​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.

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.

On February 22, 2019, I will be delivering a public lecture on "The Corinth St Paul Saw: Insights from Archaeology" at St Thomas' Cathedral, Jalan McDoughall, Kuching, Sarawak. 

All are welcome, and details of the public lecture can be found in the flyer below.
​

 We pray that you may be encouraged in your journey of faith and moved to praise our great God as you read and reflect on the Psalms, just as we did on first hearing them and putting them into publication.

Please contact the seminary if you are interested in purchasing a copy of this book. 

​A number of people have asked me about my journey to the Anglican church. Some are rather surprised by my decision while some expected it. Still others are amazed that it has taken me so long! Indeed, it has been a long journey for me. This journey to the Anglican church has taken more than 10 years. As I prepare for my ordination as a Deacon on Oct 31, 2018, I thought it would be good for me to pen down some of my reflections on my personal journey of faith.
 
Some have asked why I walked away from my Evangelical roots. Let me clarify. I did not run away from my Evangelical roots. It was not some strong push factors that tipped me over the other side. Rather, I was being drawn to something else. 
 
Over the last 10 years or so, there has been a greater desire drawing me towards the ancient practices and teachings rooted in the rich history and tradition of the church. As I began to explore the various strands of Christian spirituality, formation, and worship, I was drawn to Anglicanism with its immense value and richness in its history, theology, and practice. 

​This journey of discovery continued for many years. It was not until the beginning of 2015 that I decided to make St Paul’s Church, Petaling Jaya, my spiritual home, after a period of prayers, discernment, and consultation with my mentors and spiritual directors. I was confirmed as an Anglican at St Mark’s Church, Seremban, on January 14, 2018.

​I think it is important to state that I did not run, and I am not running from my former church. In fact, the church I left is a great church that places strong emphasis on worship, preaching, and mission. I love that church and the people there. Many friendships have been forged and we remain good and close friends until today. I am so indebted to many people there who care for me. Many invested in me and helped me become a more Christ-like person. I am thankful for the opportunity to serve the church and the people for more than 20 years as a Pastor, leader, and Board Member.
 
Here are some reasons why I am an Anglican.

​I have grown to love liturgy in worship. While some may find liturgy to be rigid, I discover it to be beautiful, meaningful, and moving. I learn to worship with my whole body that engages with all my senses – standing, kneeling, crossing myself, taking in the smell of incense (if incense is used), exchanging the Peace, receiving the Eucharist, and being sent out to love and serve the Lord. In liturgical spaces, all that I do become meaningful and symbolic. 
 
The liturgical calendar also reminds me of the various seasons of the year, moving from Advent to Christmas, Lent, Easter, Pentecost and Christ the King. In between, we commemorate other important Holy Days. As a community, we move through the seasons of the liturgical year together. We fast and feast together. There is a deep sense of celebrating and commemorating the different seasons of the liturgical calendar.

The theological formulations found in the Thirty-nine Articles clearly express what the gospel of Jesus Christ is. Together with the Book of Homilies, the Book of Common Prayer, and the historic creeds, I find the declarations of the great doctrines the Anglicans hold on to. God is worshipped in all his grandeur as creator. The work of Christ in his death and resurrection for the salvation of humanity is central. The Spirit in convicting sin and dwells in the lives of his people is emphasised. The truth of the Scripture is expressed with clarity. 
 
All these works never replace the Bible. At the heart of Anglican theology is the Bible. There is a well-known collect used by Anglicans for many centuries, reminding us that the Bible is the revelation of God through the words of human beings:

Blessed Lord, you have caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: grant that we may so hear them, read, mark, learn and inwardly digest them, that, by patience and comfort of your holy word we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

​One of the beautiful expressions of the Anglican Church is that we are never alone. We are not an independent church in a particular town or city. We are part of a large, historical, diverse, and global community. 
 
Whenever we gather to worship - whether we belong to a cathedral, a parish in a large metropolis or a small church in a tiny rural village that is cut off from the rest of the world - we are still engaging with a common faith, reading the same Scripture passages, praying the same prayers, confessing alongside one another, and participating in the Eucharist, despite our differences in ethnicity, culture, and language. 
 
Yet at the same time, we also recognise that all of us are shaped and formed by the culture of the communities we belong to. With this regards, there is respect for different areas of involvement in the church based on our unique local expressions, actions, issues. 

​I have shared some primary reasons that draw me into a way of life and a way of being a Christian in the Anglican Church. Of course, there are more reasons than what I have stated. There are personal reasons too: Teaching in an ecumenical seminary where the Anglican Church is one of the founding denominations; students whom I had taught in the past are now colleagues in the ministry; and many others. However, I have come to believe that this is where I belong, and for me, it is good to have a sense of coming home. I do understand this is a personal journey - what works for me may not necessary work for others. As long as we find a home where we worship God, serve the people, and grow in maturity with the community, that is the best place to belong.
 
As a minister of the gospel since 2009 with the Evangelical Free Church of Malaysia, it is only natural that I seek for ordination in the Diocese of West Malaysia. With the encouragement of the Bishop and fellow colleagues, I have decided to offer myself as a candidate for the Holy Office. Having gone through the process of interview and fulfilling the requirements stipulated by the Diocese, the first reading of Si Quis was done on September 16, 2018 at my home church, St Paul’s Church, paving the way for my ordination as a Deacon, God willing, on Reformation Day, October 31, 2018.

​“What’s the point of learning Greek language in the seminary and we don’t actually use them once we enter the pastoral ministry?”

“What’s the point of memorising all the paradigms where we will surely forget them?”

“We memorise the vocabulary, but only to pass the quizzes and exams.”

​I have heard all these before, and I must confess I am also a product of learning Greek by memorising all the vocabulary, all the different paradigms for the different parts of speech, the various unusual verbal forms, and the numerous grammar rules. This was expected as I attended a seminary that places heavy emphasis on biblical languages. Since my area of concentration was in the New Testament, I took Basic Greek, Intermediate Greek, and also Advanced Greek. In addition, I also took an additional course working the different literary styles in the Greek language. Although I wish I could read Greek fluently and able to do parsing on the spot, sadly I must confess this has not always been the case for me.

​When an opportunity arose last year for me to consider teaching Greek, I pondered hard. I had never taught Greek before as this course has always been taught by my other colleagues in the seminary. (When you have a colleague who married a Greek wife, you just have to let him teach Greek as he would have known the language better, right!) I struggled how I could approach the subject and teach it well so that the students would be able to appreciate the language and continue to use it even after graduating from seminary.

Should I make them memorise all the vocabulary, paradigms, and rules? If not, how can they pick up their NA28 and read it fluently and well? If they could get all the memorisation right, and could even score an A, does this mean that they have a full grasp of the language? With the availability of excellent Bible software such as Accordance and BibleWorks, do we still need to memorise all the parsing? Shouldn’t we just let the software do the job?

​After considering all options, I decided to do something rather radical – at least radical in the sense that this has not been done here. My premise is this: since the advent of a calculator, one does not really need to memorise all the mathematical table anymore. Worse, who remembers how to use an abacus these days? (Well, I learned how to use the abacus when I was in primary school and treated it as a little “angklung” when I could not get my mathematical calculation right. Might as well make some music out of it, much to the despair of my teacher). 

So with the availability of software, can we not let the software guide us in our reading of the Greek New Testament, let the software do the parsing for us, and then we do what the software cannot do, i.e., the analysis and exegesis of the Greek language? In other words, do we still need to memorise all the different paradigms? 

I know that by doing this, I could imagine my own seminary professors and other friends screaming at me disapprovingly. Many would argue that one won’t be able to learn a language properly by using software. One won’t be able to master the language as one is not even familiar with the vocabulary!

After carefully considering all these, I decided to give this approach a try: What I did was to require all the students to purchase Accordance software (and I hope Accordance would have something special for a small seminary with limited resources from the Majority World, even when the bulk purchase means that there are less than 10) or use whatever software they are currently using. Then I would go through all the usual lectures based on Mounce’s grammar. The only different is that I don’t require the students to memorise all the paradigms except the full paradigm for the articles (since the case endings of the articles would almost be similar to all the case endings for nouns and adjectives). I would still go through the usual functions of the different parts of speech. The only difference is that I started the students reading New Testament Greek early by using Accordance. 

As we read parts of 1 John and sample of writings from the Gospels and Paul’s letters, I would ask the students all the usual questions: how to identity the subject, object, prepositional phrase, relative clauses, the antecedent of the pronouns, etc, and then we will carry out the exegesis on the text. I would often highlight questions like why the verb is placed at the end of the sentence or why there is an unusual word order and its significance. In other words, we are still doing what we would usually do in a typical Greek class, minus all the memorisation. The key difference is that we begin to read the New Testament early on in the class rather than wait till much later, which is quite typical in most Greek language courses. By doing so, I could highlight some other difficult issues of the grammar along the way (and with the hope that I would not confuse the students). Then we would compare the various English, Chinese and Malay language translations. That’s the benefit of teaching in a multi-cultural setting where we have students who know a number of languages and we could see the difficulties in Bible translations immediately where often times, the nuances in Greek would be almost impossible to be translated into other languages.

​Does this work? Well, it is almost the end of the first semester for our students. Today, they are having their Greek exam. I really do not know what the outcome would be. Would they have a better grasp of the language? Have they learned well? Would this method be more beneficial for the students? I guess only time will tell. 

I wish all the students well in their exam. Most of them will not continue to take Greek in the next semester as it is no longer required for some of them. I hope you all would have appreciated Greek, and continue to use it in your ministry and life later on, of course, with the assistance from Accordance. 

Please click on the file below to read the review.