Theological News On-Line

Issue 45    May 2006	'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 www.worldevangelicalalliance.com/commissions/tcpubs.htm  

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:

•  Upgrade for Popular Theological Resource Library CD-ROM now available for ordering
•  Africans Needs African Theology: Western Theology Fails to Address Needs
•  Former TC Director, Dr James Stamoolis, installed at Trinity
•  Death of Charles Spicer, Founder of OC
•  Verbum: Speaking the Truth in Love: Evangelical Perspectives on Dialogue with Roman Catholicism by Dr T. Casino

New Version of Popular CD-ROM containing Evangelical Review of Theology and TC Publications

The popular Theological Resource Library CD-ROM from the WEA Theological Commission is now available in a third upgraded version. The new version of the CD-ROM contains an additional five years of the TC’s flagship journal, Evangelical Review of Theology (ERT), bringing it up to 2005. There are also three new TC publications: Dr Ken Gnanakan’s Responsible Stewardship of God’s Creation; Dr David Parker’s story of the Theological Commission’s thirty year global ministry, Discerning the Obedience of Faith; and a wide ranging internationally authored text book on Eschatology edited by Dr Jochen Eber, Hope does not Disappoint. The CD-ROM now contains 29 volumes of the theological journal, making it an invaluable resource of evangelical thought and insights, as well as a mine of information about hundreds of books that have been reviewed in its pages since 1977.

The new 3rd edition of the CD-ROM uses the powerful Libronix search technology from Logos Research Systems which is supplied on the disk and enables users to access e-books from the huge range now available for purchase. The disk retains all the materials from the first and second versions, including TC publications, books from other sections of the World Evangelical Alliance, and public domain Bibles and reference books.

Dr David Parker, TC Publications Director, said, “We are pleased to release this new expanded version of the CD-ROM. We are confident it will prove to be even more useful than the earlier ones which have circulated in large numbers since the first release six years ago at the Amsterdam Itinerant Evangelists’ Conference.”

The cost of the new disk is unchanged at US $50 including freight (or other major currencies). Discounts apply to bulk orders and upgrades for previous customers. Payments may be made by direct transfer, cheque, PayPal and Western Union. Ordering details may be obtained from WEA TC Publications, tc@worldevangelicalliance.com 

Africans Needs African Theology: Western Theology Fails to Address African Needs

Rehe (idea) – Christians in Africa need to develop their own theology. According to Joe Kapolyo, a theologian from Zambia, many of his African colleagues simply copy Western theology, which is influenced by rationalism. It fails to address specific African needs, said Kapolyo in his keynote address at the annual meeting of the German Association of Evangelical Missions (AEM) in Rehe near Frankfurt, February 28 – March 2.

According to Kapolyo Western theology cannot provide answers to many African questions. A truly African theology must deal with subjects like poverty, tribalism, corruption, sexuality, and spiritism. Confrontation with the spirit world is a central element in African thinking. Western theology, on the other hand, regards demons as superstitious trash, said Kapolyo, although Jesus Christ himself drove out demons.

During the last five years Kapolyo has been rector of All Nations Christian College in London, England. Later in the year he will become pastor of an international church in the British capital.

Despite its fast growth in Africa Christianity has not succeeded in penetrating African culture, said Kapolyo. In many instances Africans have only been touched superficially. They often mix the Christian faith with paganism: They are good Christians during the day and consult the witchdoctor at night. This can lead to grotesque situations. There are thieves in Nigeria, said Kapolyo, who pray for God’s help in robberies and burglaries. They also “tithe” from their loot, and pastors buy cars with the stolen money, said Kapolyo.

Evangelical news agency idea. www.idea.de 7 March 2006

Former TC Executive Director Installed as Academic Dean of Trinity College and Trinity Graduate School

Trinity International University installed Dr. James Stamoolis as the Academic Dean of Trinity College and Trinity Graduate School at a ceremony on March 27, 2006, in undergraduate chapel. Students, faculty, and staff were in attendance, as Dr. John Woodbridge, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School's research professor of church history and the history of Christian thought, addressed Dr. Stamoolis with words of encouragement and advice.

Trinity President Dr. Gregory Waybright presented Dr. Stamoolis with a formal charge to love God and love the students and faculty of Trinity College and Graduate School. After Dr. Stamoolis's response and acceptance, students joined faculty in laying hands on the new Dean in prayers of affirmation and commitment. A reception in the H. G. Rodine Global Ministry Building's Hinkson Hall immediately followed the convocation.

Dr. Stamoolis assumed the role of Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs and Academic Dean for Trinity College and Trinity Graduate School on July 1, 2005. He earned his Master of Divinity and Master of Theology degrees from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, graduating with honors. He completed his Doctor of Theology with an emphasis in Missiology at the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa.

Dr. Stamoolis has served in such positions as president of the American Society of Missiology and Graduate Dean of Wheaton College Graduate School, where he helped develop Wheaton's first doctoral program and four new master's programs. A widely published scholar and ordained minister in the Baptist General Conference, Dr. Stamoolis holds the rank of professor of Biblical Studies at Trinity.

www.tiu.edu/tiu/newsstamoolisinstallation 

Death of Overseas Council (OC) Founder

Charles W. Spicer, Jr., 75, cofounder of Overseas Council International, Indianapolis, Indiana, on December 13, 2005. Beginning in 1967, Spicer first served with OMS International for 19 years in various leadership roles. In 1974, he and several business leaders organized Overseas Council, which he served as founding president, resigning from OMS in 1986 to work full time with OCI. Under Spicer's leadership, OCI raised funds to underwrite thousands of student scholarships and 71 major building projects. Retiring from OCI in 2004, but with a strong lifetime call to nussions, he then founded Facilitators International, which focuses on training men and women from evangelical churches in the developing world who want to be missionaries. In his service as a ministry leader, he visited some 195 countries and traveled millions of miles in behalf of the Great Commission.

Editor's Note: Charles Spicer was a frequent participant in WEA Theological Commission activities in his role with Overseas Council where he made valuable contributions.

International Bulletin of Missionary Research, 30:2 April 2006, p 85

Verbum: Evangelical Perspectives on Dialogue with Roman Catholicism

No 4: April 2006

by Dr Tereso C. Casiño, Torch Trinity Graduate School of Theology, Seoul, Korea drterry63@yahoo.com 

The Vatican Council II apparently opened opportunities for Evangelicals to engage in dialogue with Roman Catholicism. From 1993 to 2002, five significant international 'meetings' were held between representatives of the World Evangelical Alliance and Roman Catholics. Contacts began in the 1970s, and the dialogues proved to be intentional and fruitful although definitely calculated. However, Evangelicals worldwide take different approaches to engagement with Roman Catholicism.

Evangelicals living in Roman Catholic-dominated countries, e.g., South America, the Philippines, or parts of Europe, tend to take a 'rejectionist' perspective, which makes dialogue next to impossible. They view Roman Catholicism solely through a theological grid, setting aside other bases of conversation like issues in peace, ethics, culture. To them, Roman Catholicism shares no common theological or missiological points with Evangelicals, which fortifies walls that divided Evangelicals and Roman Catholics for centuries down to Vatican II.

Other Evangelicals embrace a strictly 'conversionist' perspective, which views Roman Catholicism as 'prime targets' of evangelization. To them adherents of Roman Catholicism are 'nominal Christians,' so they need to have a 'born again' experience. Any attempt to dialogue with Roman Catholicism is considered counter-productive to the evangelistic mandate of the Great Commission. Conversionists tend to dismiss any vestige of biblical truth within Roman Catholicism.

The post-Vatican II era witnessed a number of prominent evangelicals taking an 'accommodationist' perspective. In North America, for instance, a group of leading Evangelicals co-sponsored and signed with the Roman Catholics a 25-page document, Evangelicals and Catholics Together (ECT, 1992-1994). These leaders may have adapted to some of the theological stances of Roman Catholicism, but they refused to compromise their cardinal evangelical distinctives. In fact, evangelical participants in ECT managed to communicate their commitment to the nature of the church (three statements); sola scriptura; 'soul freedom' of the individual believer; the priesthood of all believers; the essence of sacraments and ordinances; the nature of the Lord's Supper; objection to the devotion to Mary and the saints; and the biblical meaning of water baptism. Accommodationists seek to understand the complexities of Roman Catholicism, and, in the process attempt to communicate their own theological system. In this case, dialogue becomes a strategic tool to foster better relations and to increase mutual understanding. Some accommodationists, however, concede that Roman Catholics can be equal partners-not objects-of world evangelism.

Taking one notch higher, some Evangelicals tend to adopt an 'integrationist' perspective. This is notable among members of the academic community, but appears difficult among grassroots parishioners. Integrationists know what specific points to accommodate, reject, or integrate into the evangelical form of daily life. They stress the good points of Roman Catholicism and discard those that do not contribute to a wholesome evangelical lifestyle. Integrationists oftentimes find themselves embracing Roman Catholic stances on abortion, stem cell research, peace and conflict initiatives, community development, or even evolution. However, they politely refuse to surrender their biblical-historic formulation of 'justification by faith alone' as reaffirmed by the Reformers. Integrationists assess both convergences and differences, subject them to the scrutiny of the Scriptures, and delineate them for a more coherent theological system. For instance, evangelical students in the Philippines or South America study at Roman Catholic universities or seminaries, learn under influential Roman Catholic scholars, and interact with influential lay leaders (their classmates!); yet, they remain committed to evangelicalism in everyday life.

The document, 'Church, Evangelization, and the Bonds of Koinonia' (published in 2004), attests that Evangelicals and Roman Catholics could listen constructively to each other. Evidently, success of a dialogue depends largely on the new Pope, Benedict XVI, who, as Cardinal Ratzinger, is not a stranger to inter-religious matters. It also depends on the commitment of Evangelical leaders and scholars worldwide as well as the laity who live together with Roman Catholics in the same secular society. For future dialogues to have significant impact, conversation at continental, regional, and even national levels is necessary.

A mere dialogue does not provide easy answers to centuries-old theological issues. Nevertheless, the question remains whether or not dialogue-a courageous attempt to 'speak the truth in love' (Eph. 4:15)-can achieve the kind of unity that both Evangelicals and Roman Catholics have longed for in terms of doctrine, fellowship, and Christian witness.

Further Reading:

• Noll, Mark and Carolyn Nystrom. Is the Reformation Over? (Baker, 2005)
• De Chirico, Leonardo. Evangelical Theological Perspectives on Post-Vatican II Roman Catholicism. (Peter Lang, 2004)
• Meeking, Basil, and John Stott, eds. The Evangelical-Roman Catholic Dialogue on Mission 1977-1984: A Report. (Eerdmans, 1986)

Verbum: Welcome to Verbum-a page of thoughtful comment and insight giving perspectives and overviews of topical issues. It appears in both our print and electronic editions. Reproduction and wider circulation is encouraged. Please acknowledge as "Verbum: WEA Theological News April 2006". Contributions from readers of ideas and articles (700 words max.) are warmly welcomed.

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