West Michigan Veritas Forum to Explore World Christianity
Focusing on the theme “Unity in Diversity: Learning from World Christianity,” speakers from around the globe highlight the 2015 West Michigan Veritas Forum, which will take place on Thursday-Saturday, Jan. 8-10, at Pillar Church in Holland.The mix of keynote addresses and panel discussions, the Forum will explore the growth of Christianity around the world and its implications for a fresh understanding of the Gospel. The public is invited to attend any or all of the events, and admission is free.
The events will begin with the panel discussion “Church and State in Contemporary Africa” on Thursday, Jan. 8, at 4 p.m. The participants will include Rt. Rev. D. Zac Niringiye, who is a Fellow in the Faculty of Social Sciences at Uganda Christian University and the retired assistant bishop of Kampala, Uganda; Ernest Cole, an associate professor of English at Hope College who is originally from Sierra Leone; and Virginia Beard, an associate professor of political science at Hope whose research emphases include comparative African politics.
The first keynote address, “Mutual Belonging in the World Church,” will be delivered by Ruth Padilla DeBorst on Thursday, Jan. 8, at 7 p.m. She serves on the board of the Latin American Theological Fellowship and on the Networking Team of the International Fellowship for Mission as Transformation. With her husband, James, she leads the Center for Interdisciplinary Theological Education, based in Costa Rica. Padilla DeBorst is the former director of Christian formation and leadership development with World Vision International.
A panel of international students from Hope College will share their experience as Christians on Friday, Jan. 9, at 3:30 p.m.
Zac Niringiye will present the forum’s second keynote address, “Christianity on the Road to Emmaus: Presence, Power, and Promise,” on Friday, Jan. 9, at 7 p.m. Niringiye’s work with the university involves leading a project on religion, culture and public life, and his past experience includes having spent 20 years of ministry among students in Uganda and elsewhere in Africa.
The final keynote address, “Asian Roots of Christianity: Then and Now,” will be presented by Daniel Jeyaraj on Saturday, Jan. 10, at 10 a.m. Originally from India, Dr. Jeyaraj is professor of World Christianity at Liverpool Hope University in the United Kingdom, where he is also director of the Andrew W. Walls Centre for the Study of African and Asian Christianity.
The forum will close with a question-and-answer session featuring all three keynote speakers on Saturday, Jan. 10, at 11 a.m.
The Veritas Forum began at Harvard University in 1992 as a way to get students to think about what the school was founded on: the Veritas, or truth, of Jesus Christ. Since then, dozens of locales in the United States and abroad have emulated the Harvard model and held forums of their own. Since 1997 the Veritas Forum has been held in Holland every other year.
Pillar Church is located at 57 E. 10th St., between Ninth and 10th streets along College Avenue near downtown Holland. Handicapped access is available on the west side of the church.
For further information go to the Veritas Forum website, http://veritas.org/campuses/hope-college/or contact Marc Baer, (616) 395-7589 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
