Our aim, affirmed atthe Inaugural Consultation in Kyoto, July 7 - 11, 1987 is "to strengthen through concentrated joint efforts the formation of living theology and to facilitate the growth of a creative theological community in Asia." In Doing Theology with resources in Asia, we are also firmly committed to solidarity in the causes of peace and justice in the region. In order to realise this aim We are committed to:
1. helping equip younger theologians c;tnd church leaders, women and men, lay and clergy, in a theological reorientation for their various. ministries
2. recovering our own cultural and spiritual resources in Asian countries and making these available for the doing of living theology in Asia
3. promoting creative, indigenous theological writing within the concrete experiences and heritages of the Asian area
4~ facilitating active theological interactions within Asia and between Asia and other parts of the world. The Programme for Theology and Cultures in Asia is not designed to establish a new organisational structure, but:
to strengthen a network for theological efforts and partnership,
to provide a base for a mobile programming throughout the region,
to stimulate activity for new patterns and methods for doing theology locally,
to serve regional associations of theological schools and seminaries,
to stimulatecomlllon efforts among Christians in Asia to be effective agents for the. mission of God in the region and in the world,
to facilitate the emergence of theology from women's perspectives,
to bring about theological expressions from minority groups, and
to discern the insights and aspirations of people in struggle.
The Asian Setting Despite the diverse and unique features of life in Asian countries, and their rich racial, linguistic and cultural heritages and historical backgrounds, Christians in this area have long looked to . the West for leadership and for theological in sights, neglecting their own resources in culture, history, and spiritual expression. .
With an extensive ground-work laid before the Inaugural Consultation, which was held at Kansai Seminar House in Kyoto, Japan 7 - 11, 1987, the Programme for Theology and Cultures in Asia· has awakened among the 133 participants the awareness that God has always worked and is still working in Asia today, providing gifts of resources for discipleship and theological dynamics for mission. It· was affirmed by the gathering that it is crucial to act on this awareness and to be imaginative in cultivating the resources we have so that there will be an authentic living theology firmly rooted in the concrete life of all Asian societies and histories.
Doing Theology in Asia, The phenomenon of Asian ways of doing theology is not a recent one for there has been unique theological thinking and exploration in th~ past. But the dominant . influence of Western · theologies has often . created a blockage to indigenous theologyandat times hampered creative efforts for liVIng theology in our own ways, style and method. Theological minds in the region were not meeting other thoughts and realities within the area, but tended to look westward for growth, for appreciation and stimulation. .
The groundwork of the Programme can be traced to 1983 when the first theological seminary-workshop was held in cooperation with the Ecumenical Study Centre at TaoFong Shan in Hong Kong, in search for ways of doing theology with Asian resources; Another workshop the following year focused its attention on doing theology with folk literature; The third workshop was held in Kyoto on doing theology with people's movemeritsand the fourth workshop dealt with. doing theology with the. religions of Asia. In each case participants prepared . papers beforehand and worked intensively upon them during the seminar-workshop. Selections were later published in the East Asia Journal of Theology (BAJaI'), and Association for Theological Education in South East Asia (ATESEA) Occasional Papers; .
These workshops provided partiCipants with opportunities for in-depth study and theological reflection upon the realities .of Asia today. There were also opportunities for finding new comrades and partners in Christ for future interaction and theological grappling. The almost 100 participants are now dispersed over many parfsCif Asia, engaged in doing liviIig theology locally. The Programme itself will be . co-ordina~ed initially in Kyoto and Singapore with activities also based in Jogjakarta and Hong Kong. Related Partners. Ecumenical bodies and organisaticms are thus important bases for this Programme. Involved in the Programine at this · stage are:
The South East Asia Graduate School of Theology
The School of Theology, Doshisha University
The Pacific School of Religion
The Association for TheologicalEducation in South East .Asia (ATESEA)
The Korean AssoCiation of Accredited Theological Schools (KAATS) ,
Kansai Seminar House (Nippon Christian Academy)
Council for Mission and Ecumenical Cooperation (New Zealand)
Association of Christian Institutes for Social Concern in Asia (ACISCA)
Asian Christian Art AssoCiation (ACAA) . :'
Working relationships are now being established with the. Christian Conference of Asia, the Northeast Asia Association of Theological Schools, the Board of Theological Education of the Senate of the Serampore College (India) as well as other ecumenical bodies. But the catalytic function of the Programme will be important not only for Asian countries and churches but also for Pacific and other regions.
Future Work
The Inaugural Consultation called for bold and extensive cultivation and exploration of Asian cultural heritages and resources in order to appropriate the freshness and imaginative approach of Jesus Christ to people in response to their needs and creativities. Some 50 people from 15 countries, lay and clergy, women and men, Catholic and Protestant, were present at the Inuagural Consultation. One of the joys shared by the participants was the arrival of Korean delegates on time for a full presence, at a time of the people's struggle for democratization in Korea. Future programme will include annual seminar workshops in various parts of the region, the first of which will be held in Jogjakarta, Indonesia, May 29 - June 12,1988, with the theme: Doing Theology with People's Symbols/Images in Asia. This begins the Second Series. Other theological seminar workshops will deal with spiritual life and empowerment, history and mission, creative forms of preaching, the Bible, and so on. Smaller work groups will be involved in research and writing projects and the Programme also plans to ()ffer consultative services. A fresh beginning has been made. Let us· work together for a creative theological· community in Asia.
July 11, 1987 in Kyoto
