Inauguration Greetings from Seven Seminary Presidents
Carver Yu
President of China Graduate School of Theology
As the Chairperson of Hong Kong Theological Education Association and on its behalf, I would like to extend my congratulations to Professor Joshua Cho as he becomes the sixth president of HKBTS. I also, on behalf of China Graduate School of Theology, extend my warmest congratulations to Joshua and am pleased that the HKBTS’s Board of Trustees has found the right person for the task.
I met young Joshua at Princeton Theological Seminary back in 1992 when I was a visiting scholar and Joshua was there pursuing his Ph.D.. My impression of this young man was that he took his studies very seriously, his pursuit of scholarship was broad and firmly grounded, and he had an especially in-depth understanding and penetrating analysis of contemporary intellectual thoughts. On many different occasions at intellectual conferences thereafter, his sharpness in thought has become apparent. Once in an intellectual conference held at CGST, both Dr. Cho and I were present to comment on an article by Dr. Bruce L. McCormack. Although Dr. McCormack was the teacher of Dr. Cho at Princeton Theological Seminary, Joshua analyzed some of the arguable points in the article so perceptively that I could not but admire him very much.
My appreciation of Joshua goes well beyond his intellectual pursuit. Both his personality and spirituality have also left a deep impression in my heart. Back at the time when we were at Princeton, one day it took Joshua by surprise to learn that I used WordStar to do word processing, and so he enthusiastically “sold” the superiority of WordPerfect, to the extent that he even volunteered to teach me how to make use of the WordPerfect software. In order to help me handle the software, he made a great effort to prepare his homework beforehand to ensure that I could fully grasp the basic operating technique in a short space of time. Because of his painstaking effort, I finally fell in love with WordPerfect. Joshua’s passion and meticulous care had been unpretentiously displayed fully to me.
On the other hand, I can see that Joshua holds onto his Baptist tradition and heritage with a strong conviction and perseverance, and yet he adopts an open and understanding attitude towards other traditions. I also see that he is a rather low keyed person who speaks with care, and does not like to show off. Having known him all these years, I am aware of his core values: having a high regard for integrity, being gentle, mild-mannered, upright in character and sincere. These are what I appreciate the most about him.
As Hong Kong Baptist Theological Seminary has experienced glorious and admirable development over the last two decades, I believe under the leadership of President Cho, HKBTS will make still greater progress and even better development. I believe that there will be a new atmosphere in HKBTS as to establishing an intellectual tradition. I also anticipate HKBTS will make a still greater contribution in the intellectual arena to the field of Chinese theology.
In the face of cultural crisis in Hong Kong and the astounding development of Christian churches in China, we must be ready to welcome and confront challenges, lay aside every weight of worry and fear which clings to us so closely and labor together for the kingdom of God. Finally, I offer two scriptural verses to President Cho:
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God . . ..” (Isaiah 41:10a)
“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” (Isaiah 40:31)
May you not look around in all directions but focus on God who commissions you; may you soar on wings like eagles; may you run, as you still have to run for many years, and not grow weary.
May the Lord use President Cho, and use HKBTS more greatly.
Lo Lung-kwong
Director, Divinity School of Chung Chi College, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
President Cho and I are good friends. We were introduced to each other by President Carver Yu in 1996 and in the following twelve years we have built a deep and solid friendship. Today, I am pleased to say a few words of encouragement and extend my heartfelt congratulations to President Cho.
There are more than ten theological seminaries in Hong Kong and each of which needs to find its role, to recognize the target group that it intends to serve and to share the common goal of training up workers for the kingdom of God. To President Cho who leads the seminary ahead, this is by no means an easy road to tread and so he needs the support of friends. In the past, seminary Presidents and Academic Deans have had the opportunity to come together through Hong Kong Theological Education Association to share and support one another and it has been through such occasions that Joshua and I have often met and become good friends. Our Lord Jesus Christ said, “I no longer call you servants . . . I have called you friends” (John 15:15). We often forget that our Lord Jesus is also our friend. A friend is different from a servant: A servant can just be an instrument and today, many of our relationships are instrumental. Even among our co-workers, there exists only a working relationship which cannot be further developed into friendship. However, we can make friends with President Cho. To become friends, we do not just talk about knowledge and academic studies, but also about “passion,” which involves trust and truthfulness. Thank God that President Cho and I have developed a friendship which comprises mutual trust and an open honesty and that is what I cherish most.
Besides passion, there is moral courage. To me, to be successful and well-liked, one must have moral courage. Moral courage between friends involves shouldering responsibility and represents a deeper level of relationship. When there exists a crisis, a difference of opinion or a conflict of interest between friends, moral courage is needed in order to maintain friendship. I find in President Cho not only passion and moral courage, but also the will, the willpower to persevere and triumph through adversity. At such a precarious time in history when President Cho assumes the duties of being the new president of HKBTS, his strong will is what we all admire. Of course, he has all the qualifications of a seminary president as we all know. However, to be a seminary president is not a pleasant job, especially when one needs to bear great responsibility in times of trouble and turmoil that demands a strong will, courage and determination. I heartily congratulate HKBTS to have found such an appropriate new president!
We must affirm that there is a good relationship among our local seminaries. We also affirm HKBTS’s distinctiveness and crucial position as it is irreplaceable and that there is a need for us to support President Cho as he leads the future development of HKBTS. May all the students, teachers and staff take President Cho as their good friend and together give him your full support.
Chu Wing-wah
President of Bible Seminary of Hong Kong
President Cho, at this sacred moment of your inauguration to be the Sixth President of HKBTS, may I quote the following scriptures and take the meanings of these stories to extend my blessing and the prayers to you:
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good….” (Genesis 1:1-4a) Pray that the One who called orderliness out of chaos, light out of darkness will also speak powerful words in your ministry, speak out even a brighter future for HKBTS. I pray that the God who called out the whole universe with his words keeps speaking to you throughout your life and reveals his will to you.
On the way to cure Jairus’ daughter who was sick in bed, Jesus came across a woman who had been sick with hemorrhage for twelve years. She joined the crowd wanting to seek a cure but this action turned Jairus’ plan into a mess, almost drawing him into utter despair beyond description. Right at this moment when the multitude were divided, each saying something different and not knowing what to do, then “some men came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. ‘Your daughter is dead,’ they said. ‘Why bother the teacher any more?’ Ignoring what they said, Jesus told the synagogue ruler, ‘Don’t be afraid; just believe’” (Mark 5:35-36). I pray that the Lord who always meets with you in your life and amidst your numerous and diverse businesses, in the midst of many suddenly emerging delays and scenes of utter despair, speaks words of encouragement and comfort to you: Don’t be afraid, just believe!
In an episode in Paul’s ministry, he boldly and fearlessly defended the Christian faith in front of King Agrippa. He spoke about how he repented and accepted Jesus as Messiah and talked fervently about the vision he had received from God to proclaim the gospel to the Gentiles. Counting on God’s grace, Paul declared, with his head held high, “So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven” (Acts 26:19). Pray that the God who has called, molded, commissioned and protected you, will always be with you. And, when the time comes for you to be accountable to God, you will speak frankly and answer without any regret: I have not been disobedient to the vision from heaven.
Finally, I ask that God will bless your ministry at HKBTS, and that these words of the apostle Paul will be your encouragement: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day . . ..” (2 Timothy 4:7-8) May you be faithful to God to the very end.
It is an honor for me to come here to testify God’s election of Dr. Joshua Cho and also to God’s grace to HKBTS.
In these three to four years I have attended the president inauguration of three to four local seminaries and this clearly shows that this is a time of handing over of leadership from one generation to the next. It is said that the two decades from the forties and the sixties in the last century is the Post World War II Baby Boom. There was a dramatic increase in birthrate. Therefore, those baby boomers are now in their middle age and entering senior years. Many have now been retiring. The baby boom in Hong Kong and that in the local church will lag behind that of the West by ten years, that is as it took place in the fifties and seventies in the last century and so the tide of retirement has barely begun and will reach a climax ten years from now. This will mean that it is time for those born in the fifties and seventies to take up the leadership role. The tide of retirement and inter-generational handing over of leadership explain the demand for a new generation of leaders and this is a pressing problem. This is true to the society and to the church too; how to nurture new human resources, especially a generation of new leaders, is a crucial challenge to us all.
Dr. Joshua Cho received full theological education in Hong Kong and in North America consecutively and has had much experience in theological education both locally and internationally. The fact that he is a graduate of HKBTS, a returnee faculty after furthering his studies abroad, having several years of administrative experience, with outstanding vision, spirituality, scholarship and self-cultivation, his capability to shoulder the heavy responsibility of being the president is beyond question.
From my inadequate experience, I have a profound understanding that it is not easy to be a seminary president at our present time. Hong Kong is a place where Chinese and foreigners mingle together, the new and the old coexist, the old tradition and new knowledge are mixed together, and there exists the demand and challenge of diversification in churches and in society. In the past, we demand that a seminary president is someone outstanding in his spirituality and moral standard but today, such a requirement is still valid but at the same time we expect him to be all-rounded in inter-personal relationship and outstanding in administrative skills, both shrew as a snake and gentle as a dove. Formerly, a seminary president had to be an outstanding speaker in revival and evangelistic meetings, conducting large-scale gospel rallies locally and abroad. Now, he needs to be a scholar with outstanding performance in academic studies, a good speaker in the pulpit, a scholar capable of attending an international conference, not to mention the sociability to take part in public relations and fund-raising activities. As the demands are varied and unorganized, it is impossible to live up to the expectations of all and so the seminary president will have to be prepared to bear different kinds of criticism from all corners.
It is far difficult to be a seminary president than to be a teacher or a scholar. Here I would like to quote from a contemporary scholar to encourage each other with Dr. Joshua. It is not exaggerating to say that without reading the following words to be a seminary president is bound to be advancing with great difficulty:
The practitioner of practical wisdom (phronesis) is like an impromptu performing musician and not a calculative auditor. He is like a jazz pianist who, after sufficient preparation, in his performance able to immediately and in an impromptu way capture the “meter” and new information of the venue scene. He can also predict the audience’s response and adjust his performance in line with it. This musician needs to make greater efforts than one who knows only to follow the music score to exhibit the continuity and structure of the song. His talent enables him to have a high degree of freedom in creativity and this is a manifestation of phronesis. In the same vein, just as a musician who cannot force upon his audience to accept his scheduled performance plan but to adjust his performance according to the audience’s immediate response on the scene, a practitioner cannot impose a certain regulation upon a scene but to give response according to the situation on the scene and the immediate behavior of the audience: to make new decision and this new decision will meanwhile bring about innovation and modification. 1
To observe and listen to the response of the audience on the scene and to make an interactive response according to the audience’s response: one needs to have the right kind of knowledge and to have good preparation, and meanwhile to have sufficient creativity and improvisation. This is the prerequisite of a leader in a pluralistic generation which is in wild disorder as ours. I believe Dr. Cho knows it only too well for the above citation comes from his pen, and is quoted from his book, Humanity and Virtue.
The Baptist denomination is the biggest denomination in Hong Kong with abundant talented manpower and resources, running a university, a private hospital, schools ranging from kindergarten to secondary schools and a whole network of social service. HKBTS enjoys a long history of spiritual and intellectual tradition and its alumni have made striking contributions to Chinese churches, having an effective and comprehensive overseas network, an enviable campus construction and hardware resources, and a team of outstanding faculty. I believe that under the leadership of Dr. Cho, he will definitely be able to integrate the four communities — the Board of Trustees, faculty, churches and alumni — pooling the wisdom and efforts of everyone, dedicating their hearts and souls to the same cause, pushing HKBTS’s ministry up to new heights and making great contributions to the theological education of Hong Kong and China.
Here may I extend my congratulations to Hong Kong Baptist Theological Seminary and convey my blessings to Dr. Joshua Cho.
____________________________________________
1 Joshua Wai-tung Cho, Humanity and Virtue (Hong Kong: Hong Kong Baptist Theological Seminary, 2004), 146.
The Heart of Our Triune God: A Prayer for the Inauguration of President Joshua Cho
Ho Kit
President of Chinese Mission Seminary
1. The Heart of Our Heavenly Father
President Wai-tung, may God give you the heart of a father as I know that you become a new president which is not only the highest ranking position in the seminary but also the irreplaceable role of a father.
I pray that God give you the heart of our Heavenly Father so that you may love your co-workers and students as a father: to give generously without any calculation, to love willingly without hoping for rewards, patiently but joyfully awaiting to see that they have grown and achieved great things for the Lord. I pray that you will not nurse any grievances when you are misunderstood and are hurt after suffering injustice, and despite grief and pain, you still do not fail –– never fail to love, to pardon, to protect and to provide what is needed, just like our Heavenly Father widely and broadly nourishes us. I pray that you be a father at home, for your presence is your family’s greatest blessing and source of warmth to the family although you are busy outside attending meetings and giving lectures. Pray that God will deepen your heart as a father, to be present with your heart in ministering to your students and co-workers so that one day they will be able to minister to a congregation. To a generation who are brought up in broken families with the absence of fathers, the father’s heart of a minister is the greatest blessing to the church and community.
The way you live out your life, your fatherly model, self-cultivation and pattern of doing things will be the best example of Christian ethics and the best theological discourse, more convincing than words or knowledge and more powerful in impacting and nurturing students’ lives as their minister. Understanding the vulnerability of what it is to be a man and to keep loving patiently and persistently is the depth of our Heavenly Father’s love to humankind.
Being a father is the role that can best reflect the role of our Heavenly Father and so it is a role in life which is extraordinarily difficult to take and is full of challenges. I pray that you can experience our Heavenly Father’s grace more deeply and understand how he lives as a father so that with a broad mind and kind heart, you can become a father to others.
2. The Heart of a Son
Brother Wai-tung, I pray that God will bestow upon you the heart of a son like Jesus Christ.
To be a seminary president or to be committed to any ministry, adopting a heart of a son or a daughter to obey our Heavenly Father and seek the highest will of God must be the focal point of our commitment to God. We do not serve to gain the appreciation or praise of men, nor any self-achievement; even though the latter may be important but it is relatively minor in the big picture.
The seminary president must pray solely to fulfill the will of God and pray not for one’s own glory and do not expect for others’ understanding and support. That is why Jesus retreated to pray on the mountain after feeding the multitude of five thousand people. Neither did he on the road leading into Jerusalem lose himself when he heard people shouting and chanting, “Hosanna! Hosanna!”
A heart of prayer is the heart which allows God to direct us as we lead our school before God and minister to him; to pray so as to entrust, to pray so as to understand, to pray so as to submit. Jesus always taught people to pray as this was his own way of life. Even though the Son and the Father have been so intimately related in eternity, Jesus kept praying in such a way when he was in this world. His example makes us yearn for such intimacy with God. Entrust to God your life and all your life experiences, including those bitter experiences of frustration, just as Jesus who was not discouraged by the disbelief of people in Chorazin and Bethsaida. With steadfastness, he maintained a healthy self image grounded in God’s perfect will. May you remember how to learn from him and take his yoke.
When all the sound of hand-clapping and applause or the negative jeering has subsided into silence, you will still hear the Father’s words to his Son: “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” This is where we should stand with dignity and feel content, and it is the biggest reward for our ministry.
Fulfilling the will of our Heavenly Father would mean denying oneself, letting go one’s choice and taking up the cross. No one, not even the person himself can imagine how heavy the cross can be. While unable to understand, one keeps on obeying; this is true obedience. Only when a person obeys willingly, and without any reluctance, then can he take up the cross joyfully and without feeling wronged. Then through suffering, God’s servant will experience redemptive grace. The heart of the Son is to win the world for the Father.
Pray that the Holy Spirit will help you understand how Jesus daily lifts you up and your cross and all the heaviness of all that is yours he bears for you so that you can take up your cross for God’s sake and experience the heaviness and even the lightness of his yoke.
3. The Heart of the Holy Spirit
Wai-tung, I finally pray that God will bestow upon you a heart of the Holy Spirit.
The heart of the Holy Spirit is a heart of self-hiddenness. Although the Holy Spirit is of the same glory and status of the Father and the Son, yet he is willing to be self-hidden. That means in order to point unreservedly to Christ and to glorify the Father without any self-manifestation nor self-disclosure. May your life of ministry be likewise always pointing to Christ the Son and manifesting the Heavenly Father to the world.
The Holy Spirit is the key to revealing Christ in our lives. Without him, the understanding and practice of faith is but the flesh and rationality of man, for in such a way, reading the Bible becomes dogmatism; ethics, legalism; theology, dogmatism; freedom, permissiveness; self-discipline, asceticism; governing, parental authoritarianism. To act, without the participation of the Holy Spirit, the mere good intentions of man cannot produce the fullness of life promised in Christ Jesus. As a result, a seminary will then become a cemetery where faith is buried.
The heart of the Holy Spirit is holy and full of grace, and light and full of vigor, and kind-hearted and full of understanding. It is strong yet modest, and gentle yet full of truth. All the goodness and truth in the Holy Father and the Holy Son will be bestowed upon us in the Holy Spirit. May you have more in-depth experience of the Holy Spirit by obeying the Heavenly Father and following Christ. May you have a profound experience of the love of the triune God, the love of Christ and the love of the Holy Spirit whom you cannot see but still love. May the Holy Spirit enable you to see the heavenly glory and the mission in this world. The heart of the Holy Spirit is to pray and intercede with sighs too deep for words for the renewal of believers, for the church (seminaries) and all the earth, acting mysteriously and transforming the world, bringing to earth the kingdom of heaven. The heart of the Holy Spirit is a heart of unity, tearing down the walls separating Christians and non-Christians, enabling all that is in Christ to be united as one. This is also the glory that the seminary will at last behold.
Wai-tung, finally I hand over to you this prayer sheet and ask that you pray for me in the same way.
In the holy name of Jesus, Amen.
President of the Singapore Baptist Theological Seminary
I am honored to be present at the Inauguration of President Joshua Cho. On behalf of the Singapore Baptist Theological Seminary and the Baptist community in Singapore, I extend our congratulatory greetings to you all.
I first met President Cho in 2007 when we attended the seventh Asian Baptist Conference. At that time, Dr. Cho was already an established scholar and Academic Dean while I was just newly appointed President of Singapore Baptist Theological Seminary. On our first meeting, Dr. Cho’s insightful wisdom and modesty left a deep impression on me.
The gift from Singapore Baptist Theological Seminary to President Cho is decorated with bamboo motif. It symbolises in Chinese culture an upright gentleman (君子Jun Zi). It represents my understanding and appreciation of the genetleman character of President Cho. The pastoral heart, scholarly temperament and leadership competency of President Cho are evident to all of us and unanimously affirmed by HKBTS’s Board of Trustees. But I recognize that he is also a gentleman who exemplifies character and friendship. His writings reflect his emphasis on ethics, character and friendship. This is the voice that our society and churches need to hear and take heed.
Our contemporary world faces ever greater tension and conflicts of interest. This is also the case in churches and in seminaries. Facing such pressure, I believe that Dr. Cho’s Jun Zi character, and his emphasis on ethics, character and friendship are what seminaries truly need when facing various kinds of challenges. As the scripture says, “The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day” (Proverbs 4:18).
It is my sincere wish that under the leadership of President Joshua Cho, Hong Kong Baptist Theological Seminary “is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day.”
Joyce Abugan
President of Philippine Baptist Theological Seminary
Brothers and sisters in the Lord, I bring greetings on behalf of the Philippine Baptist Theological Seminary, the Philippine Learning Center of the Asia Baptist Graduate Theological Seminary in Baguio City, Philippines, and the Theological Education for Filipino Leaders (TEFL) here in Hong Kong.
We rejoice with the HKBTS family for choosing the sixth president and his higher
level of leadership in the school. Dr. Cho’s academic training, experience, and other facets of his life and ministry will bring significant milestones in the equipping of pastors and leaders not only in HK but in other parts of Asia and beyond. I encourage the faculty, staff, alumni, churches, and other circles of his ministry to support him with your prayers, cooperation, encouragement, appreciation, and the like not only during happy times but more so when he and the school face difficulties and challenges.
May God’s grace and love permeate the entire HKBTS family as you continue carrying on the purpose for which this school was established. I pray that you will let the Master Teacher have his way in and through each one of you under the leadership of his servant Dr. Cho. “Mabuhay ang HKBTS.”