25.01.2021

Global Talks: Mission theology from a black perspective

On Friday, Jan. 22, 2021, at 7 p.m. Central European Time, the Barmen School of Theology in Wuppertal/Bethel (Germany), together with the United Evangelical Mission (UEM), launched the "Global Talks" series. "With this new series of events, we are offering a forum for international theological exchange," explained Rector Prof. Dr. Konstanze Kemnitzer in her welcome address. "The goal is to regularly address international theological topics, ecclesiastical and political developments in order to contribute to broadening theological perspectives worldwide." Dr. Claudia Währisch-Oblau, department head at the United Evangelical Mission, translated the welcome into English and then led the rest of the evening. Joining them were 55 participants from four continents.

They listened with visible concentration and enthusiasm to the moving presentation by Prof. Dr. Reggie Nel, who spoke live from South Africa about mission theology from a black South African perspective. He opened with personal experiences, noting that "for black people today, racism is still a reality." As a key question, he posed in the virtual space spanned around the world, "How can we overcome or transform this empirical reality? What role can the church-and its mission theology-play in exorcising the demon of racism in all its manifestations?" His nuanced, informative and inspiring talk can be relived as a recording here on the UEM YouTube channel.

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