EQUIP Apr-Jun 2023

What is the Church? 

Rev Dr Jeremy-Joe Tan
Mondays 7.30pm-9.30pm | 20, 27 Mar; 3, 10, 17, 24 & 8 May | via Zoom

Synopsis:

“The church is at once a very familiar and a very misunderstood topic.” This quote by the theologian Millard Erickson aptly expresses the common conundrum surrounding the doctrine of the Church, or ecclesiology. In some ways, we all know what the Church is. Yet, explaining it in detail can prove challenging. This course seeks to bring some clarity by exploring the biblical, historical, and theological bases of the Church. We will begin with Scripture and the various metaphors it uses to describe the Church and progress through various important developments in the doctrine in history. This course is designed for lay persons, lay leaders, full-time staff, and pastors. No prior theological training is necessary.

Biodata:

Rev Dr Jeremy-Joe Tan is an ordained minister with the Anglican Diocese of Singapore. He received his PhD from the University of Edinburgh, and his doctoral research studied the philosophical and theological underpinnings of Archbishop William Temple’s social thought. Jeremy is currently a faculty member of Trinity Theological College and a honorary priest with the Chapel of the Resurrection.

The Miracles of Jesus

By Dr Tan Kim Huat
Tuesdays 7.30-9.30pm | 21, 28 Mar; 4, 11, 18, 25 Apr & 2 May | via Zoom

Synopsis:

The miracles of Jesus have long fascinated many people, but their true significance has to be carefully unpacked to gain a better understanding of Jesus’ aims and ministry, and of God’s character and programme. This course will study Jesus’ miracles in relation to the powerful themes of the identity of Jesus, the Kingdom of God, and the fulfilment of the Old Testament. This course will provide some useful categories for organising these miracles and examine the pressing question of how the meaning and significance of Jesus’ miracles may continue in our time, without our being led astray into making dubious claims or supporting self-aggrandisement agendas.

Biodata:

Dr Tan Kim Huat is the Chen Su Lan Professor of New Testament at Trinity Theological College. His enduring interest is in understanding the emergence of Christianity within a Jewish matrix. Kim Huat has a strong interest in strengthening theological education in the region and was been involved in the first-ever regional consortium of colleges, ATESEA (Association for Theological Education in South East Asia). He is currently the Chairman of ATESEA’s Board of Trustees.

Issues in Christian Mission

By Mr Lawrence Ko
Wednesdays 7.30-9.30pm | 22, 29 Mar; 5, 12, 19, 26 Apr & 3 May | via Zoom

Synopsis:

This course examines some key issues in Christian mission which are critical for effective engagement in overseas cross-cultural settings. The course begins with the discernment of the call to mission, and ends with the challenge to respond to that missionary calling and commitment. We will address the dynamics of missionary sending which involves the local church, the sending agency as well as the host communities, and the mobilisation of the local church. Practical concerns include missionary support and missionary care as the sending church supports the person and his/ her ministry spiritually, socially, emotionally and financially. We will address issues in understanding local contexts especially in the cities of Asia in the urbanised 21st century world, and building multicultural teams with different experience and expertise needed for the work. Finally the course will touch on practical issues faced by mission workers involving ethical and security issues, in the present world of social media and ongoing terror threat.

Biodata:

Mr Lawrence Ko is founder-director of Asian Journeys Ltd, a social enterprise mobilising youth for urban and environmental engagement in Asia since 2002. He has contributed articles related to urbanism and environmentalism, and authored two books on creation care: Can the Desert Be Green? Planting Hope in the Wilderness (2014) and From the Desert to the City: Christians in Creation Care (2020). He has also written on and conducted corporate training in relation to cross-cultural skills and understanding. Lawrence served as national director of Singapore Centre for Global Missions (2012-2022) and as chair and later director of Asia Evangelical Alliance’s mission commission (2008-2020). He has also served with the Asia Lausanne Committee since 2011 and continues to serve with the SEANET steering group and Lausanne Global Listening Team in preparation for the Lausanne IV conference in 2024.

Ascertaining the Atonement: How does Jesus reconcile us to God?

By Rev Leow Theng Huat
Thursdays 7.30-9.30pm  |  23, 30 Mar; 13, 20, 27 Apr & 4, 11 May  |  via Zoom

Synopsis:

The “atonement” is one of the central beliefs of the Christian faith. It refers to what our Lord Jesus Christ has done, through his life, death and resurrection, to reconcile us sinners to the holy God. But how did these acts of Jesus achieve the atoning effect? We will examine and evaluate the different ways Christian thinkers through the ages have answered this question. We hope, in the end, to gain a richer and more comprehensive understanding of how Jesus saves us—one that will help us in our life and ministry.

Biodata:

Dr Leow Theng Huat is Lecturer in Theology at Trinity Theological College. His research interests include theodicy, Christology, soteriology, post-Enlightenment theology, and dialectics as a theological method. During his student days at the National University of Singapore, he was actively involved in the ministry of the Varsity Christian Fellowship, and has served for a period of time as an associate staff worker of the Fellowship of Evangelical Students. He is married to Cheng Ping, and they have three children. The family are members of Wesley Methodist Church.

Please register yourself via this form or at ttc.edu.sg. Registration closes 13 March 2023.