Call for Papers: Christian Revival and Renewal Movements
Christian Revival and Renewal Movements in 20th and 21st Centuries
DATES: 28 to 30 June 2020
VENUE: Hope Park Campus, Liverpool Hope University, Liverpool L16 9JD, England
Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ requires Christians to change their customary ways of thinking and living in their specific contexts. In this process, they seek to orient their heritages, contemporary situations and future aspirations towards the Lord Jesus Christ as well. They want to cultivate in themselves the mind of the Lord Jesus Christ and to adjust their priorities accordingly. In due course, small changes begin to occur; gradually, they grow into sizable movements of revivals and renewals. Revivals improve how Christians perceive themselves, their loyalty to the Lord Jesus Christ, their practices of spirituality and social engagement. They resurrect and reinvigorate their study of the Bible, prayer, meditation, church attendance, and missionary witness. As they seek to relive in their diverse contexts the examples of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Apostles, as mentioned in the New Testament, they revisit the ideals of dependence of God for beneficial directions and full human flourishing here and now in this world. They renew spiritual practices such as personal and corporate reading of the biblical texts, stewardship and simplicity, tithing and giving for missionary purposes. Their regenerated and revitalised spiritual and temporal life leads at personal and corporate level to revival and renewal movements; these want to be at home in their contexts; but they question the legitimacy of inherited prejudices, unjust structural systems and mechanisms for excluding the weak and underprivileged. The ripple effects of their spiritual revivals and renewals manifest themselves in transformations of communities both within and outside of the Christian congregations.
The Yale-Edinburgh Conference of 2012 explored different facets of ‘Religious Movements of Renewal, Revival and Revitalization in the History of Missions and World Christianity.’ The conference of the Andrew Walls Centre at Liverpool Hope University focuses its attention on the revival, renewal and revitalisation movements of World Christianity since the dawn of 20th century. During the past 120 years, Christianity has recorded an astonishing growth of African Christianity. During this period, several Christian movements in Asia, the Pacific and Latin America underwent renewals. While Euro-American Christians attempt to rejuvenate their denominational and confessional teachings and institutions, their post-Christian societies either tolerate or disregard their presence and witness in the public sphere. Diaspora Christian communities exist in all countries and they seek to renew the spiritual life of the people in their host countries. Christian missionaries from South Korea, Nigeria, Brazil, for example, serve in many countries in the Southern and Northern Hemispheres. Evangelism through conventional and digital mass media spread the Word of God and certain Christian traditions everywhere. Both friends and ‘foes’ engage with the claims and actual manifestations of Christianity in their immediate neighbourhoods. For instance, the early 20th century saw the rise of figures such as W.W Harris, Sampson Oppong, Garrick Braide and many others, inspired by African readings of Scripture, leading mass movements to Christian faith. The East African Revival, which has had a massive effect on whole churches in several countries, count they engage with the East African Revival among the Anglicans, began in one small Anglican mission party. The later part of the 20th century a youth-led charismatic movement re-shaping many churches originating from Western historic Protestant missions. The 21st century continues to see new movements, some of them under leaders perceived as embodying the restoration of the spiritual gifts of the apostolic age. Similar revivals and renewals are evident among the peoples of North East India, the Kachin, Karen and Chin of Myanmar, the Koreans (1903–1907), the Chinese (House Church movements), Vietnam, Cambodia and Central Asia. At present, several revival movements happen in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Pacific Realm, and in the Euro-American countries. Understanding their goals, theologies, work methods, successes and limitations would enrich our knowledge of contemporary World Christianity.
The organisers of this invite 300-word paper proposals on any aspect of the national or regional, denominational or confessional revivals, renewals and revitalisation of Christianity; they can also deal with the responses of the people other faiths and traditions respond to these revivals. You may email your paper proposal before 31 January 2020 to the organisers, namely to either Professor Daniel Jeyaraj (jeyarad@hope.ac.uk) or Dr. Harvey Kwiyani (kwiyanh@hope.ac.uk).
After the Selection Committee has chosen the papers, we will contact you in the first week of February 2020. Details of registration for conference and accommodation will be available soon online at https://store.hope.ac.uk/conferences-and-events. In the meantime, the organisers will be happy to answer your queries about this conference.
Professor Andrew Walls, Professor Daniel Jeyaraj and Dr. Harvey Kwiyani