Theological News On-Line

Issue 30 July/August 2004	'Promoting Biblical Truth by Networking Theologians'
Please note - there will be no issue of this publication in August 2004

Published by Theological Commission of the World Evangelical Alliance

Editor: David Parker dparker@pacific.net.au
email distribution: Dr.Paul C. Murdoch Murdoch@ead.de

Welcome to WEA Theological News On-Line - this is the on-line version of our printed quarterly, WEA Theological News (ISSN 0260-3705). WEA TN On-Line is issued approximately monthly. The content of the printed and on-line versions overlap but are not identical. We also publish Evangelical Review of Theology. For more information, visit our website www.worldevangelical.org/tcpubs.html#ert

We welcome news reports on theological matters for both versions - they can cover theological institutions, conferences, publications, faculty, trends and developments, etc. of interest to evangelical theologians around the world.

For more information on the work of the Theological Commission, contact the Executive Chair, Dr Rolf Hille at rolf.hille@albrecht-bengel-haus.de

In this issue:

•  New version of popular Theological Commission CD-ROM released
•  Theological Commission meeting marks 30 years
•  Taking the dislocation out of education
•  Latin American theological educators to meet in Lima

New version of popular Theological Commission CD-ROM released

The WEA Theological Commission has announced that a new version of their popular CD-ROM has been released. This "Theological Resource Library" CD was first developed for the Amsterdam 2000 Evangelists' Conference and then sold widely in a slightly modified version. It was re-released about a year ago, but has now been updated with the later version of the underlying technology, featuring the Libronix system used by Logos Research Systems, Inc. of Bellingham WA, USA (www.Logos.com). The Libronix system is installed from the CD and users can then purchase additional e-books from the vast range now available from the supplier.

The content of the up-dated CD is also slightly different. In particular, two new books have been added - one of this is Global Crossroads- focusing the strength of local churches: Strategic papers presented at the historic Tenth General Assembly of World Evangelical Fellowship, edited by W. Harold Fuller. The other is This We Believe: - The Good News of Jesus Christ for the World: An Evangelical Celebration (Pastor's Edition with preaching and worship resources) (John N. Akers, John H. Armstrong, and John D. Woodbridge, General Editors) (new in v. 2.0).

This We Believe is a exposition of the Gospel based on the 1999 statement, "The Gospel of Jesus Christ: An Evangelical Celebration" which is a detailed statement of our understanding of the Gospel. Each of the twelve chapters covers a key theme of Christian truth (such as sin, salvation, Jesus Christ, heaven, etc) written by a leading evangelical Christian, designed to help us all understand and live out the gospel today. Each chapter also contains an inspiring personal story of the power of the Gospel drawn from the church around the globe.

This special "Pastor's Edition" contains congregational resources (keyed to each chapter), including sermon outlines, interactive worship suggestions, and Bible study materials. The sermon material (one for each chapter of the book) has been prepared so that it is "thoroughly biblical, theologically sound, and deeply practical". The sermon outlines are complete and detailed, with illustrations; there are also suggestions for music (traditional and contemporary), prayers, dramas, responsive readings, small group discussion topics.

The Chinese Bible and the Spanish Bible have been deleted for licensing and technical reasons. Other contents remain the same including the five D. A. Carson TC Study unit books, the TC report, A Contemporary Evangelical Perspective on Roman Catholicism, six books in the TC 'Outreach and Identity' Series, four other WEA books, two English Bibles (ASV and KJV) and French, Dutch, Portuguese and Arabic Bibles, and nine other classic books as a bonus, including sermons, Bible dictionary, histories and histories.

Pricing and ordering details for the new CD are unchanged at US$45 including shipping. (Payment may be made also in Sterling or Euro.) At this low price, there is no special pricing for previous purchasers or arrangements for upgrading from the original disk. Contact WEA TC Publications dparker@pacific.net.au

Theological Commission meeting marks 30 years

The WEA Theological Commission will mark 30 years of its life as it meets for its annual business and planning session Sept 25-28, 2004. The meeting, to be held in Bangkok. will feature important discussions on the program and activities of the Commission, including its publications, consultations and study units. It is expected that a publication on environmental stewardship will be finalised by the time of the meeting, and that there will be progress to report on the electronic publication program. A special feature for discussion will be the impact on the TC of plans for the WEA to further restructure itself. Membership of the nine-strong TC will also be on the agenda as consideration as given to ways to fill vacancies and to expand its scope.

There will also be an important session in preparation for the next conference of the TC in 2005 which will be a joint-consultation with the Korea Evangelical Theological Society in Seoul, Korea. Director of Publications and Administration, Dr David Parker, is visiting Korea in July 2004 and will be discussing preliminary plans.

An important feature of the 2004 session will be the participation of the members in the Lausanne Forum on World Evangelisation which will follow the TC meeting. Most of the TC members will be involved in the Forum issue groups, while Dr. Rolf Hille, chair of the TC, will be the convenor of one (The uniqueness of Christ). Those named as theologians include Dr. David Hilborn (Globalisation), Dr. David Parker (Changing expressions of the church), Dr. Jae Sung Kim (The two-thirds world church), Dr. George Vandervelde (The whole gospel), Dr. Ken Gnanakan (Racial Conflict and Reconciliation), Dr. Brian G. Edgar (Bio-Ethics).

A special session of the TC meeting will be devoted to joint discussions with the Lausanne Theology Working Group, led by Dr. Luder Whitlock. This will enable both groups to share information about their activities and plans with the aim of better cooperation and maximising their impact in theological reflection for the global evangelical community.

Taking the Dislocation out of Education

Education often involves dislocation. In few places is that truer than in Bible education. Our models for training people in ministry too often seem to specialize in removing them from the context in which they serve. Over the years Lanka Bible College's (Sri Lanka) extension ministry has tried to remove the dislocation from education … by taking Bible training out to where students live. In July the college will be ploughing new ground in the "extension business". Working in partnership with the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka, the college will assist in the development of three NCEASL-LBC "Alliance Institutes". These will be situated in Mannar, Batticaloa and Wanni … in the heart of some of the most troubled parts of our island. A spokesperson for the college said, "We believe that wherever God's Word is taught and received, His blessing and peace can come to that place (c. Luke 10:6). As NCEASL's general secretary Godfrey Yogarajah says, 'If any place in our nation needs God's blessing and peace, it's Mannar, Batticaloa and Wanni!!' "

With buildings and applications under way, the Alliance Institutes are poised for launching in the next few months. May Mannar, Batticoloa and Wanni receive God's Word with glad hearts … and experience His peace in the process. A report from The LBC Pulse, June 2004, LANKA BIBLE COLLEGE, P.O. Box 2 Christopher Rd., Peradeniya, Sri Lanka

Latin American Theological Educators to Meet in Lima

The Latin American Association for Evangelical Theological Education, AETAL, will hold its 5th continental conference 19-22 October 2004 at the Seminario Evangélico de Lima in Peru. The conference will focus on developing leaders who are biblically based and socially contextualized. Speakers will include Dr. Gerardo Alfaro from SETECA in Guatemala; Dr. Carlos Pinto from SBPV in Brazil; and Dr. Steve Finamore of TearFund UK. Workshops will focus on internet based learning, accreditation and other topics of interest. The General Secretary of AETAL is Vera Brock of Brazil. For further information on AETAL and its conference, contact: mestrado@opv.org.br

ICETE News May 2004

WEA Theological News On-line

This is an electronic edition of WEA Theological News (ISSN 0260-3705) published by World Evangelical Fellowship Theological Commission; Chair: Dr Rolf Hille http://www.worldevangelical.org/theology.html

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WEA Theological News

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