International Network in Advanced Theological Education (INATE)

1. What is the International Network in Advanced Theological Education?

1.1 Background

The vision of International Network in Advanced Theological Education is to contribute to a theological education and reflection which is globally oriented, i.e. cross-cultural and ecumenical, at the same time as it is attentive to the concrete needs and challenges that are presented to it by the local context.

Theological institutions in Brazil, South Africa, India, China (Hong Kong), Hungary and Norway are co-operating through the mutual exchange of students at advanced level (Master’s programmes) and of staff, through a common development of curricula for a globally oriented contextual theology, and through research and information exchange. The network will promote and facilitate interchange in all directions: North-South, South-South, South-North, and will thus be a programme where mutuality and equality is given high priority. It is hoped that this co-operation may represent a new and feasible model for global relationships within advanced theological education.

The thematic frame for this academic co-operation is contextual theology. By contextual theology we understand a theology that is conscious of its contemporary social, cultural and political embedded-ness, and the ways in which this embeddedness bears upon the theological endeavour and its results. At the same time, this contextual theology is committed to contributing constructively to the trans-formation of the context in which it is embedded, answering to its challenges and working towards the solution of urgent problems.

1.2 The Network Institutions

The Network consists of the following institutions;

• Escola Superior de Teologia in São Leopoldo, Brazil;
• School of Theology at the University of Natal in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa;
• Gurukul Lutheran Theological College and Research Institute in Chennai, India;
• Lutheran Theological Seminary in Hong Kong, China;
• Evangelical-Lutheran Theological University in Budapest, Hungary;
• Faculty of Theology, University of Oslo, Norway, and its partner institutions in Oslo (Seminary of Practical Theology, University of Oslo and Diakonhjemmet College).

This gives the Network a broad and varied basis for its purpose - to develop a contextual theology that corresponds to both local and global challenges.

1.3 Programme Idea and Justification

The programme idea has been formulated in two documents; the Letter of Intent and the Statement of Co-operation. Both these documents are the results of two Consultations the Network institutions have held, one in Oslo, Norway in August 1996 (Letter of Intent), and one in Chennai, India in August 1997 (Statement of Co-operation - SoC).

The programme idea is "to establish an international network for the study and development of a contextual theology, which will foster the interchange of students at advanced level (i.e. Master's degree or equivalent studies together with different forms of postgraduate study, continuing education and other creative expressions of theological formulations related to the emerging subaltern peoples' theologies), as well as co-operation between teachers, students and church-related organisations world wide in areas such as curriculum development, research and publication." (SoC 1.1)

In SoC, 3.2. the basic principle of co-operation is determined:

• 3.2.1. The Network is based on the principle of mutual trust and confidence between the participating higher education institutions.
• 3.2.2. The mutual recognition upon which this co-operation rests is to be understood as follows:
  • There is a mutual recognition of each other as theological institutions.
  • There is a mutual recognition of the academic standard and level of each other’s academic programmes in advanced theological education.
  • In terms of content and adaptation into a particular study programme, student exchange depends on a prior authorisation from home institution. This can be formalised e.g. by the use of study contracts for each exchange student, to be signed by both host and home institutions, as well as by the student her- / himself.

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