Tim Grass et al – Punti de dialog

Semnalez aici o importanta aparitie editoriala cu caracter ecumenic, mai precis, legata de dialogul ecumenic evanghelic-ortodox (sau ortodox-evanghelic, daca va cade mai bine asa :-)).

Lucrarea, editata de Tim Grass, Paul si Jenny Rolph, precum si de Ioan Sauca, apare in traducerea Diac. lect. univ. dr. Florin Toader Tomoioaga, de la Facultatea de teologie ortodoxa din cadrul Universitatii Oradea. Cartea este publicata de Editura Imago Dei, din Oradea.

Lucrarea aduna laolalta cele mai importante contributii la trei reuniuni de dialog teologi evangheli-ortodox desfasurate in ultimii douazeci de ani la Institutul ecumenic de la Bossey, in Elvetia. La ultima dintre acestea am avut si eu cinstea de a participa, cunoscindu-i acolo in mod personal pe cei mai multi dintre autori, impreuna cu unii dintre acestia fiind implicat astazi in Initiativa Ortodoxa Lausanne.

Lucrea contine contributii ale mai multor autori romani, evanghelici (Emil Bartos, Otniel Bunaciu) si ortodocsi (Ioan Sauca, Vasile Mihoc, Stelian Tofana).

Iata mai jos prezentarea cartii, asa cum apare ea pe situl web al Editurii Scriptum, care o distribuie:

My World Vision Story – 1 – The Early Years

My 20 years in WV are drawing to an end – The Early years

It was the summer of 1995. For a year already I had been back to Romania from my theological studies in London. I was teaching theology and hermeneutics, and leading research at what became later the Emmanuel University in Oradea. I was travelling there across the country, for twelve hours by train, East to West, for a week to ten days every month. I had also started working, part-time, on my doctorate, on a theme of Eastern Orthodox theology. It was an exciting time, as we were trying to establish what we hoped will become, in time, one of the best evangelical theological schools in Europe.

Out of the blue, I have received an email message (yes, we already had email at that time!) from Charlie Dokmo, a former Navigator missionary in Eastern Europe, whom I met some time before the fall of communism. He was then the National Director (ND) of World Vision (WV) Romania and was trying to get together an Advisory Board. In view of our common Navigator past, he invited me to join this board. As I have found out many years later, my name was suggested to Charlie by another Navigator colleague, Chris Shore, who was for a few years a missionary under cover in Romania, doing a master’s programme at a Romanian university.

I must confess I knew nothing about WV at that time, but knowing Charlie and reading the documents he sent me I became interested and I joined the board. We were, at the beginning, three Baptists (Rev. Petru Dugulescu, Ioan Peia and myself) and three Orthodox (Fr. Vasile Mihoc, Dr, Pavel Chirila and Dr. Ioan Bocsan). You should have seen how stiff we were at the first meetings, each group sticking together on opposite sides of the table. Yet, in less than a year we became good friends and, by God’s grace, we were able to do together great things.

I remember with great fondness a board retreat we have organised at an Orthodox monastery in Paltinis, near Sibiu. It was really cold and it took some plum brandy and plenty of wood burning to warm us up, but it was worth it. It was really a ‘dreaming dreams’ exercise, with deep discussions, prayer and lots of laughter. It was there that we drafted many of the great things in which we were involved as a board in the coming years.

Among these, probably the most prominent were the three all Romanian churches gatherings that we have organised in Bucharest and Iasi, in 1999 and 2000, under the leadership of the new ND of WV Romania, my good friend Chris Shore. I think such a broadly ecumenical reunion has never happened in the 20 centuries history of the church in my country. I was for thirteen years a member of that group, nine of these while I was also working as a staff member of the regional WV team.

To be continued…

An Orthodox Introduction to the 2nd Edition of the Romanian Translation of ‘Three Views on Eastern Orthodoxy and Evangelicalism’ – 3

5. WHAT HAS HAPPENED IN CONCRETE TERMS IN ROMANIA IN REGARD TO DIALOGUE?

In terms of events that have given concrete expression to the concern for dialogue between Orthodox and Evangelicals in Romania, a number of initiatives may be mentioned.

In 2009, the Babes-Bolyai University, through the Centre for Lifelong Learning, the Faculty of Orthodox Theology, the Centre for Biblical Studies, World Vision International and the Iasi-based Adoramus publishing house, held a conference at Cluj-Napoca with the title The Paschal Mystery and the Liturgical Life of the Church, at which Dr Bradley Nassif, professor of Biblical and Theological Studies at North Park University, Chicago, was an invited speaker.

The conference was followed by the launching of the Romanian translation of the book Orthodoxy and Evangelicalism. Three Perspectives. Those who spoke on this occasion were Professor Nassif, Dr Danut Manastireanu and the Revd Professor Stelian Tofana. All three speakers stressed, in their addresses, the book’s significance for non-official theological dialogue between Orthodox and Evangelicals in Romania.

Following these two events, and on the same day, there was also a round-table discussion on the subject “Orthodoxy and Evangelicalism. Perspectives in Dialogue”, which took place at the university staff club. Those who attended this discussion were priests and teachers from the Cluj-Napoca Faculty of Orthodox Theology and a number of Evangelical pastors and believers from Cluj and from other Romanian cities.

Pr. Prof Vasile Mihoc – Casa binecuvintata

Gasiti mai jos un interviu despre viata de familie luat de Silviu Despa prietenului meu Pr. Vasile Mihoc, impreuna cu care am slujit timp de zece ani in bordul World Vision Romania.

Building Bridges – A New Book of the Orthodox-Evangelical Dialogue

A number of Romanian theologians were involved during the last decade in an Orthodox-Evangelical dialogue hosted by the Ecumenical Institute in Bossy, Switzerland, led by Fr. Ioan Sauca.

Among these were the Orthodox Vasile Mihoc and Stelian Tofana and the Evangelicals Emil Bartos and Otniel Bunaciu, among others.

A new book, whose cover you see above, brings together the main papers presented during this series of theological encounters.  Here is a short presentation:

Un nou academic evanghelic – Dr. Ciprian Terinte

Dr. Ciprian Terinte (al patrulea de la stânga la dreapta), alături de Pr. Stelian Tofană,
Dr. John Tipei, IPS Laurenţiu Streza (la stânga fotografiei), plus Pr. Vasile Mihoc
şi Pr. Dumitru Abrudan (la dreapta fotografiei)

Emanuel Conţac anunţă pe blogul său că colegul lui de catedră la Institutul Teologic Penticostal din Bucureşti, Ciprian Terinte a susţinut cu succes şi a primit cum laude, titlul de Doctor în teologie, la Facultatea de teologie ortodoxă “Andrei Şaguna” din cadrul Universităţii “Lucian Blaga” din Sibiu. Sincere felicitări!

Miscarea de reinnoire evanghelica din Biserica Apostolica Armeana – 1

Cu Hamlet Zakarian la o întâlnire a mişcării
Frăţia Bisericii Apostolice Armene (ortodoxă orientală)

O întâlnire providenţială

În luna august a anului 2000 am făcut prima mea vizită în Armenia, în cadrul noilor mele responsabilităţi în World Vision. A fost o călătorie fascinantă, care mi-a rămas puternic întipărită în memorie. Istoria frământată a acestui popor – primul care a adoptat creştinismul ca religie a sa, legendelor lui fundatoare, povestea Sf. Grigore Luminătorul, bisericile şi mănăstirile vechi de peste un mileniu, traumele trăite ca urmare a genocidului din timpul stăpânirii turceşti şi  opresiunea comunistă, de peste şaptezeci de ani, m-au impresionat profund. De atunci am fost de nenumărate ori acolo, dar Armenia a rămas ţara mea favorită întrec cele cincisprezece în care lucrez în mod obişnuit.