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A workshop

Rethinking the holy materiality: bones and other ”stuff”, with and without reliquaries (the Middles Ages and Beyond)

September 10–11, 2025

Venue: University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland

Call for Papers

While much has been published on relics, their understanding remains restricted and inflexible because of the prevalent definitions of the religious relic. Julia Smith has emphasized how our main concept and its different sub-categories are a creation of modern ways of thinking (by canon law and theology) to classify religious items, when medieval theology and thinking were in fact much more flexible. Encyclopedias, dictionaries but also single studies define the term “relic” primarily as bodily remains of saints and martyrs, and secondarily to objects that are directly associated with the life of Christ (the Cross, for instance) or of a saint, or again, objects which have touched the saint’s body. In other words, relics are seen to belong in two categories, “primary” and “secondary”, primary being “bodily relics” and secondary “contact relics”. Such terms of the categories explicitly and/or implicitly evaluate the items when for example early Christian authors such as Augustine did not differentiate in value objects and other materials in contact with living or dead saints, or their tombs from bodily relics. Thus, definitions in current scholarly use did not easily lend themselves to late medieval realities and ignored an important – even if hard to define – aspect of lay practices concerning relics. Consequently, reading late medieval sources and studying 14th-15th c. objects in the light of modern categorization and its restrictiveness at a practical level hinders or even prevents us from understanding what late medieval people regarded as relics.

Problems about the traditional categorizations of relics have also been acknowledged, but not much has been done yet. Especially objects which have been excluded from the established definitions, such as unofficial relics or objects which represent ‘the third or fourth generation’ of contact with the saint, are largely ignored in scholarship. An exception to the rule is a reliquary, acquiring the status of new-relic by contact with the relic it houses, the role of which was established in scholarship by Legner in 1995. In art history, other devotional objects that defy accepted conventions of classification, such as shrouds or imprints, have been taken into consideration only very recently. The current discussion of medieval materiality has already been augmented by the classic theory of agency by Gell in 1998, which has now been applied to the agency of the holy matter, especially by Bynum in 2011 and 2020. The ‘material turn’ has enriched research into medieval and early modern devotional objects, including emphasizing the role of texts in understanding the tangibility of the physical them, but the whole gamut of devotional materiality in late medieval contexts still awaits reconsideration, borrowing notions and methodologies used in the field of anthropology and religious sciences.

The workshop invites presentations exploring the relationship between bones and relics, as well as other material objects perceived to possess supernatural powers; how people engaged with (sacred) materiality in their everyday lives and what kind of significances they gave for these entities. We warmly encourage proposals from various academic fields to be able to offer a diverse and multidisciplinary program.

Please submit your proposal by March 1, 2025 to the organizers (see below). The proposal should include a provisional title, a 200–300-word abstract, 5 keywords, the presenter’s name (or names if there are several contributors), title, and affiliation. The organizers will notify participants about the acceptance of their proposals by the end of March. Kindly note that we intend to publish the presentations as peer-reviewed articles in a journal special issue or a similar publication. The details regarding publication will be discussed further with the participants during the workshop.

Key-note lecture:

The key-note presentation of the workshop will be given by Professor Vincent Debiais (École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, Paris: http://crh.ehess.fr/index.php?6059)

“See-trough. Relics, Materiality, and the Dynamics of Deception”

In the devotion to relics, seeing or not seeing defines the whole faithful’s attitude. Entering the sanctuary, standing in front of the reliquary, the sight and expectation are whether fulfilled or deceived. The devices – object or building – used for the presentation of relics dating from the end of the Middle Ages seem to have built on this tension between the need to look and touch the saints’ bodily remains and the impossibility to fully grasp on the subject of devotional actions, using transparency, concealment, or distraction as enhancers for the spiritual possession of relics. This lecture presents an overview of the material, sensorial, and theological questions raised by these objects, focusing primarily on reliquaries that used glass and writing to showcase the virtus of the saints.

Organizers:

Organizers, and more information: Docent Marika Räsänen (marika.rasanen@utu.fi) & Professor Päivi Salmesvuori (paivi.salmesvuori@abo.fi), Turku Centre for Medieval and Early Modern Studies & Department of Church History, Åbo Akademi University

Sponsors: The project “Rethinking the Late Medieval Relic (c. 1200–1550), the Research Council of Finland, University of Turku, Åbo Akademi University, and The Polin Institute.

Image: Crown reliquary at the collection of Louvre, photographed by M. Räsänen.

A seminar with Andriy Fert ”Churches and the War-Time ’Spiritual Decolonization’ in Ukraine” that takes place online, 21 January at 9:30am CET (10.30 EET/Finnish time). The meeting will be chaired by Zuzanna Bogumił.  

Please register in order to participate https://shorturl.at/1Ilwy

Abstract:

The colonial nature of the subordination of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to the Patriarch of Moscow came to the fore in the late 2010s, prompted by the state campaign to gain official recognition of ecclesiastical independence from the Russian church administration. Unsurprisingly, with the Russian full-fledged invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the issue of coping with the legacy of Russian colonialism in church matters gained significant relevance for Ukrainian lawmakers and civil society activists. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) faced increasing critique for spreading Russian propaganda in the form of religious practices, particularly venerating saints such as Russian emperor Nicolas II and medieval prince Alexander Nevsky or refusing to hold communal prayers in Ukrainian language in lieu of Old Slavonic. This presentation explores rank-and-file church members’ responses to decolonization discourse by focusing on (un)changing saints’ veneration practices and language issues at the grassroots level. 

Andriy Fert holds PhD in history; he is the head of the Center for the Study of Religion at Kyiv School of Economics. Recently, he was a research fellow at the Center for East European and International Studies (ZOiS) in Berlin (2023 – 24) and principal investigator for Ukraine in the research project Postsecular Approach to Memory Processes in Central-Eastern Europe (2023–2024). Since 2017, he has been working for the Institute for International Cooperation of the Deutscher Volkshochschul-Verband e.V. (DVV), coordinating projects related to history education in secondary schools in Ukraine. He teaches at Kyiv School of Economics. 

About the seminar series:

Series ”Postcolonial perspectives–postdependance entanglements” is organized in frames of two research projects sponsored by the National Science Centre, Poland ”Remembering Soviet repressions in the post-multiple colonial RussianFar East”, no. 2020/39/B/HS6/02809 and SocialMemory and the Post-ImperialRussianHeritage in Poland no. 2021/41/B/HS3/00852.

Polin-institutet får en ny logo från och med början av år 2025. Den nya logon bygger på den förra bekanta röda färgen och symboliserar det lokala genom återkopplingen till Åbo Domkyrkas fönster och dörrar. Samtidigt symboliserar logon det nya genom att antingen betrakta världen genom fönstret eller genom att gå genom dörren.

Logon har designats av grafiska designern Jake Papinaho på Å Communications.

Till att börja med vill jag tacka er alla för det goda arbete som gjorts tillsammans, och den vackra känslan av gemenskap vi har upplevt under 2024. När man planterar ett fruktträd krävs mycket arbete i början även om resultatet är osäkert. Du gräver ett hål, planterar plantan och vattnar den även om du inte kan veta om plantan kommer att överleva och om frukterna blir goda och rikliga. Sedan, så småningom, börjar frukterna dyka upp.

Min känsla är att vi gradvis går in i skedet när frukterna av Polin-institutet börjar dyka upp på riktigt även om några frukter redan har skördats. Det finns många böcker på gång till prestigefyllda internationella förlag, med varierande publiceringsschema. Det finns flera externt finansierade projekt som Polin har kunnat bidra till och den teologiska miljön vid Åbo Akademi är levande och global. Vi lockar starka kandidater till våra gästforskarprogram från världens alla hörn. Några av dem har återvänt och många fler planerar att komma tillbaka till Åbo, vilket vittnar om dragkraften av vårt institut. Allt detta har krävt hårt arbete, engagemang och lagarbete från forskarnas sida – på besök eller lite mer permanent – och från den administrativa personalen, Laura och Tove.

De senaste åren har varit en tid av mycket snabb tillväxt av vårt fruktträd. Nya program, aktiviteter och forskartjänster har etablerats i mycket snabb takt. Nu har denna period av snabb tillväxt kommit till ett slut, eller åtminstone till en platå innan en eventuell framtida expansion. Nästa år kommer alltså att se annorlunda ut än tidigare år. Vi kommer inte att kunna rekrytera nya forskare nästa år och även annars kommer våra ekonomiska resurser att vara betydligt mer begränsade än i år. Jag hoppas att denna utmaning kommer att hjälpa oss att kristallisera vår vision och få samma effekt som beskärning av en vinstock: produktion av ännu bättre druvor.

En av Polins höjdpunkter inom utbildningen under 2024 var Abraham Goes Global – kursen som är gemensam för Åbo Akademi och Stellenbosch universitet. Där fick studenter bekanta sig med judendom, kristendom och islam i Finland och Sydafrika. Vad vi än har framför oss nästa år, har afrikanska kulturer lärt oss värdet av gemenskap och samarbete. Jag litar på att dessa faktorer kommer att bära oss genom det kommande året, starkare och mer enade.

Jag önskar hela Polin-gemenskapen en fridfull och uppfriskande jul med fokus på det som är väsentligt för våra livsvärderingar och som ger mening även åt vårt akademiska arbete. Må vi återvända till forskning och undervisning fulla av energi och entusiasm.

Mika Vähäkangas

Bild: GPMMAB från Pixabay.

Vår studieresa började lugnt med ta oss från Åbo till det ortodoxa kyrkomuseet Riisa i Kuopio. Sedan startade bussen mot Valamo kloster. Där slogs jag slogs av den välkomnande och lugna atmosfären vid klostret och hela dess omgivning.

Det var tidig väckning (kl. 05:40) för att hinna till morgongudstjänsten, men å andra sidan fick man komma och gå som man ville medan gudstjänsterna pågick. Gudstjänsterna var angenäma, och det var intressant att se hur munkarna bytte av varandra i de pågående recitationerna och sångerna. Man får vara beredd på att stå en hel del, kanske genom hela gudstjänsten, men möjlighet finns också att sitta ner.

Jan-Anders Strandberg

Det var fascinerande att få uppleva hur klosterlivet i Valamo var annorlunda än vad vi fått höra om Athosberget från fader Damaskinos. På Athosberget får munkarna t.ex. bara duscha en gång i veckan och kvinnor är inte välkomna, medan det i Valamo inte finns några sådana regler. Naturligtvis finns även många likheter, som dagliga gudstjänster och löften om fattigdom och lydnad. Jag förväntade mig inte att det skulle finnas en IT-munk i Valamo, eller att munkarna skulle ha Facebook eller gå på gym. En gång om året går Valamomunkarna på pilgrimsfärd till nunneklostret Lintula.

Det jag beundra mest under våran resa var kyrkoarkitekturen. I kyrkorna fanns massor föremål, ikoner och små detaljer. Flesta av kyrkorummen gav en känsla av vördnad och mystik. När vi besökte St. Johannes kyrka var vädret väldigt mulet och grått. När vi kom fram till kyrkan, kom det plötsligt fram igenom det dystra vädret en intensiv ljusblå färg av kyrkans tak och kupoler. 

Siri Mathisen

Det jag fann mest intressant under resan var hur djupt vi fick stiga in i den ortodoxa kyrkans tro och liv. Vi fick bekanta oss med klosterlivet i Finland och med flera små församlingar i östra Finland – deras heliga utrymmen, trosutövande och församlingsliv. Vi blev varmt bemötta och fick ställa frågor kring tro, teologi och praxis, medan vi delade gemenskap över en kopp varm dryck.

Tack vare Polin-Institutets finansiering behövde vi inte oroa oss gällande boende eller transport under dagarna. Vi fick fokusera all tid på att vara närvarande och observanta. Det var en bra balans mellan fokuserat praktiskt studium och gemenskapsmåltider. Tack vare bra planering och genomförande hölls gemenskapen och energin på topp, så att vi alltid kunde fokusera väl vid nästa programpunkt.

Förslag: Studieresan gav inte bara mycket ny information, utan också praktisk kunskap som annars varit svår att nå; flera av oss har inte besökt östra Finland eller någon ortodox kyrka tidigare. Dessutom kastade alla våra besök ljus över det vi tidigare tagit del av – i teorin – under de föregående föreläsningarna.

Mezmur Holmström

Må denna text finna er väl i ert läsande, och må denna text fungera som inspiration till dem som tänker sig att gå temakursen i händelse av att den hålls igen!

Vi önskar med detta en fridfull väntan på jul och nyår, och med det frid och fröjd till er!

Skribenterna: Mezmur Holmström, Siri Mathisen och Jan-Anders Strandberg

Need time to finalize a book manuscript? Research stint at the Polin Institute for theological research within Åbo Akademi University, Finland

The Polin Institute is a growing international center of theological research in Finland. We announce two research stints of maximum six months between the beginning of September 2025 and the end of February 2026 for researchers coming from abroad.

Polin monographs-fellowship provides you the following:

-travel costs

-housing

-research infrastructure: desk, internet access, library services, printing, scanning

-monthly tax free (in Finland) scholarship between 2400 and 3000€ depending on your career stage

Eligibility

-all doctors in any field of theology who work to finalize a monograph or other substantial publication within theology

-applicants should come from abroad (Finland-based researchers are not eligible)

Publishing policy

-The Polin Institute is mentioned in publications and presentations that have been worked upon during the time of the stint

-The author states the Polin Institute as a scholarly affiliation (double affiliation is fine)

-Åbo Akademi University prefers open access publication

Assessment criteria

-your research track record in relation to your career stage

-balance of realism and ambition in your work plan

-the academic quality of your ongoing research and its contribution to academic theology as well as the quality of the planned publisher

-relevance of your planned research for the ongoing theological research at the Polin Institute and Åbo Akademi in general

Application should be sent by e-mail to mika.vahakangas@abo.fi by the 14th of February 2025 and contain the following:

-application letter stating how long and when would you wish to stay and whether the dates are flexible or not as well as pointing out how you see your research in relation to the ongoing Polin Institute & Åbo Akademi University research in theology

-work plan of one page

-CV of maximum 3 pages

-list of publications

-sample chapter and table of contents or other documentation that facilitates the assessment of the quality of the ongoing research and whether it is realistic to finalize it in the given time

-a publishing agreement or other supporting document from the publisher, if available

Revival Movements in World Christianity: Key Themes and Methodological Issues

An international conference organised by the Polin Institute of Åbo Akademi University in collaboration with the Oxford Centre of Mission Studies, UK.

Helsinki, Finland, 1-4 September 2025

The term revival has been loosely used to refer to various spiritual awakening movements in the history of Christianity. The Biblical narrative on the national restoration of Israel, the seventeenth-century Pietism, the recent spiritual awakening at Asbury in February 2023, and many such events or movements are described as revival. The varieties of these experiences, the differences in their historical period, and the particularity of their cultural location make revival studies in global Christianity dynamic and unpredictable. Several research traditions on revival studies are already in existence along various concepts including Pietism, the Great Awakenings, Methodism, and Balokole. Using such thematic approaches implies separate developments that are circumscribed by regional, linguistic, and confessional borders. Interpretative frameworks such as transatlantic studies, Nordic studies, charismatic studies, and studies on evangelicalism have given some avenues to acknowledge certain interdependencies, transnationality, and the trans-confessional nature of the revival tradition in Christianity. However, revival studies as a global movement remain fragmented and its stories are often lost in the narrative of confessional and institutional histories of Christianity. On the one hand, revivals are global phenomena in Christianity transcending both time and space; on the other hand, revivals are of polynucleated origin and exhibit contextual particularities. Hence, there are traditions within the revival tradition, each providing us with themes and methodological challenges. The conference has a particular interest in bringing together researchers on the various revival traditions into a discussion on key themes and methodological issues in revival studies.

The conference invites papers that explore the historical and cultural developments of the revival tradition in global Christianity and their contribution to Christian practice and thought. Potential themes to explore include but not limited to,

  • History of revival movements
  • Methods and approaches to revival studies
  • Piety and spirituality
  • Theology of revival
  • Worship and church life
  • Ecclesiastical and missional legacy
  • Transformation and impact on society

The closer programme of the conference will be prepared later, but the invited esteemed keynote speaker has already been confirmed:

  • Kirsteen Kim, Paul E. Pierson Chair in World Christianity, Fuller Theological Seminary, USA

The deadline for the submission of abstract (300 words) is 1 March 2025. The link for the conference registration will soon be posted. To submit your abstracts, please use this link. The link for submitting your preliminary paper will soon be posted.

The conference will be held at The Cultural Centre and Conference Hotel Sofia, Helsinki, Finland https://www.sofia.fi/en/

The conference fee, 580€, covers accommodation and board during the conference.

Organising committee:

Chongpongmeren Jamir, The Polin Institute, Åbo Akademi University, chongpongmeren.jamir@abo.fi

Marina Ngursangzeli Behera, Oxford Centre for Mission Studies, mbehera@ocms.ac.uk

For any questions or inquiries, please contact Dr. Jamir or Dr. Behera.

Political Theologies of a Democratic Common Life 

24-26 March 2025 

New College, University of Oxford 

Event Description: Religion has a complex role in shaping our political landscape, with the power to either fuel division or serve as a resource for a democratic common life. The fifth Political Theologies conference gathers scholars and practitioners to discuss how religious ideas and communities can foster democratic resilience, uphold the rule of law, and support a diverse, peaceful society. Over three days, we’ll explore critical questions such as:- How can religious groups and symbols help to create common life discourses focused on human dignity, peace, and justice?- What political theologies promote democracy, and which challenge it?- In a polarized world, how can faith communities encourage social empathy, de-polarization, and constructive engagement? 

Topics Include:

– Concepts of political and economic democracy, resilience, and pluralism

– Theological and political critiques of authoritarian and anti-democratic ideologies

– Case studies on civic solidarity, rituals of reconciliation, and responses to populism

– The role of religion in fostering a just peace and social empathy 

Contributions are welcomed from a variety of disciplines, including theology, religious studies, political science, law, anthropology, and psychology.

Papers engaging political theology from religions beyond Christianity are especially encouraged. 

Submission Details: Please send a proposed paper title, a 200-word abstract, and a brief biography to Dr. Marietta van der Tol at mdcv2@cam.ac.uk by 30 November 2024. Decisions will be communicated by 20 December 2024. Short conference briefs (approx. 1,500 words) are due by 1 March 2025. 

Limited subsidised accommodation is available for speakers based on need, and travel support may be considered in exceptional circumstances.  

Sponsors:This conference is generously sponsored by the Alfred Landecker Foundation, the Inez and Julius Polin Institute for Theological Studies at Åbo Akademi, the Huffington Ecumenical Institute of Loyola Marymount University, and the McDonald Centre at the University of Oxford. 

More Information: https://www.divinity.cam.ac.uk/political-theologies-democratic-common-life 

Join us as we engage in critical, interdisciplinary discussions on the potential of political theologies to shape a peaceable and vibrant democratic common life. We hope to see you there!

A group of theologians and professors from Stellenbosch University and Åbo Akademi University gathered around Dr Isaac H. T. Balie, who was sitting in the yard of the Moravian missionary station under a big tree. Dr Balie told us about the history of the station and the story of Moravian missionary Georg Smith, and a Khoi woman named Magdalena. On July 9, 1737, a young Georg Smith came to Cape Town to work with the indigenous Khoi people. He settled in the Glen of the Baboons, later known as the Valley of Grace, where he established the first mission station in South Africa. Sadly, he witnessed the mistreatment of the Khoi people by white colonists, who operated within a barter system, leading to widespread impoverishment. Despite these challenges, young Smith taught the Khoi to read, write, and cultivate crops to improve their living conditions. During this era, the Dutch East India Company employed slave labour in South Africa, and the colonizers associated with the Dutch Reformed Church in Cape Town. When Moravian missionary Smith began baptizing his first twenty-eight converts in the Valley of Mercy, the clergy of the Dutch Reformed Church expressed disapproval, believing that Moravian missionaries were not authorized to administer sacraments. This forced him to abandon his work among the Khoi and depart from South Africa.

Dr Balie guiding the group in Genadendal. Photo: Kim Groop

Georg Smith never returned to Africa, but after 48 years, three new Moravian missionaries arrived to carry on Smith’s legacy. They encountered Vehettge Magdalena, who had been baptized by Smith. The young missionary had taught her to read and write, and before his departure, he gifted her a New Testament. Magdalena proudly presented her book to the missionaries and asked a young Khoi girl, whom she had instructed in reading, to read a passage from the New Testament. Magdalena had become one of the church leaders in the Moravian Church when Smith was forced to leave South Africa. From Georg Smith’s diary, we learn that Magdalena was a bright and eager learner. She was intelligent and likely the first indigenous woman in the early 18th century in that region who could read from the Dutch ABC-Book and the New Testament. It is said that Magdalena would gather nearly thirty converts beneath the pear tree, where she would lead them in prayer and read passages from the New Testament. Through the years, she prayed diligently for God to send new Moravian missionaries to the Valley of Mercy, and finally, on Christmas Eve 1792, three ”wise men” from Germany arrived to continue Smith’s work alongside the Khoi. Magdalena served the small congregation for 48 years, reading the New Testament to them. The story of Georg Smith and Magdalena is fascinating but nevertheless true. Could there be more fitting words in the Gospel of Matthew for anyone other than Magdalena: ”Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful and trustworthy over a little, I will put you in charge of many things (Matthew 25:23, AMP).

Marja Segerholm

The theological course Abraham Goes Global is a cooperation between Åbo Akademi University and Stellenbosch University (South Africa) funded by the Finnish National Agency for Education and The Polin Institute 2023-2024 and 2024-2025. The aims are to widen the perception of theology to cross boundaries of religion at both universities, to exchange expertise on contextualised forms of religion, and to deepen the students’ and teachers’ understanding of interreligious and intercultural dynamics in religions. This blog text is the last of six blog texts to present reflections of the Finnish students visiting South Africa in February-March 2024. 

  • 16.01.2025 | Aktuellt

    CFP: Rethinking the holy materiality: bones and other ”stuff”, with and without reliquaries (the Middles Ages and Beyond), deadline March 1, 2025

    A workshop Rethinking the holy materiality: bones and other ”stuff”, with and without reliquaries (the Middles Ages and Beyond) September 10–11, 2025 Venue: University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland Call for Papers While much has been published on relics, their understanding remains restricted and inflexible because of the prevalent definitions of the […]

  • 09.01.2025 | Aktuellt

    Seminar with Andriy Fert: Churches and the War-Time ”Spiritual Decolonization” in Ukraine on 21 January, 2025

    A seminar with Andriy Fert ”Churches and the War-Time ’Spiritual Decolonization’ in Ukraine” that takes place online, 21 January at 9:30am CET (10.30 EET/Finnish time). The meeting will be chaired by Zuzanna Bogumił.   Please register in order to participate https://shorturl.at/1Ilwy Abstract: The colonial nature of the subordination of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to the Patriarch of Moscow came to […]

  • 02.01.2025 | Aktuellt

    Polin-institutet får en ny logo

    Polin-institutet får en ny logo från och med början av år 2025. Den nya logon bygger på den förra bekanta röda färgen och symboliserar det lokala genom återkopplingen till Åbo Domkyrkas fönster och dörrar. Samtidigt symboliserar logon det nya genom att antingen betrakta världen genom fönstret eller genom att gå genom dörren. Logon har designats […]

  • 17.12.2024 | Aktuellt

    Polin-chefens julhälsning 2024

    Till att börja med vill jag tacka er alla för det goda arbete som gjorts tillsammans, och den vackra känslan av gemenskap vi har upplevt under 2024. När man planterar ett fruktträd krävs mycket arbete i början även om resultatet är osäkert. Du gräver ett hål, planterar plantan och vattnar den även om du inte […]

  • 13.12.2024 | Aktuellt

    Studieresan i temakursen Ortodoxa kyrkans tro och liv

    Vår studieresa började lugnt med ta oss från Åbo till det ortodoxa kyrkomuseet Riisa i Kuopio. Sedan startade bussen mot Valamo kloster. Där slogs jag slogs av den välkomnande och lugna atmosfären vid klostret och hela dess omgivning. Det var tidig väckning (kl. 05:40) för att hinna till morgongudstjänsten, men å andra sidan fick man […]

  • 11.12.2024 | Aktuellt

    STINTS FOR POLIN MONOGRAPHS, DEADLINE 14 FEBRUARY 2025

    Need time to finalize a book manuscript? Research stint at the Polin Institute for theological research within Åbo Akademi University, Finland The Polin Institute is a growing international center of theological research in Finland. We announce two research stints of maximum six months between the beginning of September 2025 and the end of February 2026 […]

  • 04.12.2024 | Aktuellt

    Call for Papers: Revival Movements in World Christianity: Key Themes and Methodological Issues

    Revival Movements in World Christianity: Key Themes and Methodological Issues An international conference organised by the Polin Institute of Åbo Akademi University in collaboration with the Oxford Centre of Mission Studies, UK. Helsinki, Finland, 1-4 September 2025 The term revival has been loosely used to refer to various spiritual awakening movements in the history of […]

  • 31.10.2024 | Aktuellt

    Political Theologies of a Democratic Common Life, CFP deadline 30 November, 2024

    Political Theologies of a Democratic Common Life  24-26 March 2025  New College, University of Oxford  Event Description: Religion has a complex role in shaping our political landscape, with the power to either fuel division or serve as a resource for a democratic common life. The fifth Political Theologies conference gathers scholars and practitioners to discuss how […]

  • 19.06.2024 | Aktuellt

    The First Mission Station in South Africa

    A group of theologians and professors from Stellenbosch University and Åbo Akademi University gathered around Dr Isaac H. T. Balie, who was sitting in the yard of the Moravian missionary station under a big tree. Dr Balie told us about the history of the station and the story of Moravian missionary Georg Smith, and a […]