I count it a rare privilege to have been asked to appear before this very influential and impressive body of global Christian communicators. There are before us any number of challenges, opportunities, and perspectives which the previous concept of world may not have included or which may not have had significance for everyone. In addition, the concept global seems like a more inclusive concept today, while the concept of world is one that has been employed exclusively.
World is a concept that has often been used to divide peoples and nations into categories.
Frequently, this classification has also been used to rank one group of people above another. On the other hand, global conveys the suggestion that there is an equality of condition or of being. Every point on a globe is equidistant from the center. I consider it a special privilege to have known some of you from years past. To have had you as friends and colleagues has been a most significant factor in my life.