The purpose of this call for papers is to invite select scholars to participate in an ecumenical dialogue scheduled on Thursday, October 9^th, 2025, which will take place on Fuller Seminary’s Pasadena campus, focusing on the topic of deification. In recent decades, the concept of deification—also referred to as theosis or divinization—has garnered significant interest among theologians across various Christian traditions. Scholars have engaged in the (re)discovery, (re)turn, and (re)appropriation of the biblical understanding of deification.

We invite scholars from diverse Christian backgrounds to contribute to a meaningful ecumenical dialogue concerning the doctrine of deification. We are privileged to have Dr. Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen and Hank Hanegraaff as our keynote speakers.

The Symposium aims to analyze contributions to the doctrine of deification from the “local churches” (founded by Watchman Nee in 1921 in China), with a case study centered on Witness Lee, who continued Nee’s vision and further articulated his theological insights. In 1994, Lee defined deification, asserting, “God’s intention is to make Himself one with man—to make Himself man so that man may become Him.” He regarded this teaching as “the diamond in the Bible” (Collected Works of Witness Lee 1994, 1:4), with a crucial definition stating, “believers in Christ have been made God in life and nature but not in the Godhead” (Collected Works of Witness Lee 1993, 1:414).

The Symposium would consist of presentations on Lee’s theology of deification by a few scholars representing the “local churches.” Then, scholars from various other Christian traditions would respond based on their own theological convictions.

Potential discussion topics encompass, but are not limited to:

– Historical, biblical, theological, and practical dimensions of the (re)discovery, (re)turn, and (re)appropriation of the doctrine of deification within specific Christian traditions.

– Strategies for fostering meaningful dialogue regarding doctrinal development among diverse church traditions.

– Considerations for constructive theology in the third millennium, especially focusing on ecumenical formulations of the doctrine of deification with eschatological implications.

For further inquiries, please contact Dr. Jacob Chengwei Feng at chengweifeng@fuller.edu.