Lectures - Meetings - Conferences

From March 2-6, 2024, an international symposium took place at FIT. Researchers from the United Theological College in Bangalore (India), Tumaini University in Makumira (Tanzania) and FIT, including the Director of the Evangelical Lutheran Mission in Lower Saxony (ELM), took part. The participants discussed the topic "Neighbourhood at crossroads ... Shaping identity, minorities and politicised religions." The event was organized and chaired by Professor Dr. Kaholi Zhimomi (Bangalore) and Professor Dr. Andreas Kunz-Lübcke (FIT). The report on the event and the list of presenters and topics can be found in the info box on the right.

 

In October 2022, Professor Dr. Johannes Weth took over the Chair of Systematic Theology in Intercultural Perspective from Professor em. Dr. Wilhelm Richebächer at FIT. In January 2024 he gave his Inaugural Lecture.

The lecture was challenging and complex, but also more topical than ever: Professor Weth advocated not to reduce our understanding in art as well in theology or intercultural encounters to a single line or perspective. Rather, we should allow ourselves and our own understanding to be enriched by openness to other, new, previously unknown perspectives and convictions.

In these politically turbulent, confrontational times this approach is also relevant for the church and society as a whole.

A summarizing report can be found here: Report Inaugural Lecture Prof. J. Weth

 

Since 01.04.2022, Professor Dr. Katharina Kleine Vennekate has held the chair of Practical Theology with a focus on diakonia in an intercultural perspective at the University of Applied Sciences for Intercultural Theology Hermannsburg (FIT). On Jan. 31, 2023, she delivered her inaugural lecture to FIT faculty, staff and students, as well as to family members and guests. The topic of the inaugural lecture was "People with trauma experiences as a task of intercultural pastoral care in church congregations".

On behalf of the entire team, Rector Professor Kunz-Lübcke thanked Professor Kleine Vennekate for her great commitment to FIT as a teacher, Vice Dean for Administrative Affairs and appreciated colleague. The students - represented by MA student Seoyeon Han - also recognized her dedication to the university and presented her with a bouquet of flowers.

With almost two semesters at FIT behind her, Professor Dr. Kleine Vennekate sums up for herself as follows: "Working at FIT and the community as well as the exchange with students and colleagues gives me a lot of pleasure".

For the summary of the lecture please click here: Report Inaugural Lecture 31-01-2023

 

On July 8th, 2021, Prof. Dr. Philomena Njeri Mwaura (Kenya) held a public lecture via ZOOM on the following topic: 

On the Integrity of Mission in the Light of the Gospel - How the witness of the Spirit is working among the bearers of the Gospel in Africa and through them worldwide.

More than 50 guests listened to the lecture, which was organized by FIT in cooperation with the Department for Mission and Intercultural Studies, Mission OneWorld, Neuendettelsau. For the flyer with further information on the lecture event an Prof. Mwaura please click here: Flyer Vortrag Prof. Mwaura

The 20th Ludwig-Harms-Symposium, organized by the Ludwig-Harms-Board of Trustees, was dedicated to a mission-historical topic that seems to have been sufficiently dealt with in the debates of the 1970s to -90s: Investigations on the „entangled history“ of colonialism and mission in a new perspective

But previous symposiums never have tackled that topic, let alone under the theoretical approach of “history of entanglements”.

“Colonialism and mission” is a relational pair of terms that raises questions about the most diverse circumstances that need to be clarified and understood: in historical, global, regional political, social, post-colonial, ethical, international law, cultural anthropology, religious studies and, last but not least, mission studies.

With these questions expectations are raised and kept alive to methodically clarify injustices of considerable extent that have occurred. The respective categories mentioned - even when applied from an interdisciplinary perspective - make many things explainable but leave others in the dark. In addition, terms such as “encounter” and “interaction” must be added, more openly and less judgmental. In the history of mission these terms have been used in the most different forms. To trace here the multitude of “history of entanglements” in an exemplary way can lead to new insights.

11 speakers from Norway, Great Britain, Fiji, Germany and Switzerland gave lectures at the end of May 2021 via ZOOM on various examples and manifestations of the entanglement of colonialism and mission in Indonesia, Africa and India. At the centre of the lectures and vivid discussions of the approximately 80 registered participants from about 40 nations was the attempt to show new perspectives on fundamental topics of mission history and their social, religious, ideological and political-historical contexts.

You can find the summary report on the symposium (unfortunately only in German) here: Bericht Ludwig-Harms-Symposium 2021

A detailed publication of the contributions to this symposium is planned for autumn 2021 by LIT Verlag.

Sponsors:
The symposium is sponsored by the Hanns-Lilje-Foundation and by the Cultural Fund of the German Federal Foreign Office. The organisers would like to thank the sponsors for their financial support.