For many people in Europe, questions of truth are quite uncomfortable when it comes to religion. Isn't faith primarily something of experience and very personal? During the day conference Migrants and the Church: opportunities and bottlenecks on 18 September in Utrecht, Prof Dr Benno van den Toren will talk about the discomfort Christians can feel in conversation with migrants.
The very multiplicity of religions also makes it very difficult to believe that Jesus is unique. But others can question you on it. Is it possible to confidently share what is the ground of your life while being open to others?
Prof Van den Toren: "In conversations with people from other religious traditions, we may be mostly curious at first. But in the long run, very difficult questions can also come up. Not only about how we think we should live, but also about what we believe. Do we know the deepest reality through Jesus, do we discover it in the Koran or through a special experience of enlightenment?"
There are an estimated 1.2 million migrant Christians in the Netherlands. The annual day conference aims to highlight how churches and Christians believe together across cultures on a
can shape properly. The conference will take place in Utrecht and is intended for pastors, church leaders and interested parties. Other speakers are Jurjen ten Brinke and Eric Rufyiritana on the journey of discovery at their multicultural churches: how do you overcome obstacles and get congregation members on board with a new vision?
There will be seminars after lunch. Full programme is at gift.co.uk/dayconference. Participants can bring an introductee.
The conference is organised by: Intercultural Church Plants, Gospel & Muslims Foundation, Gave Foundation, Faith Integration Foundation and Protestant Church. Registration: Gave.co.uk/dayconference
