Exploring the Cambodian notion of sasna (‘religion’)
In this Webinar Claire Chong will present some emerging ideas from her fieldwork research about how people in Cambodia understand the idea of ‘religion’.
In 2023, the Pew Research Center released a report entitled Buddhism, Islam and Religious Pluralism in South and Southeast Asia. It shows that across Asia people view ‘religion’ quite differently. It is hoped that with a better understanding of what religion is in other societies, Christians may engage with people of other faiths in more meaningful ways.
Details
Date & Time: Thursday 24th July 2025 – 13:00 GMT
That will be morning in USA, early afternoon in Europe, and evening in Asia – check the time in your timezone here.
The webinar will include a presentation by Clare, small group discussion, and opportunity to ask questions. It is free of cost and open to all interested particpants. Register at EventBrite to receive details of how to join the webinar.
About the presenter: Claire Chong
Claire and her husband Dr Kevin Lowe lived in Cambodia and Myanmar for 15 years and established self-sustaining churches and businesses. She is presently a Research and Training Associate with the Singapore Centre for Global Missions, and holds several other international missions-related roles. Claire is also a PhD candidate with the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies, UK, researching on the use of a Buddhist epistemological approach in studying Cambodian ritual and religion.
About AVM and RF:
For this webinar, the Alliance for Vulnerable Mission (AVM) partners with the Rethinking Forum (RF).
The Alliance for Vulnerable Mission encourages cross-cultural workers to make themselves vulnerable to the people they serve – mainly by using local languages and local resources in ministry. This webinar is a platform to listen, ask questions and engage in conversations focused on this theme.
Prioritising cultural and missiological humility, the Rethinking Forum seeks to strengthen the witness of Christ to the Theravada Buddhist world. We want to address barriers and overcome hindrances to the Gospel. This includes taking a critical look at what lessons can be learned from the past, and deconstructing unhelpful approaches (such as neocolonialism and western worldview). Likewise, we seek to learn from and engage with new movements to Christ taking place on the ground and culturally appropriate foundations and expressions of faith. We aim to become vulnerable towards those we are there to reach, seeking to discover what God is doing beyond our limited frameworks.
