SBC Pray For Us Issue 226 by SBC Communications

Jan/ No. Feb 226 2011

SINGAPORE BIBLE COLLEGE HIGHLIGHTS

• Congratulations to CCTE’s Graduands!

•

SBC Public Lectures by Dr James Hoffmeier in Biblical Archaeology

“from Issachar, men who understood the times and knew what Israel should do—200 chiefs, with all their relatives under their command;” (1 Chr 12:32 NIV)

rave warriors with different talents were attracted to join David against King Saul’s senseless rule. Some were skillful with weaponry like shields and spears, and arrows and sling stones. Others were commanders leading hundreds and thousands of fighting men. Among the warriors who joined David were the men of Issachar, who had sharp eyes and analytical minds. They were strategists with keen insights into the happenings of the times, who interpreted the happenings and formulated strategies to respond effectively to the times. Every organization needs people like the men of Issachar. Most people can be swayed or shaped by the happenings around us. Being able to make sense of the trends and interpret the signs of the times can bring about useful responses that lead to countless benefits for both ourselves and the organizations we belong to. The ability to understand the times is particularly important in today’s context as we are experiencing changes at breakneck pace. Social network Facebook is being considered the third largest country in the world if its registered users can be counted as citizens of a nation. With over 560 million users, it is reshaping the way people communicate and network with each other and how we do fellowship and cell groups in the church. Wikileaks, which publishes classified media from anonymous news sources and news leaks, is introducing a form of radical transparency which unsettles governmental officials and business communities. The new economy is focusing on “frugal innovation”— producing more with less cost and manpower. Yet inflation continues to hit us, with prices of food, oil and commodities increasing at alarming rates. Your congregation is going to be more tired, frustrated and unhappy if nothing is done to improve

their lives. How do you make sense of all these happenings? The men of Issachar understood the times and knew what Israel should do. But we are often caught in situations where we do not know what we should do! We lose direction as strategic planning becomes more challenging. Instead of taking concrete steps, many people simply feel their way across the river. At such a time as this, we need to go back to what we already know and are committed to! In the midst of the changing student profile, the popularity of e-learning and the high cost of operating a theological school, SBC falls back on what we know and are committed to: we will continue to carry out our mission of glorifying God by training faithful servants of Jesus Christ for the edification of the church and the urgent evangelization of the unreached; we will strive to train our students to be creative thinkers, effective communicators and servant leaders. As SBC is evolving into a graduate school, we will expose our students to more rigorous academic research and reflections, but we will always uphold the authority and inerrancy of God’s Word. The character and spiritual formation of our students will always be an indispensable component of our education. Our fundamentals of being Christ-centered, Bible-based, Church-oriented, Missions-directed and Context-relevant will always remain! Even as we begin this new year, we are also looking ahead to next year which will mark the 60th anniversary of SBC’s founding. As we gear up to celebrate God’s faithfulness in seeing us through our changing times, we know that we can press on with confidence, because we have built our education on solid foundation. Grow with us!

Understand the Times

迎春 MICA(P) 173/08/2010 9-15 Adam Road, Singapore 289886 Tel: (65) 6559 1555 Fax: (65) 6559 1550 Email: admin@sbc.edu.sg Website: www.sbc.edu.sg

r Albert Ting, Principal D Singapore Bible College

Centre for Continuing Theological Education SINGAPORE BIBLE COLLEGE

The Word of God in English F

or the Christian Church, the year 2011 is an important year. It is important because it marks the 400th anniversary of the publication of the King James Version (KJV) of the Holy Bible, known more popularly in the British Isles as the Authorized Version (AV). Throughout the English-speaking world, conferences, seminars and public lectures will be organized to commemorate this milestone in the history and translation of the Bible into the English language. In the British Isles, no complete Bible in the English language existed prior to the 14th century A.D. The common people were deprived of the Bible as their rule of faith. They depended on plays, oral transmission of biblical stories, and Latin and French Bibles of the aristocracy and the priesthood for their understanding of God’s Word. Even for the modestly educated clergy, the Bible was inaccessible. The few extant copies and their exorbitant price made owning, reading and studying the Bible impossible. For the most part, the clergy had to rely heavily on the small portions of Scripture included in their prayer books. This undesirable situation was changed for all time by one man, John Wycliffe (1320-84), known also as the “morning star of the Reformation.” Wycliffe was persuaded that God’s Word should be in the language of the common man. He wrote: “…Holy Scriptures is the faith of the Church, and the more widely its true meaning becomes known, the better it will be. Therefore since the laity should know the faith, it should be taught in whatever language is most easily comprehended…” 1 Together with his followers (the Lollards), Wycliffe translated the Bible from the Latin Vulgate into English. For the next 130 years, Wycliffe’s faithful and daring translation became the Bible of every man. The importance of this cannot be underestimated. For the first time, every literate person could read and understand God’s Word and thereby learn the truths of Scripture for faith and life. Wycliffe’s translation, however, gave

rise to the established church’s intense hatred for a Bible in the common tongue of the people. The Church subsequently formulated the infamous Constitutions which made translating Scripture into English or reading the Bible in English heretical acts. Following Wycliffe was William Tyndale (1494-1536) who shared a similar vision to see the Bible translated into the vernacular. Tyndale had reportedly said, “I defy the pope, and all his laws; and further added, that if God spared him life, ere many years he would cause a boy that driveth the plough, to know more of the Scripture than he [the pope] did.” 2 For his work of translating the Scriptures into English, Tyndale was found guilty of heresy. On 6 October 1536, he was tied to a stake, strangled, and burned. But Tyndale’s work endured and significantly influenced subsequent translations of the Bible, especially the KJV-AV of which 80 to 90 percent is the direct expression of Tyndale! Tyndale’s martyrdom prevented him from translating the entire Bible. This task awaited Miles Coverdale (14881569) who also believed that everyone should have the Scriptures for their own study. Coverdale wrote, “Sure I am that there cometh more knowledge and understanding of the Scriptures by their sundry translations than by all the glosses of our sophisticated doctors.” 3 Coverdale’s Bible, the first complete Bible in modern English, was printed in Antwerp on 4 October 1535. In the decades following, more translations appeared including the Great Bible (1539), named for its size, the Geneva Bible (1560), and the Bishops’ Bible (1568). These translations culminated in the famous King James Version (1611), named after King James I of England and Scotland (1566-1625) who appointed 54 of England’s finest scholars to undertake the task of revising previous English versions of the Bible in the light of the original Hebrew and Greek. Because of the impeccable qualifica-

tions of the translators, its faithfulness to the Hebrew and Greek, and its excellent literary qualities, the KJV-AV eventually gained the ascendancy and triumphed over other versions. So dominant did the KJV-AV become that for about 270 years, it had no peers; it was the only version of the Bible that the entire English-speaking world read. The nineteenth century saw the discoveries of more biblical manuscripts. There were also advances made in the science of biblical textual criticism. These factors, together with rapid changes in the English language, gave rise to a strong need for fresh translations of the Bible. This resulted in a spate of translations that appeared in the latter half of the nineteenth, twentieth and twentyfirst centuries. These include the Revised Version (1881), the American Standard Version (1901), the Revised Standard Version (1952), the New American Standard Bible (1971, 1995), the New International Version (1978), the New King James Version (1982), the New Revised Standard Version (1989), the New Living Translation (1996), the English Standard Version (2001), and the Holman Christian Standard Bible (2003). As English-speaking Christians, we have been tremendously blessed with multiple versions of the Bible to help us understand its teachings. We have also been richly blessed with reference aids like commentaries on the Bible that shed important linguistic, exegetical, historical, and cultural insights. But as the history of the translation of the Bible into English has shown, the Bible has not

always been so easy to obtain, let alone to understand. Which is why, as the Englishspeaking Christian world celebrates the 400th anniversary of the KJV-AV, we cannot but be grateful and thankful to God for the work of men like John Wycliffe, William Tyndale, Miles Coverdale, the KJV translators, and many others who have painstakingly, lovingly and sacrificially laboured to translate the Bible into English, to ensure that every Christian has a Bible in his hand that he can read and understand, and to produce aids to help us understand the Bible. What are we doing with the Bible (or even Bibles) that we own and that has come to us at great cost? Are we voraciously reading it daily and regularly? When Jesus was on earth, He asked this question on several occasions, “Have you not read?” (Matt. 12:3, 5; 19:4; 21:16, 42;

22:31; Mark 2:25; 12:10, 26; Luke 6:3). Also, to use the words of the KJV-AV, do we “study [the Bible] to show [ourselves] approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15)? As a seminary that believes the Bible is the inspired and authoritative Word of God, Singapore Bible College (SBC) is committed to helping our full-time theological students to read, interpret, understand, apply, preach and teach the Bible. It is this same commitment that has also led SBC to establish the Centre for Continuing Theological Education (CCTE) so that we can promote biblical and theological literacy among the whole people of God for the general ministry and mission of the church. The growth of the church, the spread of the Gospel, and the advance of God’s kingdom on earth de-

pends in no small way on the laity who are biblically and theologically literate! We therefore invite you to join our growing CCTE community as students of Holy Scripture so that together we can pursue understanding and obedience of the Word – for our personal discipleship, for the edification of the church, and for the spread of Gospel throughout the world. Rev. Dr. Bernard Low Director of CCTE Also Associate Professor in Systematic Theology at SBC and Associate Pastor of Hebron B-P Church

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1 John Wycliffe, Speculum Secularium Dominorum, Opera Minora, trans. and ed. John Loserth (London: Wyclif Society, 1913), 74. 2 John Foxe, Acts and Monuments, vol. 5 (London: Seeley, Burnside, and Seeley, 1848), 117. 3 Miles Coverdale, Dedications and Prologues to the Translation of the Bible (1535; rep. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1846), 19.

CCTE COURSES FOR TERM II 2011

21 Mar to 13 May 2011, 7.30-9.30pm at SBC’s MPH/Lecture Theatre Room 1-302 Mondays (21/3, 28/3; 4/4, 11/4, 18/4, 25/4) MS01(K): The Principles of Mission From the beginning, our God is the living missionary God. In the OT, God called Israel - His glorious people - to proclaim His kingdom to the nations. In the NT, God also commissioned churches to advance His Kingdom. In this postmodern age, local churches too have a mission to propagate the gospel so that many will come to faith and enter into the Body of Christ, thereby enlarging God’s kingdom. Missiology, a practical systematic theology, serves to guide churches in effective kingdom-building in these last days. This course aims to challenge Christians to think (or rethink) about their role and mission in the world. L ect u rer : 1 Rev. John Lee, DTh (Trinity Theological College), General Secretary of Asia Mission Partnership in Singapore (A.M.P) and Research Professor of China Theological Seminary in Seoul (CTSS)

BI01: Hermeneutics & Biblical Interpretation This introductory course to interpreting and understanding the Bible surveys the nature, necessity, and task of biblical interpretation, as well as its significance for contemporary Christian living. It is aimed at (1) providing students with a framework to both approach and respond to the Biblical text (and its message) responsibly and (2) getting them familiar with the different genres of the Bible, as well as the significant interpretive issues involved. L ect u rer : 2 Mr. Jose Philip, Th.M. (Singapore Bible College), Pastor of Faith Mission Home and Adjunct Professor at SBC, Baptist Theological Seminary (Singapore), Bible College of Malaysia and Colombo Theological Seminary

NT02: New Testament Survey (Part 2) Building on NT01: New Testament Survey (Part 1) this course surveys the message of the remaining half of the 27 New Testament books, their relationships with each other, introductory issues (eg. author, date, occasion, uniqueness) and factors in the first century that influenced not only the life and ministry of the early church, but also affect the mission of the church today.

L ect u rer : 3 Rev. Rick Griffith, PhD (Dallas Theological Seminary), Associate Professor in Biblical Studies at SBC, Coordinator of the New Testament Department and Pastor-Teacher at Crossroads International Church.

Tuesdays (22/3, 29/3, 5/4, 12/4, 19/4, 26/4) BI11: Advanced Hermeneutics and Biblical Interpretation This course builds on BI01: Hermeneutics and Biblical Interpretation. It is designed to explore more fully the interpretive issues and challenges surrounding faithful interpretation and appropriation of the message of the Bible, an ancient text, in a contemporary context. It provides students with a framework to both approach and respond to the Biblical text (and its message) responsibly, and helps students understand (1) the interdependence between general hermeneutics, exegesis and application in the interpretation process, (2) how the ‘philosophy of language’ and the ‘theology of the text’ shape our interpretation, and (3) how to appropriately appeal to, and faithfully apply, the message of the Bible for contemporary Christian living. (Prerequisite: Students taking this course must have taken BI01: Hermeneutics and Biblical Interpretation)

L ect u rer : 2 Mr. Jose Philip, Th.M. (Singapore Bible College), Pastor of Faith Mission Home and Adjunct Professor at SBC, Baptist Theological Seminary (Singapore), Bible College of Malaysia and Colombo Theological Seminary

CE03: Facing the Hard Issues in Church Life There are many hard issues facing church life today. Moral and ethical issues may be, for some, the most critical ones. Society as a whole is changing, and modern social values and standards have also undergone dramatic shifts. The impact on the local church’s life, and church ministry in particular, is already visible. This course will allow you to reflect, discuss with your peers, and pray about some of the hard issues facing churches today, including co-habitation, divorce, homosexuality, family wellness, adultery, marital sexual abuse, child abuse and internet pornography. L ect u rer : 4 Rev. Tony Chi, PhD in Comparative Study of Religions (Northwestern University), former Senior Pastor of Wesley Methodist Church (1973-81), former Vice President for Training with Haggai Institute, and Adjunct Professor at SBC

Wednesdays (23/3, 30/3, 6/4, 13/4, 20/4, 27/4 ) OT12: Old Testament Biblical Theology (Part II) Ever wondered how we, as New Testament Christians, can apply Old Testament historical books or even wisdom literature and prophecy today? Many Christians have a piecemeal understanding of the Bible but do not know how the different books relate to one another. This course builds on the overview of OT Biblical Theology Part I. With principles and opportunities for practice, we will explore

how to read, understand and apply different genres of God’s Word – Narrative, Wisdom and Prophecy – in greater detail. Discover that the Bible is the one word of the one God of the one way of salvation. L ect u rer : 5 Rev. Chris Chia, DMin in Preaching (GordonConwell Theological Seminary), Senior Pastor of Adam Road Presbyterian Centre and Adjunct Professor in Homiletics at SBC.

Thursdays (31/3, 7/4, 14/4, 28/4, 5/5, 12/5) NT06: Decoding the Book of Revelation (Part II) Building on NT05: Decoding the Book of Revelation (Part I), this course will enable the students to study in detail Revelation chapters 8-15. It will draw on studies in apocalyptic literature, allusions to the OT, and our understanding of first-century social, cultural and historical settings, which will help students clarify: (a) the meaning of the Seven Trumpets; (b) who the 144,000 are; (c) the identity of the Two Witnesses, the Beast of the Sea, and the Beast of the Earth; and (d) the spiritual warfare that takes place in the heavenlies and how this affects the Church. Through this course, students will appreciate how the Book of Revelation served as a pastoral manual for the suffering church of that century and how it can similarly help us today as we seek to faithfully live out the Christian life in a world that is often hostile to Christ, His gospel and His Church. L ect u rer : 6 Rev. Bernard Low, PhD (University of Nottingham), Associate Professor in Systematic Theology at SBC, Director of CCTE and Associate Pastor of Hebron Bible-Presbyterian Church.

CM13: Children in Prayer God has been raising up children as intercessors in many parts of the world to bring about the transformation of communities and nations. In Matthew 11:25, Jesus praised His father in heaven that He has “hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children”. What can pastors, parents and teachers learn from God’s Word and His Spirit so that we can guide our children to become mighty prayer intercessors for His use? Can children in prayer be the new wave of spiritual awakening which God is preparing His Church to experience before the return of Jesus Christ? Come and discover with us through this Advanced Certificate in Children’s Ministry course. LEC TURERS: 7 Mr. David Leong, MCS (Regent College), Executive Director & Principal Trainer of Scripture Union Singapore 8 Ms. Gwen de Rozario, BA (National University of Singapore), Founder of ARISE! & Associate Trainer of Scripture Union Singapore 9 Dr. Cheah Fung Fong, MBBS (National University of Singapore), President of Trinity Annual Conference Board of Children’s Ministry, Council Member & Associate Trainer of Scripture Union Singapore

MS05: Contemporary Issues of Missions This course, which will be taught by various OMF personnel, addresses some key issues faced by local churches, mission agencies and missionaries: 31 Mar – Missions Partnership by Mr. Kenneth B. B. Tan, OMF Singapore Home Council; ViceChairman, Discipleship Training Centre 7 Apr – Member Care for Long Term Missionary Work by Mr. Daniel C. H. Wong, National Director, OMF Singapore Ltd; Chairman, Asian Cross-Cultural Training Institute; Vice-Chairman, FOMOS Ltd 14 Apr – Strategizing Short Term Missions for Cross-Cultural Evangelism by Mr. Robert Erion, Deputy International Director for Mobilisation, OMF International Ltd

28 Apr – Biblical Principles and Workable Practices of Church Planting in a Cross-Cultural Context by Rev. Dr. Richard Schlitt, International Director for Evangelism, OMF International Ltd 5 May – Proclamation and Demonstration of the Gospel - a Missiological Revisit by Rev. Dr. Patrick Fung, General Director, OMF International Ltd 12 May – Equipping for Cross-Cultural Missionary Work by Rev. Melville Szto, Retired missionary with OMF Singapore Ltd (with 35 years of experience in Japan); Former Dean, Asian Cross-cultural Training Institute For more information and registration, please visit www.sbc.edu.sg. Enquiries can also be directed to the CCTE Office at cctereg@sbc. edu.sg or Tel: 65591551. Registration for CCTE Term II 2011 courses closes on 13 Mar 2011.

Graduands from CCTE’s Certificate Programme Since its inception in January 2009, SBC’s Centre for Continuing Theological Education has seen 9 certificate recipients, 6 of whom were enrolled in the Korean programme.

2009 Cher Yong Hwi, Lily

Certificate in Christian Studies

2010 Chan Siew Leong

Certificate in Christian Studies

Seah Siew Kheng, Samantha Certificate in Children’s Ministry

Choi Soon Cheol