“AEI–2020 is a space for unlearning and relearning,” say participants at end of first week

Students of AEI-2020 (partial only)

As the first week of the Asian Ecumenical Institute (AEI)–2020 came to an end, the 38 students selected from the Christian Conference of Asia’s (CCA) member constituencies from across the region expressed that they were challenged by the AEI lessons to broaden their perspectives and were refreshed in their understanding of ecumenism, mission, witness, and evangelism in a multi-religious Asia.

After the opening worship service on 2 November 2020, the students were given a warm welcome by the General Secretary of the CCA, Dr Mathews George Chunakara. “This is the first time we have decided to hold this month-long training programme entirely online. The AEI serves to train prospective church and ecumenical leaders as well as to equip, orient, and introduce ecumenism and the ecumenical movement to the participants,” he said.

“You will be empowered to move forward after learning from the discussions on several contemporary issues and challenges, as well as the ecumenical responses to such emerging issues, especially in light of the thematic focus of AEI–2020, We are Called to be Stewards for Renewal and Restoration of God’s Creation,” said Dr Chunakara to the AEI–2020 students. The first two days’ sessions were led by Dr Mathews George Chunakara himself, on Introduction to Ecumenism and Ecumenical Movements: Biblical Theological Perspectives and Ecumenism: Ecclesial Unity or Restoration of the Oikoumene.

The CCA General Secretary delivered a detailed presentation on the history of the ecumenical movement and the shift in the perception of ecumenism over time. He explained the significance of the term ‘oikoumene’ and its wider applications. “Diversity is not a setback, it is richness,” explained Dr Chunakara.

Dr Chunakara also went on to clarify what the goal of ecumenism was, that is, whether it was related to organic unity, the ‘merger’ of different church traditions, or the unity of all God’s creation. He explained the biblical basis for ecclesial unity and correlated it with the history of the modern ecumenical movement and the unity of the oikoumene. He also described the ‘theology of the oikoumene’.

Dr Wesley Ariarajah, Professor Emeritus at Drew University USA and former Deputy General Secretary and Director of the Interreligious Dialogue Division of the World Council of Churches, led three sessions: Towards Wider Ecumenism (on 5 November), Religious Pluralism and Interfaith Dialogue: Challenges to Christian Witness, and Witnessing Christ in a Multi-religious Asia: Challenges to Asian Ecclesia (on 6 November).

Dr Ariarajah emphasised the Christian self-understanding in the midst of other religions and called for the redefining of mission, evangelism, and witness. He stressed the importance of plurality, saying that Christians were to consider people of other faiths not as strangers, but as co-pilgrims.

“Our renewed relationships with other communities must be maintained without compromising on mission, without bordering on syncretism, and without undermining the uniqueness and finality of Christ,” said Dr Ariarajah.

“We need paradigm shifts in our perception of mission, evangelism and witness; moving from exclusion to inclusion. Our mission should be the expression of our commitment to Christ, to be faithful to the witness of what God has done. This must not include the homogenisation of identities, but lead to harmony despite differences,” explained Dr Ariarajah.

Dr Ariarajah also commended the efforts of the CCA in organising the AEI. “I personally feel that the AEI is perhaps the most important endeavour that the CCA has undertaken; it is the training of a whole new generation of young people in ecumenism and a range of issues. I am impressed by the quality of questions and discussions emerging from the participants,” said the internationally acclaimed Asian theologian.

The students also heard from Rev. Dr Mothy Varkey, a Professor at the Mar Thoma Theological Seminary in India who led two sessions on Renewal and Restoration of God’s Creation: Biblical Theological Perspectives and Stewardship: Biblical Theological Perspectives.

Rev. Dr Varkey captured the imagination of the AEI students by providing radical and fresh perspectives on the concept of stewardship and care of creation. Explaining the spiritual impetus to do so, Rev. Dr Varkey spoke of the connectedness of life, shared the image of God as a potter/farmer, and God as a gardener.

“The COVID-19 epidemic is an epiphany,” said Rev. Dr Mothy Varkey. “We must recognise that we are not autonomous and we do not have dominion over creation; rather, we have been responsible for all ecological crises in the modern world,” he said, exhorting the participants to look at sin as ‘enmity with creation’ (ecocide, and not fratricide), and faith as the ‘practice of friendliness and neighbourliness with nature’.

The students of AEI–2020 shared their reflections at the end of the first week. Rev. Angelyn Rivera Dela Torre from the Iglesia Filipina Independiente Church in the Philippines shared that she had learnt the importance of ecclesial unity and that the meaning of ‘oikoumene’ was redefined for her. “I learnt that the ecumenical movement emerged from struggles, both inside and outside the church. Participating in the ecumenical movement means witnessing and engaging in the praxis of God’s work and in the manifestation of God’s will in Asia. The ecumenical movement acts as a portal to learn about and from each other,” shared the young woman pastor.

Tesong Jennifer Monsang from the Council of Baptist Churches in North East India said, “I am renewed to reach out, be active, and engage with those around me—not just with Christians, but also with people and communities belonging to other religions. Since I work in women’s ministry, I could relate it to the care of creation and the realisation of human rights in the region.” The young theologically trained woman shared that she had learnt how important it was to build bridges and join hands with other faiths to work for justice and peace.

Iman Jaya Zandroto from the Banua Niha Keriso Protestant Church in Indonesia said that his preconceived notions and judgements about ecumenism, the ecumenical movement, and its objectives were shattered. “Coming from a conservative evangelical background, I am learning that the ecumenical movement is not just about the unity of churches or church denominations, it is for the unity of all creation. The movement does not negate diversity but thrives on it,” he said, sharing his reflections on the lectures he had heard during the week.

The focus of the second week’s sessions will include Ecumenism, Ecology, and Economics; Diakonia and Development in Restoring the Creation; Ecclesiological and Ethical Challenges to Restoration of God’s Creation; Climate Change, Environmental Pollution, and Human Lives; Eco-theology and Environmental Justice; Churches’ Ministry and Liturgy in the Context of COVID-19; Redefining Ecclesiology in Global Pandemic Context; and Worship and Liturgy in a Digitalised World.

The month-long AEI–2020 will conclude on 30 November.