I had a wonderful opportunity of participating as resource person and workshop facilitator in the Feminist Theology Conference organized by the Association for Theological Education in Myanmar (ATEM) at Lisu Theological Seminary in Pyin Oo Lwin, Myanmar on 22-26 May. My input was a general introduction to Asian feminist theologies while the workshop I facilitated was on spirituality and sexuality.

Perhaps one of the good things about that conference, attended by 70 participants 15 of whom were men, is the openness that many of the participants demonstrated in sharing myths they have held about women, sexuality, and feminist theology as a whole.

A theologically trained woman shared how her own mother had told her that it would be unthinkable for her to receive blessing/benediction from her own daughter – thereby showing how women themselves cannot see women ordained into the ministry. Very few denominations ordain women in Myanmar, and those qualified for ordination are, according to the women participants, those who are single and old. In view of such comments, I felt the need for education on the meaning of ordination as well as the leadership of women and men.

A male participant shared that a medical doctor had told him that the reason why women have faster pulse beats is because they are short-tempered. He therefore concluded that it is better to prevent women who are prone to be short-tempered from getting ordained. As facilitator of the workshop where this was raised, I had to say that being short-tempered and hot-tempered is not gender specific and what the doctor said is part of the gender stereotyping that has always put women down or in a negative light. In fact, there are men who are short- and chili-tempered but they have not been barred from positions of leadership.

Another male participant said that since women are already biased, the best teachers of feminist theology are men who are free from any biases. I had to say that if even God is not free from bias for the oppressed and marginalized, men are not free from their own biases either. It would in fact be dangerous if feminist theology is taught by men who are against the goals of feminism, i.e. gender justice and empowerment of women.

Such an openness to share myths and biases could be the beginning of genuine gender justice in Myanmar. The conference was attended by teachers of feminist theology from 35 member institutions of ATEM and some representatives from the Catholic Church and evangelical churches in Myanmar.

Anna May Say Pa, principal of Myanmar Institute of Theology, facilitated three creative and participatory Bible studies. Elizabeth Tapia, faculty at Bossey Ecumenical Institute in Geneva, gave an input on women in mission and facilitated a workshop on the World Mission Conference. Limatula Longkumer, instructor from Jorhat Theological Seminary in Northeast India) gave an input on feminist pedagogy and facilitated a workshop on Asian feminist theology. Other workshops were facilitated by Myanma resource persons: Mary Dun and Soe Soe Mar on feminist theology curriculum; Eh Tar Gay on feminist hermeneutics; May May Phyone on women and development; Thit Thit Myat San on women and culture; Lily Kadoe on women and religions; and Khin Swe Oo on women and church.

Five Thai women participated in this conference with the hope that a similar conference can be held in Thailand in the near future. CCA-FMU is committed to supporting such initiatives in order to dispel myths about women and feminism as well as to enrich theological education in Asia.

posted by hope at Wednesday, June 01, 2005

How do religiously affiliated schools deal with cultural, socio-economic, gender and religious differences within the school population? Should the schools be advocates for the truth of their religious communities or should they be sites for learning to participate in interreligious dialogue?

These and other questions were behind the holding of the 4th Conference of the Education and Ethos Network held at Radboud University in Nijmegen, The Netherlands on January 20-22. CCA-FMU executive secretary Hope S. Antone was invited as one of the keynote speakers on "Religious Differences in Religiously Affiliated Schools"

Key points in Hope's paper, shared with a powerpoint presentation, are the following:
* There is definitely a place for education in the 'first language', i.e. Christian Education for church-related schools for even other religious adherents would expect and understand that. But schools need to guard against fostering an oppositional identity which can become the foundation for intolerance and demonization of the other.

* Knowing that there are different religious adherents in the religiously affiliated schools, educators need to teach in ways that stimulate among students a deep and learned commitment to their own traditions while urging them to participate in religiously pluralistic societies.

* The language of conversation and encounter begins with recognizing, appreciating and valuing differences, including the differences in our lenses for viewing the world.

* Learning from differences needs to be viewed not simply to foster tolerance but for mutually enriching each other, including learning from and correcting each other.

* Venturing into the second language of Religious Education would at its best require a different curriculum that involves the participation of religious educators from other faith communities.

There were four keynote addresses, each tackling a section of the theme of "Matters of Difference: Cultural, Socio-economic, Gender and Religious Differences within Religiously Affiliated Schools". Other speakers and paper presentors on other related themes came from religiously affiliated schools in Europe and some from USA and Canada.

The invitation for Hope came from the office of Dr. Chris Hermans upon the recommendation of Prof. Aad de Jong, both of Radboud University. The organizers felt the need to hear from a voice from another continent where religious differences were a common reality.

posted by hope at Saturday, February 05, 2005

"Sharing Hope for a New World" is the theme of the Fifth Congress of Asian Theologians (CATS V) which is set for July 2006. This was the consensus of the CATS V Continuation Committee which met in Tainan Theological College and Seminary in Tainan, Taiwan on Jan. 13-14, following the theological roundtable meeting.

The theme is a call to affirm and re-affirm "the hope that we have" in the midst of so much ruin, destruction and devastation experienced by peoples in Asia brought about by serious poverty and injustice, violence, the negative impact of globalization, war on terrorism, and most recently, the tsunami disaster that caused the loss of lives and property as well as much trauma for the surviving people.

The theme also affirms that hope for a new world or a new future is something that Asian communities of faith do share and that other communities that are not based on faith can also be communities of hope, thus, sharing hope with them can take the form of solidarity and joint action.

The committee also expressed gratitude for the offer of Rev. Dr. Lo Lung Kwong to host CATS V at the Divinity School of Chung in the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong. More details of the plan for CATS V will be shared later.

Present at the meeting were Kang Namsoon and Soosai Arokiasamy, co-moderators; Yangrae Son, treasurer; Hope Antone, secretary; Samuel Ngun Ling, Wati Longchar, Sientje Merentek-Abram, and Hannah Chen. Arche Ligo was co-opted to join the meeting for one day.

posted by hope at Saturday, February 05, 2005

On January 9-12, a group of representatives of theological movements and associations of theological education in Asia met in Shoki Coe House at Tainan Theological College and Seminary TTCS)in Tainan, Taiwan, to share their assessment of Asian contextual theologies and their dreams of working together.

The words of Huang Po Ho, president of the Tainan Theological Seminary that hosted the meeting, aptly summarized the sharing of stories by movements and associations. He said, "All contextual theologies are experiencing a setback weakened in the wake of the current situation. It seems that we cannot find any role of Asian theology in the life of the church, thereby, making the church more marginalized in Asia."

The group therefore tried to envision Asian theological education that would help bring about transformation. It is one that is rooted in and responsive to Asian contexts and realities. Informed by global theological movements, it is liberating and empowering. It critically draws from our Asian resources for spirituality and wisdom. It transforms church and society, seminaries and theological education, and Christian higher education. Holistic in methodology, it is engaged in the public arena and models right relationships between local and other cultures, disciplines and faiths.

The group consisted of representatives of the following movements and associations: Program for Theologies and Cultures in Asia (Kang Namsoon and Simon Kwan); Association of Theological Education in Southeast Asia (Sientje Merentek-Abram); CCA-WCC Ecumenical Theological Education (Wati Longchar); Ecumenical Association of Third World Theologians-Asia (Arche Ligo); Northeast Asia Theological Schools (Huang Po Ho); Federation of Asian Bishops Conferences (Soosai Arokiasamy); Asian Women's Resource Centre for Culture and Theology (Yong Ting Jin); Congress of Asian Theologians (Kang Namsoon and Soosai Arokiasamy); Archie Lee and David Suh (Asian Christian Higher Education Institute); and Christian Conference of Asia (Hope S. Antone). CCA-FMU desk organized and facilitated this meeting.

posted by hope at Saturday, February 05, 2005

Twenty program and related staff and representatives of mission, evangelism and ecumenism units of member churches and councils of the Christian Conference of Asia gathered on 2-7 December in Taipei, Taiwan, for the workshop on Doing Mission and Evangelism with an Ecumenical Vision, bearing in mind the CCA General Assembly theme, "Building Communities of Peace for All." The meeting was jointly organized by the CCA and the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan, which also served as host of said workshop.


The group in session.

The workshop opened with worship during which Rev. William Lo, general secretary of the PCT, spoke on the "Incarnation of the Kingdom of God".

In a summary of the four-day workshop, the group affirmed their belief that "it is God who calls us into God's mission of turning to the world in love and compassion (mission), through sharing the good news of fullness of life for all (evangelism), throughout the one household of God (ecumenism)." But the group was deeply aware of the many challenges that impact the churches including the distortions and gaps that have come about with regards to mission, evangelism and ecumenism. These are worsened by the impact of globalization, terrorism, and fundamentalism, to name a few.


The group at morning worship

The workshop included the sharing of and listening to stories of passion or involvement in mission, evangelism and ecumenism; input on bridging the gaps between the three by Hope S. Antone of CCA-FMU; an overview of the challenges to doing the same in Asia by Cheng Yang-en, a historian-theologian of Taiwan; a panel presentation on contextual responses to the challenges by Tarcisius Fernando (Sri Lanka), Rex Reyes (Philippines), Tina Rendell (Australia) and William Lo (Taiwan). Workshops and discussions were held to deepen the sharing which included strategies and suggestions for future direction.

Worship and visits with four local churches enabled the participants to learn about special ministries of the PCT, including the church for the hearing impaired and for families of people with Henson's disease.


Eang Chhun, Nurdiana Sari Wijaya, Tarcisius Fernando and Chang Chung Chih sharing a song in sign language following their visit to the church of the hearing impaired.

Among the recommendations of the group was to support the capacity building needs of churches and/or councils of young or newly open nations such as Timor Leste, Laos, Cambodia and Nepal; to do more sharing and exchange for mission with youth, women and children; to initiate and facilitate building bridges and relations; and to affirm the prophetic role/function of the church especially in these challenging times.

posted by hope at Wednesday, December 08, 2004

Hope S. Antone of CCA-FMU attended the meeting of Asia secretaries of ecumenical development agencies and mission organizations on invitation by WCC Asia Desk secretary, Dr. Mathews George Chunakara, at the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland on 10-14 October.

She gave a reflection at the WCC chapel service on Oct. 11 on the laments of Asia, a service that also served to open the meeting. Following WCC staff Hansuli Gerber's presentation on the Decade to Overcome Violence, Hope also made a presentation on the DOV Asia Focus in 2005. She shared another reflection on the CCA General Assembly theme at the last day of the meeting.

The meeting was a time for Asia secretaries of ecumenical development agencies and mission organizations to share common concerns related to their work and partnerships in the Asian region.

posted by hope at Thursday, October 21, 2004

"We are not afraid to say that we live in a time of empire." Thus said a group of church women, feminist economists and women activists from Africa, Asia, Latin America, Caribbean, Middle East and Eastern Europe gathered in Antipolo City, Philippines, on 27-29 August.


A group photo at the venue

Meeting as Women�s Voices on Alternative Globalization Addressing People and Earth (WV - AGAPE), the group analyzed the signs of the times and issued a call to transformative reflection and action to counter the negative globalization that is dominating the world today. This empire-building means the "coherence of economic, cultural, political and military powers that constitute a global system of domination directed by powerful nations and organizations".

It follows a neo-liberal economic model which has made the market into an absolute, and is leading the world towards systemic crises, increased vulnerability, globalization of inequality, and continuous ecological destruction. It has also been accompanied by heightened repression, militarization and massive human rights violations � for where there are profits to be made, these are quickly secured by military might. All these, the women said, have impacted the peoples of the South, especially the poor women.

"We believe that the present neo-liberal globalization is completely against God�s vision of Oikoumene, the household of God that is founded on a theology of caring for all life, that promotes justice, compassion and solidarity with the impoverished, the vulnerable and the excluded," they said.

Instead, they affirmed an alternative vision � of a just, sustainable and caring economy that supports and upholds the sacred nature of all life and creation. They called for a move from the so-called free trade (which is only free for the powerful nations and multinational corporations) to a just, sustainable and caring global trade which, among other things, respects and protects biodiversity, local and collective wisdoms, and cultural identities.
"Just, sustainable and caring global trade and finance ensure that the movement and utilization of goods, services and funds best serve the interests of all peoples. Therefore, decision-making structures and processes on trade and financial agreements and policies must be genuinely democratized to involve and represent women and the diversity of society," they stated.

The consultation was sponsored by the World Council of Churches through the Office of Athena Peralta, consultant on women and economy of the Justice, Peace and Creation Team, based in Manila. The Christian Conference of Asia was represented in said consultation by Hope S. Antone.

On August 30, the group of women from the South attended a public forum organized by the National Council of Churches in the Philippines. The forum on "Voices from the Global South: Women's Perspective on War and Globalization" featured a panel presentation by Ofelia Ortega (Cuba), Namsoon Kang (Korea) and Lucy Mulenkei (Africa).


Namsoon Kang, Ofelia Ortega, and Lucy Mulenkei with Edna Orteza

posted by hope at Saturday, September 18, 2004

Twenty-five young people from various churches and youth organizations in Africa, Asia, Europe, North and South America participated in a seminar on mission and youth in the context of globalization at the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey, Switzerland on 17-23 August.

Through worship, community building activities, creative and participatory Bible studies, small group discussions, sharing of experiences, analysis of realities and issues, as well as cultural art forms, the group reflected on the role of young people and the church in carrying out mission in today's challenging context. Apart from the economic and political aspects of globalization, the young people acknowledged how the cultural aspects are seriously influencing young people today so that young people have "consciously and unconsciously become its agents".

The group however affirmed that globalization does not have the last word. "More and more young people are becoming aware and are challenged to affirm their Christian faith through finding innovative alternatives and strategies in education and advocacy" to counter the negative impact of globalization.

"As young people, we understand mission today as the announcement and realization of the fullness of life for all, which is the message of the Word of God," they said in a statement. This is done through witnessing and action both within the church and the wider society. Mission is also faith in action, they affirmed, "where 'we should walk the talk' if we are to be true to our calling".

The group included a message to the World Council of Churches' Conference on World Mission and Evangelism, urging the conference to seriously consider the context of globalization today as part of the realities which mission efforts should address, and to enable the full participation of young people in all processes.

Hope Antone of CCA-FMU was invited by the Rev. Dr. Elizabeth Tapia (faculty of Bossey and in-charge of the seminar) as one of the Bible study leaders and co-facilitator with Andreas Nufer.

Click here to see some photos

posted by hope at Wednesday, August 25, 2004

At the end of a busy five-day program, a total of 67 Asian Catholic and Protestant seminarians attending the Second Asia Conference of Theological Students in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on July 25-31, called upon churches in Asia to encourage holding more such ecumenical conferences by providing more financial and moral support.

They also called on church leaders to encourage and initiate inculturation of teachings and liturgies in order to develop a truly Asian theology. In line with the wider understanding of ecumenism, they also called upon leaders of mainline Protestant and Roman Catholic Churches to actively build ties with Evangelical, independent and charismatic groups, even as interreligious dialogue and cooperation should be continuously pursued.

Recognizing that the development of China will have an impact on the rest of the world, they also called on the churches to help the ecumenical mission of Christians in China.

These recommendations were contained in a statement that was read as an act of commitment during the closing worship.

The group also had recommendations for their sending theological institutions: (a) that the curriculum include studies on inter-religious relations, inculturation and feminist theology; (b) that they teach and encourage the use of scriptures from other faiths and of indigenous elements in liturgies; and (c) that they send more participants to ecumenical conferences by increasing financial and moral support.

They also had recommendations for themselves: (a) to strive to learn and know more about other religions and cultures than their own; (b) to exercise respect for Christians of other denominations and persons of other faiths; and (c) to write reflections on ecumenism and inter-faith efforts to give greater support and publicity to such activities.

ACTS II was held to coincide with the Faith and Order Plenary Commission taking place in Kuala Lumpur from July 28-August 6. While the Faith and Order sought to lead the global churches into theological dialogue as a means of overcoming obstacles to and opening up ways towards the manifestation of Christian unity, ACTS II sought to explore issues, trends and challenges in theology in an effort to promote a more contextualized approach to doing theology in Asia.

The program consisted of sharing of contextual experiences by participants; synthesis and analysis of trends by Edmund Chia; inputs by Sathianathan Clarke on Christian theology and on being contextual theologians in Asia; survey of theological methods by Robert Schreiter; presentation on Asian feminist theologies by Hope Antone and Yong Ting Jin; inputs on Islam by Tom Michel; and a sharing on ecclesiological welcome by Anne Marie Reijnen.

The group of seminarians said that many ecumenical ventures they know of came about due to social and political factors rather than religious or spiritual factors. They said that most joint-projects are done to address poverty, HIV/AIDS, globalization, or in response to discrimination and oppression of Christians in some Asian contexts. They therefore called for mainstreaming the following in theological education: Asian/African contextual theologies; feminist theologies; religious pluralism and interreligious dialogue; poverty and globalization; ecological and environmental issues; and conflict management and resolution.

The program did not only begin and end with worship; each day began with worship led by various groups of participants � bringing cultural and religious symbols and elements from various countries and traditions. A solidarity meal was celebrated, commemorating the Passover meal and the Last Supper � but giving new meaning to common Asian elements like tea, a sweet, dry biscuit, sour fruit, bitter herbs, and rice.

The participants joined the Faith and Order Plenary Commission at its opening worship at St. Mary�s Cathedral and a dinner reception at the Selangor Club on 28 July. They also sent a brief version of their statement to the commission meeting.

ACTS II was jointly organized by the Christian Conference of Asia and the Federation of Asian Bishops� Conferences. Of the 67 participants, 32 came from CCA member churches and related organizations while 35 came from FABC. Of these, 33 were women and 34 men. Participants, ranging from the age of 21 to 60, came from Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. Four overseas participants came from France, Hungary, Syria and Zambia. Among the group of Protestant and Catholic seminarians was a Muslim Indonesian woman who is presently doing her Ph. D. studies in systematic theology. Her presence at this Christian conference was greatly appreciated by the participants.

Hermen Shastri, general secretary of the Council of Churches in Malaysia, gave a welcome greeting during the opening service while Ahn Jae Woong, general secretary of CCA, came later to greet the participants.

Full statement from ACTS II

posted by hope at Saturday, August 07, 2004

In order to enable conversation between Christians and Theravada Buddhists as people of faith with common concerns about peace, reconciliation and harmony, the World Council of Churches and the Christian Conference of Asia jointly sponsored a consultation involving the two faith groups at Tao Fong Shan Centre, Shatin, Hong Kong on July 2-6, 2004 on the theme, "Towards a Culture of Religious Diversity and Communal Harmony."

A total of 35 participants, 6 of them women, and 9 Buddhist monks, came from Bangladesh, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand, countries where Theravada Buddhism has been predominant. Few observers and organizers came from Japan, Switzerland, Philippines, and Hong Kong, including staff from WCC and CCA.

Two keynote addresses were given by U Kyaw Than, a Christian ecumenical leader from Myanmar, and Parichart Suwanbubbha, a Buddhist scholar from Thailand. Country groupings took turns in leading the morning devotion, some of which were attempts at interfaith prayer.

Group discussions allowed participants to share and listen to stories � good stories on one side of harmonious relations; and painful stories on the other side of tensions, antagonisms, pain and suffering among people of different religions. Among the issues of great concern were conversion, religious and ethnic identities and power, intra-religious and inter-religious relations, and a possible code of conduct.

Affirming that different identities have many attachments that create barriers, the group pointed to the "need to transcend these identifies in order to become human. Then only we will respect and honour others as human beings with different religious and ethnic identities". Referring to the Buddha and Christ Jesus as having transcended their narrow identities through emptying of themselves, the group agreed that transcending one�s identities assures the protection of different minority groups.

The group noted that interreligious relations and dialogue cannot be dissociated from relations within their own faith communities. They therefore called for a re-reading of their own scriptures in light of a religiously plural world, and to engage in intensified dialogue within their own communities as well as with other faith communities.

Knowing that conversions take place in different contexts for different reasons, the group emphasized that conversion from another religion should result from the freedom to change, not because of fear or coercion. "True spiritual conversion will respect the dignity and value of persons and religious traditions." It can take place within one�s religion as well as a journey from one religion to another. It should lead people from ignorance to wisdom, darkness to light, injustice to justice, falsehood to truth. Thus, the problem of unethical conversions need to be tackled by religious and civil societies, not by state legislature since bills on prohibitions against conversion can easily lead to abuse.

The Rev. Dr. Samuel Kobia, general secretary of the World Council of Churches, was able to address the group during his visit to Asia. Speaking on "the spiritual dimension to promote peace and communal harmony", he said, "There is in spite of all the differences an inner core common to all religions: the mystery of life, that life matters, that human beings matter, whether we are appearances of the moment or created in the image of God." This spiritual dimension in striving for peace and communal harmony is a sign of unity between Buddhists and Christians, he said.

Drawing from the rich tradition that goes back to Emperor Ashoka�s time 2300 years ago, the group included in their consultation statement a code of conduct saying:

In a world where religious plurality has become increasingly important, the words of Emperor Ashoka seem astonishingly modern and communicate both meaning and spirit for a culture of peace and communal and religious harmony: "One should not honour only one�s own religion and condemn the religions of others, but should honour others� religions for this or that reason. So doing, one helps one�s own religion to grow and renders service to the religions of others too. In acting otherwise one digs the grave of one�s own religion and also does harm to other religions. Whosoever honours his own religion and condemns other religions does so indeed through devotion to his own religion, thinking, �I will glorify my own religion�. But on the contrary, in so doing he injures his own religion more gravely. So concord is good: Let all listen, and be willing to listen to the doctrines professed by others" (Rock Edict 12).

In line with the Rock Edict, we propose the following to create a culture of religious diversity and communal and religious harmony:

• Share the same purpose of mutual spiritual development for the transformation of individuals and communities.
• Make the agenda clear, without any hidden agendas.
• Be mindful in sharing in a responsible and ethical manner.
• Have trust, honesty, openness to engage in dialogue with a self-critical mind.
• Have moral imperatives � do good to others, if you want others to do good to you.
• Learn in depth the core of your religion.
• Engage in democratic and humane relations.
• Engage in social dialogue which leads into action � to work for peace, reconciliation and justice.

posted by hope at Saturday, August 07, 2004