Excepts from the pen of Dr Ng Kam Weng...
Adolf Hernack observed that the early church gained ascendancy because they not only out-loved their competitors; they also out-thought their critics...
J.G. Machen who wrote, "We may preach with all the fervor of a reformer and yet succeed only in winning a straggler here or there, if we permit the whole collective thought of the nation or of the world to be controlled by ideas which, by the relentless force of logic, prevents Christianity from being regarded as anything more than a harmless delusion."
We must address the challenge of the cultured despisers of Christianity if Christian witness is to gain credibility...
It is true that many Christian leaders in the third world do not have enough time to acquire the pre-requisite skills and knowledge adequate to confront the best scholars from the other religions. Hence, it is vital that we begin early to equip younger Christians for such a demanding task. In fact, young Christians are often put on the defensive while undergoing the indoctrination process under their national education system. Christian youths are themselves increasingly vulnerable to conversion to resurgent Asian spirituality...
Unlike their Western counterparts who benefit from the liberal arts program in their general education. Asian Christians are often denied opportunities to reflect on their Christian intellectual heritage, especially if the national education system favours another religion. Consequently many Christian begin serious reflection on their philosophical and theological heritage only when they go to the seminaries.
Ironically, they learn about the Asian religion form 'experienced missionaries' who have returned to the West. Asian churches that seek to produce Christian thinkers who can match their local religious counterparts are obviously handicapped by such late academic beginnings. It is urgent that we identify promising young leaders and nurture them with supplementary education while they are still in colleges. Long-term programs must be devised to enhance their competence in Asian philosophies and religions...
It is urgent that we identify promising young leaders and nurture them with supplementary education while they are still in colleges. Long-term programs must be devised to enhance their competence in Asian philosophies and religions.
The full article is in NECF Consultation
Adolf Hernack observed that the early church gained ascendancy because they not only out-loved their competitors; they also out-thought their critics...
J.G. Machen who wrote, "We may preach with all the fervor of a reformer and yet succeed only in winning a straggler here or there, if we permit the whole collective thought of the nation or of the world to be controlled by ideas which, by the relentless force of logic, prevents Christianity from being regarded as anything more than a harmless delusion."
We must address the challenge of the cultured despisers of Christianity if Christian witness is to gain credibility...
It is true that many Christian leaders in the third world do not have enough time to acquire the pre-requisite skills and knowledge adequate to confront the best scholars from the other religions. Hence, it is vital that we begin early to equip younger Christians for such a demanding task. In fact, young Christians are often put on the defensive while undergoing the indoctrination process under their national education system. Christian youths are themselves increasingly vulnerable to conversion to resurgent Asian spirituality...
Unlike their Western counterparts who benefit from the liberal arts program in their general education. Asian Christians are often denied opportunities to reflect on their Christian intellectual heritage, especially if the national education system favours another religion. Consequently many Christian begin serious reflection on their philosophical and theological heritage only when they go to the seminaries.
Ironically, they learn about the Asian religion form 'experienced missionaries' who have returned to the West. Asian churches that seek to produce Christian thinkers who can match their local religious counterparts are obviously handicapped by such late academic beginnings. It is urgent that we identify promising young leaders and nurture them with supplementary education while they are still in colleges. Long-term programs must be devised to enhance their competence in Asian philosophies and religions...
It is urgent that we identify promising young leaders and nurture them with supplementary education while they are still in colleges. Long-term programs must be devised to enhance their competence in Asian philosophies and religions.
The full article is in NECF Consultation
Comments
True until you realize that the intellectual heritage eventually traces itself to 12 uneducated (literally and derogatory sense) people who knew more about boats and fishing, collecting taxes and extorting people, zelotry and formenting revolution than they did about "confronting thinkers of competing faiths".
Yet there is a place for thinkers too :)
Don't forget that the uneducated '12' has been reinforced by Ivy League-trained Paul of tarsus... Of course, under the tutelage of Sifu Jesus the Twelve (who came from not-so-fantastic background, as you mentioned) eventually pull their act together and wrote magnificent stuffs like the Gospel of John, epistles of Peter, etc.
It ain't over till the fat lady sings?
But they forgot to consider that Peter could have employed a secretary...
Or that Peter could have learnt and improved over the years! (same story for apostle John)
Studying in a humanities programme in a secular Western university is challenging as well (I'm studying English Lit), and often I do feel inadequate especially when it comes to critically engaging with the material at hand. I'm tempted to blame our education system for this, but that might be unfair, considering I'm not the most hardworking person. =]
The Malaysian Christian community will be well-served by good thinkers. Heart and mind, truth and soul...
:)
BK
1. Coherent and informed Christian worldview
2. Sacrifical love
3. Witness of transformed lives and communities
4. Willingness to suffer and die for the faith
Somehow Christianity did better when we were the persecuted minority than when we took over the Empire.
When i was in HELP institute, I had no inkling about how to respond to the sociology big-shots of Comte, Durkheim, Webber... Wished someone had given some pointers from a Christian perspective.