Over the past few months, I have been busy conducting several Christian education seminars in a number of churches. A few things amazed and surprised me.

First of all, the response to these seminars had been overwhelming. For example, more than 200 people filled the hall at the Klang Chinese Methodist Church for the session on the the History of the Bible held on March 6, 2019.

Secondly, there is great hunger in wanting to delve into reading the Bible. There were many great questions raised in all the sessions, and some of them I do not even have any answer. Through these questions, I was able to reflect further and think through many issues as well.

Finally, the level of commitment shown by those who came for the classes is very commendable. I taught a consecutive 5-nightly sessions from 730-1030pm in early April at Sidang Injil Borneo Kuala Lumpur. About 90 people signed up for the class and they braved the massive traffic jam to the classes every night after a long day at work. This level of dedication brought much encouragement to me.

Below are some photographs taken at some of the sessions I taught over the past couple of months.

More than 90 people filled the hall at Bangunan Yin, the venue for the course on the Parables of Jesus organised by Sidang Borneo Injil Kuala Lumpur, one of the fastest growing churches in the Klang Valley. 

Held nightly from 7.30-9.30pm over a period of 5 days (9th to 13th April 2018), this course was part of the well-executed Christian Education programme of the church. 

Committing themselves to a total of 15 hours of lectures and discussion for 5 consecutive evenings clearly demonstrated the dedication of all who registered for the course. As an instructor, I was humbled by their deep desire to learn and understand the Bible, and the efforts they put in to dig deeper into the Scripture. 

This is probably the 6th year I have been privileged to teach at this church. I am constantly amazed at the response of the people and their commitment to their continuous Christian development and growth. A number of those who have taken  some of these classes have gone on to further theological studies at local seminaries. As an instructor, it was truly my joy to see the positive growth of the people in the church. 

 

More than 60 people packed the hall, Semenyih Room, at Level 5, Luther Centre, on 6 July where I gave a public lecture on  The Power of Metaphor and Christian Identity Transformation. This lecture was a summary of the insights drawn from my latest publication, Metaphors and Social Identity Formation in Paul's Letters to the Corinthians. 

We were very pleased with the response to our series of public lectures organised by the seminary for this year. Perhaps this is an indication of the wider interest in our academic research. Perhaps this is also an reflection of the spiritual maturity of some of our wider Christian public that hunger for a more serious academic and intellectual discourse. 

We thank all who attended our public lecture and we hope that you will continue to support more initiatives that we are planning for the months to come. We also thank the team of volunteers who helped put things together. 

We may be putting up the public lecture online in the days to come after we have completed the editing.

Photo credits: Simon Kang and Lim Kar Yong

The Centre for Bible Engagement, Seminari Theoloji Malaysia, invites you to join us for our 4th Annual Biblical Studies Seminar focussing on the theme of Bible and Gender on 27 February (Monday), 9am-5pm. The central focus of our Biblical Studies Seminar is intentional interdisciplinary in nature where we gain insights and perspectives from other related disciplines. 

​Is gender a subjective reality where we are male or female because we perceive ourselves as such? Is gender socially constructed according to certain stereotypes or culture? Is there a difference in gender identity as reflected in the Bible? In the age of rapidly increasing gender fluidity, can one still hold on to the traditional roles of gender identity? Are gender roles mentioned in the Bible normative for all times? What do other fields of studies inform us of gender issues? 

This seminar aims to address these issues from an interdisciplinary approach covering biblical, gender studies, and psychological perspectives.
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Our Team of Speakers

Rev Grace Kwan Sik Tsoi, PhD Candidate, University of Divinity (Whitley College), Melbourne.
Rev Tsoi  was born in Hong Kong and migrated to Australia with family at high school. She studied in the University of New South Wales and was awarded BSc (Med), B. Medicine, B. Surgery. Upon graduation she was called to full time ministry, so she left the medical field and entered seminary studies, and was awarded B.Th (Hons) from the Sydney College of Divinity.  She pastored the Chinese Congregation of Canberra Chinese Christian Church from 2009-2015, and was ordained in 2013.  She is currently working on her PhD, focusing on the book of Judges.

Rev Tsoi will present a paper entitled, “Gender in Old Testament Narratives: Stereotypes, Interpretations and Cultures.”

Rev Dr Leonard Wee, Lecturer in New Testament, Trinity Theological College (TTC), Singapore.
Rev Dr Wee is an ordained minister of the Presbyterian Church in Singapore (PCS). He worked in the banking sector for five years before obtaining his Master of Theology degree from Dallas Theological Seminary. After pastoring for 10 years (7 years as the lead pastor at Hope Presbyterian Church), he was sent as faculty-in-development by TTC and the PCS Synod to study at Durham University, with scholarships from the Brash Trust, the Council for World Mission and TTC. He completed his PhD studies in 2013 under the supervision of Professor Francis B. Watson.

Rev Dr Wee will present a paper entitled,  “The Ordination of Women in the Presbyterian Church in Singapore: A Biblical Evaluation”

​Dr Sharon Bong, Associate Professor of Gender Studies, School of Arts and Social Sciences, Monash University Malaysia.
Dr Bong graduated with a Ph.D. in Religious Studies (2002) and M.A. in Women and Religion (1997), University of Lancaster, UK. She has authored The Tension Between Women’s Rights and Religions: The Case of Malaysia (2006) and edited Trauma, Memory and Transformation in Southeast Asia (2014) and Re-imagining Marriage and Family in Asia: Asian Christian Women’s Perspectives (2008). She is currently consultant to and former coordinator of the Ecclesia of Women in Asia and a forum writer for the Catholic Theological Ethics in the World Church.  

Dr Bong will present a paper entitled, “Feminine Genius: Revisiting Gender Complementarity Today”

Dr Hera Lukman, Registered Chartered Health Psychologist with the British Psychological Society.
Dr Lukman obtained her BA (Hons) at Simon Fraser University, Canada, her MSc at the University of Sheffield, UK, and her PhD at the University of Leeds, UK. For the past 15 years, Hera has taught Psychology at several Universities in the UK and Malaysia. Her areas of interest include appearance evaluation, eating behaviour and sexuality. As a Christian Psychologist, Hera is passionate in integrating Psychology with Biblical principles in understanding personhood and one's identity in Christ. 

Dr Lukman will present a paper entitled, “Navigating Gender Identity: Is There a ‘Redemptive Space’ in the Church?”

Date: 27 February 2017 Monday      
Time: 9am-5pm
Venue: STM Campus. See map below for directions. 
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Admission is free but we welcome freewill donations to cover the cost of organising the seminar. Registration is required for catering purpose. Coffee breaks and lunch inclusive.

Please register by clicking here.  

Closing date for registration: 22 February 2017 (Wednesday)

A flyer for the seminar can be downloaded by clicking here.