May this devotional be a helpful tool for you as you prepare for the Holy Week.

Over the past one year or so, most theological libraries are either closed or opened with restricted access. Almost all our classes have gone online. This means that accessing online resources is critical for all of us to prepare our lectures and carrying on our research. For students, digital resources allow them to access text books online and also other reference books needed to complete their assignments.

At Seminari Theoloji Malaysia, the library subscribes to a host of digital resources such as ATLAS, JSTOR, Brill Online, Sage Journals, Global Digital Theological Library, T&T Clark library, amongst others. This gives us access to the latest top-tiered journals and publications (Please get in touch with the library if you need any help accessing these resources, if you are registered as our student)

Yet, many books remain inaccessible to the students. One of the cheapest way to access theological books is to take up a subscription based online library with vast theological collection. Perlego is probably one of the best and cheapest available at the moment. At USD$40 per annum for residents in Malaysia, the subscription fee is less than the cost of a theological book, and this subscription opens up access to more than 34,000 theological books.

Over the past weeks, Perlego announces that they have added another 10 theological publishers to their collection, and this includes Westminster John Knox, Baker, Fortress, and Eerdmanns. Together with Bloomsbury/T&T Clark, Taylor & Francis, Wipf & Stock, de Gruyter, Zondervan, Peter Lang, Baylor, and the list goes on, almost all critical text books and references for theological studies are now available with a few clicks and at a fraction of the cost of acquiring these books.

For students taking biblical studies/exegesis courses, they now have online access to many excellent commentaries such as those in the series of NIGTC, NICNT/NICOT, PNTC, Two Horizons Commentary, Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture, BECNT, Zonderven Commentary, and many more.

Check out what our library offers for your research, and also some of the online theological libraries available. I would say this is probably one of the most exciting times to do studies and research as almost all the resources we need can easily be accessed in the comfort of our homes ... or office!

"Following Jesus to the Cross" is now available from Our Daily Bread. This illustrated guide with 12 devotionals for Easter will guide our reflections on the passion, crucifixion, death, and resurrection of Jesus this Easter season. Based on the Gospel of Mark, each reading contains reflection questions and prayers to commit ourselves to God. 

Evoke our senses with photographs of the sites where the events of the final week are believed to have taken place, and let this devotional make the Scripture come alive for us in fresh ways.

A sample chapter of this booklet is extracted below.

If you or your church would like to have copies of this devotional booklet, please contact Our Daily Bread Malaysia.

Happening soon. Please register if you have not done so by clicking on this link: bit.ly/beyondlament

In less than 36 hours, I have to close the registration to this public lecture as we received overwhelming response.

I plan on running the same lectures again, perhaps in the of May or early June. 

Christ is risen. He is risen indeed, hallelujah!
 
Good Friday ends in darkness and despair. But Easter is glorious. It gives us new hope. It gives us new meaning to our existence. It speaks of the victory of Christ against sin and death. Yet, Easter is different this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. For many of us who may be accustomed to Easter celebration, drama production, large-scale evangelistic campaigns, this year’s celebration certainly seems less triumphal, celebratory, and glorious.
 
However, if we go back to the first Easter, things seem less glorious too. In John 20 there seems to be no sense of rejoicing. No one shouted: “Christ is Risen!”, and no one replied: “He is risen indeed.” All the disciples were in hiding. They had their own Movement Control Order (MCO), practised social distancing, and locked the door for the fear of the Jewish leaders (John 20:19). They imposed on themselves some measure of self-quarantine. They were full of fear, anxiety, and worry.

​It was not until the first Easter evening when Jesus appeared to the disciples in the place where they were staying that they were overjoyed. Yet, one of the disciples, Thomas, was not present and doubted the resurrection of Christ. The following week, the disciples were still under MCO, and continued to practise social distancing and self-quarantine. Jesus appeared the second time to the disciples, and Thomas had his doubt removed.
 
There was hardly any victorious celebration on the first two Easter Sundays according to the narrative in John 20. Although Jesus had already appeared twice to the disciples, there was fear, anxiety, worry, and doubt. All they did was to go into hiding for a whole week. They had their self-imposed lockdown. No one proclaimed, “Jesus is risen” despite Jesus appearing twice to them.

​For the disciples, Easter is a new beginning for them. While there may not be much celebration on that first Easter, the impact of the resurrection of Christ changed them. The narrative of the restoration of Peter is an inspiration and encouragement to us today. If we feel that we are not worthy to serve the Lord because of our past failures, this passage reminds us that Jesus is not finished with us yet. Jesus called Peter again for the third time, “Follow me” after his resurrection. He was patient with Peter, and he gave Peter all the time and space for him to ponder, reflect, and respond. Jesus is calling us again today. Our current situation may also offer us the time and space needed for us to pause, reflect, and respond to the resurrected Lord. Easter is a new beginning.
 
Like the disciples, we may be at the crossroads of our lives, feeling lost and not knowing the next step we should take. We may be confused by recent events we have encountered. We may be worried about the post-COVID-19 aftermath. Some of us may be concerned with our business, employment, and our financial cash flow. In moments of frustration, disappointment, and discouragement, we may choose to go our own way and do things according to our own strength and effort. Some of us may have gone back “fishing” because it is the only thing we know what to do. Despite our failures, Jesus wants to reinstate and restore us to serve him. Easter gives us hope.
 
Like the disciples, in moments like these, it is time to accept the invitation of our Lord to have breakfast with him (John 21:12). It is time to renew our strength in his presence. It is time to sit at his feet again to hear his voice and guidance so that we can be his effective servants: “Feed my lambs… Tend my sheep… Feed my sheep… Follow me” (John 21:15, 16, 17, 19). 
 
This year’s Easter may be a bit quiet, and is certainly very different from what we may have been used to. Nevertheless, as we remember the confusion, the sense of loss, and the anxiety and fear of the disciples on the first Easter, may we be reminded that Easter is a new beginning and it gives us hope. May we be renewed on this Easter day. May we be reminded afresh why we follow Jesus. May we hear afresh his calling once again: “Follow me.” And most importantly, let us not forget to have breakfast with the resurrected Jesus – he is waiting for us. 
 
Christ is risen. He is risen indeed. Hallelujah. 

​Celebrating the Holy Communion is probably one of the most sacred rites for me as a priest. There has been ongoing discussion whether the Holy Communion can be celebrated virtually or not (for example, see the excellent essay by Ian Paul, “(How) can we celebrate Holy Communion as ‘online’ church?”). Biblical Graduate School of Theology, Singapore, has also produced a theological advisory on remote celebration of the Holy Communion. At the moment, there is no virtual Holy Communion for the Diocese of West Malaysia. 
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There is a sense of emptiness in me, a sense of despair, and a sense of frustration for not being able to gather together as a community to celebrate the Holy Communion. While I do participate in virtual services online, somehow it can never replace a real physical community where we recite the Nicene Creed together, we confess our sins together and hear the absolution pronounced, we share the peace of God with one another, and where I serve the host to those who come forward to receive the body of the Lord. For me, there is something missing.
 
This reminds me of how the Israelites of old lamenting and crying out to God while they were in exile. They could not worship in the Temple. They could only look back to the time they worshipped the Lord in his holy place. They longed for the coming of the Messiah to deliver them.

​Whenever we are confronted with a crisis, we can either succumb to it or we could rise above it, emerging stronger and more resilient than ever.

With the COVID-19 pandemic affecting all of us globally, it brings disruptions and inconveniences to our daily life. As a theological educator, all my classes in this semester are cancelled in compliance with the Movement Control Order (MCO) issued by the Malaysian government from 18-31 March. Other modular and intensive courses to be held in the coming weeks are cancelled as well. 

Many questions are now being raised: How do we complete the syllabus for our courses? Will we be able to carry out replacement classes after the MCO is lifted? How do students access library resources? What if the MCO is extended?

Although the welfare and wellbeing of our students, staff, and faculty are foremost in our mind, we also wonder about the aftermath of the pandemic. How are classes going to be held? 

This brings me back to one of the issues I raised some years ago about how brick and mortar seminaries may not be the only way for the future. What I am advocating is not to phase out traditional model of learning, such as the current full-time residential training. There is still a place for this model. What I am reflecting here is this: what else can we do to respond to the current challenges ahead of us?

​There is a need to embrace online learning. Unfortunately, seminaries in Malaysia are generally slow to adapt to changes. We have not taken full advantage of the technological advances available for us to tap into what we could possibly offer to our students in terms of e-learning experience, including revamping our instructional models and making full use of the digital resources available.

The current crisis provides us another window of opportunity to respond positively to the situation. If anything, the current crisis reinforces the fact that we have to embrace technological advances if seminaries wish to remain resilient, adaptable to forces beyond our control, and continue to provide theological education to our students in Malaysia and beyond.

What can we plan for the immediate future for seminaries in Malaysia?

1)    Upgrade our infrastructure so that our entire campus is provided with high-speed wifi/internet connection. This is no longer an option but a necessity so that we could offer a better learning experience.
2)    Revamp our instructional model. We may have to consider offering courses online, blended model (say 50% online, and 50% face to face classroom interaction) or any other suitable models such as viewing videos at the convenience of the students. If we are prepared, we could tap on adjunct lecturers that are more than willing to offer courses but without the need for them to cross geographical boundaries to be in the seminary to deliver their lectures. In this way, we could potentially expand our course offerings, tapping into expertise available globally at reduced cost.
3)    Reconsider our assessment of academic requirements. Currently, most of our academic requirements stipulates certain percentage of class attendance. This might have to be reviewed in light of online learning especially if our classes are designed to be self-paced.
4)    Move to digital resources. While physical library remains important, there is a need to consider subscription to digital resources with journals and ebook access. Any financial budget allocated for physical expansion of library might be more profitably channelled to digital subscription that students may access from anywhere as long as there is internet connection. Currently, many academic publishers are offering access to their digital resources for free at least until middle of the year. This is a great opportunity for us to familiarise ourselves with digital resources if we have not done so already.
5)    Collaborate with other seminaries. The time is now for us to work closely together. We need to collaborate with one another, not only with seminaries in Malaysia but also in the region. We could potentially share resources, participate in each other’s online learning courses, consider transfer of credits, and offer joint classes together where lecturers from different institutions could co-teach an online course in their respective geographical locations. This will enhance students' learning experience.
6)    Change our mindset. This is probably the hardest thing to do. We are often averse to changes, and more so changes to areas that we are not familiar or uncomfortable with. However, help is always available. There are educational consultants who are willing to assist seminaries migrating to e-learning.

What I have said above is nothing new. Many seminaries globally have embraced online learning and there are lessons to learn from them. 

Perhaps the current crisis is a golden opportunity for seminaries in Malaysia to reinvent themselves and thus provide greater access to theological education for many who are not geographically located near the physical location of the seminaries. Imagine the great impact where people located in East Malaysia, the East Coast states of Peninsular Malaysia, the smaller towns all over the country, and even students from the region could be further equipped for the ministry of the Gospel. 

Are we ready? Who is with me?

This massive single-volume commentary edited by J. Brian Tucker and Aaron Kuecker is now published. Many years in the making, the editors are to be applauded for this very impressive edition contributing to the ongoing research and debates in the field of social identity and the New Testament.

I am very honoured to contribute a chapter on 2 Corinthians in this volume. 

The list of contributors to this volume include:

Introduction: How to use the SICNT - J. Brian Tucker, Moody Theological Seminary, USA, and Aaron Kuecker, Trinity Christian College, USA
1. Genealogy of Social Identity Theory - A. Sue Russell, Asbury Theological Seminary, USA
2. Matthew - Matthew J. Marohl, St. Olaf College, USA
3. Mark - Rafael Rodríguez, Johnson University, USA
4. Luke - Aaron Kuecker, Trinity Christian College, USA
5. John - Warren Carter, Phillips Theological Seminary, USA
6. Acts - Aaron Kuecker, Trinity Christian College, USA
7. Romans - Christopher Zoccali, Northeastern Seminary, USA
8. 1 Corinthians - J. Brian Tucker, Moody Theological Seminary, USA
9. 2 Corinthians - Kar Yong Lim, Seminari Theoloji Malaysia, Malaysia
10. Galatians - Robert - L. Brawley, McCormick Theological Seminary, USA, and Jae Won Lee, Independent Scholar, USA
11. Ephesians - Minna Shkul, University of Sheffield, UK
12. Philippians - Sergio Rosell Nebreda, Saint Louis University, Spain
13. Colossians - A. Asano, Kwansei Gakuin University, Japan
14. 1 Thessalonians - Matthew P. O'Reilly, Hope Hull United Methodist Church
15. 2 Thessalonians - Matthew P. O'Reilly, Hope Hull United Methodist Church
16. 1 Timothy - Chris Porter, Ridley College, Australia
17. 2 Timothy - Chris Porter, Ridley College, Australia
18. Titus - Chris Porter, Ridley College, Australia
19. Philemon - Ryan Heinsch, Moody Theological Seminary, USA
20. Hebrews - Matthew J. Marohl, St. Olaf College, USA
21. James - K. Jason Coker, National Director of Together for Hope, USA
22. 1 Peter - Laura J. Hunt, Ashland Theological Seminary, USA
23. 2 Peter - R. Alan Streett, Criswell College, USA
24. 1 John - Rikard Roitto, Stockholm School of Theology, Sweden
25. 2 John - Rikard Roitto, Stockholm School of Theology, Sweden
26. 3 John - Rikard Roitto, Stockholm School of Theology, Sweden
27. Jude - R. Alan Streett, Criswell College, USA
28. Revelation - Paul Middleton, University of Chester, UK

According to the synopsis, this invaluable resource "highlights the way the NT seeks to form the social identity of the members of the earliest Christ-movement. By drawing on the interpretive resources of social-scientific theories-especially those related to the formation of identity-interpreters generate new questions that open fruitful identity-related avenues into the text. It provides helpful introductions to each NT book that focus on various social dimensions of the text as well as a commentary structure that illuminates the text as a work of social influence."

This volume is a follow up on the earlier publication, T&T Clark Handbook to Social Identity in the New Testament, where I also contributed a chapter.

For further information, please visit the publisher's website or Amazon where one is able to "look inside".

On August 15, 2019, my journey to the Anglican church marked another milestone when I was ordained as a Priest in the Diocese of West Malaysia, on the Feast of St Mary the Virgin at St Mary's Cathedral. 
​

I have earlier shared about my personal journey to the Anglican church. The journey to priesthood is a continuation of the same journey, after having served the church and the seminary for 19 years. And I will continue to serve the church and the seminary, God willing, for the years ahead.

Thank you to many who have journeyed with me, supported me, and encouragement me all these years. I am thankful for all these the fellowship in the ministry of the gospel. 

Photo credits: Simon Kang and John Chan.