STM Annual Retreat 2010

The STM 2010 Annual Retreat is now over. It is the tradition of the seminary to begin her new academic year with the Annual Retreat. This year, we are privileged to have Bishop Dr Robert Solomon, the Bishop of the Methodist Church in Singapore, as the speaker sharing on the topic of the Lord's Prayer.

It is unfortunate that due to some family emergency that I have to leave the retreat half way, and missed out some of the sessions.

To all new and returning students, I wish you all a good year ahead. Welcome to STM.

Redcliffe and Allnations Announced Merger

Redcliffe College and allnations, two colleges specilising in mission training based in the UK, recently announced a merger to be completed by summer 2010. The merged entity will become one of the largest mission and cross-cultural training institutions in the world.

For further infomation concerning the announcement, please click here and here.

Office Makeover

Last week, I decided to do an office makeover. It's been almost 3 years already since I started teaching in the seminary, and I reckoned that perhaps it was time to give my office a fresh look. In addition, I reasoned that since I spend quite a fairly great deal of my time in the office, perhaps it would be good to make it a little bit more welcoming, homely, and cosy, not only for me but also for those who might want to drop by for a chat or a cuppa. So I decided to put some of my creativity to work.

So this was what I did initially by rearranging some furniture.


Then I realised it was not good enough. It still had a very formal look. I wanted something more informal. So I thought perhaps my office could do with a rag and beanbag. So this was how it looked like after adding these two items.


And Andrew, one of my students, found the beanbag to be irresistible, and so decided to give it a try. It was pretty comfortable, wasn't it?


Then I realised there was still something missing. So after having a chat with a partner-in-crime, she suggested that perhaps the office could do with some lighting and a bowl of fresh fruits. So I decided to head to Ikea to check out some decently priced reading lights and a nice salad bowl.

So here is how the final office makeover looks like. I am rather pleased with the final product!


So if you happen to be in the vicinity of the seminary, please do drop by for a cuppa.

Should I repaint the walls with some contrasting colour scheme to give my office a more lively and uplifting mood?

Medical Doctor's Musings on Theological Education

Alex Tang has begun posting a series of reflections on theological education, ranging from issues related to the need for learning original language, content of theological education, and spiritual formation. By knowing Alex, I strongly suspect there will be more to come (and I do look forward to Alex's observations).

It is interesting to read Alex's reflections - as he is not a "seminarian" or a "professional theological educator" per se, but a medical doctor whose hobby has driven him to complete his PhD in spiritual formation recently. I have always welcome observations from "outsiders" into the enterprise of theological education - they are the ones that often give the most insightful comments.

I will respond to Alex's musings when time permits. I think Alex has hit the nail on its head with some of his observations (although I might have to take issue with his comment on learning biblical languages - I think the problem of learning biblical languages for seminarians is not whether we need it or not, but the pedagogical method that we are currently using in teaching these languages may be outdated - but more on this later)

Readings in Greek Using Bibleworks

This semester, I offered an elective course on Readings in Greek using Bibleworks. Two M Div students signed up for the course. Throughout this semester, we read portions of Greek text from Acts, John, James, Psalm 2 (LXX), 1 Clement and the Nicene Creed. The primary focus of this reading course is to increase the reading proficiency of Greek, have a better grasp of the command of Greek syntactical analysis, and to explore extra-biblical literature in Greek. At the same, much of our grammatical analysis was carried out using Bibleworks, and this also helped the students to familiarise themselves with the use of the software.


Since this was a small group discussion, we all decided that classes should be held in our favourite coffee place off campus, Starbucks. This provided a very relaxed and condusive environment for discussions, debates, and discovery of Greek grammar and syntax, lexical analysis, and sentence flow and diagramming. In adiditon, extended conversation on theology became part of the menu as well.


One of the requirements of the course was to do a project on some form of analysis of Greek syntax by using Bibleworks. And my two students produced a rather impressive joint project on "A Computer Aided Investigative Study on the Grammatical and Syntactical Usage of the Aorist and Present Imperatives, their Similarities and Distinctiveness in the Epistle According to St James." I look forward to interacting with their paper later this week.

If there is demand, I might consider offering this elective reading course in the future for those who have done Intermediate Greek. But be warned, there is a lot of hard work involved. But to those who are willing to work hard and dig deep into the Scripture, great discovery of treasure awaits them.

Lecture by Tan Sri Ramon Navaratnam

Tan Sri Ramon Navaratnam will be delivering a lecture on "The Church in A Broken World" at the seminary on June 25, 2009, 7.30pm. All are welcome.

For further information, please click here.

Publish or Perish? OR Publish then Perish?

Some months ago, I had a rather interesting conversation with a faculty member teaching in a theological institution in the country. The conversation went something like this:

Lecturer A: "So what have you been busy lately?"
KY: "Proof reading my book, and at the same time, hoping to get my other book done by September."
Lecturer A: "Why are you so busy writing books?"
KY joked: "As an academician, its either publish or perish!"
Lecturer A: "You should stop writing and go and do some ministry."
KY: Speechless......

What is ministry? Isn't book writing also constitutes a form of ministry? Since when do we have such a narrow view of 'ministry'? Is this an indication of the health of our theological institutions in the nation?

Some food for thought

Asbury Names New President

I am delighted to know that my former Professor of World Missions at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Dr Timothy Tennent, has been elected as the 8th President of Asbury Theological Seminary. This will be a great loss to the Gordon-Conwell community, but I am sure he will be a great blessing to Asbury. Congratulations, Tim, and I wish you all the best and God's blessings as you take on this new role at Asbury Theological Seminary.

Below is the press release from Asbury Theological Seminary.

ASBURY SEMINARY ELECTS NEW PRESIDENT

WILMORE, Ky. (Feb. 17, 2009) – Timothy Craig Tennent, Ph.D., of Ipswich, Mass., has been elected the eighth president of Asbury Theological Seminary by the Board of Trustees. Asbury Theological Seminary, a private graduate school in the Wesleyan tradition with an enrollment of more than 1600 students, offers master’s and doctorate degrees in theology, biblical studies, missions and ministry studies.

Tennent, 49, comes to Asbury Seminary from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, Mass., where he has served as professor of world missions and Indian studies since 1998.

Dr. Dan Johnson, chairman of the Board of Trustees stated, “The board is very excited about the unanimous election of Dr. Tennent. Dr. Tennent is a scholar’s scholar, a professor’s professor. He is a world Christian with world vision who will take Asbury Seminary into wonderful new arenas.”

“I am honored to have been selected to be president of Asbury Theological Seminary,” Tennent says. “We are delighted to be moving to the historic and beautiful garden area of central Kentucky. My wife, Julie, and I have always said that wherever God sends us, we will go. God has taken us to China, India, Nigeria and many beautiful churches in the southern United States and in New England. Now we have the great opportunity to help Asbury work with a global constituency and play a stronger role in preparing ministers from around the world for God’s work around the world.”

Tennent received his M.Div. in 1984 from Gordon-Conwell; the Th.M. in ecumenics, with a focus on Islam from Princeton Theological Seminary; and did graduate work in linguistics (TESL) at the University of Georgia. He completed his Ph.D. in non-western Christianity with a focus on Hinduism and Indian Christianity in 1998 at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.

He is also one of the first four graduates from a new leadership development program funded by the Lilly Foundation and developed by the Lexington Seminar.

The leadership training program “covered innovation in everything from theological practice, shared governance, fundraising, negotiating personal dynamics in education to working with boards,” Tennent says. “During the three-year program, I met with dozens of deans and many presidents from schools across the theological spectrum, and learned a great deal about many of the unique challenges that we are facing today.”

Tennent is passionate about classical, orthodox theological education.

“I am alarmed by the growing trend away from serious theological reflection and do not believe that the church will be adequately prepared to face the challenges of pluralism and post-modernism without a more robust theological preparation,” he says. “I am also passionate about the emergence of the Majority World Church. I believe that the Western church continues to have an important role in global missions, in partnership with the increasingly vibrant Majority World Church.”

About Asbury Theological Seminary:
Asbury Seminary is a Christ-centered graduate school in the Wesleyan holiness tradition. Our faculty, staff, and students come from a variety of denominations and cultures and we offer a number of degree options in three campus locations — Kentucky, Florida and Virtual. We believe each person has a purpose. We are a community called… For more information, please visit asburyseminary.edu.

Some "Silly" Quotes...

Over the past couple of weeks, in the midst of my conversations with friends in the seminary, several rather interesting quotes were remarked. Well, it's still early in the semester, but I guess pressure is already mounting, and this may have led to some creative juice manifesting itself in these quotes. Well, I guess it's one of those magical moments that someone just burst out with something worth remembering.

On what is bad time management.
"If you are busy, you have bad time management" - never mind if you never even get your work done, or it takes you 5 months to draft a simple letter, all you need to do is NOT to be busy.

On whether one should read a post in the forum, in light of the bad time management quote above.
"You can read it if only you have excellent time management skills, else forget it."

On why a single guy would not date a very charming girl.
"Hey, this is your last bus. Don't miss it," says a friend, referring to the girl.
"I would rather miss the last bus than hop on the wrong bus," came the reply.

On changing thesis topic:
Student: "I would not really want to change topic. I would not want the pie to fly at my face."
Lecturer: "It is better to have the pie fly at your face now than to have the other pie and then find out that you have problem swallowing it and that it causes indigestion."

On blogging.
A: 'Bloggers and those who read blogs are a bunch of people who like to spread gossips."
The Budding NT Scholar: ".....you know you are one if you read this!"

More Disciples Needed in Biblical Studies

My colleague, the Rabbi, has often publicly made it known that he has been praying for 12 disciples to be trained in the field of OT for the Malaysian church. He has successcully trained one who is now on the faculty of STM. But he is still on the aggressive lookout for 11 more. Any takers to do postgraduate studies in OT under the Reb?

I, too, have been praying for more quality disciples to be trained in the field of NT. At the moment, I have two working under me in for their postgraduate studies, and perhaps potentially another one next year. But we need more. Like what the Reb says, he is not going to be around forever, same goes for the budding NT scholar too.

It takes at least 7-10 years to train someone to be a specialist in biblical studies, be it in NT or OT. The usual path is the 3-year Master of Divinity track, followed by a 2-year Master of Theology, then another 3-5 years of PhD studies.

Let's assume this - both the Reb and I start mentoring one disciple each in 2009 in his/her Master of Theology studies in OT and NT respectively. By the time this person completes his/her PhD in OT/NT, that would be in 2014/15 at the earliest, provided we can secure all the necessary funding, and there is no further unforeseen circumstances that would derail our planning, and that all studies are done full-time, a luxury that not many can afford. This is a very long wait indeed.

Would the Reb and I be still around by then? Only the Almighty knows. As such, would any potential disciples like to take up this challenge? At the same time, would anyone out there like to support (both spiritually and materially) such a candidate for his/her studies?

Books From NZ Arrive

Last week, I was naturally excited when I was informed that the six boxes of books that I shipped from New Zealand while attending SBL International Meeting have arrived. These books were donated by Dr Max Liddle to the seminary library. Max, who is now retired, served as a missionary to India and taught at Bible College of New Zealand (now Laidlaw College).

I can't wait for the library to catalogue these books, and hope to be able to pick up some duplicate copies at a discounted price (hint...hint...)

Bible College of New Zealand Changes Name

On August 2, Bible College of New Zealand is officially known as Laidlaw College after the merger with Masters Institute. Thanks to CW for highlighting this to me.

The new website is still under construction, but promises to be launched in the next few days.

CT Interviews Gordon-Conwell's New President

CT runs an interview with Dr Dennis Hollinger, the new President of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, my alma mater. The interview is reproduced below. It gives us a little glimps of the direction where Dr Hollinger might just take in helming Gordon-Conwell.

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Coordinating the Head, Heart, and Hands
New president of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary seeks to hold together what others pull apart.

Veteran administrator Dennis Hollinger takes over August 1 as president of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, relieving interim president Haddon Robinson. Hollinger, who previously led Evangelical Theological Seminary in Myerstown, Pennsylvania, will also serve as professor of Christian ethics. Charlotte pastor James Emery White, who preceded Robinson, lasted only one year, leaving in June 2007. Hollinger spoke with CT editor at large Collin Hansen about contemporary challenges for theological education.

What experience and insight do you bring to Gordon-Conwell after your stint as the president of Evangelical Theological Seminary?
One of the things I bring is a combination of higher-ed administration, including the last four years as seminary president, 11 years of pastoral ministry, and 11 years of full-time seminary teaching.

Tell me a little bit about your personal formation. What theologians have influenced you?
The writings of C. S. Lewis have been very significant. I'm eclectic in my theology. I have drawn from the wells of Wesley, Calvin, Augustine, and the Anabaptist tradition. One thing that characterizes my own life and my approach to ministry and theological education is holding together what people tend to pull apart. My book Head, Heart and Hands reflects that approach. Those oriented toward the head have said that if we get our biblical and theological knowledge down, that will really put us in the good spot for the rest of our lives. The heart-oriented folks say that if our hearts are strangely warmed by God, that will develop Christian maturity. Others focus more on the action side. What I do in that book is argue that not only must all three be present, but also that they really need to nurture each other. That insight stems from my background of having worked in a number of different denominational settings.

Do you see the tensions between evangelicals stemming primarily from the head, the heart, or the hands?
Our perspectives are never purely theological. We're shaped by our context. We're shaped by our personalities. We're shaped by our experiences in life for good and ill. When we do theological education we need to be aware of the context that has shaped us. That carries over into ministry, because then we recognize the way in which we take the Word of God. It's transcendent, but we always bring it into the midst of a very specific context, meeting people with their unique personalities, hurts, and struggles, particular cultural backgrounds, and particular geographical locations.

What are some of your top priorities as you prepare to take over the seminary?
I don't think it's the job of a president to individually develop a vision and come in and impose it on an educational institution. My hope would be to develop a collaborative process between trustees, faculty, alumni, the larger church, and through that process to determine the best ways to do theological education today. One of the goals I have is to help the seminary develop world Christians who can effectively and faithfully lead the church, especially as it faces some daunting issues from the culture and from within — theological issues, cultural issues, and the like.

What are some of those internal and external challenges?
We are continually struggling with issues surrounding the nature of the church. There are so many different models out there. We have to prepare people for a wide assortment of churches. We tend to be a bit monolithic in our vision, thinking that one approach will do it. We have a lot of debates going on in ecclesiology, where evangelicalism has not been strong. We face a lot of ethical issues, and that is my area of expertise. There are significant bioethics issues and continual issues in sexuality, such as homosexuality. We continually need to face the racial issues. I think the Obama campaign has certainly demonstrated that we have a lot of unfinished business in that area. Part of the task in theological education is to help people navigate their way amidst the complexities and do so in a way that isn't politicized. That's one of the dangers we have when we jump into these issues. We're known more for our political stance than we are for our principled orientation and our theological undergirding.

There is significant diversity within the broader seminary community. How would you describe Gordon-Conwell's unique contributions?

Outsiders often overlook our three campuses, which do rather unique things. The South Hamilton campus is a fairly classical approach to theological education. The center for urban ministries in Boston is focused on urban contextual education. The Charlotte campus follows the adult-education model with weekend classes and short-term intensives. We'll be focusing on more online models, particularly hybrid models that combine online education with classroom experience. So my sense is that Gordon-Conwell is well poised for the future to cover the spectrum of delivery systems and address a broad spectrum of issues, because we have multiple campuses.

One of the keys that Gordon-Conwell will be working on is how we maintain the integrity of those three orientations while utilizing the unique resources for the other campuses. We want that urban fervor to come up to South Hamilton and some of the classical to go down to Boston. That's one of the challenges: that we not end up with three seminaries, but be able to really draw the strengths of each and enrich the other campuses.

Inerrancy is a perpetual concern for seminaries, as we've seen with Westminster Theological Seminary and the revised statement of faith for the Evangelical Free Church of America, which is affiliated with Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. How does this ongoing concern about inerrancy affect Gordon-Conwell?
Gordon-Conwell has always had a strong commitment to the inerrancy of Scripture while recognizing the broad genre of Scripture — that is, that God did not reveal himself to us in just one way. When we talk about the truthfulness of Scripture, we also have to recognize that his richness speaks to us in multiple ways through Scripture. Sometimes we have allowed our views of inerrancy to lead to very monolithic interpretations of Scripture. We need to be careful about that. When we're studying a poetic genre we have to understand that as poetry, which is not the same as an historic rendition or an apocalyptic rendition or a prophetic utterance. Gordon-Conwell has a strong history of trying to emphasize those things. Certainly the Gordon Fee and [GCTS Old Testament professor] Douglas Stuart book How to Read the Bible for All It's Worth, which is used in so many colleges, reflects that.

Another controversial issue is gender roles. How do you anticipate managing the ever-present complementarian/egalitarian debate at Gordon-Conwell?
I haven't been there yet to get all of the nuances. I can simply tell you that one of the criteria that they had for president was a person who would be supportive of men and women in their preparation of ministry. That doesn't mean that everyone at Gordon-Conwell is, but it was significant enough institutionally that that was one of the criteria established in terms of presidential characteristics.

Is that a longstanding rule for Gordon-Conwell?
I don't know. I do know that A. J. Gordon himself had a fairly strong support of women in ministry going back more than 100 years ago.

Will you continue to write in your field of social ethics and bioethics?
I hope to. My contract gives me four weeks a year for writing and research, and I want to continue to keep up in the field and do some writing. I doubt that's going to happen in the first year. I'm just about ready to send a manuscript into Baker. I have a contract with them for a book called The Meaning of Sex: A Framework for the Moral Life.

Collin Hansen is a CT editor at large and author of Young, Restless, Reformed: A Journalist's Journey with the New Calvinists.

Gordon-Conwell Names New President

In a letter to the alumni dated June 10, Interim President Haddon Robbinson announces that Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary has a new president.

"On Tuesday, June 10, The Presidential Search Committee, having looked at a number of candidates, presented to the Board of Trustees Dr. Dennis P. Hollinger, President and Professor of Christian Ethics at Evangelical Theological Seminary in Myerstown, Pa. The board voted unanimously that he would be the next president to lead Gordon-Conwell. He will be joined in ministry by his wife of 36 years, Dr. Mary Ann Hollinger, who is Dean of External Programs and Assistant Professor of Family Studies at Messiah College in Grantham, PA."

Dennis Hollinger’s leadership experience in theological education as a pastor, scholar and innovator are detailed here.

With the new President announced, Dr Robbinson will continue on serving Gordon-Conwell as the Harold John Ockenga Distinguished Professor of Preaching and working in the Doctor of Ministry program.

As an alumnus of Gordon-Conwell, I wish Dr Hollinger God's blessings and guidance as he assumes this new position in leading the seminary to greater heights.

Sabah Theological Seminary: A Beautiful Campus

It's been 2 days since we arrived at Sabah Theological Seminary (STS) for the Romans Symposium with Robert Jewett and K. K. Yeo. Together with us on this trip (other than Ezra Kok, my principal) are 4 of our M Theol students.

While the Romans Symposium will not start until tomorrow, we decided to come over to Kota Kinabalu, the capital of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo, a few days earlier. This could give us a chance to rest, and also provide the opportunity for our international postgraduates students to explore another part of beautiful Malaysia.

STS has a very beautiful and serene campus, located on Signal Hill just off the city centre. Surrounded by lush greenery and secondary forest, this is a perfect place for study and rest. I'll let the photos do the talking.

The Main Administration Building, comprising faculty offices, library and classrooms

The historic Chapel

Wisma STS - the student's accommodation block - looks more like a condominium than a hostel block, right!

Wisma Kurnia - apartment block for lecturers. I stay in one of the units in this block.

Room with a view! This is the view from the balcony of the apartment where I stay. One can witness sunrise from this spot as the balcony faces east!

In the meantime, I think I am going to enjoy my stay here. Much to the dismay of my principal, I suggested that perhaps I could do with a lecturer's exchange programme to come over to STS for a while....

A Sermon on Why Bible College is Unscriptural and Wrong!

I have just come across a very interesting sermon titled, ""Why Bible College is Unscriptural and Wrong." As a seminary lecturer, this automatically intrigued me. I thought that it might be good to check out what this preacher had to say about the topic. At the same time, I also wondered why a pastor of a church would bother preaching a sermon against bible college/seminary and entitle his sermon in such a polemical manner. So I listened to the sermon he preached on February 10, 2008.

The pastor gave 5 reasons why he strongly believes a bible college is unscriptural and wrong. Let me highlight two of them and the following is extracted from the website of the church the pastor belongs to (the website listed 4 reasons, but in the sermon, the pastor provided 5):

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1. The Blasphemy of Bible College

"But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ." - Matthew 23:8-10

In the previous verses, Jesus clearly prohibits the use of 3 terms in reference to pastors and religious leaders: Rabbi, Father, and Master.

A perfect example of the fact that Bible colleges are completely patterned after worldly institutions is their "Masters" degree program. In an effort to perfectly mirror worldly schools, Bible colleges will confer titles such as "Master of Divinity," "Master of Education," and "Master of Pastoral Theology" upon their graduates. This is a clear violation of the teaching of Jesus Christ that such titles are off limits and belong solely to him.

Just as it is blasphemous for a Catholic priest to be called "Father," or for a Jewish leader to be called "Rabbi," it is equally blasphemous for a Baptist preacher or educator do hold the title of "Master." To say that it is wrong for Catholics and Jews to use these titles and then to use one of them ourselves is utter hypocrisy. This inconsistency and hypocrisy stems from an attempt to be patterned after the worldly school system.

2. The Only Mention of "College" in the Bible is Associated with a Female Preacher

"College" is mentioned only one time in the Bible in two parallel passages:

"So Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam, and Achbor, and Shaphan, and Asahiah, went unto Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe; (now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the college;) and they communed with her." - 2 Kings 22:14

"And Hilkiah, and they that the king had appointed, went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvath, the son of Hasrah, keeper of the wardrobe; (now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the college:) and they spake to her to that effect." - 2 Chronicles 34:22

Personally, I do not believe that anything in the Bible is incidental, coincidental, or accidental. If Bible College was such an important part of God's program, then why is it never mentioned in the Bible in a positive light? Many will point to Elisha's "School of the Prophets" as a scriptural mandate for Bible college. However, does the Bible really speak of a "school" of the prophets?

If you repeat a lie often enough, people will begin to believe it. The reality is that the word "school" is also only mentioned one time in the Bible, and it has nothing to do with Elisha:

"And he went into the synagogue, and spake boldly for the space of three months, disputing and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God. But when divers were hardened, and believed not, but spake evil of that way before the multitude, he departed from them, and separated the disciples, disputing daily in the school of one Tyrannus." - Acts 19:8,9

The "school" of Tyrannus, just as the synagogue, was a place that Paul and the other disciples went to preach to unbelievers. It was not a training instution for God's people, but rather for the world. Paul went there simply to win souls, just as he went to the synagogue to win souls.

Therefore the only mention of "college" in the Bible involves a woman preacher, and only mention of "school" in the Bible involves people disputing with the word of God. This cannot be an accident.

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For the rest of the article, click here.

To listen to the sermon, download it here (make sure you listen to the 3rd reason why the preacher believed the bible college is wrong - go to the 31st minute of the sermon - it literally blew me away when I listened to his extremely ingenious , imaginative and creative interpretation of Gen 2:23-25 as a text against not only the bible college in particular but other colleges/tertiary institutions in general as well!).

Oh dear....what am I doing teaching in a seminary? Should I resign from STM and look for another job? Could we be wrong and unscriptural in calling my colleague, "Rabbi"?

Oh dear...Repent! Repent!! Kyrie Eleison.....

It is Finished!!

It is finished!

Yes, I have finally finished marking (American English: grading) all the papers and turned in the grades. The final semester for the current academic year ended about a month ago and I have been struggling to finish marking all the papers since then. It is a great relief for me, and I am very sure for the students as well who are anxiously waiting to know their grades. Well, I think I have less hair on my head now!

Whatever it is, it's time for a break....

"Do Not Read the Bible Like the Theologians Do"

"Do not read the Bible like the theologians do!"

That statement in the sermon made me sit up. My first reaction was that perhaps I heard the preacher wrongly. But I did not. The person sitting next to me confirmed what was said over the pulpit.

This happened when I was attending a Sunday Service in a fairly large and well-known church in the Klang Valley some months ago. In this particular sermon, one of the pastors of this church was making a point concerning the importance of having a regular personal devotion if one wishes to grow towards maturity as a believer. One could hardly disagree with this. But in the midst of making his point, the pastor remarked, "But remember when you read the Bible in your personal devotion, do not read the Bible like the theologians do."

It is not very often that I reacted rather negatively to a Sunday sermon. Even if I do disagree with the preacher, more often than not, it has to do with issues of interpretation of scripture. After all, many of my own "si fu" (Gregory Beale, Walter Kaiser, William Mounce, Moises Silva, and Bruce Winter, amongst others) have thought me that as a budding NT scholar, I should practise charity when it comes to differing opinions concerning the interpretation of scripture. While we do exercise caution in interpreting the scripture, we must also acknowledge that we do not have all the full knowledge and wisdom to make a dogmatic statement, especially in interpreting the difficult passages in the Bible.

But this time, it was very different. I must confess I was stunned! Perhaps the preacher, who does not have any theological education, was trying to share a joke in the sermon. Perhaps he was trying to caution the congregation that, more often than not, theologians would argue on so many peripheral issues in the text, and yet they can never come to an agreement, and this is an area that should be avoided. Perhaps the preacher was trying to emphasise that one must not merely treat the Bible as a piece of literature subjected to scholarly research and scrutiny under the intellectual microscope. Perhaps he was reacting to the concern that some biblical scholars are investigating the scripture simply for some intellectual stimulation. Perhaps he was exhorting the congregation that we must allow the scripture to speak not only to the head but to the heart as well. Perhaps it was just a slip of tongue.

While I may not know the intention of the preacher for making this statement, I could not help but to wonder why theologians/biblical scholars have often received bad press in many sermons, particularly among the independent charismatic churches? This is not the first time that I hear such remark being made over the pulpit.

I thought that instead of arguing over the issue of whether one should or should not read the bible like the theologians do, perhaps it would be good for me to reflect and ask myself these questions as a budding NT scholar: As a follower of Christ, do I read the Bible differently from the "non-theologians"? In my teaching and preaching, have I failed to instruct the congregation concerning the truth of God? Have I failed to demonstrate that the scripture is relevant for all of us even in our present day? Or have I only caught up in the academic pursuit of biblical studies to the neglect of applying the scripture in my own personal life and professional life as a lecturer in a seminary?

Or, if I am not a theologian/biblical scholar and if I do not reflect or think through issues theologically, what difference would this make in my discipline of reading the scripture? What treasures would I not be able to mine? What theological insights would I not discover? What truths would I not understand? If I do not allow the scriptures to guide and instruct me in my understanding of ethical, moral and contemporary issues, what significant impact would this have in my appropriation of biblical truths in various aspects of my Christian life? What application of biblical truth in my Christian journey would I misappropriate?

I may not have all the answers to the above questions. But this I know. After all, isn't it Karl Barth, when asked about his Christian faith, responded by saying, "Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so"? I think this is a very sober reminder from a great theologian to all of us about how we understand and read the Bible - whether we are theologian or not!

Growing Number of Men for Priesthood

A recent article in The Times reported that there has been a steady growing numbers of men training for priesthood in the Roman Catholic church in recent years, thanks to a series of aggressive and creative advertisement campaigns.

The report also highlighted several interesting developments in the Catholic church.

• From the lowest recruits of 26 in the year 2002, there has been a steady increase over a period of 4 years to 44 applicants .


• The average of men entering priesthood is now 28, the youngest it has been in years.


• A disproportionate number of the new seminarians at the Westminster archdiocese's seminary at Allen Hall are coming into the priesthood through the “ecclesiastical movements” that proliferated after the Second Vatican Council. These groups are officially recognised organisations that follow a particular founder and are usually led by the laity. They often take the model of the early Church as their example, meeting as small communities to pray and study scripture.

Read the rest of the article here.

It is also interesting to compare some of these figures to my seminary's new intake for the coming 2008 academic year. While we are encouraged by some of the recent developments, it seems to me that the latest statistics also reveal some concerns and trends that both the church and seminary need to consider seriously. More of this later.

Wycliffe Hall Again

Christianity Today posted an article on Wycliffe Hall from its December issue. This latest editorial from CT adds to a rather long list of unfortunate negative press about the otherwise reputable college. Let's be in prayer for the college.

Wycliffe Woes: Troubles mount for Oxford's evangelical outpost.
Brad A. Greenberg

Britain's leading evangelical college is facing increasing criticism, and not just from outside detractors.

Since a new principal took over last year at Wycliffe Hall, one of seven private Christian schools at the University of Oxford, more than half of its faculty ha resigned. Critics charge new head Richard Turnbull with an abrasive management style and a narrowing of the college's theological vision.

A letter authorized by Alister McGrath and two other former principals said Turnbull's continuing leadership would turn away prospective faculty and students and saddle the school with a "limited focus on one strand of evangelicalism."

Adding to the school's troubles is a university panel review, released in September, which concluded that Wycliffe and Oxford's other Christian halls were not providing a liberal education in line with Oxford's values. The report recommended that Oxford regulate the curriculum of its permanent private halls. Teaching that squelches "the spirit of free and critical enquiry and debate" could cause a hall to lose its license.

Wycliffe Hall achieved permanent status with Oxford in 1996, thanks to the work of former principal McGrath, who significantly raised Wyc-liffe's profile. Throughout its 130-year history, the school has produced a number of notable alumni, including Regent College professor and CT senior editor J.I. Packer, Bishop N. T. Wright, and former member of Parliament Jonathan Aitken.

But the evangelical Anglican seminary, which annually matriculates about 140 students, has undergone a seismic shift since McGrath's resignation two years ago. One council member and 8 of 13 faculty members have resigned, including two of Wycliffe's leading voices, vice principal David Wenham and professor Elaine Storkey, who produces the BBC's religious radio program Thought for the Day.

Supporters say Turnbull is fulfilling the institutional mandate given him when he was hired. In a letter sent to the Church of England's newspaper, three student body presidents commended Turnbull for ushering in "more contemporary forms of management," consistent with changes across the entire university. The students also wrote that Turnbull had "sharpened the focus of [Wycliffe's] training without narrowing it" and was "appointing staff from across the evangelical spectrum."

Likewise, in a letter to The Guardian, Aitken wrote that the vast majority of Wycliffe's students and council members stood behind Turnbull.

For his part, Turnbull told CT that "Wycliffe remains a college where the range and breadth of the evangelical tradition is welcomed and affirmed amongst both staff and students."

The Church of England has moved its 2009 inspection of Wycliffe up by a year, to next October. While the college's ability to enroll undergraduate students for Oxford degrees is expected to survive, the bigger question is whether its administration will gain the support of faculty members.

"If the turbulence that is currently going on does settle down … [then] this may be seen as a turning point at which Wycliffe went from one approach of evangelicalism to another approach that is just as well," said Justin Thacker, head of theology for the U.K.'s Evangelical Alliance. "When Paul and Barnabas split over the issue of John Mark … there were two missions instead of just one. There have been divisions—and they have been painful divisions—but I hope that at the end of the day, each group that splits off goes to do so in the service of Jesus Christ."

Please check out also other related articles and links.

For my earlier posts on Wycliffe Hall, see here.