the next few hundred institutions, a
ning, and whether it is actually worth
masters degree would be a minimum
it? Is it making a difference to the
to contribute, even as a visiting lecturer.
church in the first place, and to the local
This description of the growing com-
community?
petence of theological institutions in
Several dozen theological institutions
the Global South is rendering the con-
have now undertaken such research
tribution by the West somewhat obso-
and begun making changes to their cur-
lete in both theological contribution
ricula. The outcome is likely to shift the
and personnel. The Western scholar-
curriculum further from the Western
ship does not theologise around the
models and create each one different
critical issues such as poverty, injustice,
from the other. While the broad para-
post-colonialism, persecution, and mul-
meters of higher education would be
ti-faith contexts. Of course, there are
a much harder thing to alter, the trend
some Western scholars who engage
is towards each institution becoming
frequently in the Global South and are
more specialised on its country or re-
appreciated for that. Their contribution
gion. This is not to be thought of just in
however is to take up the issues of the
terms of an addition to the content, but
Global South, rather than to stay within
more substantive. It is starting to im-
the confines of the questions raised in
pact the shape of the theologising, the
the West.
methods of assessment, the discipline
In the last five years there has been a growing attempt by ICETE, assisted by the Overseas Council Network and other partners, to foster greater contextualisation of curricula in the Global South. The mechanism has been to research the context by focussing on the
codes, and the missional engagements. In turn, I suspect, these ideas will influence Western theological institutions more too, and accelerate this concept which has been developing in pockets of the Western theological scene for a decade.
graduates of the institutions. This was
The implications of these changes are
commonly done through graduate re-
significant for future discussions of theo-
search on graduation day, but this new
logical education globally and for indi-
focus has been on the subsequent years
viduals who seek to engage from the
of ministry. Research has been underta-
West to the Global South. The points
ken to find out what do the graduates
of commonality will decrease, and thus
actually do five and ten years after trai-
the task of engagement will become
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