The Amago Sanso Retreat from Jan. 27 to 29 on the Izu Peninsula may see sparks fly! It will be the 49th annual celebratory gathering of Christian women from all over Japan and other parts of Asia, the same age -- synchronistically -- as its controversial keynote speaker, Hyun Kyung Chung.
Why controversial? Because fundamentalist Christians will think Hyun Kyung -- who claims to be a pagan, shamanistic, eco-feminist Buddhist-Christian -- is weird. But they are not the Christians likely to be attracted to the conference. Chung and the organizers expect similarly creative free thinkers to sign up -- women who are open to exploring new ideas and having fun.
Hyun Kyung is professor of ecumenical theology at Union Theological Seminary in New York City, and also a lay theologian of the Presbyterian Church of Korea. She first came to international attention in 1991, when she made a now famous speech -- a feminist/Asian/Third World interpretation of the Holy Spirit -- at the World Council of Churches in Canberra, Australia.