Dear Friends of the GTU,

My travels in the past month have heightened my awareness of the global context of theology and religion, and of the possibilities and obligations for our work here at GTU.  

I was honored to be an invited participant at the 2005 US –Islamic World Forum in Doha, Qatar, sponsored by the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC and the Emir of Qatar (see next page for more information).  My interest at the event was to explore ways that the GTU’s initiative in Islamic Studies might be shaped and furthered by the issues and ideas presented by the forum’s participants.  I came away with an appreciation for the significant challenges in creating the “space” for religious discourse in civil society in emerging democratic countries. The GTU has a distinctive role to play in preparing future religious leaders for a religiously and culturally diverse world.  Our Islamic Studies initiative is focused on developing curriculum, increasing faculty resources and research in Islamic studies in dialogue with Christianity and other religious traditions, and engaging the Muslim community in the Bay Area and in the larger world.  My experience in Qatar highlighted the importance of including and understanding diverse cultural and religious perspectives as we move forward with this initiative.

I also recently returned from a trip to South  Korea where I was the guest of several of our GTU graduates who are teaching and ministering in Korea.  I had the opportunity to lecture, preach, and engage in dialogue with presidents, deans, faculty and students in several Korean universities and other religious and governmental organizations. The hospitality extended was heartening, and the interest in the ecumenical nature of our work at the GTU was inspirational to me.

The trip enabled me to develop a clearer sense of the complex dynamics of Korean theological and religious thought and practice, as well as a deep appreciation for the vitality of theology in the Korean context. The role of the GTU as a resource for our Korean and other Asian partners for leadership in the global world became apparent to me. Our Korean alumni are most enthusiastic about the theological preparation they received at the GTU.

The mission of the GTU is to be a center for ecumenical and interreligious theological education, and to engage in research and teaching for a globalized religious undertaking. I am pleased that the global scope of our work is gaining depth in many ways today, as we advance the ambitious mission of our Union.

James A. Donahue

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