Abstract
This issue highlights the writings of some of the 18 paper presenters in the Interfaith and Mission Track of the International Association for Mission Studies’ (IAMS) 15th Assembly in Sydney. The conference took place from 7 to 11 July 2022 on the topic of ‘Powers, Inequalities and Vulnerabilities: Mission in a wounded world.’ The papers in this issue of Transformation represent Asian, European and the North American regions but the authors are all from what is often described as ‘the majority world.’
I have included four historical papers here. The first by Bright Myeong-Seok Lee from ACTS focusses on South Korea. Bright has just taken over as the General Secretary of the IAMS. His paper explores the correlation between heightened social inequalities and indigenous religious movements including the Protestant Christianity in Korea's late Chosŏn Dynasty. Such an examination of the history of Protestant Christianity is significant not just for a view of the past; it has relevance for our understanding of the crises today, which could lead to similar movements in our own time. The second paper by Samuel G. Ngaihte dwells on a unique North-East Indian context. Samuel is teaching at the Department of Philosophy, Manipur University. He is also an OCMS alumnus. Like Bright Lee, Samuel primarily offers a historical examination of the Naga and Zo uprisings in response to their encounters with the British Empire and the Christian missionaries who followed in its wake. It also offers, in this light, insights into a way forward for peace within a new sociopolitical context of independent India. The third paper by Raymundus Sudhiarsa is on Christian migrations within Indonesia. Raymundus lectures at a theological school in Indonesia. His paper highlights the challenges Christians have faced as they migrate from one region of Indonesia to another (as diaspora communities within Indonesia). It describes their journeys into new cross-cultural locations to show that, despite challenges, they can function as agents of mission. The fourth paper is by Rachel Iwamony and represents the Indonesian context. Rachel is a published author from the Universitas Kristen Indonesia Maluku. Her paper attempts to offer a Christian perspective on South Maluku or South Moluccas. It is a lesser known ‘secessionist republic movement’ in this region of Indonesia. The paper assumes that Christians can play a positive role as reconcilers and act as a bridge between the movement and the state.
Like Rachel's paper, the next paper expresses hope for reconciliation through forgiveness. Unlike the previous papers, this is purely a theoretical-textual work by a young Korean scholar from the Presbyterian University and Theological Seminary in South Korea, Hanna Hyun. Hanna focusses on the Joseph story in Genesis 37–50 because it is well known to Christians, Jews and Muslims. She highlights, however, some contrasting features (such as loyalty and forgiveness) in the biblical account, which may serve as a model for coexistence and of fostering harmonious interfaith relations.
The last two papers in this issue are qualitative in nature. They have been written from the primary data gathered from interviews and observations. The first of these is by Ishak Ghatas. Ishak is an alumnus of OCMS and an Egyptian-Belgian practitioner whose ministry focusses on Muslim immigrants in Europe. His work here has missional implications, which is beginning to inform his practice. It is, for this reason, the paper has been included in this issue as it creates a possibility for a further contribution that develops this more clearly for Transformation's readers. Ishak shows in this paper that the Muslim immigrants’ choices for relating with others around them are not uniform; they are differentially expressed across generations. This holds much promise for a more cohesive broader exchange and coexistence including mission among the immigrants. The second paper is by Sam Kim, an assistant professor of Intercultural Studies in the Department of Christian Studies and Philosophy at Asbury University. In this work in progress, she attempts to show the difficulties Believers in Christ from Muslim Backgrounds (BMBs) face in choosing to become part of local churches. Their understanding and expectation of churches often do not match with the reality on the ground. There is space, she argues, for learnings for both the BMBs and the churches to which they belong.
