Seminar: The ‘Ecumenism of Blood’ in a multicultural context – a reflection on Nigeria’s situation
Join us for the second of this term’s online Koinonia seminar talks, engaging with the latest research from a range of theological and ecclesiological thinkers.
About this seminar
Persecution continues to be part of the Christian experience. Pope Francis describes it as ecumenism of blood, which entails the killing of Christians because of their faith in Jesus Christ and not on denominational affiliation and identification. In Nigeria, despite the ongoing persecution of Christians and the quest for inter-religious dialogue, ecumenism of blood has not attracted much scholarly attention. It needs to be studied because Christians are biologically and culturally related to members of other religions.
Applying concepts of human dignity, neighbourly love, and religious solidarity, this lecture explores ecumenism of blood in Nigeria's multicultural and multireligious context. Not negating the reality of Christian persecution, would the unity from an ecumenism of blood remain exclusively Christian unity? Are there traces of inter-religious solidarity, social cohesion, and religious unity propelled by ecumenism of blood in Nigeria? Answers to these questions are relevant in the Nigerian socio-religious landscape, where both Christian and Muslim communities are interconnected and suffer violence.
About the speaker
The Reverend Dr Ishaya Anthony is Westminster Abbey’s inaugural Commonwealth Theologian in Residence. He is Canon Theologian of the Diocese of Kwoi, Nigeria as well as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Department of Religious Studies, University of Johannesburg, and a research assistant in the Religion and Media Group at the Desmond Tutu Centre for Religion and Social Justice, South Africa. He completed a joint PhD (2023) in Educational Science from The University of Ghent, Belgium, and a PhD in Theological Studies from the University of the Western Cape, South Africa, along with an MTh (2017) in Practical Theology from Stellenbosch University, South Africa, and an Advanced Master’s degree (June 2024) in Ecumenical Studies from the Ecumenical Institute of the World Council of Churches (WCC), Bossey, Switzerland.
His PhD dissertation explored the socio-political economy of religious media in Nigeria. His wide-ranging research interests include public theology, prophetic preaching and media, ecumenical theology, and decoloniality. In addition to his work as an academic theologian, he has a long-standing commitment to advocacy around the themes of climate change, human rights and African social transformation.
About the Koinonia seminars
The Koinonia seminars are a series of online talks aimed at theology professionals, clergy and ordinands whilst also being accessible to those interested in theology.
Booking details
Email [email protected] to reserve a space.
