Registration has been closed. Event summary and resources coming soon!
INFEMIT and the Oxford Center for Mission Studies (OCMS) welcome participation and reflections at the Stott-Bediako Forum on The Refugees Crisis: A Shared Human Condition. The event will be held OCMS, Oxford, UK on the 13-14 June, 2016.
The Stott-Bediako forum is an annual gathering of scholars and practitioners who are committed to address the realities of the contemporary world in light of the message of the Gospel. As its name suggests, the ethos of the forum follows in the footprints of John W.R. Stott and Kwame Bediako – Christian leaders who have had a lasting impact on generations of Christian believers worldwide, particularly as they emphasized and insisted on proclaiming and living out the whole Gospel. Both Stott and Bediako promoted a holistic understanding of mission and the importance of constructive engagements of Christianity and culture – preoccupations that are at the very heart of INFMEMIT and OCMS, the conveners of this forum.
For its fifth edition, the 2016 Stott-Bediako Forum will focus on the topic of “The Refugee Crisis.” In 2015, Europe alone received one million refugees migrating from Middle Eastern countries, and the crisis is unfolding even as we plan this gathering. There are similar refugee crises in different parts of the world with many tragic consequences at personal, family and community levels. It is therefore imperative that responses to these realities are sought and formulated in the light of the truth of the Gospel, whose message addresses the entire reality of human existence including that of refugees. How does the Bible present the reality of refugees? How do we, as followers of Jesus, as pilgrims and ‘resident aliens’ in this world, respond to these tragic realities? In what concrete ways should Christian communities engage?
We hope that this gathering of theologians and practitioners from around the world will be an opportunity for us to reflect, discuss and understand our role to address redemptively such urgent matters within our contexts.
Those interested in learning more about attending the 2016 Stott-Bediako Forum can email admin@infemit.org for more information.
