Theological News On-Line

Issue 41    October 2005	'Promoting Biblical Truth by Networking Theologians'

Published by Theological Commission of the World Evangelical Alliance

Editor: David Parker wef-tc@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 six-weekly. 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 http://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 r.hille@bengelhaus.de 

In this issue:

•  TC makes good progress in Korea at Annual Planning and Strategy Sessions
•  Third International Conference on Evangelical Theology in Korea focuses on 'The Task of Evangelical Theology for the Church of the 21st Century.'
•  Verbum: World Christianity and the Renewal of Theology by Amos Yong

TC makes good progress at annual planning and strategy session in Korea

The WEA Theological Commission held its annual planning and strategy meeting in South Korea Sept 27-30, 2005. Considerable progress was made on several issues of importance during the crowded schedule which included visits by TC members to eight different seminaries in Seoul and other Korean cities for lectures. The visit concluded with the TC participating in the Third International Conference on Evangelical Theology, Sept 30-Oct 1.

The 2005 session was facilitated greatly by the generosity and friendly assistance of the co-sponsors of the Conference which were the Korea Evangelical Theological Society and Sungkyul University. Local arrangements were headed by TC member, Dr Kim, Jae Sung who has recently concluded a term of service on the faculty of Hapdong Theological Seminary is now pastor of a church in USA. Due to visa problems, he was unable to attend but was able to maintain his organisational leadership electronically.

The 2005 meeting of the Theological Commission was held in the light of improved conditions within the World Evangelical Alliance following on from its Orlando Summit in May 2005. The Executive Chair, Dr Rolf Hille, reported on the more optimistic outlook which now existed. Agencies such as the TC's Rapid Response Unit, would now be able to serve the needs of the WEA constituency more adequately, although it was agreed that more resources were still needed to bring this operation up to full functioning level.

The TC brought to a conclusion a period of restructuring by finalising a new set of By-Laws. This development was assisted greatly by the new arrangements for the leadership and organisation of the World Evangelical Alliance which had taken place in the preceding year. The new TC By-Laws allow for an extension of the membership of the Commission to include national and regional Theological Commissions, the primary constituency of the TC, as well as individuals and bodies such as seminaries, theological associations, churches and missions who are interested in the work of the TC and wish to support it. Full details of this new scheme will be finalised soon and publicised. In the meantime, those interested in membership are invited to contact the TC Australia Office on wef-tc@pacific.net.au 

After the successful conclusion of earlier study programs, including the Task Force on Theological Education, the TC also advanced plans for more efforts. It decided to continue with plans for a consultation on the relation of the the Jewish people and the Christian Gospel, and to investigate further ways in which the TC could provide theological reflection on Integral Mission being promoted by the Micah Network. The TC endorsed continued good relationships with the Lausanne Theology Working Group as it re-forms itself under the leadership of Dr Chris Wright.

Another major project concluded at the 2005 meeting was the recommendation to the WEA for the updating of the Statement of Faith. This project had been remitted to the TC some time ago and in separate meetings and over a number of sessions, the work continued. In the latter stages, it was carried out in association with similar moves by the Evangelical Alliance of the United Kingdom to revise its Statement, a process which is about to be concluded. The TC's recommendation will be passed to the WEA for its processing.

Ways of assisting evangelicals living and witness in the context of other Christian groups were also advanced with decisions to develop study and reflection programs on Roman Catholicism and the Orthodox faith. Assistance will be provided to National Evangelical Fellowships who are considering their relationship to the Seventh Day Adventist church through a study program.

At its 2005 Korea meeting the TC examined ways in which it could fill the vacancies in its membership from Africa and Latin America, especially in relation to communication and financial issues. Steps were taken to hold meetings in these two areas in coming years in order to foster fellowship and networking. Financial support and budgetting remain critical for the TC which needs considerable additional funding if its plans for the future are to be fully implemented.

Third International Conference on Evangelical Theology in Korea focuses on 'The Task of Evangelical Theology for the Church of the 21st Century.'

The WEA Theological Commision participated fully in the Third International Conference on Evangelical Theology in Korea held Sept 30-Oct1, 2005. Several hundred people from the member institutions of the Korea Evangelical Theological Society joined in a packed program of about twnety sessions which studied the 'The Task of Evangelical Theology for the Church of the 21st Century.' The keynote address was given by the Executive Chair of the TC, Dr Rolf Hille. The full text, along with some other conference papers, will be published in Evangelical Review of Theology.

Each of the TC members presented a paper to which responses were given by two Korea theologians. TC members also gave responses to papers presented by their hosts. The papers covered topics ranging from "Well-being Syndrome in Korea" and Korean Missions in a post-modern context to Glossalalia in Korea, Universalism in Evangelical theology, Bio-theology and a study of Romans 7. Some of these papers will appear in future issues of the TC journal, Evangelical Review of Theology.

The conference was held at Sungkyul University, Angyang City, a co-sponsor, which under the leadership of its president, Dr Kim, Sung-Young, provided generously for the arrangements and in particular the comfort of TC members. In his welcome speech, Dr Kim said, "It is historically meaningful for Korea Evangelical Theological Society (KETS), which has led the theology of Korea over the last thirty years, to host this event in close cooperation with World Evangelical Alliance Theological Commission(WEATC) and Sungkyul University. As we look back, we are aware that KETS has become fully internationalized by holding 'The First International Conference on Evangelical Theology' in 2001. With the experience of holding the first conference with success, it is much more honourable for Sungkyul University to hold this third one with the assistance from related institutes. It must be the special blessing of God for Sungkyul University. I appreciate Jung Kyu-nam, the president of KETS, board members and thirty presidents of member universities for providing this meaningful event. My special thanks is also given to eminent theologians - ten from eight different nations - to deliver their own significant messages to us."

Korea Evangelical Theological Society held its first joint meeting for reading of theological papers on April 15th to 17th, 1982. This meeting was held at Dogo Hot Spring, Chung Nam, South Korea. The current President is Dr. Jung, Kyu-Nam, President, Kwangshin University, and Vice-Presidents are Dr. Kim, Eui-Won and Dr. Kim, Sung-Young. The General Secretary is Dr. Kim, Jae-Sung. Its website is www.kets.or.kr 

Verbum: October 2005

A page of comment and insight giving perspectives and overviews of topical issues. This feature is intended to stimulate thought. It appears in both our print and electronic editions of Theological News.

Reproduction and wider circulation is encouraged. Please acknowledge as "Verbum: WEA Theological News".

Contributions from readers of ideas and articles (700 words) are warmly welcomed.

World Christianity and the Renewal of Theology in the 21st Century:

Evangelical & Pentecostal Opportunities & Challenges

by Amos Yong, Regent University School of Divinity, Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA ayong@regent.edu

The changing face of Christianity as it continues to expand southward and eastward means that the Church will continue to encounter new challenges, even as she is also given new opportunities. >From a theological perspective, three sets of challenges and opportunities can be readily identified: the impact of globalization, the experience of pluralism, and the Pentecostal-charismatic character of global Christianity.

Globalization describes the processes by which the world's interdependence is being made manifest. A nation's politics affect not only its own citizens, but has international ramifications. A global economy now dictates how workers and consumers interact. Environmental neglect in one time and place produces drastic consequences for others later on. The advent of new communicative technologies means that our news events make immediate headlines around the world.

Evangelical theology is now confronted with the challenge of asking new questions. As a missionary movement intent on taking the gospel to the ends of the earth, evangelicals have always been globally aware. But they have tended not to focus on questions related to politics, economics, science, technology, and the environment. Still, these are matters that life in the twenty-first century cannot ignore. Further, a rereading of Scripture from the perspective of globalization has illuminated the interwoven fabric of life – the political, the social, the economic, and the environmental – in the Hebraic worldview. So it is clear that the promise of the Spirit in the prophets brought with it a revitalization of Israel's economy, a healing of Israel's relationship with the nations, and a rejuvenation of her physical topography, among other results. Hence while the challenge for evangelical theology today is the development of a multi- and inter-disciplinary hermeneutic that can make sense of our world's complexities, the opportunity is also before us to announce and enact the good news of Jesus Christ in fresh and compelling ways.

Closely related to globalization is our contemporary experience of pluralism. Of course, pluralism as a descriptive notion has always been a feature of creation. The kind of pluralism we are encountering today, however, is epistemological, existential, and socio-political. Immigration, the internet, the ideology of tolerance essential for democratic societies, and other factors have combined to raise questions of whether or not absolute truth can be attained from particular perspectives; of whether we can successfully negotiate the kinds of anxieties that arise in encountering difference, otherness, and strangeness; and of whether truly peaceful and just societies can be possible if multi-ethnically, multiculturally, and multireligiously constituted.

While the strength of evangelical theology has been its emphasis on the proclamation of the good news of Jesus Christ, its weakness, arguably, has been in recognizing, understanding, and communicating that one gospel in many different ways. This calls attention, of course, to the perennial question of the one and the many, of unity and diversity. The challenge in our pluralistic world is not only to grant the perspectival character of all knowledge, but also to engage the theological task in conversation with the many ethnicities, cultures, and even religious traditions which shape the dynamics of twenty-first century life. Yet this challenge now presents new opportunities for evangelical theology: to mine the resources of the various ethnic, cultural, and wisdom traditions of the world in order to announce more confidently and sensitively the good news. After all, the ambiguities, messiness, and diversities of history are not foreign to the divine life but have been caught up in the incarnation of Jesus of Nazareth and in the pentecostal outpouring of the Spirit.

Last but certainly not the least of the challenges and opportunities of today is that the signs and wonders of the original Day of Pentecost have also been replayed in the Pentecostal and charismatic forms of Christianity that have flourished more recently. By the mid-twentieth century, Pentecostalism was heralded as "the third force in Christendom" (besides Catholicism/Orthodoxy and Protestantism), followed later by missiologists calling the twentieth century "the century of Pentecostal-charismatic missions." Yet the explosive growth of Pentecostal-charismatic churches worldwide has also brought with it all of the challenges historically associated with enthusiastic movements: religious fervour, often at the expense of orthodoxy, along with emphases on miracles, charismatic gifts, and the supernatural that are often incredulous.

These challenges, however, also present new opportunities for evangelical theology. Dialogical opportunities are now available with scholars of the Pentecostal and charismatic movements who come from both within and without those communities. New PhD programs in these areas – such as the University of Amsterdam's Hollenweger Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements, the University of Birmingham's Postgraduate Studies in Pentecostalism Unit, and Regent University School of Divinity's Program in Renewal Theology – have and will continue to produce sophisticated scholarship that will both challenge the status quo and further the theological conversation.

In light of these developments, evangelical and Pentecostal theologians have much to anticipate, and a great deal of work to do.

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