Migration, Human Dislocation and the Good News:Margins as the Centre in Christian Mission: Toronto 2012
The upcoming IAMS Toronto Assembly (15 - 20 August 2012) will explore the profound missiological dimensions of human migration and dislocation, past, present and future. We shall attend especially to the many repercussions of widespread contemporary human movement for the theory and practice of Christian mission.
Update: 30 March 2012
As the 13th IAMS Conference in Toronto nears, so the BISAM Study Sessions are taking shape, indeed, they are already looking really good!
Accepted Papers: By 31st January some 25 abstracts were received by Cathy Ross, the IAMS secretary. These were forwarded to John Prior, the BISAM coordinator, and Gerard Goldman, who is the BISAM stream coordinator on the IAMS Executive. [Gerard is the Oceanic representative on the IAMS Executive Committee.] These abstracts were carefully evaluated according to their quality, their contribution to the Toronto theme, their originality, and their relevance to BISAM.
No less than 23 papers were accepted by the IAMS Executive for our BISAM Sessions. These are listed below. Four of the applicants’ papers have been shifted to other study groups, while BISAM has received two from another group! We trust the “swop” makes for more coherent discussions.
Twelve “contextual biblical papers” hail from Rwanda, Sudan, South Africa (3), Nigeria, Ghana, Indonesia (2), India, China and New Zealand. There are another eleven papers in biblical theology.
Bursaries: The Executive has also approved requests for five bursaries. The five BISAM recipients have already been informed.
Parallel Sessions: With the prospect of 23 papers, we are proposing to have two parallel sessions during the first three Study Group periods, each of which lasts one and a half hours. [See proposed Conference agenda and schedule.] This will allow for what we hope will be an adequate discussion of key issues in each paper, as each session, on average, will discuss four papers. Presenters will be informed later on precisely how the sessions will be held.
BISAM 2012-2016: During the fourth and final session we shall gather as a single group to pull out key issues that have arisen from the papers. We shall also look at a possible research project for the BISAM network to undertake over the coming four years. And last, but by no means least, we shall need to propose names to be forwarded to the (new) IAMS Executive for the position of BISAM Coordinator until the next Conference (2012-2016).
BISAM History
Gerald Anderson has written a delightful and insightful history of IAMS under the title Witness to World Christianity: The International Association for Mission Studies 1972–2012. The book will be launched during the Toronto Conference. The volume also includes chapters on three of the IAMS study groups, namely DABOH: Documentation, Archives, Bibliography and Oral History (by John Roxborogh); Healing and Mission (by Christoffer Grundmann), and BISAM: Biblical Studies and Mission (by John Prior). I trust this mini-history of BISAM will assist us in our discussions in Toronto and orient us as we decide on a future direction for the network.
CONFIRMED BISAM PAPERS FOR TORONTO
12 PAPERS IN BIBLICAL-CONTEXTUAL THEOLOGY:
Pascal Fossouo, “Jeremiah’s Letter to Fellow Believers in the Diaspora” (Rwanda)
Colin Godwin, “Theological Significance of Acts 17: A Case in South Sudan” (Sudan)
CJP Niemandt, “Congregations Welcoming the Stranger and Celebrating Meals” (South Africa)
Amy West, “Discipleship Across Boundaries” (South Africa)
Phileomon Gibungula, “Migrancy, Exile, Mission in Pretoria” (South Africa)
Gladys Ogedegbe, “Migration and Mission in Biblical Perspective: The Nigerian Situation” (Nigeria)
Eric Anum, “The Relationship between the NT Concept of Soteriology and ‘Omanye’” (Ghana)
Batara Sihombing, “Hospitality as a Means of Mission for Migrant Workers” (Indonesia)
John Prior, “I departed full, and the Lord has brought me home empty” (Ruth 1:21) (Indonesia)
Kelhoukhrieno Savi, “An Inter-Tribal Reading of the Bible” (India)
Wen xi Zhang, “Biblical & Pastoral Reflection on the Impact of Urbanisation” (China)
George Wieland, “Transnational Aspects of Mission in Acts & Auckland” (New Zealand)
11 PAPERS IN BIBLICAL THEOLOGY:
Christoph Stenschke, “Migration, Dislocation, Refugees & Early Christian Mission”
Robert Gallagher, “David’s Migration & Marginal Exploits in Gath”
P.G. George, “An Immigrant Community at the Crossroads”
Paul Hertig, “Jesus’ Migration & Liminal Withdrawals in Matthew”
Craig Hendrickson, “Mission as a Placed People in Urban Culture of Displacement”
Johannes Kritzinger, “Leaving Sodom Before Daybreak”
James Maxey, Translation as Hospitality.
Thanh Nguyen, “Migration & Mission: The Case of Priscilla & Aquila”
Mark Glanville, “The Resident Stranger in Deuteronomy”
Sarita Gallagher, “A Biblical Exploration of the Cross-Cultural Encounters of Abraham”
Felix Enegho, “Jewish Migration to and Out of Egypt (Genesis 37 – Exodus 12) in Comparison with Contemporary Migration”
Johannes Nissen, “Out of Place: NT Perspectives on Mission & Migration”
looking forward to seeing you in Toronto,
Shalom,
John Mansford Prior, svd,