The image is by Jasmine Corowa and is an encapsulating statement of Rainbow Spirit theology (see reference below). It is more than common to see reference to indigenous Christian theologies as “only focused on one issue,” i.e., framed only by colonial histories, meaning that local theologies continue to focus on the West as the key… Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Theologies
The image is from JusticeInfo.net on the need for Indigenous reparations See the special issue of NAIITS: Aldred, Ray. “The Land, Treaty, and Spirituality: Communal Identity Inclusive of Land.” Journal of NAIITS 17 (2019): 1–17. Brett, Mark, and Naomi Wolfe. “Land and the Responsibility to Protect Immigrants: Reflecting on Aboriginal Tradition and the Hebrew Bible.”… Indigenous Theologies of Land/Place
Eroding the hard category or “religion,” such as accomplished by Wilfred Cantwell Smith, Jonathan Z. Smith, Talal Asad, and Timothy Fitzgerald, enables a coordinate eroding of its apposite: secularity. Not only, or even as of first concern, is this an issue of Christian “decline” in the lands of Corpus Christianum. Rather, as the binary of… Internationalising (and Decolonising) Secularisation
The image is from “The Atheist Bus Campaign” which took place in Britain in 2008/9 in response to evangelical Christian advertising. The first explanation of religious decline came, in one sense, before any great statistical measure of decline. It might even be suggested that it set ‘decline’ as the proper category for interpreting religious experience… Classic Secularization Theory and its Critics
The original application of market language as a motif for interpreting religious growth and decline comes from Peter Berger. He established “pluralism” as the necessary twin of secularism. Basically, when a government sponsored faith monopoly is broken, society enjoys greater religious participation. Demand does not cease, but the supply changes from state subsidised monopoly to… “Supply-side,” or “Rational-Choice” Religious Market Theory
The image is from Sci-Fi Church with its “Jedi Council,” a “Fresh Expression” of church in Sydney, Australia. The individualisation thesis agrees with the supply-side model that modernisation does not lead to a decline in religious life. It differs on the mode of gathering, on the consequent religious social forms. It expects not simply that… Individualisation Thesis
McGill University: https://birksforum.ca/ For the full schedule (which is still developing), see: https://birksforum.ca/schedule-2/ The Birks Forum 2022 is pleased to announce a webinar series interrogating the history, current challenges, and opportunities at the intersection of Indigenous communities and Christianity. This series will explore specific issues in diverse global contexts: Asia, Africa, Latin America, North America,… Decolonizing and Indigenizing Christianity: An Indigenous People’s Perspective
A helpful commentary by Benno van den Toren: https://african.theologyworldwide.com/blog/the-conundrum-of-intercultural-theology-as-a-european-academic-discipline
The central figure in the Christian faith is the person Jesus Christ. An obvious statement perhaps, but it establishes a question of how a person who lived over 2000 years ago might be a present and living reality in communities situated within a multitude of diverse cultures. This issue of Jesus Christ’s present embodiment leads… The Diverse, Rich, and Critical Imaging of Jesus Christ
Saccidananda Ashram (also called Shantivanam) is a Camaldolese Benedictine monastery in Tannirpalli, India founded in 1950 by French priest Jules Monchanin (Parma Arupi Anananda), and French Benedictine monk Henri le Saux (Abhishiktanandain). With the erosion of “religion” as a set category, the hard borders of religious difference the category mandated have also begun to erode.… Syncretism Becomes Hybridity