Research
The research agenda of the Center for Global Christianity is driven by the interests of the people who are part of its community. Reports about their ongoing work will be posted from time to time.
Sprunt Lectures 2017: Cross-Cultural Friendship and Mission
For over 100 years, Union Presbyterian Seminary has hosted the James Sprunt Lectures, which invites speakers of outstanding quality to the seminary to discuss aspects of Christian thought and work. This year, UPS invited Dana Robert to deliver four lectures on "Cross-Cultural Friendship and Christian Mission: History and Practices." Robert showcases how relationships, sometimes the most difficult to codify aspects of mission, have transformative power.
Going Native or Remaining Foreign?
A conference on Catholic missionaries as Local Agents in Asia in the 17th and 18th centuries will happen in Rome May 30--June 1, 2017. Organized by the Deutsches Historiches Institut in Rom, École Française de Rome, Istituto Svizzero di Roma, Abteilung für Neuere Geschichte des Historischen Instituts der Universität Bern, the conference aims to assess missionaries roles in various social environments, rather than simply examining their place in different countries. Thus, the conference is divided into studies of missionary activity in urban, court, household, and rural settings. Eugenio Menegon will present a paper on "The Habit that Hides the Monk: Missionary Fashion... More
41st Korea Missiology Forum
A Korea Missiology Forum, which has been hosted by Korea Research Institute for Mission (KRIM) since 2004, was held on January 12, 2017 at Nam Seoul Presbyterian Church, Seoul, South Korea. Rev. Daewon Moon, who is Ph.D. candidate at Boston University, spoke about “Ancestor Cults in Africa and African Initiated Churches” and Rev. Chun Lee, who is managing director of KRIM, responded. The session was followed by a period of questions and answers, and and a fuller discussion. The presenter, Daewon Moon explained the nature of Africans’ ancestor cult and how African Initiated Churches have responded to the practice, while Rev. Lee... More
Missionary Backstories
ABCFM Missionaries and their role in the Ottoman Empire, Hawai'i and the Civil Rights Movement in the United States will be explored through a series of lectures. Owen Miller will speak on January 19th, February 16th, and March 16th. More details are available from the Congregational Library and Archives.
A Documentary History of Shona Religion
Old and New in Shona Religion is an interactive website that allows scholars to explore the Shona religion in the middle of the 20th century. Based on over 1,200 annotated photographs taken by M.L. Daneel between 1960 and the mid-1990s, this website provides a visual history of African Initiated Churches and African Traditional Religion. At the time of these photographs, M.L. Daneel was the only person documenting oral, rural, Christian movements among the Shona people in Southern Africa. He was also the first White person allowed to visit indigenous Shona shrines. These photos, along with films, digitized books, and other resources now... More