Views of a Veteran Teacher Regarding Recent Developments at HKBTS

Changes over Time

　　I came to Hong Kong Baptist Theological Seminary in 1973. At that time there were no Chinese professors with a Ph.D. At present we have a very impressive list of Chinese professors with outstanding credentials. They have graduate degrees from prestigious schools in the USA and UK. During my first decade of teaching, classes were rather small. One year, we only had two students that graduated with our basic theological degree. At present, we have larger numbers of students who graduate. These graduates come from various programs of study; there is more than one basic theological program of study.

　　To understand our present situation, it is important to see the stages of our growth. Our current president, Dr. Joshua Cho, assumed office in 2009. It has been my great joy to have been his teacher and now his colleague. I will focus my attention on my perceptions during the time of his leadership, a span now of 6 years. Since I am a teacher, my perceptions are from what I have observed as a teacher and now as a pastor who is aware of the need for church and school to bless each other.

Early Southern Baptist Contribution

　　For the first four decades of our seminary life, most of our teachers had a strong connection to Southern Baptist missionaries and to graduates from Southern Baptist seminaries in the USA. Indeed, the teaching faculty was chiefly comprised of Southern Baptist missionary professors.

　　During the administration of President George Wilson, we had a vigorous program that prepared many local Chinese pastors and leaders to be future seminary teachers by aiding their study abroad. At that time, many studied in seminaries in the USA. One of them was Rev. Eric Kwong. Eventually more of our future teachers did graduate studies in the UK.

The Present Faculty Team with International Exposure

　　At present, most of the teaching staff are Chinese Baptists who have connections to both Hong Kong and life abroad. Several new professors have been added since Dr. Cho took office. There is still a lingering influence from the earlier American Southern Baptists. Two retired American Baptist missionary teachers retain a tangential connection to the seminary. Dr. Lindsay Robertson in particular has been with the seminary for more than ten years is sponsored by the Australian Baptist churches.

　　Amongst the present teaching staff, the strong influence of teachers who have completed graduate studies in the UK can be noted. It is interesting that six of our professors have graduate degrees from leading academic centers in Scotland. Four of our professors have Ph.D.s from the University of Edinburgh. One has a Ph.D. from the University of Glasgow. Another has a Ph.D. from the University of St. Andrews. It is very enriching to have teachers with this kind of international exposure; it certainly accords well with the international flavor of Hong Kong as an international center for Asia. And, of course, these teachers are aware of the educational practices of the UK, which cords well with Hong Kong practices since it was a British colony and the UK shaped much of the educational patterns here.

　　The North American influence is also present. Our president has graduate degrees from Yale University Divinity School and Princeton Theological Seminary. He not only has this strong background from the most prestigious of our American schools; he is a graduate of our Hong Kong Baptist Seminary as well and knows how to blend the best of our past and the needs of our present with a vision for the future. We have a professor with a Ph.D from Harvard Divinity School and one with a Ph.D. from Baylor University, one of the most famous Baptist schools in the USA. Canadian Baptists provided influence through the training of a teacher with a Ph.D from McMaster Divinity College which also has strong Baptist roots. Our students certainly have the benefit of having teachers who are connected to our local churches and have been stimulated by the best scholarship from abroad.

　　At present, our professors have distinct, strong, and personal theological strengths. Within the past few years, I have noted the strong voice for Christian ethics and a particular appreciation for peace-making and the Peace churches. Our students are given a strong appreciation for the work of Bonhoeffer and Barth. Both of course were courageous Christian voices in dangerous times and places.

　　I have been an Old Testament teacher most of my life. I am very pleased to see how teachers relate the Old and New Testaments and wrestle with the hermeneutical challenges therein. We have very strong teachers in biblical languages. Church history is often neglected by many since it is grounded in much Western history and culture. But we have an excellent professor in this area as well.

　　Outside the usual courses in Bible, theology, and church history, we have in recent years been enriched by other scholars who deepen our understanding of the traditional core. We have a professor trained in the London School of Economics and Political Science (M.Sc.) and University of Cambridge (Ph.D.). Input from his particular specialization can be an aid in probing some Christian ethical problems. The school has always given strong support to a missionary understanding of faith and life. We now have a director of Mission Dynamics Center and a missionary-in-residence. There are some other elite teachers in the faculty team, it is a pity not being able to list all their backgrounds and expertises here due to the limited space.

Recent Student Profile: A Case Study

　　I have taught courses in basic spirituality for about 20 years. At present students in the M.Div. program are required to take two courses with me. They are: Introduction to Christian Spirituality and The Spiritual Life of the Minister. Dr. Jeffrey Sharp introduced the courses and their basic format during his tenure with the school. It has been one of the great joys of my life that I continue to have this connection with the seminary even though I am retired. I have been part of the changing process in the design of the course. And I have observed changes in the participation of the students.

　　In the earliest stages of teaching the course, much emphasis was given to the traditional spirituality of local Baptist evangelical faith. Of course, there was exposure to other traditions and known writers in the field. But the field at a later date became flooded with books on spirituality. More and more people consciously wanted fresh input, and the scope of the course widened with the great interest and the large number of writers and thinkers dealing with this issue.

Greater Student Readiness for Wider Exposure

　　During my earliest days with the seminary, many of our students had not had an opportunity for a rich and thorough education in the humanities. Several did not have a basic college or university degree. Much teaching was spent on basics. Of course we had some very gifted, diligent, and open students as well. But the student population was rather small and the scope of the curriculum was more narrow than at present.

　　At present, many of our students come with very impressive backgrounds. Some have studied abroad. Most have made visits abroad and been enriched with new interests and questions. Also, several have had successful jobs and feel the need for stronger spiritual roots. There is a strong readiness at present for wider exposure to the variety and richness of spirituality and theological thinking.

Fuller Mastery of an Enlarged Curriculum

　　At present, the format of the spirituality courses has evolved into two different approaches. First semester deals with spirituality enriched through the arts. Second semester deals with spirituality as expressed in historical Christian movements. Students demonstrate great energy and skill in their presentations and papers.

　　In the past four years, I have begun using some of the student papers when covering some of the topics we probed. I list a few of the topics that students have presented with such good coverage. It indicates the wider range of spirituality with its theological ramifications.

　　One student in presenting Celtic spirituality provided prayers he wrote shaped by the fresh love of nature and nature’s Lord. One group in presenting Lutheran spirituality gave moving accounts of the lives of Luther and Bonhoeffer. Students felt the tie of spirituality to the cost of discipleship and current political moral problems.

　　One group presented the special color and vitality of medieval women saints. The particular strengths of Heidegger and Mother Julian demonstrated the special intuitive strength of religious women. Another group presented the example of strong Christian mothers who nurtured Christian families and Christian denominations. It was stressed that the Methodist Movement owed much to the skill and piety to Susanna Wesley.

　　Another group probed the missionary vision that grew up in Baptist spirituality. There was an awareness of how missionary strategies must adjust to different cultures and the ethos of different time periods. The list of good works from students is long. But the point being made is this: students in the past few years have a strong readiness to explore widely and deeply.

Abiding Need for Balance and Revitalization

　　An excellent seminary which has denominational roots needs to meet a twofold challenge. They must interact and enrich each other. There must be a good academic climate in which teachers and students probe the best of theological heritage and scholarship. And there must be a practical orientation in which teachers and students internalize the spirit of what they study. There must be an interaction of heart and brain, theory and practice, belief and action.

　　Our school from the beginning has called out presidents who have tried their best to blend heart and mind. Our first president, Rev. Lau Yuet-sing, was a beloved Chinese Christian pastor. In our early days we were blessed by a remarkable missionary scholar and evangelist. This mentor to many of our early Chinese pastors was Dr. James Belote. Later came Dr. Samuel Tang whose design of the curriculum sought to meet the needs of the churches in Hong Kong. Dr. Tang labored to increase the library collection and to upgrade teaching facilities. Later presidents, Dr. George Wilson and Dr. Alfred Kong expanded the curriculum of the school to include more practical subjects and enabled several local persons to study abroad.

　　At present, our president, Dr. Joshua Cho, in his messages, through chapel talks, newsletters, and conferences speaks of the need for a strong academic school and a spiritual body that incarnates what we think and learn. He speaks often of cultivating the spiritual gifts of hospitality —befriending and enabling others. And he demonstrates strong involvement with the churches as preacher and advisor.

　　I am grateful that I have been a part of the HKBTS for four decades. We have grown in many ways. We do not rest on our laurels but keep striving for improvement. The past six years under the current president have been a good time for the school. Our students come to us with richer background preparation. The curriculum is expanded to give more depth to being effective Christian ministers in the world. Our students challenge teachers and we hope we challenge them.