Bible Studies and Mission (BISAM) is one of the oldest interest groups of IAMS and has been under the leadership of David Bosch, John Pobee, Sr Teresa Okure SHCJ and now Dr. John Prior.
His address is: Dr. John Prior Puslit Candraditya Jln. Lerowulan 1 Wairklau-Maumere 86112, Flores- NTT Indonesia Phone: +62- (0) 382-22193 Fax: +62-0382-22194 bisam@missionstudies.org
Participate in the blogs of BISAM members and interested people. http://biblestudiesandmission.blogspot.comClare Amos AlanCareRobin@aol.com , clarea@uspg.org.uk (UK )
Mercedes García Bachmann garciabachmann@hotmail.com , mgarciabachmann@yahoo.com ( Argentina)
Stephen Bennet bennetts8@juno.com , Stephen.Bennett@alliance.edu ( Philippines)
Kari Storstein Haug kari.storstein.haug@mhs.no (Norway)
Emmanuel Jacob manijac@dialstart.net (UK)
Leo Kleden lkleden@verbodivino.it (Rome)
Klippies Kritzinger kritzjnj@icon.co.za (South Africa)
Hans Kvalbein Hans.Kvalbein@mf.no, Hans.Kvalbein@menfak.no (Norway)
Jacques Matthey jem@wcc-coe.org (Switzerland)
Vasile Mihoc mihoc@rdslink.ro (Romania)
Zakaria Ngelow zngelow@yahoo.com (Indonesia)
Johannes Nissen JN@teo.au.dk (Denmark)
Birger Nygaard Birger.nygaard@areopagos.org (Denmark)
Teresa Okure tokureshcj@yahoo.co.uk (Nigeria)
Lalsangkima Pachuau kpachuau@yahoo.com (USA)
Joseph Pathrapankal jpathrapankal@hotmail.com (India)
Daniel Patte Daniel.m.patte@vanderbilt.edu (USA)
John Prior johnotomo46@gmail.com (Indonesia)
John Roxborogh john@roxborogh.com (Aotearoa/New Zealand)
P.N. Samuel Saravanan pn_saravanan@yahoo.com (India)
Batara Sihombing bat30pol@yahoo.com.sg (Indonesia)
Gerrit Singgih gerrit@ukdw.ac.id (Indonesia)
Susan Smith s.smith@ihug.co.nz, se.smith@auckland.ac.nz (Aotearoa/New Zealand)
Karel Steenbrink KSteenbrink@theo.uu.nl (The Netherlands)
Chris Sugden ChrisSugden1@compuserve.com (UK)
Christian Tauchner Tauchner@steyler.at (Austria)
Guido Tisera svd.bible@verbodivino.it (Rome)
Bob Wielenga wielenga@pmburg.co.za (South Africa)
Victor Zinkuratire victor@cuea.edu (Kenya)
Daniel van Zyl dcvzyl@absamail.co.za, dcvzyl@freemail.absa.co.za (South Africa)
androwcurtis@bigpond.com
cebi@accessinter.net
foborji@hotmail.com
iacmsecretary@catholic.org
jho@teol.ku.
dk jmhoff@egl.net
marpobee@hotmail.com
studien@emw-d.de
Jan van de Butselaar secretary@missionstudies.org
At Ipenburgh theoikos@yahoo.com
(IAMS webmaster) bisamlist@missionstudies.org
30 members: Europe 13, Asia 7, Africa 5, Americas 3, Oceania 2. Women 4, Men 27. Perhaps each of us could work to make the BISAM network more representative of the present state of Bible studies in mission.
REPORT OF BISAM CORE-MEMBER MEETING, 7 - 8 AUGUST 2004 Port Dickson, Malaysia
At the initiative of Teresa Okure, BISAM Coordinator 1996-2004, a post-IAMS Bible Studies and Mission (BISAM) meeting was held at Regency Hotel, Port Dickson, on Saturday and Sunday, 7 - 8 August in order to plan for the coming four years. Seven people took part namely, Teresa Okure, Johannes Nissen, Christian Tauchner, Jacques Matthey, J.N.J. Kritzinger, Kima Pachuau and myself. Birger Nygaard took part in the opening session. Karel Steenbrink and Emmanuel Jacob were unable to be present.
As we began Birger Nygaard, on behalf of IAMS Executive Committee, thanked Teresa Okure for her passion and commitment as BISAM Coordinator for the past eight years. Teresa revived BISAM and proved its continued relevance for IAMS. BISAM’s first project during this time (1996-99) resulted in the publication To Cast Fire Upon the Earth (2000). A second project (2000-2002) was published as an issue of International Review of Mission (January 2002). A third project (2002-) is in the making (Exercises in Missiological Readings, see below). Birger then asked the group to propose a Coordinator for the coming four years. After some discussion the name of John Prior was put forward. John chaired the remainder of the meeting and was asked to report its conclusions to the Executive Committee.
BISAM Project for 2004-2008
We aim to continue the direction mapped out over the past eight years:
“The BISAM project seeks to study collaboratively, in the true spirit of mission, the various ways in which the Bible is used today in mission, and the multifaceted questions which it raises among peoples of different race, sex, class, culture, creed, faith and social location… the Project operates on an inter-disciplinary basis…
“The Project remains ever open to new ideas and suggestions from IAMS members and friends, especially where these suggestions are related to real life concerns in one’s concrete social context.” [1]
We decided to complete one ongoing project and to embark on three others. They are:
1] EXERCISES IN MISSIOLOGICAL READINGS
This project was born in Geneva, January 2001, during a BISAM gathering. At Geneva it was decided to produce a methodological tool for a culturally conscious reading of the Bible with particular emphasis on mission. Initially the study was conceived as a collection of short texts with questions for readers revolving around the general theme of “Power” and “The Other.” Owing to the wide divergence of methods used in the incoming articles, at Port Dickson it was decided to draw up new parameters. These are:
a) As decided in Geneva these should be culturally-conscious readings of both the biblical context and the author’s context with an emphasis on mission.
b) The focus remains on “power” and “the other”.
c) The audience is that of Mission Studies, i.e. IAMS membership and the academic community and not the more general audience originally envisioned at Geneva.
d) The author should explain why she/he chose (was led to) that particular text.
e) We aim for a “representative” selection of books from the Bible as long as they are read in the context of burning issues (“power” and “the other”).
f) Missio Dei implies a sharing in the others’ movement “outwards”, reaching out and aware of God’s mission. Each one is part of a missionary community. (Summary descriptions of mission are found in WCC, Evangelical and RC documents).
g) We respect a diversity of approaches whether textual or inter-textual.
h) We are aware of issues of religion and culture, power and seekers. These issues are not only outside but also within Church communities.
i) Length of each article: about 5,000 words – longer than envisaged at Geneva.
j) Authors should follow the style guide of Mission Studies.
k) Authors are encouraged to quote biblical texts directly rather than summarise them.
l) The “Questions for Readers” and “Instructions for Study” as envisaged in Geneva should be left out. If necessary this material could be worked into the text itself.
Articles have been received/promised from:
Clare Amos Genesis
Steve Bennett Genesis
John Prior Joshua
Karel Steenbrink 2 Samuel
Mercedes G. Bachmann Jonah
Daniel van Zyl Psalm 1
Teresa Okure Matthew 28
Emmanuel Jacob John 4
Johannes Nissen Acts 2
Daniel Patte Romans
Jacques Matthey Paul
Five other names were mentioned as possible contributors, one on Isaiah the other three on the NT. BISAM Coordinator will contact them in due course. We aim for 5 – 7 articles of around 5,000 words each to be published in Mission Studies in 2006. Cristian Tauchner and Kima Pachuau (Mission Studies editor) have agreed to edit the whole. As MS editor, Kima will write an introduction.
Timeline
At the end of September 2004 the BISAM Coordinator will inform authors of articles received before IAMS XI and invite them to rewrite the articles in accordance with the new “Port Dickson” guidelines above. He will also inform the whole BISAM list including all those who were at Geneva and the five new members from Port Dickson. Articles must be submitted by the end of April 2005.
John Prior agreed to coordinate this project.
2] THE INTEGRITY OF MISSION: “Weaving Integrity”
During IAMS XI the BISAM Interest Group undertook Bible studies on the theme of the Conference. (See Report on The Bible and Mission Study Group on IAMS Website) Sixteen Scripture passages were studied focusing on “the integrity of mission in the light of the Gospel” in its four dimensions: personal honesty, wholeness, faithfulness and credibility. Eight participants were interested in carrying their study forward leading to a possible BISAM publication. These are:
Klippies Kritzinger Jer. 3:15-18
P.N. Samuel Saravanan Mt 28:19-20
John Prior Lk. 14-21
Leo Kleden Jn. 4 in relation to Lk. 4.
Batara Sihombing Jn 4:33-38
Lalsangkima Pachuau 2 Cor. 4
Teresa Okure Gal. 2:15-23
John Varlighese Phil 1:5-11
We decided that as Exercises in Missiological Readings was now for an academic readership, the Integrity of Mission volume would circulate among animators and cross-cultural missioners, helping to bridge the gap between mission academics and practitioners.
Each contribution should be around 10 pages in length, which together with an Endpiece on methodological reflections, would come to ca. 100 pages. The tone ought to be inspirational. The first draft of the papers should be finished by the end of September to be circulated among the core group. The final edition will be sent to the whole BISAM list and to Birger Nygaard for the IAMS website/Newsletter.
Klippies Kritzinger agreed to coordinate this project and look for a collaborator.
3] THE USE OF THE BIBLE IN
GRASSROOTS COMMUNITIES/ CHURCHES
The aim is to establish
a preliminary bibliography on the use of the Bible in missin with special
reference to grassroots communities or Churches. This project was first muted at
IAMS IX in Buenos Aires. Others have been doing work in this area. We therefore
decided to:
a) Contact Hans de Wit of the Free University of Amsterdam whose project has sent the same Bible text to 100 diverse congregations.
b) Contact Ludger Feldkamper, svd, the former general secretary of the Catholic Biblical Federation to obtain information from this Catholic network.
c) Contact Bible Societies.
d) Each of us is to make use of her/his contacts and networks.
e) Where feasible we should uncover not only easily accessible literature but make a special effort to retrieve publications/studies published in Africa and Asia.
f) A doctoral student could survey literature/studies, for instance in selected African Instituted Churches.
Johannes Nissen agreed to coordinate this project from 2005 onwards. BISAM Coordinator will get the ball rolling this year.
4] BISAM AND EDINBURGH 2010
We discussed how BISAM might assist in the preparation of Edinburgh 2010. We propose that research be done into how the Bible has been used in Ecumenical texts since Edinburgh 1910 – not only in final statements and published proceedings, but also in pre-conference working papers from the archives.
We thought this a good topic for a doctoral student who would ideally come from the South. While a number of universities in the South were mentioned as having suitable supervisors, we are also aware that archival material is stored in the North.
This project should be made known to the whole IAMS constituency inviting members who are directing doctoral studies to give serious thought to encouraging their competent students to choose the topic for their doctoral thesis. More than one thesis could be done from different perspectives.
We all agreed to follow-up using our usual networks. BISAM Coordinator will see that the proposal is placed on the IAMS website and advertised in Mission Studies. Jacques Matthey agreed to look into funding possibilities.
John Prior,
BISAM Coordinator.
Puslit Candraditya,
Jalan Lerowulan1,
Wairklau-Maumere 86 112,
Flores-NTT, INDONESIA.
johnotomo46@hotmail.com