Author: Tom de Bruin

Call for Papers 2023 ETTC

Tom de Bruin 1 Comment

The upcoming European Theology Teachers Convention will be organised 22–26 March 2023. The Hungarian Adventist Theological College will be hosting the conference in Budapest.

We expect to be able to hold the conference in-person, but the Covid-19 pandemic may necessitate contingency plans that will be developed and communicated as the situation and needs dictate.

The theme for the conference will be:

Tensions, Conflicts, Wars: ‘Storms’ in the Bible, Church & Society

We are living in a world burdened with tensions, conflicts, and wars. Ethnic, cultural and religious ‘storms’ are also found in the Bible. They were part of the experience of the people of God in the Old Testament and in the early church times likewise. Adventism in the 21st century also faces tensions and conflicts on number of horizons, whether theological, ethical, church political, cultural or pastoral – both on local and global levels.

We are inviting papers from the area of biblical studies, theology (including missiology, ecclesiology, eschatology), anthropology, epistemology, pastoral theology, religious history, ecology, ethics, social justice (possibly including gender studies, critical race theory, postcolonial studies), and societal conflict.

Guidelines:

Papers proposals should have a working title and not exceed 200 words in length. The deadline for submission is 30 September 2022. Proposals should be sent to Richard Michelisz (fotitkar@atf.hu) in MS Word format. Notifications regarding proposals will go out in October 2022. Presenters are limited to thirty minutes for presentation (approximately 3,500-words), with additional time for questions and discussion of the paper.

Statement on Russian Invasion of Ukraine

Tom de Bruin Leave a comment

The European Adventist academic community gathered in the European Adventist Society of Theological and Religious Studies (EASTRS) suffers with their Ukrainian colleagues, their families, their churches and all those associated with them. Our compassion includes fervent prayer, asking God to inspire the leaders of our world to put away weapons and guarantee a free and peaceful living space for all.

Yet, we also realise that human conflict will remain until the end of times. “And you will hear of wars and rumours of wars; see that you are not alarmed; for this must take place, but the end is not yet.  For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom” (Matthew 25:6-8).

We know that liberation is coming. As a community, we look forward to the Advent hope, to the eternal theocracy of peace. We know that ultimately only one is victorious: Jesus the Christ.

Updates from our schools

Tom de Bruin Leave a comment

Collonges

The Adventist Faculty of Theology at Collonges has now 101 students, a fitting amount for the 101st academic year of the school!

62 students are in the Licence’s program and 39 are in the Master’s program. 22 are new students: 9 in the distance learning Licence, 11 in the presence Licence, 2 in the Master. 29 students are following our e-learning Licence.

The proportion of women represents 21% of the total number of students. The origin of the students is very varied since no less than 8 GC Divisions are represented: mostly come from the Inter-European Division (half of them) and the Inter-American Division (20+), but also from the South-American Division, the South Pacific Division, the North-American Division, the Southern-African & Indian Ocean Division, the West Central African Division and the Middle East North African Mission

Besides budding theologians, there are a large number of French program students. They come from different countries such as the United States, Mexico, Brazil, United Kingdom end even Bermuda. Most of them stay for one year in order to become fluent in French. Learning the language and about the French culture is a requirement for some of them who accomplish their studies at an Adventist universitiy and for others it will help in future job searches.

Maruševec

On the graduation weekend, 8-10 October 2021, eleven MTS students from Adriatic Union College were awarded their diplomas at the graduation ceremony held on the campus of Friedensau Adventist University. Six graduates were pastors from the South-East European Union, Serbia and five from the Adriatic Union Conference, Croatia.

Although due to the Covid-19 travel restrictions only three students were able to attend the ceremony in person the graduation weekend provided the rewarding and joyful conclusion to their six years long studies. The only remining student in that program is expected to graduate in 2022. Since 2014. Adriatic Union College in cooperation with Friedensau Adventist University has run part-time MTS program designed to provide pastoral education for ministers and lay members of the Adriatic Union Conference and the South-East European Union. In the words of many graduates this collaborative educational project is a testament to the importance and relevance of the Adventist theological education for pastors and lay members alike.

In the academic year 2021/2022 the Adriatic Union College  has enrolled three full-time students in BA in Theology and two part-time students in BA in Religion program. The study program designed for part-time students is only offered online with the purpose of providing spiritual nourishment and Adventist theological education to the non-ministerial students. The primary aim of this program is to strengthen the lay members involvement in the church life while providing a distinctive Adventist vision of theological education and mission.’