Alumni Around the World
Year by year, advanced graduate students pass through the School of Theology and the Center for Global Christianity, then go out into the world to teach and do what they have been studying. As they move, the CGCM community grows in engagement through them. They are such a diverse group of people that no one description could possibly do the entire body justice. Instead, news and updates will be regularly provided. Cumulatively, their activities will create a portrait of the CGCM alumni community.
STH Alum Recognized by World Council of Churches Journal
Congratulations to Rev. Dr. Joas Adiprasetya (STH '09), President of Jakarta Theological Seminary, for being recognized by The Ecumenical Review for producing the most downloaded paper of 2018-2019! Published in April 2019, Dr. Adiprasetya's article is entitled "A Compassionate Space-Making: Toward a Trinitarian Theology of Friendship." The article is co-authored with Nindyo Sasongko.
CGCM Graduates Receive African Studies Certificate
Congratulations to Anicka Fast ('20) and Dima Hurlbut ('20), who are among those students who earned the Graduate Certificate in African Studies!
Online Communion?
The United Methodist Church, like so many others, is searching for a way to be faithful to the marks of the Church: the preaching of the Word and the administration of the sacraments. But how can that be done during social distancing? "Both Green Light, Red Light for Online Communion," explores how different people are responding. Note that several of those featured are connected to Boston University (Karen Westerfield Tucker, Ryan Danker, Bishop Oxnam, and Mark Stram).
10 Outstanding Books on Mission 2019
The International Bulletin of Mission Research recently published its ten outstanding books in Mission Studies from 2019. It was exciting to see a number of people connected to Boston University on the list: Gina Zurlo ('17), William Gregory, Dana Robert, and Amos Yong.
Award of Excellence
In a recent award-winning article in Pneuma, Antipas Harris ('08) advances hermeneutical insights for emerging black pentecostal scholars to consider. The salient question is, “What distinguishes black Pentecostalism?” This study revisits James H. Cone’s sources for black theology for insight into the role of blackness in shaping black Pentecostalism. On the one hand, the study dispels the myth that black Pentecostalism is inherently a spiritual alternative to the fight for social justice. On the other hand, it calls for critical dialogue between Cone’s sources for black theology and black Pentecostalism to advance scholarship on the formation of black pentecostal hermeneutics. This essay explains that blackness is more than a cultural and experiential reality. Blackness is a theological source that correlates with other sources in shaping black Pentecostalism. Blackness, moreover, legitimates black pentecostal proclivities for the integration of the faith, spirituality, and social advocacy. Theological blackness in Pentecostalism has historically distinguished black Pentecostalism from subsequent white Pentecostalism.
Remembering India’s Pioneering Missionary to Nepal
March 15, 2020 was Rev. C. K. Athialy's birth centenary day. He was the pioneering Indian missionary in Nepal. To honor his life, a thanksgiving meeting was planned in Nepal, but has been postponed due to the rapid spread of the coronavirus. Rev. C. K. Athialy's son, Jesudas Athyal, has been a Visiting Researcher at the CGCM and with his family produced a short documentary of his father's life. The video also features Bishop Abraham Mar Paulos, who earned his doctorate at the Boston University School of Theology in 1993.
The Future of Religion and Mission
March 30 - April 1, 2020
The Center for the Study of Global Christianity (CSGC) at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary invites you to an exclusive conference to celebrate the launch of the third edition of our seminal work, the World Christian Encyclopedia (Edinburgh University Press).
The conference will feature:
- Keynote addresses from leaders in mission and ecumenical organizations. Featured speakers include Casely Essamuah (Global Christian Forum), Mary Ho (All Nations), Todd M. Johnson (CSGC), Gina A. Zurlo (CSGC), Scott W. Sunquist (Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary), among others.
- Panel sessions on world religions and mission
- Focus on gender in global Christianity
- Discussion of Evangelicals and social action
- Analysis of regional trends in Christianity
The conference will begin on Monday, March 30 with registration at 8am and will conclude at noon on Wednesday, April 1. For information on registration, housing, and conference schedule, click here or visit globalchristianity.org. For all other inquiries, please contact us at info@globalchristianity.org or (978) 468-2750.
The Past and Future of Evangelical Missions
Maryknoll 2019
This year’s meeting of the Eastern Fellowship of Professors of Mission held at Maryknoll was attended by 57 people from a total of 16 institutions—a record number on both accounts. The theme of “Visualizing Mission” fired the imagination of presenters and participants alike. On Friday, Maryknoll Father Larry Lewis unveiled jewels of “God images” and signs of divine presence in several mainstream American and foreign films, emphasizing the mission of fully living out one’s humanity for God. After dinner, filmmaker James Ault played an excerpt of his new film project on Mechanic Manyeruke, considered a father of gospel music in Zimbabwe. Daryl Ireland (Boston University) prompted lively discussion with his fascinating findings on the portrayal of the cross in the CGCM’s digital Chinese poster collection (www.ccposter.com). Saturday morning, James Kim (New Brunswick Theological Seminary) showed excerpts of two Korean documentaries and highlighted some of the painful history of the coming of Christianity to Korea and the work of western missionaries. Finally, brief presentations by Meg Guider (Boston College), Michèle Sigg (Boston University), and James Taneti (Union Presbyterian Seminary) launched a plenary discussion on “Missionaries in the Movies.” Themes that emerged from the conversation included the importance of visual resources for churches in Africa, the ongoing challenge of negative portrayals of mission and missionaries in mainstream media, and the role of missiologists in evaluating these images within the evolving curriculum of mission studies and world Christianity programs.
100 Women of 2019
Gina Zurlo ('17) was selected as one of the 100 women of 2019 by the BBC. She spoke in New Delhi at a BBC-sponsored event, discussing the role of women in religion. Her talk begins at 56:27.