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Rose-Marie from Église Évangélique Réformée du canton de Vaud, said the most significant thing she learned during the course was related to the diversity of theological approaches and expressions of faith, both from the teachers and the participants.
“This course has thrown me into an exciting and interesting world,” she said. “Intercultural theology has revealed itself along the way as a wonderful adventure that is not completely defined from the outset.”
She also expressed appreciation for competent and caring teachers, as well as active participants.
“I consolidated my Bible knowledge in the broadest sense, with both a spiritual and intellectual dimension,” she said.
Bella Adadzi, Église Protestante de Genève, said that course showed that interculturality is only effective when people live together, as the students experienced during the weekends they spent together at Bossey.
“It is experienced through discussions, exchanges, and the sharing of sometimes contradictory opinions, in a climate of respect, conviviality, and openmindedness,” said Adadzi. “It does not impose a typical way of living the faith. Instead, it recognises that it can be expressed in different ways with a certain cultural imprint.”
Adadzi named the relationships, the familiar faces, the smiles, and the kindness as the biggest takeaways from the course. “Secondly, the discovery that interculturality is not a concept reserved exclusively for the church—it also concerns human relations, and in a multicultural and multilingual society, it's vital to know certain intercultural communication codes,” said Adadzi. “This could improve the conditions for collaboration and interaction, and instead of managing a climate of tension, generate a climate of dialogue and understanding.”
Rev. Dr Benjamin Simon, professor for Ecumenical Social Ethics, said that the intercultural theology course has been offered at the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey for two years now. “Intercultural empathy and understanding are crucial to our common journey,” said Simon. “Learning to better understand the different cultural elements and see them in their context helps us meet each other respectfully and trustingly.”
Mouliom Etienne Irennee-Englise, from the Evangelical Eglise Evangelique Réformée de Berne, said that the most meaningful moments centered around the exchanges with the professors and the students. “This has really changed my thinking,” said Irennee-Englise. “My next step will be to become an ambassador for intercultural studies.”
The Formation en Théologie Interculturelle course is a partnership between World Council of Churches Ecumenical Institute at Bossey, OPF (Neuchâtel), Témoigner ensemble à Genève, DM (Lausanne), Défap Service missionnaire (Paris), Institut Protestant de théologie (Montpellier and Paris).