WEA

The head of the world’s largest evangelical body on Wednesday spoke for the first time with the pastor behind the planned Sept. 11 Quran burning.

Dr. Geoff Tunnicliffe, CEO and secretary general of the World Evangelical Alliance, tried to dissuade Dr. Terry Jones of Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Fla., from following through on his controversial plan, which has sparked protests overseas and prompted pleas from U.S. government officials.

Tunnicliffe, whose organization represents 420 million evangelicals, said Jones seemed a “bit ambivalent” about going through with the event but did not say anything new. The evangelical leader offered to fly down to Florida on Friday – one day before the event – to speak to Jones and his congregation. more >>

To mark the 100-day countdown until a historic world evangelization summit, organizers launched a global chat room in eight languages.

Cape Town 2010: The Third Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization, which is a follow-up of Lausanne II in 1989, now offers The Lausanne Global Conversation in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish.

The online conversation invites mission-minded Christians and leaders worldwide to discuss and debate pressing issues facing the global church – such as increasing hostility to Christianity, the threat of terrorism, and HIV/AIDS – in the months leading up to the event. more >>

The Edinburgh 2010 conference will open on Wednesday with the aim of providing direction for Christian mission in the 21st century.

Hundreds of leaders from around the world will gather in Edinburgh, Scotland, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the first-ever global mission conference, Edinburgh 1910.

From June 2 to 6, mission experts will convene to discuss nine major themes, including Christian mission among other faiths, mission and post-modernities, and Christian communities in contemporary contexts. more >>

Geoff Tunnicliffe, international director of the World Evangelical Alliance, spoke to The Christian Post this week while in Washington, D.C., to attend the National Prayer Breakfast, among other events. During the interview, Tunnicliffe addressed the controversy surrounding the WEA’s recent visit to China, the group’s role in the upcoming Lausanne conference, and what its members are doing to help Haiti.

The following are excerpts from the interview.

CP: WEA leaders met with the TSPM/CCC (Three-Self Patriotic Movement/China Christian Council) church leaders in November. Did you also meet with house church leaders? If not, why not? more >>

WASHINGTON – The head of the World Evangelical Alliance sought Tuesday to address concerns raised by Chinese house churches upset over his organization’s decision to not visit or even mention them during a recent trip to China.

In an exclusive interview with The Christian Post, Geoff Tunnicliffe, the international director of the World Evangelical Alliance, said the over 150-year-old ministry has a long history of promoting religious freedom and its promotion remains a “core principle” for the organization.

“We believe that religious freedom and human rights are tied together and we are not going to step away from that kind of commitment,” Tunnicliffe stated. “In fact, we believe we will continue to be strong advocates for that.” more >>

A delegation of 24 leaders from the World Evangelical Alliance met with leaders of China’s official church bodies Monday, building upon the relationships formed during the first visit by the alliance’s head, Geoff Tunnicliffe, in 2008.

The delegation, which arrived in Shanghai on Sunday, includes Tunnicliffe, European Evangelical Alliance General Secretary Gordon Showell-Rogers from the United Kingdom, National Association of Evangelicals President Leith Anderson from the United States, and members of the WEA’s governing body – the International Council – among others.

On the first official day of their visit, the WEA delegation was welcomed by local Chinese officials and leaders of the state-approved Three-Self Patriotic Movement and the China Christian Council, the umbrella organization for all registered Protestant churches. Among those present were CCC President Gao Feng, CCC General Secretary Kan Baoping, and Amity Foundation Board Member Bao Jiayuan. more >>