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.
Call for Papers: Transcontinental Christian Networks
The Andrew Walls Centre for the Study of African and Asian Christianity at Liverpool Hope University in England and The Chair for Early and Global Church History at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich in Germany are pleased to announce a joint international conference on
Missionary and Indigenous-Christian Journals and the Making of Transcontinental Christian Networks.
This 8th conference will be held from Friday 3 July to Sunday 5 July 2015 in Hope Park Campus, Liverpool Hope University, Liverpool L16 9JD.
The organizers of this conference invite paper proposals on the contributions of missionary journals to any theme related to intercultural learning, cross-cultural networks of Christians, printing, selling, and reading habits, Christian ecumenism, interreligious understanding, international diplomacy, freedom movements, women liberation, developmental works to reduce poverty or to promote health, and academic disciplines such as sociology, anthropology, linguistics, and translation studies. The proposals should say how the missionary journals have or have not established transcontinental channels of communication in diverse fields. This conference will also provide opportunities for researchers to present the result of their case studies such as the Munich Research Group’s study on indigenous journals by Asian and African Christian leaders and their contributions to trans-regional and trans-continental networking. Proposals in this regard are also welcome.
Please email a 300-word proposal and your academic CV to Professor Daniel Jeyaraj (jeyarad@hope.ac.uk) on or before Tuesday 31 March 2015. The Conference Committee will inform the selected proposals by mid-April 2015.
| Prof. em. Klaus Koschorke, Dr. Ciprian Burlacioiu, and Dr. Adrian Hermann Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich |
Prof. Andrew Walls and Prof. Daniel Jeyaraj
|
Working with Migrants and Human Trafficking
The Face to Face programme of the Council for World Mission will host a gathering for theology students and anyone preparing for church leadership to engage with the complex issues surrounding migrants, undocumented workers, and people who have experienced trafficking. The program me will take place April 12th to May 23rd 2015 in the Netherlands.
The Face to Face programme includes:
- Opportunities to engage in theological reflection
- Guided study in a supportive atmosphere
- Exploring and learning about Dutch culture
- Work-placements in migrant communities and alongside trafficked and undocumented people
- Developing worship and study resources
- Workshops to develop interview techniques, creative writing etc.
Anyone interested in joining the Face to Face, you can download the Programme Brief, and an Application Form.
For more information, visit http://www.cwmission.org, or contact: empowerment@cwmission.org; CWM Ltd, 400 Orchard Road, #23-05, Orchard Towers, Singapore 238875; Tel: +65 6887 3400, Fax: +65 6235 7760.
The application deadline is January 25th, 2015.
Together Towards Life: An Ongoing Conversation
This October 20-23, I had the opportunity to travel to Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, to participate in a consultation organized by the Commission on World Mission and Evangelism (CWME) of the World Council of Churches (WCC). The consultation explored developing curricula for missionaries, pastors, and laity designed around Together towards Life: Mission and Evangelism in Changing Landscapes, the WCC’s new affirmation on mission and evangelism.
The content of Together towards Life has been summarized and critiqued elsewhere, so I will not do so here. Readers interested in seeing the document themselves may visit http://www.oikoumene.org/en/resources/documents/commissions/mission-and-evangelism/together-towards-life-mission-and-evangelism-in-changing-landscapes
Participants in the consultation came from all around the world, including the Americas (US, Argentina, Jamaica); Europe (UK, Switzerland, Norway, Italy, Romania, Hungary, Italy); Asia and Oceania (Sri Lanka, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Korea); and, of course, Africa (South Africa, Rwanda). One of the richest parts of the event for me was meeting these scholars and practitioners and learning from them.
The consultation was an intensive period of study, reflection, and discussion. We spent Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday in discussion, both plenary and small groups. We spent Tuesday visiting sites near Durban associated with mission: an AIDS resource center started by a congregation of the Methodist Church in South Africa, a charismatic healing preacher, and the school started by John Dube, an indigenous South African leader and missionary protégée.
The discussions about the document were rich. Several items rose to the top as considerations in preparing Together towards Life curricula. The importance of contextualizing the document was tantamount. Questions of access, distribution, and translation were raised. The group also noted the distinction between a WCC-driven process of curriculum development and a grassroots process.
In the end, it seems like both processes will proceed. The WCC will continue to assemble working groups to develop curricula, but other groups will also do their own work on the document. Among those efforts is one that I facilitate. UM & Global (umglobal.org), a blog sponsored by the United Methodist Professors of Mission, is currently in the midst of a discussion of the potentials and pitfalls for using this document in teaching.
David W. Scott, '13
Distinguished historian of Korean Christianity visits BU
Many alumni associates of the CGCM have gone on to make important contributions to the history of Christianity as it has developed in various parts of the globe. Alumnus Myung Soo Park of Seoul Theological University, has gone on to be a distinguished senior historian of Korean Christianity. He returned to his alma mater this past week, sharing his work and research while visiting CGCM Director Dana Robert.
Ecumenical Advocacy Days Scholarship
The World Student Christian Federation partners every year with Ecumenical Advocacy Days, where a delegation of students represent the Student Christian Movement and the World Student Christian Federation. Ecumenical Advocacy Days 2015 will take place on April 17-20 and the theme in will be "Breaking the Chains: Mass Incarceration & Systems of Exploitation."
Limited scholarships will be available from Ecumenical Advocacy Days, based on need, for young adults (Ages 18-35). These scholarships will only apply to partial or full waivers of the registration fee, but will not apply to transportation or food costs (aside from the lunches included with the registration fee). There may also be additional scholarships available based on denominational affiliation.
Please, do not hesitate to contact Luciano Kovacs phone+1-212-870-2470 or wscfna@gmail.com if you are interested in joining the delegation and if you are in need of extra scholarship funds.
For additional information on Young Adult activities at the National Gathering, click here:
http://advocacydays.org/2015-
Deadline for Ecumenical Advocacy Days Scholarship Requests is February 28, 2015.
Exploring the rise of global Christianity in the classroom
The School of Theology is hosting a new Boston Theological Institute course in world Christianity called "Comparative Christianity," taught by Dr. Todd Johnson. The course will explore the rise of global Christianity over the past century.
The course will meet one day a week, Wednesdays 6-9pm.
For further information on the course, email CGCM student associate Gina Zurlo: gzurlo@bu.edu.
Dictionary of African Christian Biography leaders meet in Kenya
The Dictionary of African Christian Biography (DACB), now located in the Center for Global Christianity and Mission, held its first annual meeting October 26-28, 2014 in Nairobi, Kenya. This was the first meeting of the DACB advisory council and editorial committee, which consists of ten members: Edison Kalengyo, Michele Sigg, Deji Ayegboyin, Priscille Njomhoue, Jonathan Bonk, James Amanze, Lamin Sanneh, Thomas Oduro (shown in the photo above from left-right), Philomena Mwaura, Paul Nkwi and Dana Robert. They launched the first of many planned annual meetings of the DACB leadership team.
Ecumenism of Suffering
The Eastern Fellowship of the American Society of Missiology held its annual meeting November 7-8, 2014 at the Maryknoll Mission Institute. The subject this year was "Christian Mission in Times of Persecution." Nina Shea, of the Washington-based Hudson Institute provided a summary of contemporary religious persecution, and Titus Presler reflected on "The Toll on the Soul" of those living amidst oppressive conditions. Boston University was well represented at the event. In addition to alumnus Titus Presler, Professors Dana Robert and Inus Daneel attended, as well as eleven students.
Partnering to Study the Korean Diaspora in Boston
The Center for Global Christianity & Mission has partnered with the East Rock Institute to uncover the stories of the Korean diaspora in Boston. As the partnership enters its third year, scholars have pieced together a number of fascinating stories. Topics range from the education of Yi Ku, the last prince of the Chosen dynasty to the involvement of Koreans in the Boston marathon.
The East Rock Institute has recently released a newsletter about some of its other projects.
American Evangelicals and Missions
Since 1988, Dana Robert has served on the Board of the Institute for the Study of American Evangelicals. Over the years, the ISAE produced important literature on a number of topics, including the relationship between American Evangelicalism and missions. At the end of October, the ISAE gathered for the final time. They both looked to the past, and what the institute has accomplished, as well as to the future and what horizons are yet to be explored.