Acta Missiologiae 2009/2. [antikvár]

Scott KlingsmithIntroductionIn June, 1910, 1,200 delegates, representing the major missionary organizations of the western world, gathered in Assembly Hall of the United Free Church of Scotland in Edinburgh, to listen, debate, reflect, evaluate the missionary activities of the preceding and and to plan those of the years ahead. In June, 2010, mission leaders from around the world will again convene in Edinburgh, celebrating the centenary of the World Missionary Conference, 1910, for similar purposes. Related World Mission Conferences will take place in Tokyo (May), Cape Town (October) and Boston (November). Each will focus on a specific group and theme, but all of them harken back to Edinburgh, 1910.Though in reality only one of a series of global mission conferences, with several leading up to it, and a number following from it, Edinburgh 1910 has taken on an almost mythic status. Edinburgh was particularly important for a number of reasons. The research in eight specific missions-related topics took two years and laid the groundwork for the conference. It was the first time missions agencies planned concretely to cooperate in the missionary task. Its watchword, The Evangelization of the World in This Generation", borrowed from the conference chair John R. Mott (who had a significant influence in Eastern Europe), was a motivating factor in the missionary activity of succeeding years. And finally, it laid the groundwork for the ecumenical movement, leading to the International Missionary Council and the World Council of Churches.In contrast to 1910, when Westerners (specifically British and Americans) predominated, in 2010 their participation will be rationed (but not their financial contributions!). The conferences of 2010 will be charcterized by prominent participation and direction of church and mission leaders from the majority world. Whereas Edinburgh purported to be a world" missionary conference, in fact delegates were limited to male, western Protestants working in the non-Christian" world. This effectively excluded Orthodox and Román Catholic Christians, as well as women and missionaries working in Orthodox or Román Catholic majority regions.Because of the participation of representatives from these two great faith blocs, as well as from Charismatic and Pentecostal churches, the issue of the relationship between various denominations comes to the forefront, particilarly in the Edinburgh conference. To what extent will the other churches be recognized as legitimate expressions of Christianity, and with what degree of respect will those churches be greeted?This question has given rise to a number of reflections in Central and Eastern Europe, particularly as it relates to the relationship between Orthodox and non-Orthodox churches,