European Methodist Lecture Program (EMLP): Blessed are the Peacemakers? Struggling for Peace in Uncertain Times
The 6th series of the European Methodist Lecture Program (EMLP) will explore the role of the church and the responsibility of each Christian in democracy and peace building. In these uncertain times where war, violence, intense nationalism, and authoritarianism are tearing at the social fabric, the need for intentional democracy and peacebuilding is urgently required. These lectures offer an opportunity for us to reflect theologically, practically and from a Methodist perspective upon how we can be a people of peace in a divided world. These lectures will explore a variety of themes including reconciliation, democracy, and the need for intercultural communities who embody an alternative narrative within a xenophobic landscape. Join us in the struggle to build hope and long-term frameworks for peace in these violent times.
The European Methodist Lecture Program is an online program. Speakers from various continents, Methodist traditions, theological expertise, and ecumenical contexts will give their insights and present their perspectives and research on peacebuilding and democracy from a Methodist theological perspective. The lectures are followed by discussions in groups and in plenary sessions.
The EMLP brings together students, theologians, clergy, and lay persons from all over Europe and beyond – from different backgrounds and cultures. It offers an international and intercultural learning space.
- October 13, 2026, 6:15 p.m. (CEST): Church of Sanctuary: Challenging Hostility with Hospitality | Inderjit Bhogal (Methodist Church in Britain)
- October 20, 2026, 6:15 p.m. (CEST): Educating for Peace in the Age of AI: Cognitive Science, Moral Agency, and Digital Responsibility | Paul Tsuchido Shew (Aoyama Gakuin University in Tokyo, Japan)
- October 27, 2026, 6:15 p.m. (CET): Let go of Violence, Embrace Justice and Peace | Aboseh Ngwana (Staple Hill Methodist Church, Bristol, United Kingdom)
- November 3, 2026, 6:15 p.m. (CET): Weaving Indigenous Filipino Wisdom into a Pedagogy of Relational Harmony | Alan B. Cabas (Wesley Divinity School, Philippines)
- November 10, 2026, 6:15 p.m. (CET): Ploughshares into Swords? The Biblical Message of Peace in Times of War and Imperialism | Jörg Barthel (Reutlingen School of Theology, Germany)
- November 17, 2026, 6:15 p.m. (CET): Being Church Together in a Divided World | Grace and Daniel Pratt Morris-Chapman (Northampton, United Kingdom)
- November 24, 2026, 6:15 p.m. (CET): Resilience for Peace: South Korean Case | Young Min Paik (University College, Yonsei University, Korea)
- December 1, 2026, 6:15 p.m. (CET): Forming Moral Imagination: Integrating Peace Studies and Theology | Wan-Yin Lim (Wesley House Cambridge, United Kingdom)
- December 8, 2026, 6:15 p.m. (CET): Public Theology from a Methodist Perspective and Its Contribution to Peacebuilding | Dion Forster (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Netherlands)
- December 15, 2026, 6:15 p.m. (CET): “Intercultural Connectionalism” and its Contribution to Peace through Understanding | David Scott (General Board of Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church, USA)
The sessions take place from 6:15 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. (CET) on the dates indicated via video conference (90 minutes). The language of the lectures and the discussions is English. The link for the video conferences will be provided to those registered shortly before the beginning of the program.