Other Sheep
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2011 Annual
Report
of
K. Renato Lings,
Other Sheep
Coordinator for
Europe
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"I have other sheep that are not of this
fold.  I must bring them in also."  
John 10:16
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This year I have accepted serving as OS Coordinator for Europe. Here is a brief overview of some
activities.

IN MARCH 2011 - A TRIP TO ARGENTINA

I spent the month of March in Argentina. It was my first visit to the Southern Cone, prompted by
repeated invitations from Tom Hanks. In Buenos Aires I had some good conversations with Tom
and established friendships with the local ICM (MCC) including pastors Víctor Bracuto and
Gregorio Tobar. On two occasions I delivered a sermon to the ICM group, quite an unusual
experience for an academic like me! In Buenos Aires I also met and made friends with a religious
student of Danish descent who is preparing for a PhD in Theology.  He invited me to give a talk at
at a BA church where he had skilfully organized a well-attended evening in the sanctuary.  I was
asked to share some of the findings of my own recent research on the Bible and homosexuality.
There were lots of questions from the audience. The atmosphere was warm and friendly.

Subsequently I travelled to three cities in the southern part of Buenos Aires province (Tres
Arroyos, Necochea, and Tandil). I was particularly interested to meet members of the local
communities of Danish descent, some of whom (usually the elderly) still speak fluent Danish.One
religious leader had organized two interviews with the local media and a well-attended public
lecture held at a public facility. In Necochea I was interviewed live for a local radio program, and in
Tandil I met other faith-based people and a religious leader. Finally, I spent three pleasant days
in Montevideo, Uruguay, sharing some quality time with the local ICM group and delivering a talk.
Everywhere I went I mentioned my forthcoming Spanish book. The news was greeted with
enthusiasm.

CONFERENCES ATTENDED and SPEAKING OPPORTUNITIES

In April I attended an international conference for theologians at the University of Lund in
southern Sweden. The theme was “Stereotyping the Other”. I had been invited by Professor
Jesper Svartvik who has written several groundbreaking works in Swedish on biblical
interpretation. I offered a paper on “The Victim of Sodom”. In May I was scheduled to attend the
annual meeting of the European Forum of Gay & Lesbian Christian groups in Berlin, Germany.
However, a nasty bout of flu broke out on me the day before going and the trip was canceled. In
July I attended the summer gathering of the Society for Old Testament Study (UK) held in Oxford,
England. I shared some OS material with several scholars.

More recently, I have attended the annual meeting of the European Student Christian Federation
held in southwestern Denmark. The overall theme was “Communicating Gender”. I was invited to
deliver the opening lecture to an audience of 40 people. Subsequently I conducted a workshop
attended by 12 people on the subject of Bible translation, particularly with a focus on the serious
anti-gay bias of a number of current English Bible versions. I am happy to report that my input
(which was anything but “traditional”) was well received, even by some Roman Catholic students
from Slovakia! In recent weeks I have addressed minor audiences including Danish Quakers and
the Interreligious Forum of Copenhagen on Bible-related subjects.

PUBLISHING MY BOOK IN SPANISH

For me personally, the recent publication of my latest book has been a highlight. The title is
BIBLIA Y HOMOSEXUALIDAD ¿Se equivocaron los traductores? (The Bible & Homosexuality: Did
the Translators Get It Wrong?) The publisher is Sebila at the Biblical University of Latin America in
Costa Rica. The book is distributed via Amazon.com which is proving to be a wise arrangement. I
should add that the royalties of BIBLIA Y HOMOSEXUALIDAD have been donated to the Other
Sheep Latin America Fund. In late November and early December I plan to spend two weeks in
Spain, primarily in Madrid in Barcelona, to promote my book.

TWO NEW ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS

Finally, Professor Jesper Svartvik, who distributes his time evenly between the University of Lund
(Sweden) and the Swedish Theological Institute (Jerusalem), has accepted to join the OS Board
of Advisers. I am equally delighted to let you all know that so has Dr Nicola Slee, an outstanding
feminist theologian, writer and editor based in Birmingham, England, where she teaches at The
Queen’s Foundation for Ecumenical Theological Education.

CURRENT PROJECTS AND CONCERNS

    Prompted by John Doner, I am hoping to distribute copies of my recent book to Spanish-
    speaking documentation centers around Latin America.
    I am running out of printed OS folders. Perhaps an updated version is on its way?
    Suggestion: How about producing a printable sheet that can be shared as an e-mail
    attachment and printed locally?
    My main current project is preparing an English edition of my book for publication in 2012.
    The working title is “The Bible and Homosexuality: What Mistakes Do Translators Make?”
"I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold.  I must bring them also."  
John 10:16 NRSV
Other Sheep Websites
Other Sheep Coordinator for Europe
Kjeld Renato Lings   
Email Address for
K. Renato Lings:
biblioglot@googlemail.com

His personal website:
CLICK HERE for the
personal website of
K. Renato Lings
Other Sheep Coordinator for
Europe beginning June 1, 2011

2011 Annual Report
K. Renato Lings
Other Sheep Coordinator for Europe
Submitted November 7, 2011

Editor:  Some names have been removed; the unedited version is on file with the Other Sheep board chairperson
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