More Information
ISBN: 9781839734359
Imprint: Langham Global Library
Format: Paperback
Dimensions (mm): 229 x 152 x 10
Publication Date: 30/09/2021
Pages: 176
Series: ICETE Series
Language: English

Secular, Sacred, More Sacred

Four Calls to Bridge the Divide

£12.99

The sacred-secular divide continues to threaten the health of the global church, disempowering lay Christians and undermining the call to integrate all aspects of life under the lordship of Christ. Theological educators seeking a path out of this dichotomy will find themselves both challenged and encouraged by this collection of essays drawn from the 2018 ICETE conference in Panama City. Within its four sections, contributors explore biblical frameworks for integration, urge seminaries to value identity formation as much as skill acquirement, call for a robust theology of work, and challenge theologians to consider their responsibility to the world beyond the church’s borders. Filled with thought-provoking questions and practical suggestions, this book is an excellent resource for all those pursuing a holistic approach to theological education.

Author Bios

Stuart Brooking
(Edited By)

STUART BROOKING is Executive Director of Overseas Council Australia, one of five organisations in the Overseas Council network dedicated to assisting the development of theological education in the Majority World. Stuart has degrees in five fields with doctoral studies in Theological Education from the University of Sydney, Australia. He also contributes to the training of women and men for gospel ministry in his own context, as Head of Department of Ministry and Practice at the Australian College of Theology in Sydney.

Paul Branch
(Edited By)

DR. PAUL BRANCH serves as general secretary of the Evangelical Association of Theological Education in Latin America and as professor and president of the Central American Theological Seminary in Guatemala City, Guatemala.

Federico G. Villanueva
(Edited By)

FEDERICO G. VILLANUEVA, PhD, serves as the Regional Commissioning Editor for Langham Publishing and Scholar Care Coordinator of current Asian Langham scholars. He is author of several books, including The Uncertainty of a Hearing: A Study of the Sudden Change of Mood in the Psalms of Lament and It’s OK to be Not OK: Preaching the Lament Psalms. He teaches part-time at the Asia Graduate School of Theology and Loyola School of Theology in Manila.

Endorsements

I am delighted that the fruit of the ICETE 2018 Triennial Conference in Panama City is now documented and accessible. If the divide between the secular and the sacred is to be overcome, it must begin with the education of the next generation of leaders. This book shows ways forward.

Bernhard Ott, PhD
Chairman of the European Council for Theological Education


This book provides thought-provoking biblical foundations, encouraging practical examples and appealing insights for action. It brings the conversation further on the strategic roles of seminaries in advancing Lausanne’s biblical vision to bring the whole gospel to the whole world, by the whole church.

Sutrisna Harjanto, PhD
Principal, Bandung Theological Seminary, Indonesia

This book is a lens that gives a new perspective to God’s people, in whatever vocation they are in, to see their job as a God-given calling to partake in the expansion of his kingdom throughout the world. It shouts loud and clear that God has called us to be salt and light both in the church and in the marketplace.

Frew Tamrat, PhD
Principal, Evangelical Theological College, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Table of Contents

  1. Preface
  2. Introduction
  3. Section 1: A Call to Integration
    1. Integrating Truths: Psalm 86 Christopher J. H. Wright
    2. Insights from Proverbs on the Sacred-Secular Divide Shirley S. Ho
  4. Section 2: A Call for Virtue
    1. Insights from Proverbs Applied in Theological Education Lily K. Chua
    2. Bridging the Sacred-Secular Divide through Character and Virtue Education Marvin Oxenham
    3. Pastoral Identity Formation within Theological Education Marilyn Naidoo
  5. Section 3: A Call to the Church
    1. Theology of Work and the Mustard Seed Foundation Fletcher L. Tink and Oladotun Reju
    2. The Sacred-Secular Divide and the Mission of God Mark Greene and Ian Shaw
  6. Section 4: A Call from across the Divide
    1. Where Are the Theologians? A Call from across the Scholarly Divide Terence Halliday
  7. Postscript: ICETE 2018 and Then COVID-19

Contributors

Christopher J. H. Wright

CHRISTOPHER J. H. WRIGHT is the global ambassador for Langham Partnership, having served as the international director for twenty years. He was formerly academic dean of All Nations Christian College, UK, after he taught at Union Biblical Seminary, Pune, India. He has written several books that reflect his passion for bringing to life the relevance of the Old Testament to Christian mission and ethics. Chris and his wife, Liz, live in London, and have four adult children and eleven grandchildren.


Shirley S. Ho

SHIRLEY S. HO (PhD, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is Filipino-Chinese, and has lived in Taiwan for the past eleven years. She is currently Assistant Professor of the Old Testament at China Evangelical Seminary, Taipei, Taiwan, and teaches courses on Biblical Hebrew, the Old Testament, and Research and Writing. Shirley is currently writing her post-doctoral project on Proverbs, and has presented her article, The Journey of a Son: Narrative Reading of Proverbs 1–9, at the 2017 SBL International Meeting, at Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany.


Lily K. Chua


Marvin Oxenham

MARVIN OXENHAM is an interdisciplinary scholar, holding completed degrees in theology, philosophy, and education, having done his doctoral work at King’s College London in educational philosophy and later specializing in online and distance education. He is also a practitioner in theological education, having served as Academic Dean at the London School of Theology, where he currently holds the post of Director of Online Education and Program Leader for the MA in Theological Education, an innovative postgraduate and doctoral program aimed at providing professional and scholarly educational training for global theological educators. He also serves as Coordinator for the European Evangelical Accrediting Association (ICETE member) and has been Regional Consultant for Europe for Overseas Council. Marvin was born and lives in Rome, Italy.


Marilyn Naidoo


Fletcher L. Tink


Oladotun Reju


Terence C. Halliday


Mark Greene

MARK GREENE is Mission Champion for the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity, having served as Executive Director for twenty-one years. A pioneer for everyday mission and discipleship, Mark has written and spoken widely in the cause of empowering all God’s people for dynamic, fruitful relationship with Christ in all of life.


Ian J. Shaw

IAN SHAW is CEO of the Opal Trust, a Christian ministry which serves churches in the Majority World through resourcing them with Bibles, evangelical books, and literature. He has spent over twenty years in leadership positions in theological education, including as Provost of Union School of Theology, Bridgend, Wales, and Associate International Director of Langham Scholars.


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