RESEARCHER VISITING KOREA: MUSLIM IMMIGRANTS CONVERTING AT HIGH RATE IN EUROPE
An estimated 20,000 Muslim immigrants to Europe have come to Christ since the beginning of 2015. That’s the conclusion drawn by Dr. Duane Alexander Miller, associate professor at the Protestant Faculty of Theology at Madrid (UEBE). Dr. Miller wrote a journal article about Muslim conversion to Christianity on a global scale that will be released in Korean at a press conference on November 29, at which Dr. Miller will summarize his findings and be available to reporters for questions. “In the heat of debates regarding Muslim immigration to Korea, it was sometimes contended that Europe gives a picture of what Korea would one day be like: a country of Muslims impervious to the gospel,” Voice of the Martyrs representative Hyun Sook Foley explains. “However, Dr. Miller’s research shows that Muslim immigrants to Europe are receiving Christ at a much higher rate than popular opinion typically portrays. Furthermore, this is a pattern which can be seen around the world.” Dr. Miller is a much sought-after researcher and speaker about Christianity in the Middle East. The founding academic dean of Nazareth Evangelical Theological Seminary (NETS), Dr. Miller has experience with Christians in the Middle East and has spent years studying the increasing number of Muslims converting to Christianity. However, Dr. Miller is best known for his research about the rate of Muslim conversion in Europe. “It is no secret that the influx of refugees and immigrants from the Muslim world to Europe has caused a number of social difficulties and political problems,” says Dr. Miller, whose article was originally published in English in the 2015 Interdisciplinary Journal of Research on Religion. “But, there’s another side to this story which is unknown to many: significant numbers of these immigrants—from countries like Iran, Afghanistan, and Morocco—are hearing the Christian message and believing in it. Churches and ministries worshipping in Farsi and Arabic are springing up throughout the continent for the thousands of people who have converted in the last few years.” On Monday, December 3 Voice of the Martyrs will be celebrating the opening of their new Jeongneung building by hosting a public event led by Dr. Miller. During this event, Dr. Miller will share his experience with and findings about Muslim converts to Christianity—in and outside of the Middle East. A press conference will be held at the new Voice of the Martyrs Jeongneung office on November 29 at 10:30 AM to introduce Dr. Miller and enable reporters to interview him. At the press conference, Voice of the Martyrs Korea will be releasing to reporters the full text of the Korean translation of a journal article written by Dr. Miller. Pre-registration for the press conference by phone or e-mail is required. Doctor Duane Alexander Miller Biography
듀에인 알렉산더 밀러 박사(목사)
The Rev. Dr. Duane Alexander Miller is associate professor at the Protestant Faculty of Theology at Madrid (UEBE) and serves as priest at the Anglican Cathedral of the Redeemer in Madrid. He holds a BA in Philosophy (honors) from the University of Texas at San Antonio, an MA in Theology from St. Mary’s University (honors), a diploma in Arabic from the Kelsey Language Institute in Jordan, and a PhD in Divinity (focus on World Christianity) from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. His doctoral research was on the contextual theologies proposed by Christian converts from Islam–what do they claim to know about God, and what attracted them to the Christian faith? The thesis was published in 2016 as Living among the Breakage: Contextual Theology-making and ex-Muslim Christians (Pickwick). After studying Arabic, the Millers moved to Nazareth of Galilee where he was the founding academic dean of Nazareth Evangelical Theological Seminary (NETS). He also served as lecturer in church history and theology for the seminary. (In 2015 NETS and a local bible college merged to form Nazareth Evangelical College.) Duane has also taught at the University of Texas at San Antonio, the University of Edinburgh, and St Mary’s University (in San Antonio). Dr. Miller has published numerous articles and chapters on the topics of Christian converts from Islam, the history of Protestant missions in Ottoman Palestine, and contemporary evangelicalism in the Middle East. He is co-author of Arab Evangelicals in Israel (Pickwick, 2016) author of Two Stories of Everything: The Competing Metanarratives of Islam and Christianity (Credo House, 2018), which seeks to understand the two faiths not as alternative religions, but as accounts of the entirety of history, from Creation to the final judgment. Dr. Miller travels broadly for teaching, training and research. He and Sharon were married in 2003 and have three young children. <기자회견 안내> 일시: 11월 29일 목요일
서울특별시 성북구 솔샘로 26(지층)
[버스] [지하철] 1호선 신설동역, 4호선 성신여대입구역, 6호선 보문역에서 우이신설선 환승하여 ‘북한산보국문역’ 하차. 2번 출구로 나와 ‘한국타이어코어’ 앞에서 좌회전하세요. 앞에 보이는 언덕길을 넘고, ‘국민대 생활관’을 지나, 7-8분 정도 오시면, 우측에 ‘사랑교회’, 좌측에 ‘쉐보레정릉서비스센터’가 보입니다. ‘사랑교회’ 맞은 편 ‘쉐보레정릉서비스센터’ 바로 아래층입니다. 문의: 순교자의 소리 사무실 02-2065-0703로 전화하시거나 유미래 전도사에게 이메일을 보내주세요. ([email protected]) 세계 곳곳에서 핍박받는 기독교인들에 관하여 더 알고 싶으면 www.vomkorea.com을 방문하기 바란다. 위 사이트에서 ‘기도후원 – 기독교 박해국가 정보’로 들어오면, 기독교인을 핍박하는 세계 70개 이상의 국가에 대한 정보를 얻을 수 있다.
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