Religious Freedom Institute opens branch in Vancouver
Janet Epp Buckingham appointed to lead
the international Institute for Religious Freedom (IIRF), a network of professors, researchers, academics, specialists and university institutions, has chosen Vancouver as the location for its first North American branch.
The new branch is a partnership with Trinity Western University’s Religion in Canada Institute, led by Janet Epp Buckingham and codirector Paul Rowe.
The Vancouver branch for IIRF adds a fifth global region to the international network. It will also be led by Epp Buckingham and Rowe, helping to shine a light on the violation of religious freedoms in this part of the world – a focus Epp Buckingham feels has been lacking in Canadian academic institutions.
“It’s very valuable to have a North American presence, since the United Nations in New York deals with some religious freedom issues, and the Canadian and U.S. governments both deal with it as part of foreign policy,” she explains.
Her goal is two-fold: 1) to bring together academics who work on human rights and religious freedoms, including from international studies, law, sociology, political studies and political theology, creating a hub of interdisciplinary research and collaborative work; and 2) to encourage and mentor students interested in these issues.
“On campus, issues of human trafficking and refugees have been high profile, so I like to let students know about this other important issue. It’s an opportunity for them to become passionate about religious freedoms,” she says.
She is uniquely positioned to give the new branch a leaping head start. In addition to her role as director of IIRF Vancouver, she is also executive editor of the International Journal for Religious Freedom and is the World Evangelical Alliance’s director designate for global advocacy. She says her various roles overlap, providing avenues for publishing and bringing people together from around the world advocating for those persecuted for their religious beliefs.
“I really got my start and my passion for this kind of work when I was working for The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, so I feel like this is bringing me full circle back to the work I was doing with the EFC’s Ottawa office in the early 2000s. I do feel like God has prepared me for what I’m doing right now.”