Aug 2019

Wong Fook-kong Professor of Old Testament In August, in my Master of Theology class, I asked the students: “Do you feel that sitting here in class today and learning about the ancient Near East world is of no use?” They agreed, thinking that studying these things from thousands of years ago had little to do with Hong Kong, which is in dire straits today. To encourage them, I told this story: In the mid-1990s, I was studying in the United States. At that time, my husband and I were very good friends with a Christian couple from Hong Kong. Unfortunately, this classmate's wife's cancer recurred and she knew that the chances of recovery were low. One day, I called this classmate, but he was not at home, and his wife answered the phone. I asked about her condition over the phone, and she answered clearly: "If this last chemotherapy is not successful, there will be no hope for me to survive." She cried as she spoke. I really wanted to comfort her but I didn't know how to start. At that moment, I felt very helpless. During that period, the feeling of "incompetence" was very strong. I felt that everything I had learned and knew could not help her at all. ...

Jonathan Lo Assistant Professor of New Testament Hong Kong Baptist Theological Seminary has a group of talented teachers with different gifts and expertise. "Collaborative teaching" allows us to use our unique talents while working together to move towards a common goal. According to Ephesians 4:11-13, the goal is “…to equip the saints for the work of service, so that the body of Christ may be edified, until we all reach the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (RSV). The body of Christ is unity in diversity; the role of seminaries is to teach students love, peace, and harmony while encouraging them to pursue their own unique identities, passions, and gifts. We must embrace diversity because only in diversity can we achieve true unity; only through true unity can we grow and experience the full stature of Christ. ...