“Whither the Missiological Curriculum? Culture, the 'Suffering Subject,' and the Christian Good"

In our age of rapid transportation, instant communication, widely spoken regional and world languages, mass media presence, worldwide economic integration, and state-controlled education, the old cultures of distinct ethnolinguistic groups disintegrate. And this creates a crisis for both anthropologists and missionaries. Against these changes, what curricular changes does missiology need? What should a missiology focused on suffering look like? What theories and theologies are needed? What is the role of culture and meaning in the contemporary world, and how does one study this? In a climate of thought that discounts the role of meaning and culture in fostering the good, how might we develop an anthropology and missiology of the good? What are the distinctively Christian meanings, values, and goods that matter in the world today? How do we build a missiology around attention to these?

is gaining increased popularity among theological institutions, accrediting associations, and mission organizations worldwide. This plenary will look at CBTE as a whole and its advantages especially for missiological education. Practical examples of schools and mission organizations using Competency-Based Missiological Education (CBME) will also be given.

We will also have a complete slate of 20 other excellent papers, with many relating to the theme of educating for contemporary mission.