Editorial

This edition of CTC Bulletin is the first half (Part I) of a collection of papers presented at the Fourth Congress of Asian Theologians (CATS IV) on 4-10 August 2003 in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Bearing the theme of the congress, "Building Communities: Asians in Search of Pedagogies of Encounter," this edition features the keynote address by Wong Wai Ching Angela and theme presentations by Clive Pearson and Ninan Koshy, respectively. Also included are responses to the keynote and theme presentations by Noh Jung Sun, Sr. Mary John Mananzan and Sylvana Ranti-Apituley, respectively. Other articles are the opening message by U Kyaw Than and some papers shared at the discipline groups that met separately during the Congress.

The second half (Part II) of the collection, which will be published in August 2004, will feature the other papers shared at the discipline groups, the pre-CATS Women's Forum, a reflection-synthesis on the whole event, and statements from both the Women's Forum and CATS proper.

The Congress of Asian Theologians was conceived in 1996 when leaders of some Christian and ecumenical institutions and individual theologians from various Asian countries dreamed of organizing a network to help strengthen the koinonia of Asian theologians, consolidate theological work already done in Asia, share ongoing work on Asian theological issues, develop an Asian theological agenda towards the 21st century, and set up a structure of continuing Asian theological reflection and formation.

Thus, in 1997, CATS I was held in Suwon, Korea. The congress has met every two years since: CATS II in Bangalore, India, in 1999; CATS III in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, in 2001; and CATS IV in Chiang Mai, Thailand, in 2003. Each congress has attracted so many applicants, that the average number of participants can be put at 100 Asian theologians, mostly from Asia and some from outside Asia.

While each congress has unique features, indicated by its respective theme and papers, which CTC Bulletin has published in the past, additional features in CATS IV include the Women's Forum one day before the start of the congress. This ensured an increase in women's attendance and participation. In fact, the Women's Forum statement, done creatively and collectively by the women, became an additional input at the congress itself. The partnership of Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox theologians and the openness to dialogue with scholars from other faiths (e.g. Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism) have also characterized the congress all this time.

Coming as professors and lecturers, graduate students in seminaries, or active church pastors and ecumenical workers interested in updating themselves with theological trends and issues, participants came as resource persons themselves. The discipline groups became avenues for participants to share, interact and exchange something of their research or field interests. These discipline groups were on:

1. Religious Education,

2. Missiology,

3. Biblical Hermeneutics,

4. Ecumenism,

5. Theological Methods,

6. Ethics and Social Analysis, and

7. Spirituality and Liturgy

CATS is a movement and network of various theological institutions and associations. These bodies include the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA), South Asia Theological Research Institute of the Board of Theological Education of Senate of Serampore College (SATHRI BTE-SSC), Association of Theological Education in South East Asia (ATESEA), Program for Theologies and Cultures in Asia (PTCA), Asian Christian Art Association (ACAA), and Federation of Asian Bishops Conferences (FABC).

As joint executive secretary of CCA-Faith, Mission and Unity, it is my privilege to serve as organizing secretary of CATS. As editor of CTC Bulletin, it is my privilege on behalf of the Continuation Committee and all participants of CATS IV to share with our readers some of the emerging and/or ongoing (albeit not widely shared) efforts at Asian theologizing.

Hope S. Antone
Editor