Duane Alexander Miller on Iranian Diaspora Christians

Hi All,

Am glad to let you know that I have published my first article in the online journal Global Missiology (the English-language edition). Here is the Biblio:

Miller, Duane Alexander. 2012. ‘Iranian Diaspora Christian in the American Midwest & Scotland: Historical Background, Present Realities, & Future Challenges’ in Global Missiology 9:2, January.

Here is the abstract:

Over the last few years (2009-2011) I have been able to meet with numerous Iranian Christians in various cities in the UK and the USA. I have attended their churches and gatherings, I have sat down at Starbucks or over Persian food for conversations, and even in a hot tub once. In this article I will share a few of my preliminary conclusions and mention what I understand to be some of the key issues and challenges facing the Iranian Christian community in the coming years.

Download the PDF, or the Word Doc, or just check out the HTML. (I recommend the PDF.) Am glad to answer any questions in the comment section.

Scott Bridger's chapter on 'Mission to Muslims'

Scott Bridger, associate professor at Criswell College and an associate researcher of NETS, recently published the chapter on 'Mission to Muslims', and here is the complete biblio:

Theology and Practice of Mission: God, the Church, and the Nations, ed. Bruce Riley Ashford, 222–237. Nashville, Tenn.: B&H Academic, 2011.

Note that for this chapter he used the pen-name Theodore A. Curry, no doubt a gesture of respect to the great Arabophone apologist and bishop, Theodorus Abu Qurra.

Congratulations to Scott for this publication. The book is available at the Amazon website.

Duane Alexander Miller on the Genesis of World Islamic Christianity

Miller, Duane Alexander. 2010. ‘Woven in the Weakness of the Changing Body: the Genesis of World Islamic Christianity.’ Presented at Coming to Faith in Christ 2, Buckinghamshire, UK, February.

This is the paper I presented at the Coming to Faith in Christ 2 (CTFC2) conference in Buckinghamshire, England, in February of 2010. In this paper I try to analyze some of the main trends that have allowed for a global space wherein conversions from Islam to Christ have increased very substantially since the second half of the 20th Century.

Here is a sample:

One common theme that surfaced again and again was how closed Islamic society has been for many centuries. Closed in terms of not allowing certain forms of critical discourse, an ancient custom reaching back to the Prophet himself, who in one instance, for example, upon being ridiculed by a poet, procured her assassination. In Islamic law this act of execution is not a crude thing indeed to affront the Prophet is to affront God and must be met with the appropriate response. The lack of room for critical discourse in Islamic societies for many centuries has also led to a good deal of conflict, the most famous recent example being the publication of cartoons depicting the Prophet of Islam, which led to multiple violent outbursts in many Islamic societies, including in the West, that included arson, murder, and the death threats. Examples could be multiplied, the publication of The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie being another fine example of the use of coercion to force a cessation of critical discourse or even discourse that has been misinterpreted as critical.

Download the entire article HERE.

D A Miller on the Episcopal Church in Jordan

Miller, Duane Alexander. 2011. ‘The Episcopal Church in Jordan: Identity, Liturgy, and Mission’ in Journal of Anglican Studies, Vol 9:2, November, pp 134-153.

Here is the abstract:

The article begins with a brief review of the history of the diocese of Jerusalem. By interviewing eight members of the diocesan clergy in Jordan, the researcher desires to explore how the concepts in the title are related to each other within the Jordanian context. Is there a unique identity of Jordanian Anglicans? What is the desirability and/or feasibility of revising the prayer book? Given the declining demographics of Christians in the region, what avenues are open to these ministers to sustain their congregations? Specific care is paid to the topic of incorporating Muslim converts into existing congregations. Also included are some theological reflections on the meaning of liturgy within the Jordanian context and the diocesan policies for the formation of future priests, which have important implications for the future of the diocese.

Keywords: Anglican; Church Missionary Society; dhimmi; Episcopal; Jerusalem; Jordan; liturgy; mission

Click here to view more details.

'The Joseph Story in the Qur'an and the Bible, and in Muslim and Jewish Tradition' by Azar Ajaj

This is the dissertation submitted by the Rev Azar Ajaj, our seminary's vice president for student affairs. This was submitted in 2010 to the faculty of International Baptist Theological Seminary in Prague.

Ajaj, Azar. 2010. 'The Joseph Story in the Qur'an and the Bible, and in Muslim and Jewish Tradition'. MTh dissertation. Prague: International Baptist Theological Seminary.

Download the PDF HERE. Congratulations to Azar on this accomplishment.

'The Land Cries Out', Salim Munayer and Lisa Loden eds.

NETS is glad to share with you the news that Wipf and Stock Publishers have recently released The Land Cries Out, edited by Salim Munayer and Lisa Loden.

Lisa Loden is the head of our leadership development program. Congratulations to her for this accomplishment.

Here is a description of the book from the publisher's website:

Our theology does not exist in a vacuum but must relate to the world we inhabit and must influence our moral and ethical actions. This is especially true when discussing theology of "the land" in the context of a violent territorial conflict. The Holy Land has seen so much bloodshed that the earth itself is crying out to God.

The chapters presented in this book form a unique collection of voices speaking from different perspectives on the issue of the theology of the land. These voices include Messianic Jewish and Palestinian Christian theologians and scholars who live in the Holy Land, as well as others from around the world.

The various chapters respect a wide spectrum of opinion and reveal how much disagreement still exists among followers of Christ. However, the dialogue generated by having these opposing voices side by side, speaking to each other rather than past each other, is encouraging. This book is both challenging and inspirational, and contributes in an innovative way to this important discussion.

The book can be purchased through the publisher's website. Here is a short bio on Lisa:

Lisa Loden is a leader in the Israeli Messianic Jewish community. She heads up and is a lecturer in the Department of Leadership Development Studies at the Nazareth Evangelical Theological Seminary. She has also served with the Fellowship of Christian Students in Israel (board chair 2009 - ) and Hagefen Publishing (board chair 2003 - ).

Phil Hill: 'The Baptist Revival Fellowship (1938-1972): a study in Baptist conservative evangelicalism'

The Baptist Revival Fellowship (1938-1972): a study in Baptist conservative evangelicalism

by Philip Douglas Hill, B.A.
University of Wales, M.Phil Thesis in Theology
Date of Submission: April 2011

Download the PDF HERE.

And congratulations to Phil for having completed this degree! And now, on to a PhD...