Diaspora Missiology

Diaspora Missiology

Enoch Wan

Published on Global Missiology, October, 2006, Research Section

I. INTRODUCTION

In the disciplines of social sciences (e.g. sociology, ethnic studies, demographics, migration, etc.) researchers often describe and analyze the phenomena of people then try to manage or strategize accordingly (e.g. human geography, applied sociology, government policy, etc.).

In recent decades, the increased frequency and explosive scale of people moving either internally within a country (“migration”), and long distance or internationally crossing national border (“international migration” or “immigration”) are notable and impressive. The reasons behind these phenomena of people can be voluntary (e.g. economic improvement, educational or career advancement, family reunion, etc.) and involuntary due to natural disasters (e.g. earth quake, tsunami, etc.) or socio-political causes (e.g. war, economic crisis, political instability, etc.).

The term “diaspora” historically (from Jews of the OT & NT) and etymologically (from Greek), there is a negative and passive notion of people being forced to be scattered and dispersed. However, in contemporary literature, the term “diaspora” is being used in a neutral and generic sense of describing the phenomenon of “people on the move or being moved” regardless of reason (natural or socio-political causes) or attitude (voluntary or involuntary). “Diaspora missiology” is the systematic study of and missiological strategizing for the phenomenon of people moving.

II. PAST PUBLICATIONS OF “DIASPORA MISSIOLOGY” IN “GLOBAL MISSIOLOGY”

Since early 2003, there has been a section in the “Resource Links” section on “diaspora studies” to aid researcher and students of missiology as shown below:

Agencies &	Church Planting	Country &
Organization	& Evangelism	People-Group	Diaspora Studies

Education & Training	Research & Resource	Miscellaneous	Old Books & Dissertations
			Old Books & Dissertations

In the October issue of 2003, there was a report on FIN

(Filipino International Network - www.filipinolinks.com/Filipino_Diaspora/) to introduce a specific case study of “diaspora missiology” as shown below:

FEATURE REPORT: RUNNING WITH THE VISION
October 2003
Lorajoy T. Dimangondayao

In the October 2004 issue, a paper and a book review were published on the case study of Filipino “diaspora missiology” as shown below:

FILIPINO INTERNATIONAL NETWORK: A STRATEGIC MODEL FOR
FILIPINO DIASPORA GLOCAL^® MISSIONS

Sadiri Joy B. Tira

Senior Pastor of First Filipino Alliance Church (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada) and
International Coordinator for Filipino International Network

Published in Global Missiology, Featured Article, October 2004, www.globalmissiology.net

Review
Scattered: The Filipino Global Presence

eds. Lius Pantoja, Jr., Sadiri Joy Tira, and Enoch Wan
Life Change Publishing, Inc.: Manila, Philippines, 2004

Reviewed by Dr. Jonathan Exiomo
President of Alliance Biblical Seminary, Manila, Philippines

Published in Global Missiology, Review & Preview, October 2004

phenomena, that can be easily tracked by using the search function within “Global Missiology” (see the sample page below)


	Search

scattered
scattered		powered by
		powered by

All participants are specialists in the respective field and most of them have published books/articles on the people-group as listed below:

List of Participants

List of Invited Participants:

1. Dr. Terry Casino (Ph.D. & Th.D.) - Filipino diaspora in Europe

2. Dr. Kim Kwong Chan (Ph.D., Th.D.)

3. Dr. Gi-Sam Cho (Ph.D.) - Korean Missionary Society

4. Dr. Allan Effa (Ph.D.) – Nigerian/West African diaspora

5. Dr. George Gitahi (Ph.D.) – Kenyan/East African diaspora in the USA

6. Dr. N. Jawahar Gnaniah (D.Miss.) – Ministry/Evangelism Hindus

7. Rev. Geoff Hartt (M.Div.) - Hispanic diaspora

8. Dr. Nabeel Jabbour (Th.D.) - Muslim evangelism

9. Dr. Than Le (D.Min.) - Vietnamese/Canadian

10. Dr. John Leonard (D.Min.) – North African Arab diaspora in France

11. Dr. Paul Marindale (D.Min.) - Arab diaspora in USA

12. Rev. Dave Olson (D.Miss. Cand.) - Tibetan diaspora

13. Rev. Jorge Osorio (M.Div.) - Hispanic diaspora

14. Dr. Cindy Perry (D.Miss.) – Nepalese Diaspora

15. Dr. Jojo Remigio (Ph.D.) - Filipino/Canadian

16. Dr. TV Thomas (D.Min.) - South Asian

17. Dr. Sadiri Joy Tira (D.Min.) - Filipino/Canadian

18. Dr. Enoch Wan (Ph.D.) - Chinese diaspora

19. Dr. Bill Wong (Ph.D.) - Chinese/Canadian

20. Dr. Ted Yamamori (Ph.D.) - Japanese/American

21. Dr. Tuvya Zhariski (D.Miss.) - Jewish diaspora

IV. NEW ORGANIZATIONS: INSTITUTE OF DIASPORA STUDIES

There is a newly formed “Institute of Diaspora Studies” at Western Seminary for North America and another in Manila at Alliance Graduate School of Theology as an Asian center. More information will be forth coming in the near future.