Public discussions about the role of evangelical relief organizations in post-war Iraq have raised questions about their methods of evangelism, public rhetoric, and relationship to U.S. foreign policy. This meeting will address several issues. How should evangelical relief groups conduct themselves in post-war Iraq and other predominantly Muslim contexts without compromising their theological beliefs? How, if at all, should they combine evangelism with relief work? How can they combine cultural sensitivity with theological integrity? Second, what are we to make of evangelical public rhetoric? Specifically, what public responsibilities do evangelicals have when discussing other faiths, particularly Islam? Finally, we seek to identify the proper relationship between U.S. foreign policy and evangelical relief groups. Given American foreign policy goals, what is the most appropriate relationship between evangelical relief groups and U.S. government entities, such as the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)?

Lamin Sanneh is D. Willis James Professor of Missions and World Christianity and professor of history at Yale University’s Divinity School and professor of history at Yale University. A Gambian by birth and educated on four continents, Dr. Sanneh received his Ph.D. in Islamic history at the University of London. He is honorary research professor in the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, a life member of Clare Hall, Cambridge University, and he was chair of Yale's Council on African Studies. His books include Abolitionists Abroad: American Blacks and the Making of Modern West Africa (Harvard, 2000), The Crown and the Turban: Muslims and West African Pluralism (Westview,1997), Piety and Power: Muslims and Christians in West Africa (Orbis,1996), Religion and the Variety of Culture: A Study in Origin and Practice (Trinity Press,1996), Encountering the West: Christianity and the Global Cultural Process (Orbis,1993), Translating the Message: The Missionary Impact on Culture (Orbis,1989) and West African Christianity: The Religious Impact (Orbis,1983). He is an editor-at-large of the ecumenical weekly The Christian Century. In recognition of his academic work, he was made Commandeur de l'Ordre National du Lion, Senegal's highest national honor.