On 16th of November, Dr. Samuel Lee, the president of Foundation Academy of Amsterdam is awarded as the New Theologian of the Year 2019. (Theoloog des Vaderlands) He succeeds Prof. dr. Stefan Paas who played this role last year.
Dr. Samuel Lee was internally appointed this year by the organizations, universities, Christian faculties of theology, newspapers, TV and media, that organized the Night of Theology. It is the ninth time that a theologian is pushed forward to be an ambassador for theology in the Netherlands for a year. It is the first time that a theologian with a migration background fulfills this role. He is praised for his ability to build bridges between traditional churches and migrant churches. Dr. Samuel Lee is also a pioneer in the concept of Theology of Migration, as he leads the Center for Theology of Migration at the Vrije Universiteit, Faculty of Religion and Theology, in collaboration with Samen Kerk in Nederland.
Tom Mikkers, the chairman of juries of the that organise the election: “Samuel Lee gives a face to an underexposed side of theology in the Netherlands: the theology of migrant churches, which ensure that Christianity grows in the Netherlands. We are very curious how he, as an ambassador of theology, enters into a conversation with everyone. The great source of inspiration for Samuel Lee is Martin Luther King, we find that promising.
As the staff, faculty and students of Foundation Academy of Amsterdam, we rejoice with this new appointment of our president and we wish him all the best for playing this important role.