these particularly affect women and children?
Other areas: Topics that relate to the teaching of mission in general will be considered.
SUBMISSION AND PRESENTATION REQUIREMENTS Paper proposal deadline: March 30, 2019. Notification of accepted papers: April 15, 2019. Submission of completed papers and confirmation of meeting attendance: May 30, 2019. For the purpose of online publication of presentations submitted papers may be up to 5000 words included notes and references (about 20 page double-spaced) and should conform to the style guide of Missiology: An International Review, available at: http://asmweb.org/assets/pdf/Style-Guide-2011.pdg. The full text of all papers approved for the conference will be made available to the members of APM online as The Proceedings of the Association of Professor of Mission, 2019.
Presentation at the meeting will be limited to 15 to 20 minutes plus additional time for discussion depending on number of presentations accepted. Please direct all submissions and questions to A. Sue Russell, APM President at sue.russell@asburyseminary.edu
Call for Papers: Mission to Women Amid Global Crisis
Call for papers
Special track of the 2019 Evangelical Missological Society Meetings on Mission Amid Global Crisis
Mission to Women Amid Global Crisis
Global crisis created by wars, human trafficking, natural disasters, poverty, slavery, and abuse affect all people and lead to human suffering. However they have a greater impact on the lives of those who live on the margins of society. This track is designed to explore how cultural and political constructions of gender and gender inequality affect the economic and social well-being of women and children, and make them particularly vulnerable in global crisis.
Papers and case studies to explore in this track include but are not limited to:
- Specific issues that affect women and children such as migration, transnational families, care work, slavery, war and rape, and forced prostitution in different cultural contexts.
- Inequalities and issues that women face in their communities such as illiteracy, lack of schooling, and limited access to resources, including health care, food, clean water, prenatal care etc.
- Women’s global movements and women’s empowerment. How have global women’s movements and missions to women, particularly as they address human rights and development, empowered women and impacted their status and well-being, and in doing so impacted their families and communities.
- Case studies on how churches and missions have addressed the needs of women and children in global crisis.
- Case studies on women’s empowerment and economic development.
To propose a paper for this track, send a topic title and 200-300 word abstract to Sue Russell, sue.russell@asburyseminary.edu,by May 30, 2019. Notification will be by June 30, 2019. Accepted papers should be 4500-7000 words in length and use Chicago Turbian author-date citation format. Selected papers will be invited to be presented at the annual EMS meetings in Dallas, Sept 13-15 2019.