Religious persecution and theological/missiological education
17 -18 September 2025 Fjellhaug International University College invites you to a research symposium on our campus in Oslo. This Symposium aims to focus on the interrelations between religious persecution and theological/ missiological education, both from a theological perspective, and from a human rights perspective.
The Symposium is co-sponsored by the International Institute for Religious Freedom (IIRF)
Religious persecution, including the persecution of Christians, is a contemporary global topic of urgency. The same applies to its counterpart, freedom of religion or belief (FORB).
The topic resonates with almost all disciplines in theological and missiological education.
The future ministries of pastors, missionaries and other Christian workers call for equipping in this field. For example, pastors encounter traumatized refugees and persecuted converts. They need to preach on the topic appropriately and integrate it into the lives of their congregations, even for those who do not currently face faith-related disadvantages. Christian workers in countries where Christians are under pressure for their faith need to relate the Biblical message to the context and operate wisely. The staff of advocacy agencies is seeking best practices and ethical guidelines on gathering and sharing information on FORB and FORB violations.
Theological educators in different contexts need to ask themselves whether the topics of persecution and FORB are sufficiently anchored in their curriculum and whether the curricula are adequate for the respective context.
For the purposes of this symposium theological and missiological education is understood broadly as educating, teaching, and equipping for ministry of any Christian workers. This can range from Bible School to higher theological education, from adult education to further professional training of pastors. It includes both the perspectives of educators and learners.
The scope of the focus topic ranges from the more theological loci of suffering for Christ, persecution, and martyrdom to the more human rights-oriented aspects of religious discrimination and FORB for all.
This symposium aims to examine the intersections between these two fields: religious persecution and theological/missiological education.
Possible perspectives are complementary: from inside of contexts of pressure as well as from outside context of contexts of pressure, reflecting on the challenges of the body of Christ.
The topic can be approached from the angle of any individual discipline represented at educational institutions for theologians, pastors, missionaries and Christian workers.
Numerous questions can be raised (not restricted to the following):
3-4 experienced plenary speakers from different contexts will highlight some of the above questions.
Theological educators, pastors, missionaries and Christian workers and any other interested researchers are invited to submit paper proposal on any of these and further related topics. Paper proposals may be on different academic levels, from scholarly research to practitioner reports and reflections. Presenters may hail from (or minister in) Europe and beyond, and the variety of contexts and perspectives is appreciated. There is space for contributions that focus more on questions of theological/missiological education as well as those which focus more on the material content that might be taught.
Please send your abstract (200-300 words) before 1 June 2025 to forskning@fjellhaug.no
You will be notified of acceptance before 1 July 2025.
Each researcher is given 15-20 minutes to present his/her paper.
Responses and comments will follow the presentation in the plenum. Each paper will be given 30 minutes or more depending on the number of participants and papers. If there are many papers, some of the paper sessions will be divided into groups.
An abstract of the paper will be made available for the symposium participants.
The presentation and the responses will be in English.
Big screen and sound system are available. Presenters can use their own PC.
The presenters are free to publish their papers where they find it expedient.
The symposium will primarily be for researchers; academically interested practitioners are also invited.
For any questions, please contact forskning@fjellhaug.no
Prof. Dr. mult. Thomas Schirrmacher. President of the International Council of the International Society for Human Rights, President of the International Institute for Religious Freedom.
Dr. Sara Afshari. Oxford Center for Mission Studies.
Prof. Dr. Jelle Creemers. ETF Leuven. Professor of Religious Studies and Missiology. Director of the Institute for the Study of Freedom of Religion or Belief (ISFORB).
Kristina Patring. Swedish Mission Council - Advisor / ETF Leuven - Research Fellow.
Other researchers are encouraged to present papers. The symposium welcomes research related to this topic from both various theological disciplines and other fields of research.
09:30-10:00 Arrival and Coffee
10:00-10:15 Welcome and overview by Robert Lilleaasen
10:15-10:45 Book launch: “Religious Persecution” by Robert Lilleaasen and Christof Sauer
10:45-11:45 Plenary paper “Integrating insight from various disciplines into the teaching on persecution of Christians and FORB for all” by Thomas Schirrmacher
11:45-12:45 Lunch
12:45-13:45 Plenary paper “Educating for contexts of pressure: Perspectives of Believers of Muslim Background” by Sara Afshari
13:45-14:00 Coffee Break
14:00-15:30 Parallel Paper Session
15:30-15:55 Coffee Break
15:55-17:00 Parallel Paper Session
17:00-18:00 Dinner
08:00-08:30 Breakfast
08:30-09:00 Morning Prayer (optional)
09:15-10:15 Plenary paper “Teaching on persecution and FORB in Religious Studies/Theology/Missiology” by Jelle Creemers
10:15-10:45 Coffee Break
10:45-11:45 Plenary paper “FORB advocacy practitioner expectations towards theological education by Kristina Patring
11:45-12:45 Lunch
12:45-13:45 Parallel Paper Session
13:45-14:00 Coffee Break
14:00-15:00 Plenary Panel Discussion (Chair: Christof Sauer)
15:00-15:15 Closing Plenary
Religious persecution and theological/missiological education
President of the International Council of the International Society for Human Rights, President of the International Institute for Religious Freedom. (Germany)
The idea of religious freedom originated from religious minorities within Christianity and from the minority of Jews. Therefore, Christians and Jews must confidently participate in the global promotion and implementation of this idea, even though it is now shared by people of all religions and beliefs as part of the canon of human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The study of persecution and martyrdom must find its way back to the heart of Christian systematic theology and become an integral part of every subject of theological studies, e.g. Christology, ecclesiology, church history, ethics, missiology or pastoral care.
The same applies to the more general question of freedom of religion or belief, and theologians should be able to provide its basis in dogma and political ethics in a way that is clear and easy to understand. This includes a critical study of the ways in which Christianity has lived up to or violated its own standards throughout history.
In addition to theological perspectives, Christians are always interested in secular and empirical perspectives that test reality in history and the present. Thus, every known academic field of research has a potential to help describe, evaluate, and ameliorate issues of religious freedom suppression, whether the victims belong to the Christian faith or to any other major or minor faith.
This paper is a call to Christian scholars in all relevant fields of academic research to engage in religious freedom studies and to join this growing global community of scholars. But it is also a call to Christian scholars to collaborate with scholars of all faiths or none, and to present the results of their research in such a way that they can be shared and discussed with any scholar of good will around the world, also making them accessible for media, governments, and parliaments, which usually represent a mix of worldviews.
Examples will be given from fields in which the speaker himself has been involved globally over the past four decades, such as systematic theology, political ethics, cultural anthropology, sociology of religion, historical studies, and interreligious dialogue.
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Dr. Sara Afshari.
From Good Friday to Resurrection: A Communal Theological Framework for Teaching on the Persecution of Christians
Oxford Center for Mission Studies. (England and Iran)
This paper offers a communal theological framework for understanding and teaching on the persecution of Christians, ingrained in the biblical pattern of Good Friday (suffering), Holy Saturday (waiting and uncertainty), and Easter Sunday (resurrection and hope). Drawing on the experiences of Christian communities, particularly in the Global South, this paper resists the individualization and instrumentalization of persecution, offering instead a vision that honors its sacred and ecclesial nature, while also acknowledging the critical aspect of identity sustainability (rooted in waiting in-between) within the local church context.
Building on existing theological accounts, this paper engages contextual theological education and missiological implications for both high-pressure and low-pressure contexts. It explores how the communal nature of persecution shapes Christian formation, discipleship, and leadership development in theological institutions using the Episcopal Church in Kerman, Iran as a case study. Furthermore, it examines how theological educators can move beyond Western-centric narratives and incorporate solidarity, resilience, and ecclesial suffering into curricula, recognizing that persecution, like suffering itself, is often a shared experience, as explored in Suffering, persecution and martyrdom – Theological reflections (Sauer & Howell, 2010).
By drawing on existing sources, this paper will argue for a shift away from persecution as an evangelistic tool toward a deeper understanding of persecution as a shared, sacred witness. This communal vision (grounded in the biblical framework of Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday), situates suffering and living-in-between as integral to Christian identity and better equips the church to theologically, pastorally, and educationally respond to persecution in an increasingly complex world. It calls for a nuanced approach that acknowledges the socio-political realities (waiting and uncertainty) of persecution while preserving a focus on its spiritual implication, echoing the call for a balanced perspective found in many contemporary theological discussions on the topic.
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Prof. Dr. Jelle Creemers.
Education on Religion and Law, FORB and Persecution at Christian Higher Education Institutions: Challenges and Opportunities
ETF Leuven. Professor of Religious Studies and Missiology. Director of the Institute for the Study of Freedom of Religion or Belief (ISFORB). (Belgium)
Christian higher education institutions, including seminaries and faculties of theology and religious studies, typically aim at the formation of Christian leaders for church and society. Such leaders will without doubt be confronted with challenges at the intersection of religion, human rights and society. In some sociopolitical contexts, this may mean being prepared for answering to societal discrimination and religious persecution. In other contexts, it may mean reconsidering the role of a shrinking Christian presence in a secularizing society. In still other contexts, it may mean being aware of the own societal power and taking care to not engage in discriminatory practices themselves.
Christian higher education institutions therefore need to prepare their students to constructively deal with such complicated questions. This requires them to achieve not only basic understandings of how societies work, but also of (human rights) law, religious diversity, the state, secularity, mechanisms of exclusion and discrimination ànd theological tools to interpret realities and activate responses.
This paper will give attention to key challenges and opportunities of Christian higher education institutions in this regard. It will first carefully consider challenges in the construction of courses which deal with religion and law, FORB, and persecution, giving attention to cultural and contextual variations. Second, it will provide concrete proposals for curriculum development, integrating fundamental readings, good practices and our experience at the Institute for the Study of Freedom of Religion or Belief at ETF Leuven. In sum, we plead for Christian higher education institutions to not leave this thematic to faculties of law, canon law, or sociology, but to learn from them in view of the formation of the students entrusted to us.
Empowerment for FORB Literacy: Learning from SCM-Faith in Development
Swedish Mission Council – Advisor FORB / ETF Leuven - Research Fellow.
SMC – Faith in Development (SMC) has 16 years of experience promoting Freedom of Religion or Belief (FORB) as a human right for all. What started as a rather small FORB advocacy work has now grown to include organisational capacity building and the collaborative development of awareness-raising and training tools with partners. With learning resources and tools in 24 languages, the SMC-initiated and developed ‘FORB Learning Platform’ is today a go-to provider of training, digital courses and learning materials on FORB for Churches, Christian Development organisations, Ecumenical platforms such as the World Council of Churches, civil society globally and multilateral state actors such as the European Union.
I have had the privilege of being part of SMC’s FORB journey for 12 years. When I joined the SMC in 2013 my task was to build and develop its capacity development on FORB from the bottom up. Through this journey I’ve drawn inspiration from Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard who writes “If One Is Truly to Succeed in Leading a Person to a Specific Place, One Must First and Foremost Take Care to Find Him Where He is and Begin There.” In many ways, this quote reflects the Scandinavian tradition of people’s education which is so strongly influenced by Paulo Freire’s pedagogical thinking. Empowerment, aimed at a decolonisation of FORB work and room for local actors to develop their own operational strategies in combination with the development of open-source materials, was part of our vision from the start.
During my presentation, I will share lessons from the SMC’s journey, going from having had no FORB capacity development to becoming a global leader within this area, not least through the ‘FORB Learning Platform’. I will also introduce some of the different resources we have developed throughout these years. Thereby continuing our vision to enable various actors, including those involved in theological and missional education, to develop response strategies to the challenges that religious persecution and FORB violations present today.
(In alphabetical order)
Director of Development Opportunities, Open Doors International. (Finland)
This paper focuses on what can we learn from persecuted Christian individuals, communities and churches for theological education. This is done on the background of current research on the global decline of religious freedom and the increase of persecution of Christians in the 21st century.
According to several research centers, the freedom of religion and belief of Christians has declined in the 21st century. This paper unravels some underlying reasons and identifies three major trends that can be globally identified. With some examples from each trend, this sets the scene for understanding why violations of freedom of religion and the persecution of Christians have statistically increased during the 21st century.
On this background, this paper first looks at how this has affected Christian inviduals, communities and churches, and then identifies some examples of responding to persecution. What can we learn from this for theological education?
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Assistant Professor, Fjellhaug International University College, Oslo. (Norway)
This presentation explores how persecuted Christians are portrayed in Norwegian Sunday school curricula and how these portrayals align with selected theories of children’s psychological development. The study analyses three curricula — Ordets liturgi for barn, Sprell Levende, and Awana — using a dual framework: developmental psychology (notably Fowler’s stages of faith) and theological categories drawn from the Bad Urach Statement (BUS), a globally recognized evangelical reflection on suffering and persecution.
The BUS offers a structured lens for identifying how information about persecuted Christians is communicated to children aged 3–9. The framework is combined with developmental theory to examine how Sunday school materials balance theological depth with age-appropriate storytelling.
While the presentation will focus on sharing these core insights, I also intend to raise a forward-looking question during the discussion: How might these findings be relevant for teaching in higher education or adult faith education contexts? Although this dimension is not explored in the paper itself, I hope to invite reflections on how the research might inform pedagogical and andragogical approaches more broadly and contribute to ongoing conversations about faith education in Norway.
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Formerly long term Christian worker in Turkey; PhD graduate of ETF Leuven. (currently Netherlands)
Having engaged in and studied Christian mission in a Muslim-majority context over the course of three-and-a-half decades, I have observed in this context three basic stances of missionaries toward the pervasive prospect of religious persecution. This paper explains and exemplifies these three stances—persecution-prompting, persecution-proofing, and persecution-protecting—and elaborates upon the third. The elaboration draws upon wisdom from the Old Testament book of Proverbs, which imparts noteworthy themes and time-tested teaching regarding protection. The paper discusses such themes and teaching and argues that such ancient wisdom may not only extend the endurance of Christian mission, but may also enrich its effectiveness in such Muslim-majority and other potentially persecutive contexts. The paper concludes with a basic lesson plan regarding a rather enigmatic but nonetheless educative passage from Proverbs, 30:24-28, as well as with suggestions of other books of ancient wisdom that could be explored for the benefit of persecution-protecting Christian mission.
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Pentecostal Theological Seminary and John Wesley College, Budapest. (Hungary)
Persecution of Christians and Hungary
Focusing on the Hungarian government’s policies and politics in the last 15 years, my intention is neither to condemn nor to defend the Orbán administration but to present a balanced picture of the administration’s projects and policies. In this paper, I shall mention actions that can be seen as pro-Christian and anti-Christian.
First, it should be noted that the administration has helped Christians afflicted by natural or political disasters in various countries all over the world. In Hungary, churches, particularly mainline churches, have financially benefited from government subsidies. The government has definitely acted and interceded on behalf of Christians. And the administration is keen to present itself as the defender of Christendom or Western Christianity.
On the other hand, churches in Hungary critical of government policies have been threatened or fallen victim to the retaliation of the government. Undoubtedly, the Orbán administration has acted against Christians in this regard.
My second purpose, equally important, will be to understand the underlying motives or ideology of the government. The double-sided nature of the government’s policies outlined above demands an explanation. My thesis will be that the Orbán government’s actions on behalf of the “Christian case” are inconsistent.
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The Edmiston Center for Christian Endurance Studies at Reformed Theological Seminary. (USA)
This paper advances the emerging discipline of Christian Endurance Studies, which includes theologies of persecution, risk, martyrdom, revival, and suffering with joy. Drawing from Augustine’s Cain and Abel typology, it explores the historical, theological, and andragogical dimensions of Christian endurance under hostility.
By framing Augustine’s Cain and Abel premise within covenantal theology, the study develops the concept of an “other-cultural” and “other-political” witness—highlighting the faithful Church’s identity as one not merely countercultural, but covenantally distinct and doxologically obedient. Chinese pastor Wang Yi’s critique of state-sanctioned worship is examined as a modern expression of doxological obedience, inviting educators and disciple-makers to consider how historical patterns of faithfulness can be recognized, understood, taught, and embodied in modern contexts of pressure.
Three themes emerge: (1) a recurring historical pattern of character and legacy between Cain’s hostility toward Abel’s doxological obedience; (2) a rationale for ongoing hostility toward faithful Christian witness; and (3) the transformative potential of union with Christ to redeem Cain’s legacy of hostility. Together, these offer a robust theological foundation for training Christian leaders in pastoral, missionary, and educational contexts.
This paper equips theological and missiological institutions to apply and contextualize the Cain and Abel premise in any era or geographic region, and to recognize the Christological dynamic of endurance as an integral part of the character and nature of faithful Christian communities. It further encourages believers not only to endure persecution but to do so with joy, clarity, and a vision shaped by their unique history and mission, as well as by the covenantal grace and Lordship of Christ.
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MA Student, ETF Leuven. (Belgium)
In 1984, the governments of the United Kingdom and the People’s Republic of China signed the Sino-British Joint Declaration. During the transition period of Hong Kong’s (HK) sovereignty (1984-1997), as Chinese authorities gradually interfered with HK affairs, church-state relations evolved into a triangular relationship between churches, the British government, and the Chinese government. Knowing the situation of religious freedom in China, HK Christians doubted if they could continue to enjoy religious freedom as ruled by the colonial government for the time after the handover. Consequently, progressive Christians took an outspoken prophetic role in demanding a democratic government aligned with the promises of the 1984 Joint Declaration. Despite Beijing’s warning, HK Christians supported the principle of direct election in 1988 and voted for the 1991 Legislative Council election.
The research question of this paper is: What are the lessons for Hong Kong Christians’ participation in democratic electoral reforms during the transition period and their impact on church-state relations in the city around the handover?
This paper explains how HK Christians’ pursuit of the city’s democratization during the transition period and their marginalization by the Chinese government “planted seeds” for the subsequent church-state relations in HK, notably the deepening vulnerability of local Christians and the erosion of their religious freedom, around the 1997 handover. I will analyze different degrees of the respective political engagement of HK Catholics and Protestants, with a reflection on lessons learned to equip Christians to anticipate a situation where religious freedom is expected to erode. The reflection will focus on HK Christians’ attitudes towards church-state relations, as well as the roles of church leaders and the faith community in political participation. Finally, I will explain the impact of Christians’ involvement on their relationships with the HK government, under the increasing influence of the Chinese government, around the handover.
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Chair of the Governing Board, Alliance for Vulnerable Mission. (Kenya)
Christian churches engage various issues in particular ways. People expect theological education to be relevant to where they are located. Africa is at a very different place compared to Europe / USA. This essay argues that accreditation bodies for theological education that seek to maintain standards, actually determine content. When rooted in the West this content can be of limited immediate relevance to Africa. A case study in Kenya is considered, in which a very indigenously oriented and locally relevant theological education programme lost out to government introduced universities and an American-subsidised English medium theological college. Expectations that local people simply adjust what they are told in foreign curricula in English to indigenous contexts are shown to be limited by considering translation between different sports like soccer and tennis as a model for intercultural communication. An outcome of difficult or impossible translation is that foreign subsidized English-medium higher education can disenfranchise indigenous people’s efforts at seeking to guide their Churches from the Scriptures and through prayer. This imposition on religious freedom imposed by well-meaning outsiders who close down critique using donor money can be said to contribute to the tendency to consider guidance in churches to arise from the Holy Spirit rather than understanding. This needs to be critically considered. In its place, non-outside-subsidised theological curricula in local languages are advocated.
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Professor of International Diaconia. Faculty of Theology and Social Sciences. VID Specialized University. (Norway)
Norway is found to restrict religion and discriminate religious minorities. It is important to distinguish between real restrictions – like the Norwegian prohibition against Jewish kosher slaughtering – and forms of regulation that do not constitute restrictions.
The 2021 Act on religious and worldview communities does regulate eligibility criteria for receiving public funding in a more detailed manner than in the previous legislations. The previous legislations required compliance with the almost untranslatable “rett og sømd” (“laws and decency”); they concern conduct both within and outside of the religious community.
Initially, after outlining how freedom of expression and religion & belief is regulated in the Norwegian Constitution and providing an overall assessment of the climates for freedom of expression and of religion & belief, a brief outline of three Acts will be given: The 2021 Act on religious and worldview communities; the 2018 Equality and Anti-Discrimination Act and the 2006 Working Environment Act. The paper will also refer to the Independent Schools Act and the Regulations to the Immigration Act.
Then, the paper discusses four main issues. First, the alleged stricter requirements contained in the 2021 Act, as interpreted by lawyers in the bureaucracies, allowing for de-registration of communities. Second, how four non-religious worldviews are found to be eligible for registration while two non-religious worldviews so far have been unsuccessful. Third, the accommodation particularly of Islam as done by the Church of Norway, by its leaders’ public communication, being parallel to political parties seeking to promote Christianity, linking this to the Norwegian history. Four, the tensions in the interfaith relations resulting from the human-made catastrophe in Gaza from 2023 onwards.
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MTh student, Centre for Theology and Religious Studies, Lund University. (Sweden)
To pray for Christians suffering persecution and discrimination of their faith is a frequent urging among organizations and charities engaged with the persecuted Church worldwide. The less oppressed Church is encouraged to stand with those who in different ways are restricted in their life of faith. Prayer, specifically intercessory prayer, is not seldom emphasized as the foremost action one can take to support Christian brothers and sisters in need.
Intercessory prayer is a complex form of prayer building on at least a triadic relationship including God, the one who prays and the one who is prayed for. As a liturgical action intercessory prayer could be described out of its richness of dimensions, to which the dimension of knowledge could be added.
This paper focuses on how intercessory prayer in the context of prayer for the persecuted Church could implicate an aspect of learning. It discusses from a practical theological perspective, how those who pray for the persecuted Christians also gain knowledge about persecution of Christians worldwide and, consequently, implicitly or explicitly, highlight the need of raising awareness of persecution of Christians and ultimately action taking for the cause.
By drawing on the results of a case study conducted in a Swedish context, this paper presents some of the conclusions made concerning the learning aspect of intercessory prayer for the persecuted Church around the world.
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PhD graduate, University of Manchester, Faculty of Humanities. (Germany)
England’s path to religious liberty began with nonconformist Protestants challenging religious compulsion in 1644. Milestones like the Glorious Revolution (1688) and the Bill of Rights (1689) laid the foundations for civil and religious freedoms, preceding Enlightenment reforms.
This paper explores how John Bunyan (1628–1688) and John Wesley (1703–1791) advanced Protestant pluralism and faith by instructing under persecution. Bunyan, a self-taught tinker turned preacher, felt divinely compelled to teach after his conversion. During the Restoration, authorities targeted Nonconformists. Imprisoned for unlicensed preaching, Bunyan declared, ‘If I were out of prison today, I would preach the Gospel again tomorrow,’ despite deep personal sacrifice. His popular style as a preacher and classics like The Pilgrim’s Progress spiritually equipped many.
Wesley’s revival movement addressed 18th-century spiritual decline. Though not legally prosecuted, he faced mob violence incited by jealous clergy for preaching outdoors and ignoring parish borders. Wesley adapted his language to reach neglected groups like colliers, using ‘plain words to plain people’. Thomas Coke affirmed Wesley’s view of suffering as a counterbalance to his movement’s spiritual success.
As Meadows observes, while the 18th-century government tolerated Methodism’s eccentricities, the 21st-century British government appears to seek total, all-encompassing surveillance to contest and control lives from above. As Western persecution may well increase, freedoms won by nonconformists—who chose suffering over silence—are now at risk. Their legacy offers resilient models for instructing under pressure.
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Ph.D. in History, Jamia Millia University, New Delhi; Ed.D., Columbus State University, Georgia, USA; Indian Christian Rights Advocacy Forum. (India and USA)
While articles 25 to 28 of the Indian Constitution collectively guarantee the right to freedom of religion for all individuals in many parts of India, Christians are facing increased marginalization, hostility, and violence, ranging from social ostracization to physical persecution. Amid this rising pressure, theological institutions and churches must reexamine how they prepare Christian workers for faithful witness in contexts of suffering.
This paper explores the theological, missiological, and practical dimensions of Christian witness amid persecution, with particular attention to the global discourse on Freedom of Religion or Belief (FORB). Drawing on lived experiences, case studies (such as the Praveen Pagadala case), and international FORB frameworks, this paper argues that theological education must intentionally equip students to understand and respond to religious persecution not only as a sociopolitical reality but also as a formative element of Christian mission. It critiques current curricula in South Asian seminaries for their minimal engagement with persecution studies and FORB, proposing instead an integrated approach that includes public theology, trauma-informed pastoral care, nonviolent resistance, and advocacy rooted in the biblical tradition. Furthermore, the paper examines best practices in homiletics and discipleship that sustain communities under duress—highlighting narrative preaching, lament, contextual theology, and local expressions of solidarity. Insights from theological educators, missiologists, and persecuted Christian leaders are analyzed to offer a model of resilient and hope-filled Christian witness that is both contextually grounded and globally aware. In conclusion, this paper calls for the development of core theological training modules on persecution and FORB, encouraging seminaries, churches, and mission organizations to form Christian workers who can bear faithful, courageous, and compassionate witness in hostile environments. It invites collaboration between theological institutions, human rights bodies, and global church networks to empower vulnerable communities and uphold religious freedom as a vital aspect of the Christian mission.
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International Director, Langham Partnership International. (Lebanon)
Exploring Strategies for Developing Resilient Christian Leaders in Adverse Contexts
This paper examines the theological and pedagogical imperatives of forming resilient Christian leaders within contexts of persecution and suffering. It begins by surveying the global landscape of Christian persecution, highlighting its prevalence, severity, and varied responses—flight, fight, and faith—through biblical, historical, and contemporary examples. Drawing on Pauline leadership in 1 Thessalonians, the study identifies three essential components for leadership formation under persecution: modeling, adaptability, and relational engagement. It then analyzes the critical role of theological education in equipping leaders, advocating for curricula that integrate a theology of suffering—viewed as “persecuted literature”—to cultivate perseverance, humility, courage, and hope. The paper discusses current challenges faced by theological educators, including resource constraints and restrictive environments, and explores opportunities for innovation in content delivery and contextual theological development. Finally, it proposes future directions in advancing Freedom of Religion or Belief, fostering theologies of minority, tears, peacemaking, and hope, and training preachers for crisis-sensitive proclamation. By integrating biblical foundations, contextual realities, and pedagogical strategies, the study offers a framework for sustaining faithful leadership in the persecuted church.
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Dmin graduate, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Pastor of Maple View Mennonite Church, Wellesley, Ontario. (Canada)
A Curriculum in the Cross: Meserete Kristos Church Leadership Formation in Revolutionary Ethiopia
Persecution, in its diverse forms, significantly shapes the call, formation, and experience of Christian leaders. During the Ethiopian Revolution (1974-1991), the Meserete Kristos Church (MKC) experienced varying conditions of persecution and restrictions on its religious freedom from a Marxist government and local communities that were hostile to evangelical Christianity.
The culture of MKC, energized by a recent integration of Anabaptist and charismatic renewal traditions, highly valued both formal and nonformal education, Bible study, sacrificial reliance on the Holy Spirit, and team collaboration in leadership. The context of persecution reinforced high expectations for the discipleship and ministry of all believers.
Over the course of the revolution, MKC adapted its leadership formation strategies in response to limitations imposed by persecution and the changing needs of the church. Its rapid numerical growth, expanding geographical reach, and adoption of a cell-based ministry structure after its legal closure in 1982 required the calling and equipping of increasingly large cohorts of new leaders.
MKC sought to form and equip leaders through its own primary and secondary schools, supporting tertiary education, hosting large multidenominational ministry conferences, cell group ministry, clandestine regional training centres, apprenticeship models, seminars, study programs for students that culminated in ministry assignments, creating biblically based resources for discipleship, ministry training, and analysis of contemporary issues, translating articles and books into Amharic, and a learning tour to the Soviet Union.
While programs and methods changed, MKC leadership formation was anchored in a community of disciples highly committed to courageous, cruciform witness to Jesus Christ.
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Professor of theology, NLA University College. (Norway)
This paper offers a theoretical assessment of courage as a virtue with the aim of exploring how it may be possible for courage to be taught and made part of training in theological education – to prepare pastors and ministers to respond to the fears and challenges of a complex world, even the challenge of witnessing truth and preaching the gospel in times of hardship and perhaps even persecution.
Aristotle believed that courage could be developed by training – by practicing the ability to endure situations that bring about fear. A person who is afraid of speaking in public, should practice public speaking. A person who is afraid of the dark, should walk in the dark. The aim of such an exercise was to develop a balance between fear and confidence. Aristotle therefore argued that developing courage is a rational endeavour on the bandwidth between extreme fear and unrestricted rashness. It is the ability to assess a situation rationally and calibrate one's response, balancing fear (fobos) and confidence (tharros). Training to become courageous therefore comes down to developing a virtue that has the ability of situational discernment.
Is this approach even viable when it comes to training theological leaders for the tribulations that the church and her message may meet? Drawing on Dietrich Bonhoeffer´s witness and theology and the lessons emerging from the illegal theological seminary in Finkenwalde, this paper discusses how discipleship in suffering/life under the cross, which Martin Luther in 1539 identifies as the seventh and final mark of the church, may be studied as part of theological formation and teaching.
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MA student ETF Leuven. (Germany)
The author has witnessed the exceptional revival among Iranian and Afghan asylum seeker in the course of the so-called refugee crisis in 2015/16 as a missionary among Farsi-speaking refugees (Iranian and Afghan) in the region of Mainz, Germany. According to literature, movements to the Christian faith have taken place not only in Germany, but in Iran, in the transit countries Turkey, India and Greece, as well as in western arrival countries such as Sweden. But some years have passed, and church leaders and missionaries observe that substantial numbers of converts are no longer in the churches. Many former Farsi-speaking Bible study groups do not exist any longer, and Germans churches are closing their Farsi-speaking branches due to the loss of participants. No published study to date deals specifically with the topic of disengagement of Farsi-speaking converts to Christian faith. Now a research project was conducted to investigate the main reasons for disengaging voiced by such Farsi-speaking converts. The selection of the interview partners followed the following criteria: They have come to Germany no earlier than 2015 and they converted to the Christian faith but have not participated in their evangelical or protestant churches for at least six months. The researcher will present the experiences, challenges and results of the study conducted.
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Director of Development and Research Professor of Estonian Free Church Theological Seminary / TCM International Institute. (Estonia)
This paper explores the virtue of integrity as a theological and ethical imperative in the context of the Russian-Ukrainian war, with a particular focus on the Estonian experience. Drawing from virtue ethics, biblical narratives, and lived testimonies, the paper argues that war functions as an extreme laboratory for testing the coherence between personal, communal, and national convictions. It examines how integrity—understood as faithfulness to one’s moral and religious commitments—has been challenged and manifested in Estonians' response to the war, including humanitarian aid, political controversies, and ecclesial dilemmas. The paper engages with the philosophical framework of Alasdair MacIntyre and the theological insights of Stanley Hauerwas to articulate a vision of integrity that is both tragic and redemptive. It reflects on real-life cases such as the Slava Ukraini NGO scandal and the political controversy surrounding the former Prime Minister Kaja Kallas and the public debate about the Russian Orthodox Church and its role in Estonia during the war, as well as some personal narratives of sacrificial courage and moral clarity. Theologically, it draws on the Christological model of integrity—Jesus as the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb. 13:8)—to propose a virtue-ethical vision for Christian communities navigating the moral ambiguities of war. The paper concludes by calling for a renewed commitment to integrity as a form of spiritual resistance and witness, especially in societies like Estonia that stand at the crossroads of geopolitical tension and moral responsibility. It argues that freedom of religion and belief must include the freedom to act with integrity, even when such action entails personal or political cost.
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Fjellhaug International University College; Senior Consultant and Co-founder, International Institute for Religious Freedom; and ETF Leuven. (Germany)
Two factors influencing education are best practice standards and the lecturer's own experience. This paper proposes to address both. The first step is a survey of sources containing best practice recommendations concerning teaching on persecution of Christians and FoRB, which includes the Lausanne Occasional Paper on The Persecuted Church and the relevant sections of the Bad Urach Statement, as well as recommendations by individual authors.
In a second step, the author reflects on one of his own teaching experiences on the topic, namely five consecutive years (2018-2022) of teaching a compulsory course to final year BTh students at Gießen School of Theology. One challenge was to arouse the interest of the students who already experienced a heavy study load. One instrument used was an initial survey on prior knowledge, experience with the topic, and specific expectations and wishes, followed by subsequent feedback to the class. Other tools were the encouragement to use a learning diary and the option to produce an alternative creative output for the compulsory final pass. An important measure was a joint day excursion to an exhibition of a ministry focusing on the persecution of Christians.
Another challenge was how to balance the curriculum between the topics of persecution of Christians and FoRB, and between empirical research results and theological interpretation.
The paper closes with some reflections on the challenges experienced along the way.
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Director, Eastern European Institute of Theology. (Ukraine)
This paper" examines the role of Ukrainian evangelical seminaries since the 2022 Russian invasion. The research explores how these institutions, traditionally focused on the theological training of future leaders, have taken on a profoundly new role while responding to the challenges of war. The methodology involves an analysis of the re-conceptualisation of community, a historical overview of Ukrainian theological education, and a detailed look at the seminaries' wartime activities.
Key findings reveal that Ukrainian evangelical seminaries have responded to the war by becoming communities of reflection, compassion, and hope. As "communities of reflection," they reflect and broadcast the wartime experience, at the same time urging the global evangelical community to stand in solidarity against the Russian aggression faced by Ukraine. As "communities of compassion," they are actively involved in humanitarian efforts, aiming to assist war victims while honouring their dignity. Lastly, as "communities of hope," they embody values of mercy, justice, and solidarity, providing a beacon of future life and renewal amidst the devastation and despair of war.
The paper concludes that the experience of war has motivated Ukrainian evangelical seminaries to move away from a traditional, closed understanding of community towards a more open and hospitable fellowship. This new model of community, born out of crisis, offers a valuable case study on the practical outworking of theology in extreme conditions. The implications of this research highlight the significance of theological institutions not only as places for academic and spiritual growth but also as essential social actors in times of crisis.
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Faculty of Theology and Religion, University of Pretoria, South Africa. Evangelisch-Theologische Fakultät, Universität Bonn. (Germany)
The Acts of the Apostles, the mission book of the New Testament par excellence, provide relatively little detail regarding the content of the earliest instruction given to Christ-followers. Only one of its speeches addresses a Christian audience, that is the elders of Ephesus in Acts 19. In view of this evidence, it is all the more noteworthy that Acts 14:22 provides a brief summary of the instruction given to recent converts. Paul and Barnabas were “strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith and saying that through may tribulations we must entered the kingdom of God”. The one explicit reference to content focuses on the tribulations which await those who follow Christ. In addition, there are a few hints in the context of narratives of conflict and persecution in Acts. The main protagonists of Acts (the apostles, Stephen, Peter and Paul and his travel companions) provide exempla for the readers how Christ-followers can deal and are to deal with resistance and persecution. This presentation seeks to sketch the full portrait in Acts by placing the explicit reference in Acts 14:22 in its wider context. The presentation will also discuss how this biblical portrayal of persecution and the preparation for such experiences can be used in theological and missiological education in preparing Christ-followers for persecution in a responsible way.
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Founder and Leader of PhD Programme, Oxford Centre for Religion and Public Life. (United Kingdom)
OCRPL’s approach through extension online learning is student-centred, focusing on the students’ context. This determines their research topics, and the courses offered at certificate, bachelor’s and master’s level. The students’ sensitive situations and the nature of their studies means that an extension approach without public visibility enables topics to be explored which, if public in their area, could lead to significant trouble. Yet these are the very topics in which their churches need wisdom and guidance.
Ph D research topics have included the exclusion of non-muslims from public roles in Malaysia, due to religious nationalism; and the response of fellow Christians in Germany to African refugees fleeing poverty and persecution. Challenges include stepping up from master’s level surveys to making an original contribution, time-management to fit in with senior responsibilities, and cultural expectations of ‘respect’ of a senior scholar’s views.
Masters Programmes uniquely focus on Islam and Christian-Muslim relations. Participants remain in their context.
The Shepherd’s Academy examines religious persecution and freedom of religion or belief. Global South participants are grassroots leaders, pastors, missionaries, evangelists, and lay leaders, unable so far to pursue a formal or residential degree.
Graduate programmes in Chinese encourage Christian professionals with knowledge and skills in a field to connect faith to their workplace. They desire well-trained pastors of a similar background to forge meaningful connections and conversations within congregations situated in Chinese metropolitan areas. These programmes change the churches’ dualistic perceptions of the gospel by emphasizing both personal and social salvation—bringing spiritual life and transformative mission together into the family, community, and broader society.
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Honorary Research Fellow in Historical Theology, Christ College. (Australia)
Christian history textbooks and curricula have tended to be focused on the events in, and perspectives of, Western Europe and the United States, to the neglect of, or a skewed focus on, the history of Christianity in the Majority World. Yet Majority World Christians have a shared history and theology with the whole people of God and experience and respond to situations which can be mapped against past experiences and theologies. The Bible expresses a theology of persecution which is normative for all periods and places, engaged with in detail by the third century fathers, but which was effectively abrogated when late antique Christianity became the powerful, persecuting majority. The legacy of that, including but not limited to colonialism, contributes to the situation of persecuted Christians today, who experience situations reminiscent of the early church. An understanding of the history of the church is a necessary foundation for equipping the whole body of Christ today to appropriately respond to persecution and not repeat mistakes of the past.
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Chair of board, Ethiopia Graduate School of Theology. (Ethiopia)
Ethiopia has a long history of Christianity, but also had more Christian martyrs over the 20th century than any other African country. Religious persecution and violations of freedom of religion have been a common experience to Ethiopians who are not members of the State church. The Ethiopian Graduate School of Theology (EGST) was founded in 1997 to equip Christ-like women and men through theological and related studies and to stimulate research for the service of church and society in Ethiopia and beyond. The curriculum of EGST is presumed comprehensive. However, it doesn’t have spaces to deal with religious persecution and freedom of religion or belief. Surprisingly, some attempt to rationalize historical atrocities. Out of a total of 876 graduates of EGST over a quarter of a century, only one student wrote a thesis on persecution and that was in collaboration with Voice of Martyrs. This shows there is a gap in the curriculum of EGST regarding persecution and religious freedom. This research argues for the need of inclusion of a course on religious persecution and freedom of religion. The course could be considered on par with courses on "Church and State in Ethiopia", "special topics in Historical studies", "special topics in Mission", "special topics in public theology" and in "Contemporary issues in peace". These are mandatory courses for students of theology, missions, peace studies and development studies. EGST graduates are often deployed to key positions within the Ethiopian evangelical churches and parachurch organizations and they must be exposed adequately to the past national church history. Lack of knowledge on religious persecution and freedom of religion have implications for the contemporary situation.
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Date |
Session |
Classroom |
Chair |
# |
Name |
Title |
|
Wed. 17th, 14:00-15:40 Paper starting times 1. 14:00 2. 14:35 3. 15:10 |
1a |
4 |
Sauer Naterstad* |
01 |
Ruth Sutcliffe, Australia* |
Learning from the past: A historical theology of persecution |
|
02 |
Riad Kassis, Lebanon |
Leadership formation for the persecuted and suffering church |
||||
|
03 |
Christof Sauer, Germany |
Best practice vs. own experience: Reflections on teaching on persecution of Christians and FoRB at BTh level in Germany |
||||
|
1b |
2 |
Kirkholm* Ellefsen |
04 |
Brent Kipfer, USA |
A Curriculum in the Cross: Meserete Kristos Church Leadership Formation in Revolutionary Ethiopia |
|
|
05 |
Chris Sugden et al., UK* |
The opportunities and challenges posed by the use of ‘distance education’ for theological education in contexts of persecution |
||||
|
06 |
Maximilian Hölzl, Germany* |
Historic English preachers instructing under persecution: Bunyan’s and Wesley’s nonconformist training methods |
||||
|
1c |
3 |
Smetana Leite |
07 |
Hans Morten Haugen, Norway |
The Norwegian Religious Communities Act 2021: Challenges to minority Christian communities and Jehova's Witnesses, while accommodating worldview communities and other religious communities |
|
|
08 |
Tamás Czövek, Hungary |
Persecution of Christians and Hungary |
||||
|
09 |
Grace Gaffet, Belgium |
The entanglement between Christian churches and two sovereigns: Christians’ political engagement in pursuit of democracy in Hong Kong during the transition period |
||||
|
Wed. 17th, 15:55-17:00 Paper starting times 1. 15:55 2. 16:30 |
2a |
4 |
Sauer Aarbakke* |
10 |
Karen Ellis, USA |
Defining a theology of endurance: Cain, Abel, and the triumph of Christ’s faithful obedience over anti-Christian hostility |
|
11 |
Jim Harries, Kenya* |
Restricting religious freedom using outside-subsidised education in Africa |
||||
|
2b |
2 |
Ottosen * Thoresen |
12 |
Meego Remmel, Estonia |
Integrity questioned by war: Reflections on religious and moral convictions in the context of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict from an Estonian perspective |
|
|
13 |
Roman Soloviy, Ukraine* |
Theological education in wartime: Ukrainian evangelical seminaries as communities of compassion, reflection, and hope |
||||
|
2c |
3 |
Patring Van Haselen |
14 |
Tonje Belibi, Norway |
Challenging stories for children: Addressing persecuted Christians in Sunday School |
|
|
15 |
Alexandra Hibolin, Sweden |
Learning by praying: Intercessory prayer as a gateway to knowledge about persecuted Christians in the world |
||||
|
Thu, 18th, 12:45-13:45 Paper starting times 1. 12:45 2. 13:15 |
3a |
4 |
Sauer Naterstad |
16 |
Miika Auvinen, Finland |
Insights from the persecuted for theological education - on the background of global trends behind the persecution of Christians in the 21st century |
|
17 |
|
|
||||
|
3b |
2 |
Aarbakke* Pedersen |
18 |
James Bultema, USA (Turkey) |
Proverbs and persecution: Protecting Christian mission with ancient wisdom |
|
|
19 |
Christoph Stenschke, Germany* |
“Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22): Preparing for persecution in the Book of Acts |
||||
|
3c |
3 |
Van Haselen* Thoresen* |
20 |
Olga Penner, Germany |
Farsi-speaking converts from Islam to Christianity: Disengagement from their Protestant and Evangelical churches |
|
|
21 |
Santha Jetty, USA* |
Faithful witness in hostile contexts: Reimagining theological education for religious freedom and persecution response in India |
The symposium will take place at Fjellhaug International University College, campus Oslo, Sinsenveien 15, 0572 Oslo, Norway.
There is no fee for the symposium.
Fjellhaug offers meals that can be bought separately:
Lunch 95 NOK
Dinner 120/150 NOK (without/with dessert)
Breakfast 55 NOK
Several hotels in different price ranges are available within reasonable travel distance, for instance:
