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EDITOR’S NOTES



     With all our determination to bring this issue out at least by end of January to justify it bearing the volume number for 1995 we have succeeded in bringing it out only by the end of the 1st quarter when the first issue for 96 should be appearing. We ask our subscribers to be patient with us and continue to support the bulletin. If you permit me I’ll say that even if we succeed in bringing out only 2 issues per year it is still good value for the heavily subsidized subscriptions. We shall try our best to bring out two issues for 1996.

     This issue comes out with papers presented and the written responses that were made during a colloquium held on the important theme of Christology and Ecclesiology as they impinge upon each other. While many of the Kyoto perspectives and emphases are reiterated in very different ways by a totally different group except for bishop Muru Walters from Aotearoa, who had to be compelled to attend in order to provide an Episcopal stamp on the exercise, all others were new participants. They could not be described as “activists” or “radical”. Yet what was said in many ways not only emphasized again what had been said a year ago in Kyoto but also took the discussion much further.

      We had the great privilege of having Dr. Maake Masango from South Africa who soon after the Chiang Mai Consultation was elected Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of South of Africa. So we have both Episcopal as well as reformed authority behind what went on in Chiang Mai. He spoke from the ground realities of his involvement in the struggles of the South African people for liberation as well as from his experience as a pastoral counselor. He was thus able to combine in one, someone who had struggled for justice and someone who was involved in the ministry of reconciliation. His Christological reflections are therefore vitally relevant. Christ is Mediator between women and men because he combines in himself “Sophia”, (Wisdom) which is feminine and maleness by virtue of his incarnate manhood, argues Dr. Masango. A novel way of taking the sting out of the “exclusive” maleness of Jesus.

     Hilary Christie-Johnston made a vivid as well as scholarly presentation about Women at the Last Supper and came up with the affirmation that Jesus’ flesh and blood in the Eucharistic elements should also be considered as the flesh and blood of Mary the mother of Jesus as he owed his body to her primarily. So when we partake of Christ’s body we also partake of the flesh and blood of motherhood.

     All the presentations in the colloquium were both inspiring and informative. We have given above just two morsels from two different plates as a foretaste. Hope you enjoy the banquet.

     It is, however, very important to keep Christological reflections alive. Dr. Kim Yong Bock who was with us just for two days listed the following areas where more thorough and continuous reflections need to be made: (1) Critical Reflections on Existing Christologies that are limited, misguided and problematic. (2) Christology challenged by women needs to be reconstructed. (3) Christology in relation to the suffering /struggling people to be reconstructed. (4) Christology in the light of creation (Cosmic/Life) to be well developed. (5) Christology in relation to Asian religious traditions, communities to be worked out weeding out earlier triumphalistic, paternalistic, co-opting... tendencies. (6) Biblical basis for doing Christology in the light of contextualized rereading of the bible needs to be developed. (7) The relationship between Christology as it emerges through all the above attempts and a new relevant ecclesiology that arises from it needs to be worked out.

     The Chiang Mai consultation was a small effort in this direction. We invite discerning readers to make further contributions.

      Reader response is still not as much as we would like. We are not fishing for complements. Rather we are eager to continue discussion to identify points that need further exploration. So please write and share your views.

Dhyanchand Carr
Editor
 

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