„Zending heeft slecht imago” - Kerknieuws - Kerk & Religie

„Zending heeft slecht imago” - Kerknieuws - Kerk & Religie

Impressions of MATHEM fifth intensive teaching week

Túrmezei Erzsébet: Pótvizsga a szeretetből

A Mester nagy iskolájában,

Ma szeretetből pótvizsgáztam.
Tanítóm előtt remegve álltam...
Az első vizsgán én megbuktam.
A tételt bár kívülről tudtam,
De a gyakorlatban előre alig jutottam.

Szeretem én, ki engem szeret,
Minden jó embert, akit csak lehet,
De az ellenségem?
Aki megrágalmaz, kinevet,
Ad mindenféle csúfnevet,
Gyaláz és megaláz engemet?

Ilyet nem tudok szeretni! Nem!
És ezt húztam ki a tételen,
,,Hogy az ellenségemet is szeressem!"
Szereted-e? - Kérdezte tanárom,
Az én Mesterem és Megváltóm.
Nem tudom, hiába próbálom!

Szelíden monda, de erélyesen:
 - Pótvizsgára mész, és ha mégsem
Tanulod, megbuksz egészen.
A szeretet nehéz tétel,
A legtöbben ebben buknak el,
Mert, aki bánt is, szeretnünk kell!

De Mesterem tovább tanított,
Különórára magához hívott,
Szeretetével sokat kivívott!
Mutatta kezén, lábán a sebet,
Hogy mennyit terem a szeretet,
Eltűri a kereszt-szegeket.

Eltűri a gúnyt, a gyalázatot,
Töviskoszorút, s nehéz bánatot.
A dárdaszúrást, mit értem kapott.
Így tanított, szívem felrázta.
Látta, hogy hajlok a tanításra.
Szeretetét a szívembe zárta.

És most pótvizsgáztam belőle.
Ott volt az ellenségem is.
Gúnyos megjegyzést kaptam tőle,
De szeretettel feleltem,
S e szeretettel őt megnyertem...
És a pótvizsgán átmentem.

Tovább tanulok, tovább megyek,
Vannak, „szeretet-egyetemek",
Magasak, s mégsem elérhetetlenek!
Mert más tudományt sokat tanulhatok,
Megcsodálhatnak, úgy vizsgázhatok.
Ha szeretet nincs bennem: SEMMI VAGYOK.

Forrás: http://szalai4913.blogspot.hu/2011/03/turmezei-erzsebet-potvizsga-szeretetbol.html

Psalm 16

Psalm 16

A miktam[a] of David.

1 Keep me safe, my God,
for in you I take refuge.
2 I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
apart from you I have no good thing.”
3 I say of the holy people who are in the land,
“They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.”
4 Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more.
I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods
or take up their names on my lips.
5 Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup;
you make my lot secure.
6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
surely I have a delightful inheritance.
7 I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;
even at night my heart instructs me.
8 I keep my eyes always on the Lord.
With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure,
10 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
nor will you let your faithful[b] one see decay.
11 You make known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
Footnotes:
Psalm 16:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
Psalm 16:10 Or holy

Psalm 17

New International Version (NIV)
Psalm 17

A prayer of David.

1 Hear me, Lord, my plea is just;
listen to my cry.
Hear my prayer—
it does not rise from deceitful lips.
2 Let my vindication come from you;
may your eyes see what is right.
3 Though you probe my heart,
though you examine me at night and test me,
you will find that I have planned no evil;
my mouth has not transgressed.
4 Though people tried to bribe me,
I have kept myself from the ways of the violent
through what your lips have commanded.
5 My steps have held to your paths;
my feet have not stumbled.
6 I call on you, my God, for you will answer me;
turn your ear to me and hear my prayer.
7 Show me the wonders of your great love,
you who save by your right hand
those who take refuge in you from their foes.
8 Keep me as the apple of your eye;
hide me in the shadow of your wings
9 from the wicked who are out to destroy me,
from my mortal enemies who surround me.
10 They close up their callous hearts,
and their mouths speak with arrogance.
11 They have tracked me down, they now surround me,
with eyes alert, to throw me to the ground.
12 They are like a lion hungry for prey,
like a fierce lion crouching in cover.
13 Rise up, Lord, confront them, bring them down;
with your sword rescue me from the wicked.
14 By your hand save me from such people, Lord,
from those of this world whose reward is in this life.
May what you have stored up for the wicked fill their bellies;
may their children gorge themselves on it,
and may there be leftovers for their little ones.
15 As for me, I will be vindicated and will see your face;
when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness.

Evangelism in Theological Education and training programmes in Europe

European theologians discuss Christian witness

1.11.12

Participants in a WCC consultation on evangelism in theological education and training programmes in Europe.

Through engaging speakers and discussions, participants at a recent consultation on mission and evangelism explored ways, in which theological education and training programmes on evangelism can relate Christian witness to the changing landscape of Europe.

Organized by the World Council of Churches (WCC) programme for mission and evangelism, the 4-day consultation took place from 28 to 31 October at the Ecumenical Institute of Bossey, bringing together around thirty representatives of the European churches as well as ecumenical and educational institutions.

“Although the debate on mission or perception within the field of practical theology is continuing, there is a need to teach evangelism,” said Rev. Dr Martin Reppenhagen, vice-director at the Research Institute for Evangelism and Church Development at the University of Greifswald, Germany.

Reppenhagen went on to say that “future pastors should be enabled to communicate the gospel in the context of a secular age, enabling others in becoming ‘day by day evangelists’.”

“The fate of belief depends much more on powerful intuitions of individuals, radiating out to others,” he stressed, quoting the Canadian philosopher Charles Taylor.

Speaking on the dynamics between the local and the migrant churches, Dawit Olinka Terfassa said, “In our multi-cultural context in Europe today, we need to promote mutual learning between local and migrant churches, contextualizing evangelistic approaches to the needs of our communities.” Terfassa was representing the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus, Sweden.

Evangelism guiding theological education

The participants discussed how churches in Europe “searching for genuine forms of discipleship, living and talking the good news” can be supported. They also raised questions on how their efforts can guide theological education so that it can enlighten students, missionaries, evangelists and pastors on how to be faithful to the gospel in everyday life.

The participants also reflected on future work of the WCC in the areas of evangelism and theological education, following the WCC 10th Assembly in Busan, Republic of Korea next year.

“A fresh re-imagined, renewed understanding and commitment to evangelism is important for the future of the ecumenical movement and World Christianity. Evangelism will be emphasized as the core agenda of the future work of the WCC’s Commission on World Mission and Evangelism,” said Rev. Dr Jooseop Keum, CWME secretary.

“The participants have strongly affirmed the central place of evangelism in theological education and missiological training in Europe,” said Kyriaki Avtzi, programme executive for the WCC’s mission and evangelism project.

“Through a constructive dialogue, the consultation has highlighted the importance of enhancing the place of evangelism in theological faculties and institutes,” she said. Speaking on the outcomes of the consultation, Avtzi expressed hope to “see learning from this dialogue to be effectively used by the churches around Europe.”

The group came up with a set of recommendations for future cooperation among faculties and mission projects at the grassroots, placing particular emphasis on continued training for lay people.

The consultation was the first in a series of five regional consultations, which will address the same theme in Asia, Africa, North America and Latin America.

WCC programme on Unity, Mission, Evangelism and Spirituality

Impressions from Bossey Consultation on Evangelism in Theological Education

Global SHIFT consultation - Welcome

Dear GlobalSHIFT Participants:

Warm greetings!!

We are at the threshold of the GlobalSHIFT consultation.  For many months we have been praying, thinking, talking, working and planning this event. Finally, the last leg is upon us: we are arriving in Budapest, moving toward the dream, and eager to see what God will do this week.

TJ Addington (Senior Vice President of the EFCA and Executive Director of ReachGlobal) described this consultation as a “game-changing” event, and I believe this is true.  I think that GlobalSHIFT is already changing the way we see ministry in Europe.  It is changing our expectations and raising our eyes to expect even bigger things from the Lord, and it is raising our excitement as we become part of what the Lord is currently doing in Europe.

GlobalSHIFT is a consultation. It is something different than what we usually experience in our meetings.  During a consultation the plenary speakers are the facilitators of the conversation. They are responsible to ignite the dialogue, but the most important part of the consultation will happen in the table groups, during the networking time, and in the conversations with other participants.  We will be receiving very valuable insights from the platform (during the plenary and panel discussion), but we, at the ground level, will have the responsibility to process the information and look for applications to our life, team and ministry.

During this consultation we will be experiencing the changing world as much as we will be reflecting about the changes.  The world is changing, and we have been observing the changes in two different areas.  The first area is “the changing map of the church and mission.” This means that the growing church and missionary forces from Africa, Asia, and Latin America are taking more responsibility and participation in re-shaping the image of the church and the way we do missions.  During this consultation we will hear what the Lord is doing in those churches directly from leaders who are playing key roles in this process in their parts of the world.  We will have invitees from Latin America, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East that will help us understand more about this major shift in the Church.

The second area is the “changing topography of the church and mission.” This means that in these changing times, the Lord is raising new voices from “non-traditional” places where the church is growing and new mission forces are emerging.  René Padilla is one of the voices that the Lord has been using, not only in Latin America, but also from Latin America to the rest of the world.  His reflections, writings, and talks are affecting and influencing the way the Global Church understands the new realities.  An example is the deep impact of his talk in the context of the Lausanne Covenant during Lausanne 1974, and how he continued from there as a reference for the fresh reflection of Latin American church.

K. Rajendran, from India, is another strong voice.  The Lord had been using him to lead the reflection process about what it means for the Church in India to become engaged in mission, especially during the process when the Church in India is becoming independent from overseas organizations (a very unique opportunity and experience).  He has been playing a key role in growing the number of mission agencies in India from 73 to almost 350 today.  He has been a missionary and actively involved in missions mobilization.

To use an airplane metaphor that TJ Addington likes, we can say that every day we will start flying at 30,000 feet.  From that altitude, René will be giving us an overview about how he sees the shift in the world.  He will be raising specific issues. Some might be totally unexpected and different, but they are important because the issues represent his experience in flying at that altitude in different territories.  For some of us without this experience, these thoughts might not sound eminently important, yet according to the signs of the times, they will be in the near future.

In the mornings, René will be sharing biblical and missiological insights on three issues we defined for our consultation: Globalization, Kingdom Connections, and Integral Mission (or How We Do Missions).  You will notice that he will be leading us from the Global to Local as the week progresses.  In globalization he will be presenting a broad view about major shifts in the world.  The perspective will be a long horizon, like an airplane flying over the ocean.  The focus will be the whole world and how globalization is affecting those who are living today.

In the second day, René will be speaking about kingdom connections, more specifically about the major challenges for the Church. He will be presenting a more defined landscape by raising the ecclesiological, missiological and spiritual challenges for the church and individuals and extending the call for us to see ourselves as one church with a call to unity, solidarity and partnership.

On the third day, René will speak about integral mission. At this point, we will begin to see the runway.  Our perspective is still from a high altitude, but we will see the lights and outline of where are we going to land.  In this third day, René will be speaking more to us as pastors and missionaries, to reflect our understanding about mission and the way to do mission today in a world that is changing and in a church that is in a process of transformation.

After René Padilla’s time, we will have the opportunity to hear other voices.  During the daily panel discussions, we intend to fly at a lower altitude and in more specific territory.  The voices will be from Western Europe, the United States, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and Latin America.  Our panel will be sharing other views of the landscape. They will help us move from the big picture to a clearer image of the changes, challenges and situations that confirm the shifts presented by René.

The most exciting part of the process is when we move to our table groups. During that time, we will be moving to the cockpit, and as a group, we will work hard to choose the runway and to land the airplane.  We will be looking for practical ways to apply all that we have heard and experienced to our own realities. We expect that the implications might change our way of thinking about the church and doing mission.

Each day will end with a plenary talk by K Rajendran. He will help us see additional options and recommendations from his lengthy experience navigating the terrain at high and low altitudes.  K will present some practical examples of applications from different parts of the world.

René Padilla and K Rajendran both represent new voices emerging from new territories of the church. As such, they will provide the opportunity to experience the way in which they are reading the Bible in the Global South. They will provide us the opportunity to experience different contexts, identities, and reflections about the Gospel. I hope that you will be enlightened, and will enjoy these fresh perspectives.

We are beginning a very exciting journey. The good news is that God is in the control tower.  He has the plan and He is watching every one of our airplanes. God is doing everything needed for a safe trip and effective landing.  His Holy Spirit is empowering us to be fearless, and He is sharing his Spirit of power, love and self-discipline to firmly hold the controls in our hands, and to believe that, at the end of the day, we are just following His plan and honoring His commands.

As we arrive for this experience, my prayer is that you can “sit back, relax and enjoy” this exciting journey that the Spirit has prepared for us.

Welcome to the GlobalSHIFT Consultation.

David Ruiz

For Consultation Media resources: http://globalshiftconsultation.org/consultationmaterials/

Pittsburgh Theological Seminary will host the annual W. Don McClure Lectures in Mission and Evangelism Sept. 24-25, 2012. Anne-Marie Kool, Professor of Missiology at Károli Gáspár University of the Reformed Church in Hungary, and president of Central and Eastern European Association for Mission Studies, Budapest, will address “European Churches’ Perspectives on Mission Among the Roma People.”

Sept. 24 events include lectures at 11:30 a.m., 4:00 p.m., and 7:30 p.m. The World Mission Initiative Dinner will also be held at 6:00 p.m. Kool will present the chapel service Sept. 25 at 11:30 a.m.

These lectures are free and open to the public. To attend the WMI dinner, guests must pre-register and cost is $12 per person. Contact the Office of Continuing Education at 412-924-1345 or ConEd@pts.edu with questions or to register for the dinner. Registration and payment are also accepted online.

Kool taught previously at Reformed Theological Academy in Pápa, Hungary, and the Reformed Bible School in Zeist, the Netherlands. She also served as director of the Protestant Institute for Mission Studies in Budapest as a missionary within the Netherlands Reformed Church at the Reformed Mission league (GZB), Driebergen, the Netherlands. A native of the Netherlands, Kool completed her M.Th. and a Ph.D. at the University of Utrecht, the Netherlands, and her Dr.habil. (Professor’s degree) at the Reformed University of Divinity in Debrecen, Hungary. Kool’s research interests include the Hungarian protestant foreign mission movement from 1756-1951, the mission of the protestant churches in Central and Eastern Europe, missionary ecclesiology, ethnic minority churches in Central and Eastern Europe, and Roma and church relations in Central and Eastern Europe. Her numerous publications include both articles and chapters on all of these topics. Since 2008, she has served as co-editor of ACTA MISSIOLOGIAE, Journal for Reflection on Missiological Issues and Mission Practice in Central and Eastern Europe. Kool has spoken frequently in Hungary and throughout the world. Kool is a Regent of Bakke Graduate University in Seattle, Wash., and a member of the International Association for Mission studies (IaMs).

For video of her lectures:
I. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9tW59YrLAc
II.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GpTduyLn-8
III.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hfd1wWWGh3Y

The 2012 W. Mc Clure Lectures on World Mission at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary

Source: http://pts.edu/2012_McClure_Lectures

2012 McClure Lectures

Pittsburgh Theological Seminary will host the annual W. Don McClure Lectures in Mission and Evangelism Sept. 24-25, 2012. Anne-Marie Kool, Professor of Missiology at Károli Gáspár University of the Reformed Church in Hungary, and president of Central and Eastern European Association for Mission Studies, Budapest, will address “European Churches’ Perspectives on Mission Among the Roma People.”

Sept. 24 events include lectures at 11:30 a.m., 4:00 p.m., and 7:30 p.m. The World Mission Initiative Dinner will also be held at 6:00 p.m. Kool will present the chapel service Sept. 25 at 11:30 a.m.

These lectures are free and open to the public. To attend the WMI dinner, guests must pre-register and cost is $12 per person. Contact the Office of Continuing Education at 412-924-1345 orConEd@pts.edu with questions or to register for the dinner. Registration and payment are also accepted online.

Kool taught previously at Reformed Theological Academy in Pápa, Hungary, and the Reformed Bible School in Zeist, the Netherlands. She also served as director of the Protestant Institute for Mission Studies in Budapest as a missionary within the Netherlands Reformed Church at the Reformed Mission league (GZB), Driebergen, the Netherlands. A native of the Netherlands, Kool completed her M.Th. and a Ph.D. at the University of Utrecht, the Netherlands, and her Dr.habil. (Professor’s degree) at the Reformed University of Divinity in Debrecen, Hungary. Kool’s research interests include the Hungarian protestant foreign mission movement from 1756-1951, the mission of the protestant churches in Central and Eastern Europe, missionary ecclesiology, ethnic minority churches in Central and Eastern Europe, and Roma and church relations in Central and Eastern Europe. Her numerous publications include both articles and chapters on all of these topics. Since 2008, she has served as co-editor of ACTA MISSIOLOGIAE, Journal for Reflection on Missiological Issues and Mission Practice in Central and Eastern Europe. Kool has spoken frequently in Hungary and throughout the world. Kool is a Regent of Bakke Graduate University in Seattle, Wash., and a member of the International Association for Mission studies (IaMs).

The McClure Lectures in Mission and Evangelism honor the Rev. Dr. W. Don McClure, a 1934 graduate of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, who served as a missionary in Africa for nearly 50 years. Born in Blairsville, Pa., McClure began teaching in Khartoum in 1928, upon graduating from Westminster College. After studying at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, he returned with his wife, Lyda, to Sudan to evangelize among the Shulla people. He was shot to death by guerrillas in 1977.

Pittsburgh Theological Seminary is a graduate professional institution of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A). Founded in 1794, the Seminary is located in Pittsburgh, Pa. and approximately 310 students are enrolled yearly in the degree programs. The Seminary prepares leaders who proclaim with great joy God’s message of good news in both word and deed. PTS is rooted in the Reformed history of faithfulness to Scripture and commitment to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

###
 

 

Communique of the Károli University

COMMUNIQUE - KÖZLEMÉNY



C O M M U N I Q U E


The Senate of the Gáspár Károli University of the Reformed Church in Hungary in its Resolution No 95/2012, dated 22nd of June, 2012 dissolved the Central and Eastern European Institute for Mission Studies (CIMS) and entrusted the Faculty of Theology to take over and close down its duties. The resolution entered in force on 1st of July, 2012.

However, the Faculty of Theology sees no possibilities of taking over the CIMS’s programs for the time being, therefore the Rector’s Office took charge of the continuous and uninterrupted operation of the CIMS’s programs and CIMS’s public relations.

By right of the Senate Resolution the University management initiated and conducted discussions with Dr. Anne-Marie Kool, Director of CIMS on the conditions of the upcoming handover of CIMS.
The handover has been decided to take place 29th of June, 2012. At this time, the University management attempted the takeover of CIMS’s organization and ongoing affairs, but – having faced grave deficiencies in the course of the procedure – was unable to realise the task. The process of the takeover shall reach completion until 31th of August, 2012.

The administrative matters of CIMS shall be governed by Adrienne Kapitány, operative administrator ( kapitany.adrienne@kre.hu ) and dr. Gergely Bohátka, general secretary ( bohatka.gergely@kre.hu ).


Budapest, 6th of July, 2012

dr. Gergely Bohátka
General Secretary


---


K Ö Z L E M É N Y


A Károli Gáspár Református Egyetem Szenátusa 95/2012. (VI.22.) számú határozatával 2012. július hó 01. napi hatállyal megszüntette a Közép- és Kelet- Európai Missziói Tanulmányi Intézetet (KMTI).
A Szenátus a KMTI feladatainak átvételével, illetve lezárásával a Hittudományi Kart bízta meg. A Kar azonban egyelőre nem lát lehetőséget a feladatok átvételére, ezért 2012. július 1-jétől az Egyetem Rektori Hivatala vette át a folyó ügyek intézését és a kapcsolattartást.

A szenátusi határozat alapján az egyetemi vezetőség egyeztetést kezdeményezett és folytatott Dr. Anne-Marie Kool KMTI intézetvezetővel az átadás-átvétel feltételeiről.

Az átadás-átvétel lebonyolítására 2012. június hó 29-én került sor. Ekkor az Egyetem megkísérelte a KMTI szervezetének és ügyeinek átvételét, azonban az eljárás során tapasztalt komoly hiányosságokra tekintettel az átvétel nem zárult le. A folyamat lezárására 2012. augusztus 31. napjáig kerül sor.

A KMTI ügyeivel kapcsolatosan a továbbiakban Kapitány Adrienne ügyvivő ( kapitany.adrienne@kre.hu ), illetve dr. Bohátka Gergely főtitkár ( bohatka.gergely@kre.hu ) foglalkoznak.


Budapest, 2012. július hó 06. napján

dr. Bohátka Gergely
főtitkár

Source: http://www.kre.hu/portal/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=298:communique-koezlemeny&catid=1:friss-hirek

CIMS closed

Megszűnik a KMTI

2012. június 27., szerda
Bezárják a Károli Gáspár Református Egyetem mellett működő Közép- és Kelet-európai Missziói Tanulmányi Intézetet. Az egyetem magyar és angol nyelvű közleményét olvashatják.

KÖZLEMÉNY
A Károli Gáspár Református Egyetem vezetése sajnálattal kell bejelentse, hogy a felsőoktatásban zajló változások következtében maga is nehéz igazgatási, szervezeti lépésekre kényszerül. E folyamat részeként született meg 2012. június 22-én a Közép- és Kelet-európai Missziói Tanulmányi Intézet bezárásáról szóló, a feladatok ellátását az egyetem keretén belül biztosító, 2012. július 1-től hatályos szenátusi döntés is.
A KRE vezetése hálás a KMTI 6 éves működéséért, különösen annak vezetőjének, prof. dr.Kool Anne-Marienak. Egyetemünk nemzetközi hírnevét a missziológia területén nyújtott magas színvonalú képzéssel és nemzetközi konferenciákkal öregbítette.
Egyetemünk elkötelezett a megkezdett munka folytatását illetően. Ennek záloga a Hittudományi Kar. Az előttünk álló feladatokat, szerződéses kötelezettségeket és a már megfogalmazott jövőre vonatkozó terveket a teológiai fakultás tekinti át és hozza összhangba a lehetőségeinkkel, meglévő erőforrásainkkal.
Egyetemünk határozott szándéka, hogy a KMTI által kiépített szakmai kapcsolatokat megőrizze és küldetését e külföldi szervezetekkel is együttműködve folytassa.
A Károli Gáspár Református Egyetem vezetése, Budapest, 2012. június 26.
COMMUNIQUÉ ON CIMS To whom it may concern

The Leadership of KároliGáspár University of the Reformed Church in Hungary (KRE) announces with regret that due to the major changes in higher education in Hungary, and as part of its restructuring process has found it necessary to close down the Central and Eastern European Institute for Mission Studies (CIMS), and to reorganize its function within the University. The Senate of the University made a formal decision on June 22, which will take effect on July 1, 2012.

KRE is grateful for the work and service of CIMS and especially to its director Dr. Anne-Marie Kool. CIMS in its 6 years of existence within KRE has added an internationally recognised value to the work of the University by high standard education and conferences on Missiology. The University is dedicated to carry on the projects and programs of CIMS within its Faculty of Theology.The Theological Faculty of the Károli University will review and manage the agreements, on-going projects and any planned future actions of CIMS. However, striking the balance between existing resources and duties/obligations is a primary task now.The University is devoted to continue the contacts with the partners of CIMS and hopes to work for furthering the cause of Missiology in fellowship with our partners abroad.

The Leadership of the Károli Gáspár University of the Reformed Church in Hungary

Budapest, 26th June, 2012

Source: http://reformatus.hu/mutat/megszunik-a-kmti/

The year that has been... reflections from Kenyan student

The year that has been…
Besides newness bringing excitement and blessings, it also carries with itself a dose of uncertainty in the new experiences. When it was evident that I was coming to Hungary and after the excitement of an academic door opened, uncertainty knocked at my door. I and those I love asked many questions that only enhanced the uncertainty. As I embarked on the journey, I fully trusted that my steps shall be ordered by the compass of God’s will and I had a deeper conviction all shall be well.
My academic journey has been insightful and indeed helpful. I have interacted with new thoughts in missiology as well as reading the experiences of other people who have walked on the same path. The library of the mission institute has been of great value to me and the wisdom I have drawn from it is immensely wealthy.
I here below highlight some of the great lessons I have learned throughout the year:
 It is surprising that I needed to be out of Africa to learn about some things about Africa in missiology, like the change of center of gravity of world Christianity.
 The concept of mission dei and its connection to the doctrine of the holy trinity.
 Coming from a context where mission is exclusively evangelistic, the multidimensional nature of mission has been a great eye opener especially through the emerging missionary paradigms of David Bosch.
 The understanding of historic missions paradigms.
 Mission spirituality.
Also, through seminars, roundtable meetings, conferences and other forums organized in the mission institute, I have learned so much and also met so many people from different parts of the world and hearing their experiences and interacting with them has not left me the same. I was also able to share my stories and experiences with these people and we have since developed an ongoing relationship with some of them and we continue praying for each other and listening to each other.
The greatest of all uncertainties was where I will be staying. When I was admitted at the student’s hostel I definitely had fears and worries on issues like language and how I will fit in, in a totally different nation and continent. As an African, I thought I will be lost and isolated but I thank God because a few months down the line all the fears and worries that had initially invaded me have been fully frustrated by the hand of friendship and fellowship that I have received here. Having being a student’s pastor before, I felt that my presence in the hostel was actually a continuation of my ministry. I have actively participated in the social life of the hostel especially in prayer meetings, sports and other communal activities. The pre-Christmas experience at the hostel was reminiscent of carol service of my own church back home, St. Andrews Presbyterian church, Nairobi with wonderful singing of carols and the New Year’s Eve was a blast, where in excitement we ushered the New Year with brothers and sisters of the hostel. In a nutshell I have loved being in the hostel and have really enjoyed the friendship and fellowship of all the people in the hostel and I pray that God will make it possible for me to stay there for my last year.
It has not been very easy for me all the times because I have experienced some down experiences on the journey especially family challenges. However, the prayer sessions and sharing we regularly did in the institute were more than valuable to me, becoming like a support system for me when am crumbling down. One of the English football clubs has a slogan that says, “You will never walk alone” and indeed I have not walked alone, I have received all the assistance I needed for my stay in Budapest and even though the solitude of being away from my family was real, I never felt lonely, thanks to the many people God brought on my way here. It’s amazing that the people I love back home in Kenya sent me off with love and it is indeed love that received me here in Hungary!
I pen off with some words of the great hymn, Anywhere with Jesus, which has been my portion here : “Anywhere with Jesus I can safely go, Anywhere He leads me in this world below; Anywhere without Him dearest joys would fade; Anywhere with Jesus I am not afraid…Anywhere with Jesus will be home, sweet home.”
I have been heartily welcomed and accepted, I have grown academically, spiritually and socially, and I can boldly say that my coming was indeed directed by God to whom I owe all gratitude. To his glory and to the blessing of us his people.
Always grateful!
Stephen Kariuki Apollo

MA Thesis Writing Consultations

KRE-CIMS, Spring Semester 2012

In the spring semester of 2012 Prof. Kool has been the consultant professor for master thesis for 6 students at the Baptist Theological academy (of which 3 have submitted their theses this semester and the other 3 is planning to submit in autumn 2012), 1 student at the Faculty of humanities of KRE and 1 student from the Faculty of Theology (the latter with the submission deadline March 2013).The group met every second Monday at the premises of CIMS. Participants had to present the current status of their MA thesis followed by a discussion in which evry student could as questions about the concept, methodology and the work of the candidate. The events were concluded by a presentation by Prof Kool which were to help the students in certain methodological and writing issues. The consultations were obligatory to those whose official consultant was Prof. Kool, however every time more students took part in the meetings, whose thesis was connected to missiology. Students came along other occasions, sometimes for a whole week to the library for their research, using the facilities of the guestroom at CIMS.

Some feedback from the students:
Péter Balogh, Baptist Theological Academy:
I have found the consultations very useful. I received feedbacks form Dr. Kool and form my felow students that have brought new thaoughts and prospectives to my research. Being able to see my fellow students’ research methods and working methods shaped my own research methodology.
It was very helpful t hat I had to present my research topic to an academic group even at the phase of drafting. Thus i had an academic control form the begining. As a result of the consultations I narrowed my research, made several amendments, and included new topics in my thesis. I have receive sugestions for literature also which I had not found previously.
It was the result of the consultations that I understoodthe real purpose of a thesis research and that it is written in an academic environment. I am in particular thankful to Dr. Kool who carefully examined my thesis in the course of writing and with her comments was a great help to accomplish it.

Péter Márki Baptist Theological Academy:
The consultations were really motivating because „more eyes see more”. Geting an insight to other people’s work wasinspiring to me. The consultations helped me in getting an overview and a good research plan, though I could not finish it this semester. Ihope these consultations will continue.

Zsolt Kapitány Baptist Theological Academy:
I have found the consultations of the research group helpful in many ways: We met regularly, so we had a constant push to work, because we had to present what progress we had made since the last meeting. This helped us also to practice presenting a topic to an acedemic public. Also we experienced a community in which we could encourage each other for perseverance in the work. Also the comments and questions of my fellow students helped me to clarify my own concept. In addition they enlightened me which part should I avoid and which sould I emphasize in my thesis. The methodological issues presented by Dr Kool helped me to carry out a profound and well structured research.

Judit Györfi Lutheran Theological University:
I gained much form the consultations. Looking at my thesis research from the outside my fellow students draw my attention to parts which I would have never thought about sitting in a room on my own. On the other hand meeting regularly students in a similar situation was a great encouragement. After every meeting I gained new impulse and inspiration to carry on with the work. Also the information from dr Kool on methodology helped me to pay attention to the footnotes, the clear linking of the chapters , to the conclusion, etc. I think these consultations were good occasions by which we could benefit a lot.

Imre Szólláth Baptist Theological Academy:
MY fellow students adressed to me many questions during and after my presentation. I really felt as being in a defence where I have to defend my concept ad hipothesis. As a result of this discussion I could see my topic from another prospective as well. It helped me to keep balance between the various opinions and also inspired me to make many interviews.

Ruzsa Nagy Zoltán, 22 June 2012

From Jerusalem to Manus, the Mission of the Church

Missiology Course „From Jerusalem to Manus, the Mission of the Church”
In the spring semester of 2012 Dr. Kool taught a mission course at the Faculty of Theology of the Károli Reformed University. Altogether 7 Theological students took part in the course, one from the 5th, the rest form the 1st and 2nd years. The course was held regularly on Thursday afternoon at the premises of CIMS. The topic was divided into two parts: during the first six weeks of the semester the students examined the major steps in mission history of the universal church as well as the mission of the Hungarian proterstant churches through studying the biographies of selected persons. The students had to work in pairs: each pair had a period of Christian History and in that each individual had to research on the life of a missionary of that era. As part of their research students had to reflect on the given misionary according to some criteria:
• What was his or her motivation for mission?
• What was the focus of his/her mission?
• Where was he or she serving?
• Through which organization did the missionary go to the mission field and how did he/she kept contact with the sending churches?
• What conclusion can we draw from the life of that misionary to our lives and to today’s church?
At the second part of the semester students in the same pairs as before were asked to visit some of the mission organizations who have active missionaries from Hungary serving somewhere in the world. The task was to present the mission organization and for each student to make an interview with a present missionary.
As a result of that course first the students have gained an overview of the Christian misssion since the apostolic age until today. This overview is far more than information, but a reflection on the necessity of mission and on the different forms of mission. Second, by visiting the mission organizations the students not only got a picture of the mission work and service opportunnites of today but also have gained enthisuasm for mission.

Some comments form teh students:
• „As a result of the course now I gained a mision historical vision in addition to the Biblical and missiological understanding.I could se that the mission command of Jesus has been taken seriously by many people in the history of the Church and their work gained fruit.”
• „I have learnt a lot about mission organizations in the course and gained a broad vision on mission.”
• “Through the course we gained new knowledge and got a more open prospective on the topic of mission. Besides it is building our faith, as the topic of the course was the work of God in the world.”
• “We got a good overview on mission history.”
• “We learnt about mission organizations and possibilities for world mission.”
• “The course was not to give us information only, but we were studying a topic that we can include in our daily prayer topics and it was for the edification of our faith.”
• “I learnt a lot more about the missionary field and I hope to take part in a mission’s trip one day.”

A Norwegian attending the Writing Seminar Week writes...

Raymond Lillevik
PhD-student at Det Teologiske Menighetsfakultetet
(The Norwegian School of Theology) in Oslo

To Dr. A. M. Kool
Dear Dr. Kool.
I would like to thank you and your staff at the CIMS for your enthusiastic and competent guidance and assistance during my stay at the writing seminary at your center 11-15th June. During my research on Lichtenstein, Lucky and Gurland the last years, my experience is that it is very difficult to find the expertise as well as the necessary willingness to find and evaluate reliable material on Jewish believers in Jesus, and this has also been the case in regard to Eastern Europe. That is; until this week!
Not only have you, your staff and students dug up sources as sources and literature that previous has been inaccessible or unknown to me, but have also connected me to Hungarian researchers (like e.g. Dr. Kovács), organized meetings and journeys in that regard, and not least spent hours to help me to read Magyar. I will certainly recommend this center for fellow researchers at the Menighetsfakultetet as well as my supervisors, Prof. dr. Reidar Hvalvik and Prof. em. Dr. Oskar Skarsaune.
In Christ
Your Raymond Lillevik, June 15, 2012

CEEAMS - CIMS Writing Week

Dear Anne-Marie

I am writing to give you an idea of my assessment of the writing week at the Center for Central and Eastern European Studies. The time spent here was fruitful for me. It was helpful to have a planned time and put some effort into coming over and focus on academic research for an article in missiology. A structured Writing Week commitment helps us focus on the research and avoid some of the distractions of daily life and ministry.

I was impressed by the facilities, the library and the helpful staff. As a minster and a missiologist living and working in Bulgaria my understanding is that to have such an institution, dedicated to mission research in Eastern Europe, is paramount and a blessing, Besides making use of the library my meeting and speaking with other researchers and believers from Eastern and Northern Europe was very informative and inspiring. Although I struggled with my lack of knowledge of Hungarian when using some of the library resources, the staff made it very easy for me as they readily offered me help.

I was also able to set the groundwork for an article on the role of freedom of conscience and the church-state dynamic on mission in our context. I will gladly offer the manuscript for publication in your journal Acta Missiologiae.

I must express also my gratitude of your institution generously covering my expenses for travel, accommodation and meals.

I hope that this initiative will continue in the future.

With my best regards,

Viktor

Viktor Kostov, PhD
Missiologist, attorney-at-law
Publisher and editor of Freedom for All
online publication for the freedoms
of conscience, religion and speech
in Bulgarian
www.kmission.org
www.center-religousfreedom.com

The Future of Theology in the Changing Landscapes of Universities in Europe and Beyond

A picture impression:

Picture impression of Oslo Consultation

Festival of Hope in Budapest

Határátlépés: engedélyezve

A lényeges dolgokban egység, a nem lényegesekben szabadság és mindenben szeretet – ez a vezérelve a Közép- és Kelet-európai Missziói Tanulmányi Intézetnek, ahová nemcsak hazánkból és a környező országokból, hanem más kontinensekről is érkeznek tanulni vágyók, több ezer kilométerre maguk mögött hagyva családjukat.

Olvass tovább:http://www.parokia.hu/hir/mutat/3529/

Roma Mission Research Fellowship Consultation

On May 22nd 2012 the Central and Eastern European Institute for Mission Studies of the Károli Gáspár University of the Reformed Church hosted for the first time a Roma Mission Research Fellowship Consultation as the first of its kind. The meeting was ecumenical and was low-key, thus students of BA, MA and PhD programs were invited from various theological schools, to share their research on Roma mission in Hungary. Altogether 18 people from various denominations participated, however there were a number of those who were very interested to participate, but were unable to come. The moderator was Rev. Eszter Dani, Reformed Pastor who has been recently awarded the Raoul Wallenberg prize for her work among the Roma. Among the presenters and the auditors were Roma people also. In fact almost half of those present were Roma, so the principle was practiced: “nothing about us without us”. The meeting was characterized by very open and honest discussions!
KRE-CIMS has organised similar Missiological Research Fellowship meetings for MA and PhD students for more than one and a half decade. This event was the first one focusing exclusively on the research area of Roma – Church relations. It is part of the KRE-CIMS Roma – Church Knowledge Centre.
The goal of this fellowship is to provide a platform for mutual learning and research about the Roma mission thus helping the churches in their work. The ecumenical nature of the fellowship is a very important value, as the participants are exposed to different views and approaches than their own church’s, which can give the basis of a fruitful common reflection and study.
In the consultation Attila Landauer, the Roma Mission Co-ordinator of the Reformed Church in Hungary, offered valuable insights into historical facts that are determining how we view each other with the Roma people, and called for a new historical perspective freed from a „history of suffering”. Then a MA thesis was presented by Judit Györfi about the Roma mission in the Lutheran Church in Hungary, including a case study of three congregations that are involved in mission among the Roma. It was followed by the presentation of an in-progress BA Thesis by Richard Márton, Pastor of the Patyamo Roma congregation of Budapest. He himself a Roma, studied the relationship of mission and culture in the Roma missions and identified different attitudes depending on how the mission relates to the Roma culture. Afterwards Dezső Oláh, a Roman Catholic PhD student presented his research on the spirituality of Roma mission. Gellért Gyetvai, staff of the Roma Methodological Institute of the Pentecostal Church of Hungary presented their ongoing research of collecting information first of all about the Roma mission of this Church, but also of others. The last presenter was Péter Kerekes, a MATHEM student of the Institute, who presented the possibilities of voluntary work in the Roma mission, based on his experiences in the Reformed Church of Hungary and Trans-Carpathia (Ukraine).
Overall all participants regarded the meeting as a very important first step of an academic collaboration. We feel that God has blessed this ecumenical fellowship in the spirit of mutual love and respect with the common goal.
23 May 2012
Zoltán Ruzsa Nagy MTh
CIMS staff member

For a picture impression: https://plus.google.com/photos/103258214603072479634/albums/5745453625710041681?authkey=CNLH8fOVus_iMw

Impressions Roma MA thesis seminar

Missie Boedapest -- Interview in CV Koers April 2012

Missie Boedapest woensdag, 04 april 2012
Er gebeuren mooie dingen in Hongarije,zegt hoogleraar in de missiologie Anne-Marie Kool. "Mensen die verslaafd waren, zijn nu ouderling." ...
Lees verder...: http://www.cvkoers.nl/home/magazine/deze-maand.html

Niet alles is te koop...!

Amerikaanse Harvard-filosoof Michael J. Sandel houdt zich bezig met een van de grootste morele vraagstukken van onze tijd: is er niet iets mis met een wereld waarin langzamerhand alles te koop is? En zo ja, wat kunnen we doen om te voorkomen dat marktwaarden gebieden binnendringen waar ze niet thuishoren?

Mag een verzekeraar of een werkgever iemand een bonus geven om af te vallen? Moeten we kinderen betalen om boeken te lezen of goede cijfers te halen? Kun je met een prijskaartje aangeven hoeveel een mensenleven het milieu belast? Is het staatsburgerschap te koop voor immigranten die ervoor willen betalen?

Afgelopen decennia hebben marktwaarden de niet-economische normen uit bijna elk levensgebied verdrongen: in de zorg, opvoeding, overheid, kunst, sport en zelfs in het gezinsleven en persoonlijke relaties. Volgens Sandel zijn we zonder dat we het weten van een markteconomie in een marktgestuurde samenleving beland. In zijn nieuwe boek Niet alles is te koop ontketent hij een debat dat tot nu toe ontbreekt in dit marktgestuurde tijdperk: wat is de geëigende plek voor marktwerking in een democratische samenleving? En hoe beschermen we morele waarden en publieke goederen die niet te koop zijn?

Sandel komt naar Nederland en zal op 24 mei aanstaande de lezing ‘What Money Can't Buy, the moral limits of markets' houden tijdens de gelijknamige conferentie georganiseerd door CBE Academica in Amsterdam (Aula VU).
Bron: http://tijdschriftadministratie.nl/module/item/?id=53413

Dit is een belangrijk geluid, juist ook nu in tijd van financiele crisis! A-M

Focus op de Wereld -- op 16 - 17 april 05.00-06.00 uur

Een tijdje geleden ben ik benaderd om mee te doen met het programma Focus op de Wereld. Elke week in de nacht van maandag op dinsdag heeft de EO 4 uur live radiozendtijd (van 02.00-06.00 uur). Een onderdeel van dit programma (tweede helft van het laatste uur) op Radio 1 is Focus op de wereld, een telefonisch gesprek met twee christen hulpverleners/zendelingen uit verschillende landen, om en om gepresenteerd door Herbert Codée en Renze Klamer. De insteek van dit gesprek is zowel nieuwsgerelateerd (wat speelt er in het nieuws in uw land) als ook gericht op uw werk: waar bent u mee bezig, hoe leeft u, wat zijn de verschillen met Nederland, etc.

Bij de programma-informatie van de uitzending waar je aan mee hebt gedaan wordt op de website een link geplaatst naar de website van je werk. Mensen kunnen het interview altijd later terugluisteren via de website.

A.s. maandag 16 april om 5 uur 's morgens word ik gebeld en kom ik direkt in de uitzending. Meer informatie: www.eo.nl/denachtop1). Via deze website kunt u de uitzendingen terugluisteren.
Klik door naar:

Achtergrond informatie:
"Ik geef leiding aan het Central and Eastern European Institute for Mission Studies van de Karoli Gáspár Universiteit van de Református Kerk in Hongarije. Het instituut is te vinden in het hartje van Boedapest. Ik ben hoogleraar missiologie aan deze universiteit. Ik werk sinds het eind van de 80-er jaren in Hongarije.

Mijn taken zijn vanzelfsprekend gericht op onderwijs en onderzoek. De studenten met wie ik werk zijn voor een deel studenten van de Karoli universiteit. Die colleges worden gegeven in het Hongaars.

Wij hebben ook een Engels programma het is een Masters in Theology programma gericht op missiologie. We hebben studenten uit b.v. Albania, Georgië en Roemenie, maar ook uit Afrika.

Juist de uitwisseling tussen mensen van verschillende landen en met een verschillende kerkelijke achtergrond maakt het werk heel boeiend.

Naast de gebruikelijke activiteiten van een instituut word ik ook regelmatig gevraagd om deel te nemen aan internationale conferenties. Het gaat daarbij vaak om de vraag naar de recente geschiedenis van Midden en Oost Europa en de vragen die in een postcommunistisch tijdperk leven. Wat betekent het in zo’n situatie een gezonde(n) en getuigende gemeente te zijn? Hoe kunnen wij vanuit de Christelijke opdracht omgaan met de vragen naar verzoening met het verleden en ook hoe moeten wij als gelovige Christenen omgaan met b.v. de positie van de grote groep Roma. En niet te vergeten wat betekent de omvangrijke arbeidsmigratie vanuit verschillende landen voor kerk en samenleving.
Omdat ik al langere tijd hier actief ben word ik ook zeer regelmatig om informatie en advies gevraagd: dat kan zijn een kerkelijke gemeente die een gemeentecontact heeft, iemand die in deze regio wil gaan werken of iemand die actief is in de zending en indringende vragen tegenkomt.

Als er vragen komen over de huidige situatie in Hongarije probeer ik zo duidelijk mogelijk weer te geven dat het belangrijk is om een eenzijdige kijk te vermijden en waar ik op de hoogte ben de context te verduidelijken."

ACTA MISSIOLOGIAE 2011 Vol. 3 Published

Actavégleges_Angol_2012_4_5

Megdöbbentő...

Tájékoztatás holland módra.

Most, hogy a magyarellenes médiacikkek száma némileg alábbhagyott, fontos feltenni a kérdést: tudatlanságból fakadtak vagy egy összehangolt hecckampány részei? Ha utóbbi az igaz, az messzemenő következtetésekkel jár. Akkor Magyarország és miniszterelnöke ellen csúfos koncepciós per folyik, és az úgymond szabad nyugati sajtó nem is annyira szabad, inkább irányított, vezényelt.

1992 óta tanítok az Amszterdami Egyetemen, az Európai Intézetben, mint kelet-európai szakértő. Nagyon jól tudom, hogy Nyugaton hihetetlen a tudatlanság Magyarországról. Az elmúlt több mint fél évszázadban ugyanis jórészt azok közvetítettek híreket Magyarországról, akiknek nem volt érdekük a külvilágot hitelesen tájékoztatni ügyeinkről-bajainkról.

Néhány héttel ezelőtt a holland állami köztelevízió egyik hírműsora, az Een Vandaag szerkesztője, bizonyos Rik Smit felhívott. Azzal a kéréssel fordult hozzám, hogy fejtsem ki szakértői véleményemet január 24-i műsorukban a jelenlegi "diktatórikus helyzetről" Magyarországon. Hozzátette, hogy miután a holland képviselőházban a baloldali pártok kérdéseket intéztek a holland külügyminiszterhez, Rosenthal urat is jól volna szakértőként bevonni a műsorba, hiszen annak politikai súlya is lenne. Félbeszakítottam, és azt feleltem, hogy nem vagyok hajlandó a jelenlegi "diktatórikus helyzetről" szakértői véleményt mondani,
mert az állítás egyszerűen nem igaz, nonszensznek tartom ezt az állítást, majd két óra hosszán át soroltam a tényeket. Smit beismerte, hogy "erről" ő semmit nem tudott, illetve a beszélgetésünk után most már másképpen látja a helyzetet, világosabb lett a kép, sőt megdicsérte a szaktudásomat. Befejezésül arról is szót ejtettem, hogy a holland állami köztelevízió igazán abbahagyhatná az egyoldalú tájékoztatást Magyarországról. "Nem egy bojkott kezdődött úgy, hogy félretájékoztatták egy másik ország polgárait, akik megharagudtak. Egy holland-magyar kereskedelmi konfliktusra a válság közepette nincsen semmilyen szükség"- mondtam, és Smit úr ezzel bizony egyetértett.

Hétfőn reggel, január 23-án újra beszéltünk, de ezúttal Smit teljesen más hangot ütött meg. Elutasító volt, nem akart tudni arról, hogy félmillió magyar vonult ki az utcára, hogy voksát tegye a kormány mellett. Végül azt válaszolta, hogy a műsorban nincs szükség az én véleményemre: "Marácz úr, Ön túl sok tényt tud. Ez nekünk nem jó. Inkább a hágai magyar nagykövet, Sümeghy úr kapjon szót, aki természetesen a magyar kormány álláspontját védelmezi. A kormány elleni álláspontot a balliberális európai parlamenti képviselő, Sophie in 't Veld asszony képviseli majd."

Meghökkentett, amit a szerkesztő mondott, és rögtön gyanakodni kezdtem, a műsor valóban tárgyilagos-e, de akkor még nem mertem arra gondolni, hogy koncepciós anyag készül Magyarország ellen.

Kedden, január 24-én este fél hétkor kezdődött a műsor. Nem hittem a szememnek, fülemnek. A műsorvezető, Pieter Jan Hagens elkezdte sorolni, hogy Magyarországon új diktatúra készül, a melegeket üldözik, a "liberálisokat" kirúgják állásaikból, nincsen szólásszabadság, nincsen vallásszabadság. Ezeket a szlogeneket nagybetűkkel a képernyőn feliratozták. A "diktátort", vagyis Orbán Viktort lassított, hangtalan felvételeken mutatták be, majd ezzel felváltva, gyorsítva, uniós parlamenti felszólalását. Ezeket a szuggesztív képeket megspékelték magyar származású "szakértőkkel", akik igazolták, hogy "nincs demokrácia", vagy "kialakulóban van a diktatúra", hiszen a katolikus egyház megszállta Magyarországot, és ehhez az Orbán-kormány bőkezű támogatást nyújt.

A végén megszólalt a képviselő asszony, aki már nem diktatúráról, hanem "egyfajta autoriter" rendszerről prédikált. Szerinte nem az egyes törvényekkel van baj, hanem az egész csomaggal, és hozzátette: már alig támogatják az Orbán-kormányt (a békemenet három nappal előtte volt!). Néhányszor, nagyon röviden bejátszották Sümeghy Gyula nagykövet urat, mint a diktátor hágai hangját, aki csitítani akarta a konfliktust. Ha nem tudtam volna, hogy mi zajlik Magyarország körül, s ha nem informáltam volna a szerkesztőséget arról, hogy valójában mi is zajlik ott, én is elhittem volna nekik. De ilyen jellegű prekoncepciós riportokat Hollandiában utoljára 1945 előtt mutattak be a mozi híradóban, mikor a holland közvéleményt Goebbelsék irányították, vezényelték Berlinből.

Dr. Marácz László.


Továbbítsd, akinek csak tudod.

Why time flies so fast... Time to sit down and reflect...

Interview with Christian Vögeli

Christian Vögeli is one of the students of the first MTh in Missiology (MATHEM) program at KRE-CIMS, offered in cooperation with the University of South Africa (UNISA). He is from Switzerland but has been living in Albania for more than 20 years. His love for Albanians started in 1991 after meeting thousands of Albanian refugees in a mission trip to South Italy. God has been using Christian for great things: as a fruit of his work the first Albanian Bible translation was published in 1994. After completing and publishing the Albanian Bible, Christian has developed a twofold ministry in Albania. On one side he is working in supporting the church, on the other hand he has set up a development agency to help in crucial social issues. They see the need for better health-care, social care and life-long education. Presently they are working on establishing an rescue service network, which does not exist in Albania.
Sharing about his ministry, Christian admitted: „I have been reevaluating the understanding of mission and evangelism for the last 10 years. We do not do social work to buy people for conversion. Instead, everything we do in health care and social care and in education is the fruit of the love we have for people. We try to improve the health system, to improve education to give the children a future by developing their talents, and providing opportunities for life-long learning. Whatever I do, I do it without a hidden strategy behind. I have to do it, because I love them.”
Christian Vögeli heard about the MATHEM program at a Consultation for the European partners of the Reformed Mission League (GZB) in Budapest. There he met Dr. Anne-Marie Kool, who was hosting the conference. „We understood what was going on in each other’s mind. I felt this is the time for a program.” Christian sees it as a gift from the Lord that he can study in the MATHEM program. „With my application was l late so I prayed ’Lord please show me if this is the right time for my application.’ And the door was opoened, my application to the course has been accepted.”
For Christian the program is more than a mere study course. „My aim is not only to study or to do research but that my studies have an impact not only in my own life but also in the context where I live. One of my aims with the MATHEM program is to help me to reshape my thinking on mission. Before the program I had more then ten years of brainstorming on mission thinking about questions such as: What is the role of the home church? Are newly planted churches in the mission field depending from so-called sending churches? How should mission be in the context of today's society? How to interact with non Christians? Should churches be involved in social actions and if yes, how? What is mission all about. Often I could recognize that people from the Western world, including myself, have a certain mentality in thinking that we have the solution for everything. But during years in mission I learned that all people are cooking with water. Much more I understood that I can learn a lot from my dear Albanian friends and often they are doing much better than I do...”
As a result of the MATHEM program Christian has found out that he was not alone with his huge questions. Other people have also struggled and deeply thought about these issues and have gone further with some proposals. He admitted: „By studying in the MATHEM program I am developing a synthesis of experiences in mission and knowledge, and it helps me to understand and evaluate what my mission has been so far.”
For Christian the distant learning setup of the course is challenging, since he has had lot of challenges in his context, which made him reorganize his time. However the intensive consultation weeks are very precious for him. „Without these intensive weeks it would not be possible for me to complete the course.” (Interviewed by Rev. Zoltán Ruzsa-Nagy, staff member CIMS)

For the MATHEM brochure see: http://www.scribd.com/doc/84123442/MATHEM-Brochure-2012-final

Alan Hirsch zoekt wegen om het Woord in het Westen te verspreiden - Kerknieuws - Kerk & Religie

Alan Hirsch zoekt wegen om het Woord in het Westen te verspreiden - Kerknieuws - Kerk & Religie

PhD in Missiology and Ecumenical Studies Brochure 2012

MES__brosúra_doc__nd_2012_3_6 final

MTh in Missiology Brochure 2012

MATHEM__Brochure 2012_final

Oproep!! van Krisztina Deme, een van mijn studentesn

OPROEP!!!
Ik ben aan het zoek een of meer vrijwilligers die me zullen helpen om mijn Nederlandstalige interviews voor mijn MA scriptie te typen. Dat zou heel grote hulp voor mij zijn!
Schijf maar naar aripingvin@gmail.com.
Hartelijk bedankt!
Krisztina Deme

A józanság lelkével

A józanság lelkével

Közelről: misszionáriusok a XXI. században - MR1-Kossuth Rádió

Közelről: misszionáriusok a XXI. században - MR1-Kossuth Rádió

Dr. Peter F. Penner defends with success habilitation thesis at Károli Gáspár Reformed University

 

Dr. Peter F. Penner defended yesterday with success his habilitation thesis: "Missionale Hermeneutik: Biblische Texte kontextuell und relevant lesen" (230 p.) at the Károli Gáspár University in the Reformed Church. 

In two public lectures on Missional Hermeneutics: Its possible place in Biblical interpretation and Lokale Theologien, Kontextualisierung und die Rolle der Missionalen Hermeneutik he argued for the importance of reading scripture through a so-called "missional" lense. His main aim was to provide a corrective to a result-oriented, pragmatic missiology. On the question what contribution this approach provides to a new mission praxis he responded that it enables first of all a denominational dialogue, which is very important in the context of Central and Eastern Europe, where there is so much division and jealousy. It helps to focus on a "common mission praxis", because of the centrality of the concept of missio Dei. He continued that a missional hermeneutik also helps to focus on the Kingdom of God. Penner further argued that by reflecting on and evaluating what others have done in mission, and by assessing what the real issues are in the context of Central and Eastern Europe a new mission perspective for the church in mission could be born.     

Examiner’s Report

1.     Assessment of the thesis

Dr. Penner observes that since the World Mission conference in Edinburgh 1910 significant changes have taken place in the discipline of Missiology, influenced by developments in world history and world Christianity. Not only the mission praxis, but also the theology of mission underwent significant changes. The preparation and training for missionaries focused almost exclusively on the praxis of mission as part of practical theology, since the middle of the 20th century sociology and anthropological studies were added to the curriculum, at the expense of the biblical, historical and systematic theology disciplines. These developments did not fail to impact the theological quality of the discipline of missiology (pg. 1-3).

A strong tendency had come up in the praxis of mission to focus on the quantitative result of mission and evangelism through the church growth movement.  The focus increasingly turned to questions of culture and context which led to an awareness of the variety of expressions of Christian faith, and sharp theological discussions on what the concept and goal of mission is. As a result missiology today deals not only with the praxis but also with the theology of mission (pg.3-4). The churches in the “sogenannten Ostblock” have joined these missiological discussions only recently.

These new developments in missiology led to a focus on a contextual reading of the bible text. Previously a “biblical theology of mission” used only selected biblical texts to define certain mission themes from a biblical perspective.  This new approach builds on the research work of bible scholars, experimenting with new hermeneutical approaches in which the local or global context is emphasized, especially for the two-thirds world.  Penner rightly observes, that “die meisten osteuropäischen Versuche der missiologischen Arbeit mit dem biblischen Text gehen leider noch nicht über die bereits vorliegenden westeuropäischen oder nordamerikanischen Vorbilder hinaus und blicken nur gelegentlich auf Arbeiten aus der Zwei-Drittel-Welt.“ (pg. 5)

In the light of these developments the central question of Penner in this habilitation thesis is clearly stated as not to develop a biblical mission theology, a missional hermeneutic: to assess “inwieweit eigentlich eine missionale hermeneutic notwendig ist, …  um dem biblischen Text gerecht zu werden, der im Missionskontext geschrieben und an eine missionale Gemeinschaft adressiert wurde.“ (pg. 6).

Penner is thorough in his analysis and balanced, fair and honest in his evaluations, e.g. as he states that the church of the Reformation “verpasste es auf die missionale Stimme des biblischen Textes zu hören”  (pg. 156). It is important that throughout his study he keeps the focus on both the role of individual and of the community in God’s mission, which connects a strong “evangelical” focus on the individual and an ecumenical focus on community.

Peter Penner defines missiology as the discipline which earlier was called mission theology and in the Middle Ages still was referred to as propaganda fidei as “lebendig und muss die christliche Botschaft dem Kontext gemäß abwandeln, ohne dabei das Evangelium prinzipiell zu verändern.” (pg. 29) He attempts to clarify the concept of mission by dealing with a number of related concepts in the New Testament which could clarify its meaning.  However, the concept “missional” is not clarified. Sometimes mission theology and missiology are used as synonyms, sometimes as differing from each other.  The use of the term “Osteuropa” seems to lacks consistency. Sometimes it is used in the political way of the former “Ostblock”, sometimes in a geographical way as part of Central and Eastern Europe.

2.     Originality, actuality and significance of the thesis

With his habilitation thesis Dr. Peter F. Penner offers an important contribution to the field of missiology in that he provides a corrective to the so called managerial missiology, the pragmatic, result-oriented missiology, which has a weak biblical foundation. These tendencies are also present in Central and Eastern Europe (pg. 182).  His emphasis on the involvement of the missional community in the missio Dei “weitet sich der Horizont der Einzelnen und der Gemeinschaft und relativiert sich der eigene Anspruch in der eigenen Sache der Mission, ohne dabei die Absolute Gottes zu relativieren“ (pg. 178). 

The significance of the thesis lays also in the fact that his approach to dialogue with text oriented hermeneutical approaches as the historical-critical method and with social hermeneutic approaches as the liberation theology with the purpose to assess how these can be used for a missional hermeneutic, opens new avenues of interaction between missiologists and biblical scholars. 

The fact that Penner seeks to introduce the discussion on the missional hermeneutic in the academic discourse of biblical scholars and missiologists of Central and Eastern Europe is important for the role of the churches in the post-communist societies society. Penner convincingly shows how important this approach is for developing a relevant contextual theology for a post-communist context as he deals with the themes of poverty and richness (Pg. 106ff, 145, 146 and 149), reconciliation and Vergangenheitsbewältigung (pg. 143), but also with the responsibility of individual and community in God’s mission and the role of the Holy Spirit. 

The candidate shows academic courage in addressing sensitive and important issues like the problem of social injustice and the call for an orthopraxis in relation to solidarity with the poor!  He also displays academic modesty as he does not present final conclusions but invites both biblical scholars and missiologists to enter into the discussion on developing a missional hermeneutic, which is “weniger eine Methode, vielmehr geht es darum die Intention, die der Text tragt, herauszustellen und sie bei der Interpretation einzelner Abschnitte nicht zu vergessen. Eine solche Weise des Lesens des Biblischen Text wird nicht nur die Exegese bestimmen, sonder auch die darauf bauende Theologie und durchdringt damit alle Bereiche der akademischen theologischen Arbeit! (pg. 179). The candidate thus manages to link theory and mission praxis in a dynamic way.

This study into the need for a missional hermeneutic is also significant for the Post-Christianum discussion in missiology as it sheds new light on the life of the early Church and on what it means to be a minority church instead of a majority church.  

Penner thus makes an original contribution to knowledge in its field which is suitable for publication

3.     Structure of the thesis

The task Penner sets himself to do in a clearly structured manner is to prove the thesis of the necessity of a missional hermeneutic (pg 7).

In the first chapter he deals with the historical–critical method, as a hermeneutic to build on, but which method he expands through a “missional” interpretation using keywords of the Acts of the Apostles in order to define the concept of mission and their field of meaning.

In the second chapter he questions the liberation theology hermeneutic as a representative of a social hermeneutic whether it contains useful elements for a better interpretation of the biblical text and whether in this way it could be part of a missional hermeneutic. He focuses on the theme of salvation for the poor which plays an important role in the liberation theology, using again texts of the Acts of the Apostles. Then he deals with the theme of holistic peace in order look into the question of contextuality in liberation theology, using a case study of evangelical groups in the former CIS and their wrestling with their context and identify in relation to peace service.

In the third chapter of his thesis Penner deals with a synthesis of the historical critical method and a missional hermeneutic taking into consideration the social hermeneutic, especially that of liberation theology (pg. 8). He convincingly proves “dass der biblische Text selbst von der Mission Gottes und der Metaerzählung erzählt, dass der Text missional ist, weil er zur Mission anspornt”. In this chapter he studies the meaning of the Holy Spirit in Acts as the Spirit of mission as well as the mission prayer of the messianic community and the Jerusalem council. It is remarkable that Old Testament texts are interpreted in a missional way and thus become a model for the readers.  He deals thus with the missional hermeneutic in the context of the missiological discussions on the biblical text (pg. 7).  

In this study Penner seeks not only to bring missiology and the biblical sciences together in an interdisciplinary way, but also to present and introduce a discussion in Central and Eastern Europe in and in continental Europe which till now had been limited to the Anglo-American context (pg. 9). Since the concept of mission and the approach to the biblical text in Central and Eastern Europe is often different, new contextual impulses and unique contributions from this region could be given to the discussion on developing a missional hermeneutic elsewhere.

4.     Literature

The candidate demonstrates a thorough knowledge of literature relevant to its subject and general field. He also shows an ability to exercise critical and analytical judgement of that literature.

The candidate consistently follows the path he sets out to do, thoroughly analysing and comparing and entering in debate with a wide variety of German and English sources of different continents and Christian traditions which shows clearly how he is at home in this subject. He is as much aware of the ongoing debate in the Gospel and Our Culture Network with scholars like George Hunsberger and Darrell Guder as he is of the discourse in the BISAM study group of the International Association of Mission Studies. With an academic openness combined with great diligence and German Gründlichkeit he fulfils this task.

At the same time he does not hide his own position and bias, drawing the reader in a gentle but sometimes provocative way into the discussions, offering a wealth of material for further study in the well documented footnotes, which wets the appetite for entering deeper into the discussion.  At the same time he succeeds in keeping his study focused, making clear his decisions on the choices he had made in limiting his thesis.

Although it is not the main focus of his study, it is a pity that not more sources are used to illustrate the relationship to and the contextualization of the study into the Central and Eastern European context. Obviously, the task ahead for scholars of Central and Eastern Europe is to translate the discussion on the missional hermeneutic into their own context, and to relate it to their own biblical and missiological discourses in the vernacular.  

5.     Methodologies

This study displays a mastery of appropriate methodology and theoretical material and the ability to communicate this complex field in clear way to its readers.  Its interdisciplinary method extends to both the biblical sciences and missiology. Throughout the methodology used is made explicit, like e.g. words studies used to define the concept of mission show that the instruments and the approach of the historical-critical method is helpful and necessary, but also the limitations of a certain methodology are presented clearly (pg 40).

6.     Publication

The thesis is worthy of being the basis of a publication, not only in German, but also in English, and Hungarian and in some of the local languages of Central and Eastern Europe.

Some minor corrections are needed:

pg. 158: David Bosch, Transforming Mission is published not in 1992 but in 1991.

pg. 180: 2^nd par: The local perspective seems to disappear, only the regional and global remain.

passim: Stász J. should be: Szász J.

passim: Szegények mindig lesznek valetek should be …………veletek.

7.     Conduct and Presentation

The present study meets internationally recognized standards for the conduct and presentation of research in its field. The formal presentation can be considered as an excellent model. The references are always exact. The thesis is written in a good and readable style, and has a clear structure, closing each chapter and thematic treatment with a clear summary. He clearly manages throughout to show that the academic discourse he embarked on is of great relevance for the praxis of mission, without falling into pragmatism. Moreover, he succeeds in shedding new, fresh and sometimes surprising light on well-known passages through the method he employs. He also succeeds to keep the attention of the reader when he maps out what may be unknown territory to him or her.  

8.     Remarks, comments and questions

1.       The title of the study is formulated in a rather general way: “Missionale Hermeneutik: biblische Texte kontextuell und relevant lesen“ whereas throughout the texts and illustrations are taken from the books of Acts. It is stated that the method can be extended to other books of the Bible. How could a missional hermeneutic be applied to the reading of an OT book like Leviticus or a NT book like Hebrews?

2.       As Stephen Neill supposedly stated: “when everything is mission, nothing is mission”.   On pg. 230 the candidate states in relation to the challenge of a dialogue on the missional hermeneutic that it can serve to overcome the crisis in mission theology and praxis but also in the biblical hermeneutic. “Dabei besteht die Gefahr, Mission so allumfassen zu präsentieren, dass sie sich am Ende ganz verliert, oder ihr aber einengend eine geschützte Nische zuzuweisen, in der es vor allem um die pragmatische Praxis der Mission geht. Beides wäre fatal nicht nur für die Mission der Kirche, sondern auch für die gesamte Theologie als Wissenschaft.“ In what way could this danger be avoided in a situation where the concept of mission is already very broad, and almost identical to all activities in the church?

3.       The explicit intend of this study is to initiate a discussion on developing a missional hermeneutic in Central and Eastern Europe. When the candidate would be asked to design a research project with scholars from different Christian traditions and different countries in this region, with what three main issues would he start? How to go about setting up such a research project in a situation where divisions even within Christian traditions are so sharp.  How would he explain the relevance of this project to the churches in order for them to support and bless this project?

On the basis of the above assessment I recommend the thesis to be accepted and to allow the candidate to proceed to the public lectures.

Budapest, 18th February 2012.

                Prof. Dr. habil Anne-Marie Kool

Central and Eastern European Institute for Mission Studies

of the Károli Gáspár University in the Reformed Church.