LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS Aleksandar Apostolovski Pavol Bargár Dana Bates

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1 LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS Aleksandar Apostolovski (Macedonia) is a doctoral student at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland. He has earned a Bachelor degree in Theology and a Master Degree in Old Testament Studies from the Evangelical Theological Seminary in Osijek, Croatia. His research interests include prophetic literature, the significances of references to reading and writing in antiquity and contemporary culture, and approaches to reading the Bible with those who have never done so. Pavol Bargár (Slovakia/Czech Republic) is a post-doctoral researcher at the Protestant Theological Faculty, Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic. He also serves as secretary of the Central and Eastern European Association for Mission Studies (CEEAMS) and is a member of the Executive Board of the International Council of Christians and Jews (ICCJ). Pavol has studied Protestant theology at Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia (MDiv equivalent), Jewish-Christian relations at the University of Cambridge (MSt), and was awarded a ThD from Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic. His research interests include intercultural and interfaith relations, contextual theologies, world Christianity, and the relation between theology and culture. Pavol is also an ordained elder in the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren. He is married to Ivana and they have a daughter, Sofia Laila, and a son, Damian Vratislav. Dana Bates (USA/Romania) is the principle architect of the IMPACT service learning model, initially launched in Romania, and subsequently expanded to include over 150 clubs in 14 different countries. He is also Adjunct Professor at Northwestern College and at Gordon College, where he runs the Romania Semester. In 1999, Dana and his wife, Brandi, moved to Romania, where he envisioned and supervised the development of Romania s first ropes course and outdoor education programme, called Viața, and founded the New Horizons Foundation to launch youth development programs in the Jiu Valley. Dana has graduated in 1995 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy from Gordon College in Wenham, Massachusetts and earned a Masters of Divinity from Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary in In 2014 Dana completed his PhD at the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies, UK with a thesis on Eastern Orthodox theology (Dumitru Stăniloae) and Development Studies (Amartya Sen). Dana has published: Towards a Humanistic Theology of Youth Development: Growing through the Work of the Romanian Theologian Dumitru Stăniloae (Journal of Youth and Theology 5, 2006).

2 786 Mission in Central and Eastern Europe Gelu Călina (Romania) is Chair of Mission Studies and Ecumenism at the Faculty of Theology and Professor in the Doctoral School of Theology, University of Craiova, Romania. He is also an ordained Archdeacon in the Romanian Orthodox Church. He has earned Bachelor degrees in Theology (1997) and Law (2003), did doctoral research at University of Lausanne under the guidance of Prof. Pierre Gisel, and received his PhD in Theology from the University of Bucharest in He has recently published: Themes and Questions in Contemporary Missiology (Mitropolia Olteniei Publishing House, an imprint of the Archdiocesan Siege of Craiova, 2014). Pavel Černý (Czech Republic) is lecturer at the Evangelical Theological Seminary in Prague, Czech Republic, an institution which he has helped establish. He is also an ordained pastor and has served between as President of his evangelical denomination and President of the Czech Ecumenical Council of Churches. Pavel has earned a ThM from the Faculty of Protestant Theology (1974) and a ThD from Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic (2004). Pavel has published: Christ s Work of Salvation as a Foundation and Imperative of Mission Activities of the World Council of Churches (Brno, 2006). Corneliu Constantineanu (Romania) is Professor of Biblical Theology at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Aurel Vlaicu University of Arad, Romania and Director of Research at the Institute for Faith and Human Flourishing in Timișoara, Romania. After earning an engineering degree, with a specialization in biotechnologies, Corneliu obtained his Bachelor and Master degrees in theology (summa cum laude) from Evanđeoski Teološki Fakultet in Osijek, Croatia. Corneliu completed his PhD in theology at the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies and the University of Leeds, UK (2006), with an interdisciplinary study on Pauline and contextual theology, with a focus on the social dimension of reconciliation. Corneliu has served as President of the Theological Pentecostal Institute in Bucharest, Romania ( ) and Academic Dean of Evanđeoski Teološki Fakultet in Osijek, Croatia ( ), where he also taught for more than 16 years. In addition to his specialization and publications in the areas of Pauline theology and reconciliation, Corneliu has a special interest in pursuing a holistic understanding of the gospel as public truth, thus trying to integrate Christian faith with cultural, social and political realities of everyday life. His publications include, The Power of the Gospel: A Plea for the Word of God (Bucharest, 2013); First the Kingdom of God: A Festschrift in Honour of Prof. Dr. Peter Kuzmič (co-editor with Miroslav Volf, Marcel V. Măcelaru and Krešimir Šimić, Osijek, 2011); The Social Significance of Reconciliation in Paul s Theology: Narrative Readings in Romans (T&T Clark, 2010); and Encountering the Other: Studies in Reconciliation (Cluj-Napoca, 2009). Corneliu is married to Ioana and they have two daughters, Anamaria and Carmen.

3 List of Contributors 787 Bogdan Dolenc (Slovenia) is Assistant Professor at the Catholic Faculty of Theology, Ljubljana, Slovenia and a Catholic priest in the Diocese of Ljubljana. He studied theology in Ljubljana and in Rome, earning his doctorate at the Pontifical University Urbaniana in Since 1987 he teaches fundamental theology, ecclesiology and ecumenism. As guest professor he gave various lectures at Universities in Regensburg and Graz, Austria. His research focuses are ecumenism and religious studies. As secretary of the national Ecumenical commission in a multi-confessional country he is promotor of a genuine ecumenical spirit at the Faculty of Theology and in his pastoral activities. He has published: World and the Christian Attitude to it According to the Sermons of John Henry Cardinal Newman (Ljubljana, 1995). Ovidiu Dorin Druhora (USA/Romania) is the founding dean of Ekklesia Bible College, an international practiced-based seminary, with campuses in Europe, India, Africa and USA. He is also Adjunct Faculty at the Global University in Springfield, Missouri. He has earned Bachelor and Master degrees in theology from Evanđeoski Teološki Fakultet, Osijek, Croatia, and an MDiv from Regent University, Virginia Beach, Virginia. Currently completing his doctoral studies at the University of Bucharest, Romania, Ovidiu s research focuses on the emerging dialogue between Eastern Orthodoxy and Evangelicalism. An ordained Pentecostal minister for over 30 years, Ovidiu led missions and evangelism outreach during the communistrule in Romania ( ) and served as National Programme Director for the Voice of the Gospel Radio Romania s first evangelical radio station. In 2005 Ovidiu co-founded the Agape Pro Humanitas Foundation to create an audio-visual archive of the persecuted church behind the Iron Curtain. Ovidiu has published numerous articles on Christian family, church-based discipleship and pastoral leadership in various Romanian periodicals. Ovidiu is married to Ana, and they have five children. Branimir Dukić (Croatia) is a lecturer of information and communication sciences, and economics, at the Faculty of Economics, J.J. Strossmayer University of Osijek, Croatia. His research focuses on database management, marketing of profit and non-profit organizations, customer relationship management, electronic and mobile business, and knowledge management. Branimir has authored and co-authored 55 scientific papers and 6 textbooks/course materials. Furthermore, he has developed a number of computer applications, and other expert materials in business-related studies. Jan Górski (Poland) is professor of Missiology and Theology of Religions at the Silesian University in Katowice, Poland. He is also the President of the Association of Polish Musicologists, consulter of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples in Rome, and member of IAMS and IACM.

4 788 Mission in Central and Eastern Europe Author of numerous books and articles, Prof. Górski also serves as a Roman Catholic Priest in Poland. Mihai Himcinschi (Romania) is a tenured Professor of Orthodox Missiology at the Orthodox Faculty of Theology, 1 Decembrie University of Alba Iulia, Romania. His research focuses on Trinitarian Theology in the missionary relation between Church and society. Some of his more representative works are: Trinitarian Doctrine as Missionary Foundation: The Relation between the Holy Ghost, the Father and Son in Eastern and Western Theology (Alba Iulia, 2004); Church in Society: Missionary Aspects of the Church in the Contemporary Society (Alba Iulia, 2006); and Tripersonal Monotheism as a Factor of Social Stability (European Journal of Science and Theology 10, 2014). Mihai also serves as a priest in the Romanian Orthodox Church. Eugen Jugaru (Romania) is Assistant Professor of Systematic Theology at the Theological Pentecostal Institute in Bucharest, Romania. He has earned his Bachelor of Theology from the Babeș-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca, Romania (1996) and his PhD in Dogmatic Theology from the Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, Romania (2011) with a thesis entitled Ethic of Business form a Pentecostal Perspective. Eugen s research focuses on Christian Ethics, Business Ethics and the Theology of Work. Beside several articles and short studies presented and published in Romania and abroad, Eugen has recently authored a monograph entitled Work, Business and Faith (Oradea, 2016). Eugen is an ordained pastor with the Pentecostal Church of Romania and also serves in the regional leadership structures of his denomination. Zuzana Jurechová (Slovakia/Czech Republic) currently serves as a Lutheran pastor in Prague. She studied Lutheran theology at the Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia (PhD), worked as a lecturer in Slovakia and USA, and was the project director for the Central European Centre for Mission studies in Prague, Czech Republic. Anne-Marie Kool (Hungary/Croatia/The Netherlands) is Professor of Missiology at the Evangelical Theological Seminary in Osijek, Croatia and vice-president of the Central and Eastern European Association for Mission Studies. She also serves as Associate Professor of Missiology at the Baptist Theological Academy in Budapest, Hungary and Adjunct Faculty and Regent of the Bakke Graduate University, Dallas, Texas. A Dutch by birth, Anne-Marie has been a missionary in Hungary and in Central and Eastern Europe, first unofficially affiliated with the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students, and since 1993 as a missionary of the Reformed Mission League of the Protestant Church in the Netherlands. Since her appointment in 1998 as Professor of Missiology, Anne-Marie has also been affiliated with several institutions of higher education, conducting teaching and research and supervising master and doctoral students in post-

5 List of Contributors 789 communist Central and Eastern Europe. For her PhD, Anne-Marie has researched an unknown chapter in mission history, the Hungarian protestant foreign mission movement, while for her Habilitation she explored a new paradigm for mission in Central and Eastern Europe, taking a starting point in the biblical concepts of individual and community. As evidenced by her Students Missions Lecture series at Princeton Theological Seminary (2007), the challenges of churches in Central and Eastern Europe in relation to mission and missiology have also been a research area of interest. More recently, she has begun research on mission and evangelism among the Roma (Gypsy) community and the relationship with the European and Central European churches. She helped initiate a Roma church research network and in 2011 presented her findings at the annual W. Don McClure Lectures in Mission and Evangelism at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. Out of the many publications authored by Anne-Marie, of particular interest is: God Moves in a Mysterious Way: The Hungarian Protestant Foreign Mission (Uitgeverij, Boekencentrum, Zoetermeer, 1993), based on her doctoral dissertation. Ábrahám Kovács (Hungary) is Associate Professor of Dogmatic and Historical Theology at Debrecen Reformed University, Hungary and the General Secretary of the Hungarian Association for the Academic Study of Religion. He has formerly served as the secretary of CEAMS. Ábrahám has earned his PhD in mission and church history in Edinburgh, Scotland and his Habilitation in Historical and Systematic Theology in Budapest, Hungary. He has also received several prestigious research grants, from the Royal Society of Edinburgh, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the Bolyai award from the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. In 2008 he was a Fulbright scholar at Princeton University and delivered a lecture at Yale University. In 2014 he was appointed Guest Professor at the Presbyterian University in Seoul, Korea. His research interests include the relationship between Christian, Buddhist and Hindu theologies and Religious Studies. He has published numerous articles and books on comparative religion, Jewish-Christian religious history, Protestant religions and the history of the science of religion in Hungary. His recent works are: Whose Civilization Is Europe Today? Encounters between Hungarian Reformed Faith and Secular Worldviews, in Pieter Vos and Onno Zijlstra (eds), The Law of God: Exploring God and Civilization (Studies in Reformed Theology; Leiden: Brill, 2014), and In Academia for the Church: Eastern and Central European Theological Perspectives (co-edited with Zoltán Schwáb; Carlisle: Langham Monographs, 2014). Zorica Kuburić (Serbia) is Professor of Sociology of Religion and Sociology of Education at the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Novi Sad, Serbia, and president of the Centre for the Empirical Research of Religion ( She is founder and chief editor of Journal of Religion and Tolerance ( ). She is also a lecturer at the Centre for

6 790 Mission in Central and Eastern Europe Women s Studies in Novi Sad, and guest lecturer at several theological institutions in the region. Zorica has completed her undergraduate degree in psychology and pedagogy from the University of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Hercegovina (Effects of Early Learning on Personality Development), a postgraduate degree in 1989 at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Croatia (The relationship Between Parental Acceptance-Rejection and Psychiatric Problems in Adolescence) and a PhD in 1995 at the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade, Serbia (The Self-image of Adolescents in the Protestant Family). Zorica has done research on topics such as: religious education and pluralism, religious and civic education, religious and social distance, attitudes concerning religious tolerance, religiosity of youth, state policies toward religious minorities, the position of women within religious communities, and reconciliation and trust building in Bosnia and Hercegovina. She is also a prolific author her publications include: Family and Mental health of Children (2001); Faith and Freedom: Religious Institutions in Yugoslavia (2002); Religion, Family and Youth (2008); Religious communities in Serbia and social distance (2010); Religious education in the School (2010); The Self-image of Adolescents in the Protestant Family: A Study of Seventh-Day Adventist Families in Predominantly Orthodox Serbia (2015); and the article on Serbia and Montenegro in the Worldmark Encyclopaedia of Religious Practices (2015). Peter Kuzmič (Croatia/USA) is Eva B. and Paul E. Toms Distinguished Professor of World Missions and European Studies at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Boston, USA and the founding President of Evanđeoski Teološki Fakultet in Osijek, Croatia. A renowned evangelical scholar, Peter is an internationally recognized authority on the subjects of Christian response to Marxism, and Christian ministry in post-communist contexts. Peter has completed all his studies summa cum laude: after receiving a teachers diploma and graduating from a European Bible College, he earned a BA from Southern California College in Costa Mesa, California, an MA from Wheaton Graduate School, Chicago, Illinois, and his Masters and Doctorate in Theology from the University of Zagreb, Croatia. In 1992 he was also awarded a Doctor of Divinity honoris causa by Asbury Theological Seminary. An award-winning writer, Peter has authored several books, including a major study on the history and influence of Slavic Bible translations on Slavic literature, languages, and culture. Jaroslaw M. Lipniak (Poland) is Head of the Department of Intercultural Dialogue and Ecumenism of the Pontifical Faculty of Theology in Wrocław and a Professor within the same institution. He is also a Catholic priest. As theologian and author, Jaroslav has published numerous works, among which: Reception of the Common Declaration on Justification in Catholic Theology (Swidnica, 2012); The Catholic Church in the Middle East (Jerusalem, 2014); We Have Come to Believe in God s Love (Jerusa-

7 List of Contributors 791 lem, 2014). He has also published numerous works in the areas of ecumenical ecclesiology and Mariology. Jaroslav s current research focus is on Roman Catholic dogmatic theology, with a special emphasis on ecumenical theology, the mission of the church and the theology of the Coptic Orthodox Church. Vasile Marchiș (UK/Romania) has completed his doctoral studies in theology at the university of Birmingham, UK with a thesis on Romanian Pentecostalism. In addition to his area of specialization in Pentecostalism, Vasile is particularly interested in missiology and practical theology. He works for an organization that helps some of the most disadvantaged and marginalized individuals within the community. Ligia M. Măcelaru (Romania) is the founding Director of ACAS (the Association for Capacitating Special Abilities), based in Timișoara, Romania, a volunteer based ministry assisting people with disabilities in the Western part of Romania. She has formerly served as Coordinator of the Counselling Programme, Lecturer in Counselling Studies, and Student Dean at Evanđeoski Teološki Fakultet in Osijek, Croatia ( ). Ligia is also a founding member of, and has served in, several NGOs in Romania: Bethany Social Services (since 1994), Estera Pregnancy Crisis Care (since 1996), Camil Petrescu Jr. Human Solidarity Foundation (since 1997, where she served as Executive Director). She is also a founding member of the Croatian Association of Cristian Counsellors, which is a member of the Association of Cristian Counsellors Europe. Ligia s undergraduate qualifications include a Certificate of Social Work (1992, West University of Timișoara, Romania) and a Bachelor of Theology (2002, Evanđeoski Teološki Fakultet, Osijek, Croatia). She has also earned a Master of Theology (magna cum laude) with a specialization in Applied Theology Christian Counselling (2007, Evanđeoski Teološki Fakultet, Osijek, Croatia). Ligia has published: Is the Christ We Represent Relevant Today? A Plea for a Socially Engaged Christianity (in Theological Pilgrimages, Osijek, ETF, 2009). Marcel V. Măcelaru (Romania/Croatia) is Associate Professor of Old Testament at the Faculty of Theology within the Theological Pentecostal Institute in Bucharest, Romania and founding President of the Institute for Faith and Human Flourishing in Timișoara, Romania. He has formerly served as Vice-President/Dean of Evanđeoski Teološki Fakultet in Osijek, Croatia. Marcel holds undergraduate degrees in Music (West University of Timișoara, Romania) and Theology (Evanđeoski Teološki Fakultet, Osijek, Croatia), an MA in Old Testament Studies (with distinction) from the University of Leeds, England, an MTh in New Testament Studies (summa cum laude) from Evanđeoski Teološki Fakultet, Osijek, Croatia, and a DPhil in Old Testament Studies from the University of Oxford, UK. Marcel s re-

8 792 Mission in Central and Eastern Europe search interests include: the linguistic constructions of identity in the Hebrew Bible and their hermeneutical translation within contemporary cultural, academic and faith contexts; the development of specific Romanian/Eastern European readings of the Scripture; and the impact of Christian spirituality on human flourishing. Marcel has published several books and numerous studies, among which: Bridging the Gap: Ancient Texts in Modern Contexts (Osijek: ETF, 2010); The Role of the Bible in Shaping Cultural Identities (in Humanity after Selfish Prometheus: Chances of Dialogue and Ethics in a Technicized World, Berlin, LIT Verlag, 2011); Identity between Burden and Privilege (Cluj-Napoca, Risoprint, 2012); Babel From Text to Symbol: Possibilities for Reconciliation in the Hebrew Bible (in Reconciliation: The Way of Healing and Growth, Berlin, LIT Verlag, 2012); Saul in the Company of Men: (De)Constructing Masculinity in 1 Samuel 9 31 (in Biblical Masculinities Foregrounded, Sheffield Phoenix Press, 2014); Theology Encounters Globalization (in European Journal of Science and Theology 10, 2014); Entering the Sabbath of Life: Theological Musings on Gerassapience (in Theologica Wratislaviensia 11, 2016); Truth, Justice, Uprightness: Human Flourishing in Prophetic Perspective (in Truth and Compassion: Lessons from the Past and Premonitions of the Future, Berlin, LIT Verlag, 2016). A Romanian by birth, Marcel lives together with his wife, Mirela, and their son, Vedran, in Osijek, Croatia. Dănuț Mănăstireanu (Romania) has served until recently as Director for Faith and Development for the Middle East and the Eastern Europe Region of World Vision International, and has taught Theology and Spirituality at: Eastern University in St. Davids, PA; Emanuel University in Oradea, Romania; the Evangelical Theological Seminary in Osijek, Croatia; and the International Baptist Theological Seminary in Prague, Czech Republic. Dănuț holds a PhD in Theology from Brunel University, London, UK, with a thesis titled A Perichoretic Model of the Church: The Trinitarian Ecclesiology of Dumitru Stăniloae, published in 2012 by Lambert, in Saarbrucken, Germany. Kostake Milkov (Macedonia) is the founding President of the Balkan Institute for Faith and Culture in Skopje, Macedonia and a visiting lecturer in Systematic Theology at the Evangelical Theological Seminary in Osijek, Croatia. He has pioneered the Macedonian national student movement (affiliated with IFES), also serving as its General Secretary until He is also an ordained minister with the Evangelical Church of Macedonia. Kostake holds undergraduate (BTh) and graduate (MA, MSt) degrees in theology, and has completed a DPhil in Theology at the University of Oxford, UK, with a thesis on a seventh century monk and theologian, Maximus the Confessor. Kostake lives with his wife, Nada, and their daughter Gabriela in Skopje, Macedonia.

9 List of Contributors 793 Dorottya Nagy (Hungary/Romania/The Netherlands) is Professor of Missiology at the Protestant Theological University in Amsterdam, the Netherlands and a member of the Executive Committee of CEEAMS. Dorottya has completed her PhD in Theology at Utrecht University, the Netherlands (2008), with a thesis titled Migration and Theology: The Case of Chinese Christian Communities in Hungary and Romania in the Globalisation- Context. Dorrotya s research interests include: migration, ecclesiology, Christianity in post-communist Europe, and innovative ways of theologizing. Parush R. Parushev (Bulgaria/The Netherlands) is Rector of the St. Trivelius Higher Theological Institute in Sofia, Bulgaria; Senior Research Fellow, Senior Lecturer in Theology and the Director of the Institute for Systematic Studies of Contextual Theologies at the International Baptist Theological Study Centre in Amsterdam, the Netherlands; and the Director/Rector of the International Baptist Theological Seminary, o.p.s., of the European Baptist Federation, in Prague, Czech Republic. He is also a senior faculty member at the Faculty of Theology, Free University of Amsterdam, and over the years has held a number of full time academic positions and has been a visiting and adjunct professor at several universities and colleges in Europe and the US. He teaches various subjects in the areas of theology, philosophy and ethics and is an ordained Baptist minister. Parush is serving on the editorial boards of several periodicals: Journal of European Baptist Studies (Amsterdam, the Netherlands); Baptistic Theologies (Amsterdam, the Netherlands), Theologica Wratislaviensia (Wroclaw, Poland), and Pleroma (Bucharest, Romania). He is also a member of the Commissions on Freedom and Justice and on Theological Education and Leadership Formation of the Mission, Evangelism & Theological Reflections division of the Baptist World Alliance; member of the Ethical expert group of Community of Protestant Churches in Europe; member of the Visitation Evaluation Team of the European Evangelical Accrediting Association; member of AAR, IAMS, FEET and of several other academic communities in Europe and the US; and a foreign corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences and Arts. He has also served as a member of the Division of External Relations of the European Baptist Federation. Parush is author, co-author and co-editor of several books and has published a number of academic works in science and theology. Peter Penner (Austria) was born and grew up in the former Soviet Union, in the present country of Kazakhstan. He studied theology and mission in Germany, USA (MDiv), South Africa (MTh and DTh) and Hungary (Dr habil). He has served as pastor and theological educator in different places while being involved in the leadership of St. Petersburg Christian University (Russia), International Baptist Theological Seminary (Czech Republic) and TCM International Institute (Austria). He has published monographs and articles and has edited many books in the area of Bible and mission.

10 794 Mission in Central and Eastern Europe For the Slavic Bible Commentary, he wrote the commentaries on Luke and Acts and edited the NT section of the commentary. Bill Prevette, PhD (USA/UK) is the Admissions and Practitioner Research Tutor at the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies. His research focuses on youth and children at risk in the developing world. He also conducts studies on human trafficking and interventions, urban research, community development, and Pentecostalism in global mission. Bill is currently a board member for the Child Theology Movement in the UK and an appointed missionary to Europe with the Assemblies of God World Mission, USA. He serves as a member of several other boards and as a technical advisor to faith-based organisations in Romania, Moldova, Cambodia, and Africa. He conducts semi-annual academic seminars and lectureships, and is a member of the adjunct faculty in the School of Behavioural Sciences at Northwest University, Seattle. He is married to Ky and together they live in Oxford, UK. Gheorghe Petraru (Romania) is Professor of Orthodox Missiology at the Dumitru Stăniloae Faculty of Orthodox Theology, within Al. I. Cuza University of Iași, Romania and serves as Vice-President of CEEAMS. His research interests include Fundamental Theology and Apologetics opened to Philosophy, Psychology, Sociology of Religion and Sciences. Some of his representative books are: Fundamental and Missionary Theology (Iași: Ecumenism, 2006); The World, God s Creation (Iași: Trinitas, 2002); Orthodoxy and Proselytism (Iași, 2000); and A History of Christian Missions (Iași, 2013). Gheorghe Rițișan (Romania) is the President of APME (the Romanian Pentecostal Agency for Foreign Missions) since He is also an ordained minister with the Romanian Pentecostal Church, and has formerly served as Pastor and Church Planter in the Constanța County, an area in South-East Romania ( ). He holds an undergraduate degree from the Theological Pentecostal Institute in Bucharest (1992) and a BA in Pastor Theology from the Faculty of Reformed Theology, Babeș-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Gheorghe is married to Irina and they have two daughters, Irisa-Iulia and Lea-Priscila. Anton Rus, PhD (Romania) is Assistant Professor of Spirituality and Patrology at the Faculty of Greek-Catholic Theology, Babeș-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca, Romania and a Priest in the Blaj eparchy of the Greek- Catholic Church of Romania. He has studied theology in Rome ( ), and is conducting research on forms of piety and devotion. Anton has published: Imaginary and Theology: A Socio-Anthropologic Lecture on the Pseudo-Macarian Symbolism (Romania, 2002); and Faith in Action (Romania, 2009).

11 List of Contributors 795 Viktória Šoltésová, PhD (Slovakia) is a lecturer in the Department of Theology and Christian Education at Matej Bel University in Banska Bystrica, Slovakia. She teaches New Testament Greek, Missiology, Anthropological Geography, Christian Social Work, Evangelization Practice, and Romany Mission. She has also given lectures at the South African Theological Seminary (2008), Tanzania, accredited by the University of Johannesburg; and within the International Symposium on Culture and Translation organised by the Nida School for Translation Studies, Italy, on: Roman Culture as the Intercultural Issue in the Bible Translation with Particular Reference to Slovakia (2009). Viktória participated in the preparation and implementation of the study program Social and Missionary Worker with the Roma Community, has worked as missionary with the Romany community in eastern Slovakia, and has been a voluntary consultant (for the New Testament Greek text) with The Word for the World Bible Translators a project to translate the New Testament into the dialect of the Romany language in eastern Slovakia (completed in 2014). Viktória has published: Missiology Centred on the Romany Community (2004); Religiosity, Spirituality and Values in Catechesis (2014); Die Religiosität der Romakinder in der Slowakei (in Gott hat das Auftrag gegeben: mit Kindern über Schöpfung und Weltentstehung nachdenken Herausgegeben, Stuttgart: Calwer, 2012); and The Role of Religion in Resolving Conflicts in the Communities of Roma in Slovakia (in Wschodnioznawstwo 3, Wrocław, Instytut Studiów Międzynarodowych Uniwersytetu Wrocławskiego, 2012). Wojciech Szczerba (Poland) is Rector/President of the Evangelical School of Theology, Wroclaw, Poland and Editor-in-Chief of the periodical Theologica Wratislaviensia. Wojciech holds degrees from the Graduate of Biblical Theological Seminary, Wroclaw (1994); the Christian Theological Academy in Warsaw (1996); and the Economic Academy in Wroclaw (1997). In 2000 he completed a PhD in Patristics at the University of Wroclaw and in 2009 a second PhD, in Ancient Philosophy, at the same university. Wojciech wrote two books dealing with the issue of universal salvation in Greek Philosophy and early Christian Thought and numerous articles dealing with such issues like anthropology, soteriology, Protestant tradition, ancient philosophy and theology. Wojciech is involved in various ecumenical initiatives and interreligious dialog. Ciprian Flavius Terinte (Romania) is Assistant Professor of New Testament and Homiletics, and the Director of the Master Programme at the Faculty of Theology within the Theological Pentecostal Institute in Bucharest, Romania, and has formerly served as Academic Dean at the same institution. Ciprian is also an ordained minister within the Romanian Pentecostal Church and serves as Associate Pastor at the Good News Pentecostal Church in Bucharest. Ciprian completed his PhD in Theology at Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, Romania, with a thesis on Pauline Ecclesiology. In addition to his specialization in the area of Pauline theology and New

12 796 Mission in Central and Eastern Europe Testament background, Ciprian has a special interest in patristic literature, homiletics and public speaking. He is the author of: The Life of the Church according to Paul s Ecclesiological Metaphors (Oradea, SBR 2010); Church Leadership in the New Testament (forthcoming), and of numerous articles in the area of New Testament exegesis and biblical preaching. Julijana Mladenovska-Tešija (Macedonia/Croatia) is a lecturer in Philosophy at the Evangelical Theological Seminary, Osijek, Croatia and a PR specialist, research evaluator, and EU project writer for Slagalica the Foundation for Local Community Development in Osijek, Croatia. She has also served, in Croatia, as: Project Manager of the Palestine-Israel Youth Dialogue Initiative for the Centre for Peace, Non-Violence and Human Rights in Osijek ( ), lecturer and evaluator for the Gender Equality and STOP Violence projects of the Association of Women IZVOR, Osijek ( ), evaluator of project activities of the Local Democracy Agency Osijek ( ). In Macedonia she has served as: Assistant to the Director of the Balkan Centre for Peace Studies, Skopje ( ), intern at the Peace Research Institute, Oslo (1998), researcher for the Forum Centre for Strategic Studies, Skopje ( ), project evaluator for the British Council in Macedonia (2002), Friedrich Neumann Schtiftung, Skopje (2003), Friedrich Ebert Schtiftung (2002), and political campaign manager SDSM 2004 parliamentary elections and LDP 2005 local elections. Julijana holds a BA in Philosophical Anthropology from the Sts Cyril and Methodius University, Skopje, Macedonia; Certificates in Peace and Conflict Resolution from the University of Oslo and Public Relations from the London School of PR; an MTh in Theology and Nonviolence from the Evangelical Theological Seminary in Osijek, Croatia; and is currently completing a doctorate in Anthropology and Culture at J.J. Strossmayer University of Osijek, Croatia. Julijana s research interests are: faith and identity, Christ and nonviolence, gender equality, civil and faith activism, politics and PR, areas in which Julijana has published several books and articles. Eric J. Titus (USA) is Senior Pastor of St. John s Reformed Church in Red Hook, New York. He has formerly served as Senior Lecturer in Theology at the Evangelical Theological Seminary in Osijek, Croatia ( ). Before 2004 Eric has also served as Associate Pastor in Long Beach, California and Senior Pastor in Fishkill, New York. Eric holds an MA in Biblical Literature from Oral Roberts University, an MDiv from Yale University Divinity School and a ThD in Systematic Theology from Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic. Alexandru Vlasin (Romania) is the Mission Director of the Romanian Baptist Union and Assistant Professor of Missiology at the Baptist Faculty of Theology, University of Bucharest, Romania. He also serves as a mem-

13 List of Contributors 797 ber in the Executive Board of the European Evangelical Mission Association. Alexandru holds a PhD in the field of Missionary Education from Queens University, Belfast (2009) and a PhD in Sociology from the University of Bucharest (2013). Melody J. Wachsmuth (USA/Croatia) graduated from Fuller Theological Seminary with a Master in Theology and Intercultural Studies. A mission researcher, she has lived in Croatia since 2011, traveling extensively in CEE. She is part of a Roma church in Croatia and an international Roma networking movement. Currently, she is a PhD student at the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies, studying Romani identity and Pentecostalism in Croatia and Serbia. Her research interest includes Roma churches, reconciliation as a model of mission, and mission partnerships. She writes both for academic and popular audiences, including Separated Peoples and God among the Roma. Mato Zovkić (Bosnia and Hercegovina) was born in 1937 to a Croatian Catholic family in Bosnia. In 1968 he received his Doctorate in Theology from the Catholic Theological Faculty in Zagreb. From 1969 to 1972 he studied Holy Scripture at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome, where he received his S.S.L. Degree. Ordained a priest of the Sarajevo Archdiocese in 1963, from 1972 to 2009 he was Professor of New Testament Exegesis at the Catholic Theological Faculty in Sarajevo; from 1997 to 2012 he was a member of the Interreligious Council of Bosnia and Herzegovina; in July 2008 he was appointed by Cardinal Vinko Puljic as Vicar of the Sarajevo Archdiocese for relations with other faith communities, a position he held until May In 2015 he was awarded the title Professor Emeritus of Sarajevo University. He has been writing books, articles and reviews on Theology since He has published 21 books of his own, and translated four theological books from English and two from German. He has published around 180 articles and 130 book reviews. In his books and articles he deals with the ecclesiology of Vatican II and the ecclesiology of the New Testament, as well as with interreligious dialogue in the spirit of the Second Vatican Council. In three of his books, published in 1998, 2010 and 2015, he depicts interreligious dialogue in Bosnia and Herzegovina from the Catholic point of view. As well as writing in Croatian, his mother tongue, he has written a number of articles in English and German on interreligious and interethnic relations in Bosnia and Herzegovina.