At least seventy church leaders, mission workers and seminary teachers, including a number of younger leaders, gathered at Selwyn College, Cambridge, last week for four days of prayer, study and conversation around the topic of ‘Theological Formation for Mission’. Coming from places as diverse as Alaska, South Africa, and South Korea, they were able to form…
LOI’s 2017 consultation begins tomorrow, 5 September. For the programme, go to: https://loimission.net/loi-2017/. We eagerly anticipate a feast of good things, but we also want it to issue in practical action. We hope to make some of the papers available after the consultation, and will also post a full report. Please remember us in your prayers….
Recently published in a series of monographs from Langham Partnership is Vladimir Ubeivolc’s Rethinking Missio Dei among Evangelical Churches in an Eastern European Orthodox Context (ISBN 978-1-78368-104-4). The context is Moldova, and the author argues that the concept of Missio Dei offers a key place where the Evangelical and Orthodox traditions can not only dialogue…
A report recently released by the Pew Research Trust offers thought-provoking reading concerning the relationship between religious allegiance and national identity. The report, which sheds light on the issue of nominalism exercising Christians of all traditions, may be found at: http://www.pewforum.org/2017/05/10/religious-belief-and-national-belonging-in-central-and-eastern-europe/.
A review of The Mission of the Church: Five views in conversation edited by Craig Ott (Published by Baker Academic 2016) In the style and tradition of “Three views of Eastern Orthodoxy and Evangelicalism” edited by Brad Nasif et al., Craig Ott has now brought together five significant missiologists from major Christian traditions to reflect…
Over the years, I’ve read quite a few accounts of people transitioning (I don’t want to use the word ‘converting’, as conversion is to Christ) from Evangelicalism to Orthodoxy. There don’t seem to be many published about folk moving in the opposite direction, but if there were I’d devour those too. (Suggestions, please!) A friend…
Tim was in Chicago from 19-26 April for a week’s meetings about LOI, and he and others were interviewed by John Maddex for an Ancient Faith Radio podcast. You can listen to it at: http://www.ancientfaith.com/podcasts/features/the_lausanne_orthodox_initiative. The group planning our consultations had a productive day advancing preparations not only for this year’s gathering in Cambridge but…
The LOI does much of its organization during a 3-day residential committee each year. We met at the Coptic Centre, Stevenage, from 16-18 January, at the kind invitation of His Grace Bishop Angaelos. The welcoming environment and home cooking provided an excellent setting for us to pray, think, and discuss together. Among other things, we…
The Fellowship of St Alban and St Sergius has provided many in the English-speaking world with an excellent meeting-point for Christians from Eastern and Western traditions, and in particular between Orthodox and Anglicans. A new Ph.D. thesis by Dimitrios Salapatas, a student at the University of Winchester, outlines and evaluates the bridge-building work of the Fellowship….
During our recent gathering in Addis Ababa, we were delighted to receive the following message of greeting from His Holiness Patriarch Matthias I, head of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. In the name of the Father, the Son and of the Holy Sprit, One God, Amen! “Behold how good and pleasant it is when brothers…