NBTS & IRTI Announce The 2016 International Summer School of Theology
February 23, 2016
In collaboration with the International Reformed Theological Institute and in cooperation with the Protestant Theological University and the VU University Amsterdam (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam), NBTS Affiliate Professor of Theology, The Rev. Dr. Allan Janssen announces the 2016 International Summer School of Theology.
The International Summer School provides a forum in which students can participate in discussion with a variety of Dutch theologians and church leaders offering old and new perspectives on current issues.
Set in the international city of Amsterdam, the school provides a unique opportunity for students to engage in conversation with leading Dutch thinkers as well as with students from other countries.
The church as catholic (universal) embraces people from all nations (the ethnoi, or the Gentiles). The very catholicity of the church puts strains on its confessed unity, as persons of various cultural, linguistic and ethnic backgrounds cross natural boundaries to become one communion. Human migration has manifested this difficulty as local, often national, churches receive newly arrived immigrants. The global neighbor who had often been seen as a recipient of the church’s “mission” is now the local neighbor, often present in substantial numbers as new communities in host countries. This phenomenon is noted not only in urban areas, but in all areas, and in all countries. How is the church to respond? What does this pressing situation demand particularly of Protestant churches that have, in the main, seen themselves as national – and hence often as monocultural – churches? What are the moral responsibilities of churches and Christians towards refugees and other newcomers? These ecclesiological, ethical and missiological questions will be explored in a Dutch context. As an historic center of trade, the Netherlands has been known for its openness toward persons from other cultures. At the same time, it has sensed the pressure of immigration as persons from other cultures bring new tensions to an older culture. Dutch thinkers have continued to wrestle with the reality of migration and its impact on church and society.
The 2016 International Summer School of Theology, working in collaboration with the International Reformed Theological Institute, and in cooperation with the Protestant Theological University and the VU University, will explore these questions with a number of Dutch lecturers. Set in the international city of Amsterdam, the school provides a unique opportunity for students to engage in conversation with leading Dutch thinkers as well as with students from other countries.
The school will be held in the facilities of the PThU located in the VU University, Amsterdam, and students will stay in residence nearby. The schedule will include plenty of time to explore Amsterdam with its varied cultural and historical opportunities. The Dutch transportation system opens all the Netherlands for exploration.
All lectures are in English.
The school will be held July 1-11, 2016.
For further information contact the
Rev. Dr. Allan Janssen, ajanssen@nbts.edu.
For full details, or to register, download the 2016 International Summer School Brochure.