“many parts form one body” (1Cor 12:12)
The INCHE Europe Conference 2022 is being organized by Károli Gáspár University of the Reformed Church in Hungary and the International Network for Christian Higher Education (INCHE) as a three-day conference. The event was originally planned to be held in 2020, however it was postponed due to the coronavirus epidemic.
Károli Gáspár University of the Reformed Church in Hungary has been a member of the International Network for Christian Higher Education’s international professional network for years. INCHE was founded in 1975 to bring together Christian-minded universities. Its purpose as a world organization is the professional and scientific advancement of Christian higher education. From 1992 to 2018, it operated under the name of International Association for the Promotion of Christian Higher Education (IAPCHE), although since 1 January 2019, the organization is acting under the name of International Network for Christian Higher Education. INCHE is a worldwide network, whose membership organizations and partner institutions can be found on all six continents. Jesus Christ and his teachings play a central role in the activities of the network, and it is in this spirit that they work with their organizations and partner institutions to promote Christian higher education.
The international organization with a network office currently in the United States holds a European conference every four year, and in 2022 the host is Károli Gáspár University of the Reformed Church in Hungary. The theme of the three-day conference, which takes place between 6-8 April, is Building Community in Fragmented Societies: Challenges for Christians in Higher Education. Presentations and workshops follow this topic. The presentations explore the different means of community building, while taking into consideration the diversity of communities, social and religious issues. Furthermore, the representatives of different institutions share their experiences of community building and forming through practical examples.
The conference seeks answers to many questions, including the following: How to bridge the gaps between Christians studying and working in different sections of European society? How to think and work together on community building, as building new communities and rebuilding old ones could restore and strengthen European Christianity? During the lectures and workshops, the participants will seek answers considering three main questions: How can a balanced role of Christians in society be achieved? How does our Christian identity relate to social responsibility? How can we build and operate communities based on Christian values?
The issues are also discussed in theological, pedagogical, historical, and sociological aspects, and the three main presentations of the conference determine the starting points for each day. The event begins with a presentation titled Diversity, plurality and fractured societies: threats and challenges for Christian Higher ed in Europe by Prof. Dr. Govert Buijs, Professor at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, on April 6 at 5.45 p.m. The second day continues with the presentation of Prof. Dr. József Pálfi, Rector of the Partium Christian University, Diversity and plurality: towards a theological framework for institutional policy, and on the closing day of the conference Prof. Dr. Claudia Beversluis, Professor of Calvin College, gives her presentation titled Diversity and plurality in corridors and classroom, which closes the series of the main lectures.
The presenters of the conference among others are from the Netherlands, Great Britain, Romania, Ukraine, Lithuania, Russia, the United States and New Zealand. Dr. Dóra Bernhardt, Assistant Professor at the Institute of English Studies at Károli Gáspár University of the Reformed Church in Hungary, gives a lecture titled The Community as the Basis of Education. The presentation explores the views of Parker Palmer, James K. A. Smith, and Wendell Berry on the practical implementation of community building.
Prof. Dr. Enikő Sepsi, leader and professor at the Institute of Art Sciences and Liberal Arts and Dr. Dóra Pődör, docent at the Institute of English Studies, present the practical measures implemented at Károli Gáspár University of the Reformed Church in Hungary in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, which strengthened the Christian attributes of the Institute over the period 2015-2020.
The conference is opened by Prof. Dr. Péter Balla, Vice-Rector and ordained pastor of the Károli Gáspár University of the Reformed Church, the professional leader of the INCHE conference, on April 6, at 5 p.m. Dr. Shirley Roels, Executive Director of INCHE, also addresses the opening. On the closing day of the conference, Prof. Dr. László Trócsányi, Rector of the Károli Gáspár University of the Reformed Church in Hungary, gives a closing speech.
For more information, please visit the Conference’s website: https://inche.one/inche-europe-conference
The Press Invitation is available by clicking here.
