Friends, it is our joy and privilege to share with you some of the latest updates of INFEMIT’s work and partners. Take a look through this newsletter to learn about our work, find out about upcoming events, and take advantage of helpful resources. Thank you for journeying with us!
Master’s Program in Faith and Public Life: Arad, Romania
INFEMIT members, Corneliu Constantineanu and Marcel Macelaru, have worked hard to contextualize materials and launch a Master’s Program in Faith and Public Life at the Aurel Vlaicu University in Arad, Romania.
Ruth Padilla DeBorst, the INFEMIT Networking Team Coordinator, was able to lecture last month during one of their weekend intensives. The reception among the students and the university was extremely welcoming, and the students were very responsive to the idea that doing theology should be a process which integrates all aspects life.
CETI-INFEMIT Open Online Course
The Comunidad de Estudios Teológicos Interdisciplinarios (CETI), in partnership with INFEMIT, held an open online course on God’s Total Response: A missional approach to the book of Exodus, featuring special guest, Chris Wright.
Twenty-six participants signed up for this course, representing 15 countries from 4 continents: Bolivia, United Kigdom, Brasil, Argentina, USA, South Africa, Paraguay, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Palestine, Tanzania, Turkey, Guatemala, Sri Lanka, and Myanmar.
Some highlights included getting to learn from and participate with other students online and Q&A times with Chris Wright. INFEMIT and CETI are grateful to all the participants who joined in our missional explorations of the book of Exodus and contributed to inter-cultural dialogue and learning. We look forward to future opportunities for new open online courses.
Faith and Life: Africa
You may have seen in our previous newsletters that a Working Group has formed including INFEMIT members and friends across Africa who are in the process of contextualizing and piloting the Faith and Life curriculum in various regions of the continent. Recently, a team in South Africa began to develop a new introductory module for use in their context, as they also work on updating and bringing in new material for the module on Church. INFEMIT Networking Team member, Seble Daniel, is beginning translation of the material into Amharic so that it may then be contextualized for use in Ethiopia. We are thankful for the commitment of this Working Group in the process of developing new resources for theological formation in Africa, and we are excited to see how these may be used to serve churches and practitioners across that vast continent.
This Year’s Stott-Bediako Forum
In case you haven’t yet seen the announcement: this year, INFEMIT’s Stott-Bediako Forum will be held in the Philippines and will address the topic of Peace Building and Conflict Transformation: The Church in Response to Political Conflict. The event will take place immediately after the Micah Global Triennial Gathering at the Center for Community Transformation in Tagaytay on September 14th and 15th. Make sure to save the dates for these events and keep an eye on your email for registration opening soon.
Recommended Resources
In January of 2017, INFEMIT issued the Call for Biblical Faithfulness Amid the New Fascism, responding to the inauguration of Donald Trump as president of the U.S., among other global political challenges. The Journal of Latin American Theology (JLAT) also published a special issue on Being Faithful to God in the Era of Trump. Check out these resources in preparation for this year’s Stott-Bediako Forum on Peace Building and Conflict Transformation: The Church in Response to Political Conflict.
Launching this year…
INFEMIT is working on a joint blog with Micah Global which will weave together contributions from theologians and practitioners across the globe on a variety of issues. We look forward to bringing in various types of posts: reflective, artistic, academic, multi-media, etc. We also hope this will be a space that allows deep dialogue and interaction. Stay tuned for the launch of this blog and opportunities for contributions.
Missio Alliance has asked INFEMIT to contribute to its Writing Collectives by offering regular contributions from theologian-practitioners across the globe. Keep an eye on Missio Alliance’s website, the “Global Church” column, as these articles will start coming out soon!
