Bruce Waltke Belated Birthday Bash

BYOT - "Bring Your Old Testament" Birthday Bash

The Regent College Foundation USA invites anyone who knows and wants to honour this Professor of Old Testament, to come and join them in an informal birthday celebration. Dr Waltke will be sharing his thoughts over what has happened over the past year. If you are in Seattle, or planning to be there, don't miss this.

Sunday October 24, 2010, 4:00-6:00pm 

The Calvin Room, University Presbyterian Church

4540 15th Ave NE, Seattle

RSVP to Holly by October 20th at hrail@regent-college.edu or 604.224.3245×377

c

Gordon Fee

This is a nice write-up by charismamag.com on one of Regent-College's beloved Professor Emeritus.  Reading this article gives us a background on how Dr Fee become so well-known in the evangelical world.  Below is an excerpt about his stand over women in the Church.

========================================== 

“It’s a given,” he says. “The real question is, Which comes first, gender or gifting? What [opponents of women in ministry] are trying to tell me is that gender comes above gifting. How can that be? The Spirit gives the gifting. If a woman stands and prophesies by the Spirit, and men are present, does the Spirit not speak to them? Come on! How dumb can you get?”

His advocacy, Fee says, is on behalf of the Holy Spirit rather than women. “The Spirit is gifting women,” he says, “but many evangelicals are not prepared to adjust because of the ‘box’ they’re in.

 “I’ve been blacklisted over this issue,” he adds. “People have said, ‘We can’t have Fee speak because he’s pro-women.’ I am pro-Holy Spirit! I just can’t get over that some people think gender comes before gifting.”

- "A Professor with Spirit"
- "How Christians miss the mark when studying the Bible."

conrade

Spiritual Leadership Classic

Now in audio!

This is a wonderful resource that can be downloaded free for the month of September 2010. After all these years, this book is still a leading resource for spiritual leadership. Highly recommended. You can download the audio resource for J Oswald Sanders' "Spiritual Leadership" here. Use the coupon SEP2010 to download it free of charge for the month of September 2010.

conrade

Relevance to the World or the God?

This article mirrors the stance taken by Lesslie Newbigin who once said,

"Traditional Christian teaching has been otherworldly in its emphasis. It has had more to say about how to accept failure than about how to succeed, more about suffering than about action. Theology has been the preserve of those who minister as priests and pastors to the inner spiritual life of their people. Consequently, when theologians whose whole work is in this pastoral ministry try to speak about matters of politics and economics, their words do not carry weight." (Lesslie Newbigin)

Indeed. When Churches become too much of this world in the name of relevance to the world, it unwittingly loses its relevance to God. The blog below is first published at yapdates.

conrade

==========================

Why Hip-Style Christianity Is Not Preferred

The Wall Street Journal published an insightful article on religion on Aug 13th, 2010. In the article entitled: "The Perils of Wannabe-Cool Christianity," Brett McCracken begins by comparing the BP oil-well leak in the gulf of Mexico with the leak of young people from evangelical churches. He claims that the young people leaves 'never to return.' The writer is the author of the book, "Hipster Christianity: Where Church and Cool Collide."

Essentially, McCracken argues that while Churches are right to be concerned about the exodus of young people from may churches, they are wrong in trying to use 'hip' and 'cool' stuff to draw them in. He questions the popular person approach, which is use of modern sitcom and popular television personalities. He criticizes the technological approach where churches seem to attract people on the basis of them adopting the greatest and the latest technologies in the ministries. He hits out at sensationalism style church ministry. He is annoyed at the use of 'sex' as a cover. Finally, he tells the reader what is the biblical approach:

"If we are interested in Christianity in any sort of serious way, it is not because it's easy or trendy or popular. It's because Jesus himself is appealing, and what he says rings true. It's because the world we inhabit is utterly phony, ephemeral, narcissistic, image-obsessed and sex-drenched—and we want an alternative. It's not because we want more of the same." (Brett McCracken)

I like the way Dr David Wells of Gordon-Conwell is quoted:

"The born-again, marketing church has calculated that unless it makes deep, serious cultural adaptations, it will go out of business, especially with the younger generations. What it has not considered carefully enough is that it may well be putting itself out of business with God.


"And the further irony," he adds, "is that the younger generations who are less impressed by whiz-bang technology, who often see through what is slick and glitzy, and who have been on the receiving end of enough marketing to nauseate them, are as likely to walk away from these oh-so-relevant churches as to walk into them."

I agree very much with Wells and McCracken. This book is indeed a needed jab for many of us concerned about serving God in biblical ways. We need to be Christlike. If Christ alone is not attractive, nothing else will be permanently attractive. If we become too much like the world, then the people outside the Church will ask: "Why should I come to Church? After all, I can get all the hip and cool things that the world offers. What's the difference?"

The difference must always be Christ. Anything else is a lousy alternative.

conrade

"Pocket Guide to the New Testament Theology" (Free!)

Thanks to the generosity of BiblicalTraining.org, a free ebook by Dr Ian Howard Marshall is available for your download. Note that it is specifically targeted at iPad users and ebook standard like epub. If you want to read it on your PC, you can conveniently download an add-on (Firefox users) and read it from inside your browser. Otherwise, download an Epub application and use it to read the ebook. Alternatively, go to the website here and read it like any website.

Click here for the free ebook download, or simply read it from here:

A POCKET GUIDE TO NEW TESTAMENT THEOLOGY (I HOWARD MARSHALL)

• Chapter 1. Why Study Christian Doctrine
  
• Chapter 2. Our Knowledge of God
  
• Chapter 3. What Can We Know about God
  
• Chapter 4. God and the Universe
  
• Chapter 5. The Person and Work of Jesus
  
• Chapter 6. The Life of the Christian
  
• Chapter 7. The Christian Community
  
• Chapter 8. The Last Things

Cheers!

conrade

Rikk Watts in Singapore (11-13 Aug 2010)

Those of you who will be in Singapore can catch Dr Rikk Watts as he speaks and teaches there. You can download the flyer here.

Simpson Community Services

One Regent-alum has recently setup a community services group that ministers to people living at Vancouver's Downtown East Side and marginalized groups at various parts of Vancouver. This new ministry is called "Simpson Community Services." If you are on Facebook, you can join his group by clicking here.

From their website, the rationale for the ministry is this:

The rationale of the Simpson Society builds on the ancient proverb “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” Therefore, the Society interacts with vulnerable persons by first relief (giving fish) and then development (teaching people how to fish). However, the Simpson Society goes further and adds social justice (defending the right for persons to fish) and also providing palliative, pastoral care when there are no supports available for people in dire need (when there are no fish).This four-fold approach to community service is offered in a networking context and a hands-on work, bottom-up working style.

[From Simpson Community Services Society website]

Dylan Goggs (MCS, 2008) and his wife are co-founders of the organization. You may want to check them out here. Thanks Dylan for your love in the LORD.

[Photo Credit: Dylan Goggs]

conrade

Updates on Dr Gary Parrett

Here is more updates about Gary's condition. The news clip reveals the horrors of the accident.



Further Updates
Taken from the latest journaling from his daughter Alisa, here is an excerpt which contains both positive and not-so-positive news.

We got the results of the MRI today, and they were mostly encouraging.  Although the doctors see that there is likely permanent damage to the brain (enough to cause some disability), they believe that with time and proper rehabilitation, he could be on his way to a full recovery.  Right now, it's sort of a waiting game--because my dad still hasn't woken up, there's some concern as to how long he will remain unconscious and how that will play out on his brain's condition when he does wake up.  He also has to wake up quickly for the sake of the rest of his body, which can't be fully treated until he is conscious. (From: Caringbridge, July 14th, 2010)

WHAT YOU CAN DO

#1 - PRAYING

In prayer, we trust our Heavenly Father to take over the many aspects of this situation, which man does not fully comprehend.

#2 - GIVING

If you want to help the family with donations, remember to do it through a site (not CaringBridge above!), set up by Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Note that if you are a US or Canadian taxpayer, all contributions to the Parrett family are not tax-deductible. The website is here. You can also go the the seminary website and follow the links that lead you there. The direct link is:

http://www.gordonconwell.edu/supporters_friends/parrett_family_fund

Note: If you click the the icon, you will be transferred to a website setup by Gordon-Conwell Seminary, where Dr Gary Parrett works for. As all contributions go directly to the Parrett family, they are not tax-deductible.

conrade

Pray for Dr Gary Parrett - July 8th, 2010

Dr Gary Parrett is a Regent alum (MDiv, 83) who is currently unconscious in a hospital in Seoul after a horrific bus accident that killed 12 people (July 3rd, 2010). Gary is a professor serving at Gordon-Conwell theological Seminary as a Professor of Educational Ministries and Worship. According to a Gordon-Conwell update as of today (July 8th, 2010), he is recovering from multiple injuries, including hemorrhaging in the brain.

You can pray and also watch for updates at a website set up by his daughter to update concerned friends about Gary's progress.

Pray also for the family of newly installed Pastor Kenny Ye from Highrock Covenant Church, who died in the crash.

conrade

"Church Communications Network" Shuts Down!

Started in 1998 to provide online resources for pastors and Christian leaders, this website has garnered lots of publicity when it was first launched. There is a formidable pool of popular leaders and famous speakers in the evangelical world. The subscriber lists and teachers sound impressive. Yet, as of today (1st July 2010), the CCN website has this terse announcement above. Without going into the details of what are the challenges CCN faced over the past two years, it is fair to say that CCN is yet another victim of the economic problems America is facing.

Online ministries have promise. Yet, it comes with its share of risks. I got a feeling that the economic downturn is not exactly the main problem. I suspect that the ongoing fragmentation of evangelicalism is the main culprit.

conrade

"The Wondering Fair" Regent Blog

This is a soon to be launched collaborative blog by a few members of the Regent community. They are planning to launch it in July 2010. Called WonderingFair, it has several well known Regent alums, as well as Dr John Stackhouse as the contributors. It plans to be some kind of an online cafe, to allow anyone to discuss spiritual matters. The list of contributors are visible here.

The aim of the blog is to have an average of 3 articles per week. Should be great!

[Picture Credit: WonderingFair.com]

conrade

Free Audio Book - "Forgotten God"

One of the key distinctiveness of Regent-College is its particular emphasis on Trinitarian theology. In nearly every lecture, there is a reminder from professors that God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I remember hearing it drummed up so often that I find myself becoming more Trinitarian than before.

Francis Chan, a rising evangelical star in the United States has written a second book, that is focused on the Holy Spirit. Even among Churches that proclaim to worship the Triune God, sometimes, the focus tends to be more on God the Father, and Jesus. Hence the title of this book, "Forgotten God" is to help us remember this third member of the Triune Godhead. For those of us who have graduated, and yearns for some spiritual nourishment from time to time, ChristianAudio.com generously makes available a premier audio book each month. For the month of June 2010, you can download the entire audio book by Francis Chan absolutely free of charge. All you need is a computer, an Internet connection and a brief account set up Enjoy. The website is here. Use JUN2010 when you checkout your shopping cart, and your download will be free.

conrade

Another Rick Warren Wake-Up Call

Rick Warren is exercising courageous leadership. This message is a necessary wake-up call for churches with spiritually lethargic members. While we may not always agree with Rick Warren's way of growing churches, in this case, I admire his brave approach to trim his flock. Unfortunately, if these 'fake Christians' do find another Church, God help that other Church. For that, I feel that Warren's approach is still flawed. Perhaps, his wake-up call is mere rhetoric?

The article in full is reproduced below for 'ministerial or educational purposes only' as permitted by the Christian Post Copyright policy here.

conrade

======================================
[Article Credit: Christian Post, May 24th 2010 - permalink]

Rick Warren Tells Passive, Fake Christians to Find Another Church

During his weekend sermon, Warren laid out a plan for Saddleback's next "Decade of Destiny" in which he's anticipating exponential growth. And the plan has no room for fake Christians, he indicated.

Mon, May. 24, 2010 Posted: 08:14 PM EDT

---

Pastor Rick Warren has a message for the some 20,000 people who attend Saddleback Church: If you want to remain a passive Christian, find another church.

During his weekend sermon, Warren laid out a plan for Saddleback's next "Decade of Destiny" in which he's anticipating exponential growth. And the plan has no room for fake Christians, he indicated.

"Let me just be honest with you as somebody who loves you. If you passively just want to sit around in the next 10 years and just waste your life on things that won't last, you probably want to find another church because you're not going to really feel comfortable here. Because if you're in this church, I'm coming after you to be mobilized," said the renowned southern California pastor.

Saddleback celebrated its 30th anniversary last month and in preparation for the megachurch's next decade, Warren took the congregation back to the first church in the New Testament for a look at what "real Christianity" is all about.

"There are a lot of things done in the name of Christianity in the church that Jesus Christ would disavow," he lamented. "There's fake Christianity, there's phony Christianity, there's pseudo-Christianity.
"I want us to look at the real deal. What does it mean to really be a follower of Jesus Christ?"
Preaching on Pentecost Sunday – the anniversary or birthday of the first church – Warren said that just as a child is born with its entire DNA, all the DNA was in the body of Christ when it was birthed more than 2,000 years ago.

Unfortunately, the churches and Christians he sees today in the 21st century are a far cry from how they were in the first century, he noted.

Aligning Saddleback with the DNA of the original church – which grew from 120 believers to dominating the Roman Empire within 300 years – Warren directed the congregation to adopt and strengthen eight characteristics of real Christianity as found in the book of Acts.
They include: supernatural power through prayer, using everybody's language and every communication channel for mission, mobilizing everybody from kids to seniors, life-changing truth, loving support or fellowship, joyful worship, generous sacrifices and exponential growth.

"Real Christianity uses everyone's gifts," said Warren, author of The Purpose Driven Life, as he rejected passive and consumer Christians.

"Everybody's a minister," he stressed. In the original church, there were no audiences. Rather, everyone was a contributor and participator which led to the tremendous growth of Christianity.

Over the next 10 years, the megachurch will be launching Saddleback worship services in every city in Orange County and in other cities across the country and the world. The Lake Forest, Calif., church also plans to become the first church in history to send someone to every nation in the world to share the Good News.

"We're going to sing until the whole world knows" is the theme song for the next decade, Warren said.

"If we went back to New Testament real Christianity, not the fake stuff ... do you think we could reach more people for Jesus?" he posed.

"Without a doubt. We'd reach more people in the next 10 years than the 30 years combined."

Lillian Kwon
Christian Post Reporter 

=========================

On Doctorates

One of the benefits of a Regent-College education is the high academic standing and requirements expected of students. As a top-tier theological institution, Regent-College adheres to the accredition standards of theological colleges and seminaries under the ATS (Association of Theological Schools in USA and Canada). Regent-College's accredition status is available here. Earned doctorates (different from honorary ones) nowadays include PhDs, DMins, DPhil, DTheo, DMiss, etc.

Many Regent students and alumnus have at some point considered a higher degree after graduating with the Masters. Many have moved on to do doctorates of various theological disciplines. I have read several tips for those who are pursuing a doctorate. Here is a list of resources for you to read, before attempting a doctorate level education.

• Dr John Stackhouse's "Thinking about a PhD?" (good advice from Regent's own Professor)
• John Roxborough's Postgraduate research criteria; (very clearly written, and easy to understand)
• American vs British PhD Programs: Three Doctoral Students reflect...
• Tips for PhD Students. (Lots of links for PhD students).

Remember that going for a doctorate is not for the faint-hearted. It does not guarantee a better status or a higher salary, or even a job! In today's environment, having a doctorate can sometimes repel prospective employers. It is a calling. 

conrade

NT Wright on Blogging

Thanks to our blogger Regent Alum, Matt Jones, I learn about this little quote from NT Wright about physical anger and habits being transferred to the blogsphere. I find his writeup insightful. Thanks Matt for spotting this. Do check out his website for other great blog articles.

I checked out the book and found more of Wright's perceptive words.

"Everything is interconnected, and when people feel the floor shaking and the furniture wobbling, they get scared. Test this out. Go to the blogsites, if you dare. It really is high time we developed a Christian ethic of blogging. Bad temper is bad temper even in the apparent privacy of your own hard drive, and harsh and unjust words, when released into the wild, rampage around and do real damage. And as for the practice of saying mean and untrue things while hiding behind a pseudonym - well, if I get a letter like that it goes straight in the bin. But the cyberspace equivalents of road rage doesn’t happen by accident. People who type vicious, angry, slanderous and inaccurate accusations do so because they feel their worldview to be under attack. Yes, I have pastoral concern for such people. (And, for that matter, a pastoral concern for anyone who spends more than a few minutes a day taking part in blogsite discussion, especially when they all use code names: was it for this that the creator God made human beings?) But sometimes worldviews have to be shaken. They may become idolatrous and self-serving. And I fear that the has happened, and continues to happen, even in well-regulated, shiny Christian contexts - including, of course, my own." (NT Wright, Justification: God's Plan and Paul's Vision, Downers Grove,IL: IVP, 2009, p26-7)

Of course, the context of Wright's argument here is that what is considered a 'new perspective of Paul' is not exactly a new rocket-science idea. What the blogging platform has provided is to transfer (not transform) an old perspective from the offline terrain to the online domain. In other words, some things have not changed. Describing his 35 years of writing on the subject of Paul, his experience with detractors has NOT been 'disagreement' but failing to meet his opponents' expectations and 'wants' (20). Moreover, Wright claims that those who disagree with him often did not listen in the first place.

Wright is precisely right. As I reflect, blogging does not change the person. It is simply a change of platforms. What was previously paper is now electronic. Self-publishing is overtaking conventional publishing. Distribution by hand is replaced by distribution by wire (and wireless!) In other words, the content may be the same but the medium is different. Whether the medium has changed or not, people has not changed. Didn't they say that a leopard does not change its spots?

At the end of the day, we need to remember that for all views whether online or offline, God is watching.

conrade

Inspiring Speech "Be the One"

This monologue by Amena Brown opens the recent ChickFila Leadercast event. It is highly inspiring. Entitled "Be the One," Brown encourages conference attendees to be the leader God has called them to be. The way she ends the exhortation is superb. I am moved. Let me share the closing words:

"But one snowflake can cause an avalanche and a single seed can birth a tree. See the phrase 'Change begins with me.' It's more than a cliche. It's a mantra. Let's make it a reality. So what will you do? Who will you become? Imagine the change you could see in the world, if only you would be one. "

May we as Regent alums, be used by God to be the One God calls us, in our respective neighbourhoods of ministry.



conrade

"Be Interesting" vs "Being Interested"

This post is first published at Yapdates.

---

Title: "Be Interesting" vs "Being Interested"
Written by Conrade Yap
Date: 13 May 2010
Main Idea: There is a difference between 'interesting' and 'being interested.'

I remember back in Regent-College where I encounter how people use the word 'interesting.' After each lecture, classroom discussion, or any impromptu chats, the word 'interesting' appears to be a suitable one-size-fits-all answer to any question. In fact, after talks from the esteemed and popular Dr James Packer, to the lesser known adjunct professors with their newly minted PhDs, the word 'interesting' can be fitted in like a standard three-pin plug in any electricity outlet. New students can say it with confidence without becoming embarrassed by any lack of theological jargon. Older students use this word to politely disagree, or to appear brilliant, while carefully preparing one of their brainy counter-points to the propositions concerned. 'Interesting' is a word likened to a T-shirt, clothing that reveals a little bit, and hides the rest.

"Most Christians Called to Social Action"

Kudos to our Regent alum, Dr Lai-Yong TAN!

Having won many awards by governments in China and Singapore, Dr Tan, a medical doctor from Singapore  continues to bring inspiration to many Christians both at home and abroad. This article, called "Most Christians Called to Social Action: Award-Winning Doctor," was published by Christian Post on May 4th, 2010. With a calling that is in line with the ethos of Regent-College, Dr Tan argues compellingly that the default position for 'most Christians' is toward the poor and the needy. Here's a short quote:

"Speaking to some 140 Christians from over 70 churches and organisations at St. Andrew’s Cathedral, Dr Tan urged skilled Christians to enter the overseas mission field. It is not to become fulltime missionaries, but to use their skills to help the poor and needy. This is God’s calling for most of them, he said.

Addressing a concern of many Christians, the 49-year-old doctor likened cross-cultural mission work to driving. Most people do not have a calling to be a driver. Still they get a driving license. 

This is because they regard it as a necessity and skill, he pointed out. Churches need to help people understand that overseas mission work “is like driving,” Dr Tan added. “You got to pick it up.”

You can read the article in its entirety here.

conrade

A Review of the NET Bible

A Regent Alum Reviews The Freely Available NET Bible


Here is a nice informative review of the NET Bible, the first English translation to be freely made available to the public on the Internet. Tze-Ming QUEK is a Regent Alum currently a PhD Candidate with Cambridge University (UK). He is currently a lecturer (New Testament and Hermeneutics) with Biblical Graduate School of Theology in Singapore.

You can download the NET Bible here, or simply read it online here. Another nice feature is that the NETBible is available in many different formats, including Kindle and MS Word.

You can read more of Tze-Ming's review by clicking here.





conrade
(Regent MDiv, 2008)

Chick-Fil-A Leadercast Seminar (May 7th 2010)

This is a 1-day seminar on leadership. It brings together a remarkable group of people, like John Maxwell, Ben Carson, Jim Collins, Tony Blair etc. What is interesting is that you do not need be physically in Atlanta, Georgia in order to attend the conference. There is a webcast to a host of different cities around the world. It may very well be in your local church or in a church where you live. Check it here for locations.

If you are unable to attend, some of the past downloadable messages are worth listening to. Check it out here or some of the speakers bio here. You can gain some tips on leadership.

conrade