Society Hiring Representative
The Society of Christian Scholars (www.SocietyofChristianScholars.org) seeks a full-time Regional Representative from one of the following regions: Caribbean, Middle East/North Africa, South Asia, or Eurasia (defined as countries north of China, Mongolia, and the Middle East; and countries east of Ukraine). A Society of Christian Scholars Regional Representative will contribute to a local and global movement of believing scholars by partnering with scholars in their region to develop and implement strategies to mutually equip one another for Christ’s glory. Find more information here.
Society Library
Welcome to our new Managing Editor for the SOPHIA Study Guide Series, Dr Rolex Cailing! Rolex is a Langham Scholar and Langham-published author who currently serves as Senior Pastor of LifeReach Ministries and Professor of New Testament at Asia Graduate School of Theology (AGST) in Quezon City, Philippines and Center for Biblical Studies Institute and Seminary (CBSIS) in Antipolo City, Philippines. If you are interested in writing a study guide for the Society under one of the five overarching themes (Integration of Faith and Learning; Spiritual Formation; Interaction with Cultures and Society; Pursuit of Vocational Excellence; or Relational and Leader Development), you can reach out to Rolex at managing-editor@SocietyofChristianScholars.org.
This month’s Library Reading Corner feature includes five library resources under the library category of Interacting with Cultures and Society. These resources provide further reading for the August 2024 webinar, ‘Citizenship Without Illusions’ presented by Dr. David Koyzis.
Library Search Terms: public theology, church & state, Christian responsibility, pluralistic society, peace building, urban planning
Title: ‘Public Theology in Africa: Taking Christian Faith into the Public Space’ by Danny McCain
Brief Description: This paper was presented at the Africa 2017 Conference of the Theological College of Northern Nigeria. It provides a definition and detailed discussion of the concept of public theology and the place and role of the Christian church within a socio-political context.
Title: ‘INCHE Conversation Summary of Dr. Obert Hodzi’s Presentation’ by Susan Felch
Brief Description: This is a summary report of the INCHE small group discussions as follow-up to the webinar presentation by Dr. Obert Hodzi on the topic ‘Political Participation and the Politics of Fate and Entitlement in Africa” on November 19, 2020.
Title: ‘Christian Responsibility and Communicative Freedom: A Challenge for the Future of Pluralistic Societies’ by Wolfgang Huber
Brief Description: This edited collection of Huber’s essays is organized in three sections: (1) Huber’s seminal article on ethics and responsibility; (2) how to put a theological concept of freedom into practice; (3) discussion of further contemporary global issues;
Title: ‘Lessons from Christian Peace-Building in Kenya’ by Paul Borthwick and Jean-Paul Ndagijimana
Brief Description: This paper, published on the Lausanne website, provides a detailed account of the response of church leadership in Kenya to the ills of political violence in their country in 2008. The approach was guided by concern for church unity and the “equipping of church leaders to have the heart, mind and hands of Jesus towards restoration and reconciliation”.
Title: ‘Green Space Development in Shrinking Cities: Opportunities & Constraints’ by Stefanie Robler
Brief Description: This paper, though not written within a Christian theological context, provides insight on how the church can contribute to making the community it serves a more peaceful and ecologically healthy place through involvement in urban planning.
Please contact the Society’s librarian, Dr Marlene Hines, at librarian@societyofchristianscholars.org for any further assistance.
Upcoming Webinars
Be sure to check the Webinars Page for third-party webinars that are often added on short notice and for updated presenters and topics that may be helpful in equipping you to bring the gospel to bear in your university context.
Study as Spiritual Formation by Ellen Charry – Thursday, 19 September 2024 at 1400 UTC
The retrieval of the literature of Christian spirituality is having a powerful effect on Christian belief and practice. However, the separation of spirituality from the academic study of theology, Christian history, and biblical studies is artificial. Some contend that such academic study of the theological disciplines undermines simple faith and that after dismantling naïve faith, one must reconstruct one’s faith at the level of second naiveté, as Paul Ricoeur put it. While many beginning theology students may experience something like this, it is unfortunate and unnecessary.
Tomorrow, Thursday, 19 September 2024 at 1400 UTC, Prof. Ellen Charry, Emerita Professor of Theology at Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, NJ (USA), will expound upon the idea that the academic study of the Christian faith is spiritually formative when we consider what the biblical material or theological doctrines intend to do emotionally and socially to those who take them seriously. What does it mean to experience the ideas being expressed? Intellectual growth is not merely cognitive but also spiritual, emotional, and moral.
Charry maintains that healthy people grow throughout their lives. Taking in new ideas is part of normal human development. The question, then, is not whether academic study damages simple faith, but how everything that we experience and learn throughout life may be filtered through lenses of an intentional life–in the case of a Christian, a Christian life.
Leadership or Servanthood? by Dr Hwa Yung – Thursday, 17 October 2024 at 1400 UTC
Over the past decades, we have witnessed toxic leadership in unholy abundance, in both the church and the wider world, including our academic institutions. Whether it is because of modernity and post-modernity or simply due to the ubiquity of sin, truth and integrity hardly matter for many these days. Despite all the hype about leadership, great and courageous leaders are a rare species today!
On Thursday, 17 October 2024 at 1400 UTC, Dr Hwa Yung, Bishop Emeritus of the Methodist Church in Malaysia, will discuss how many in the church have followed the world’s leadership patterns. Our Lord Jesus repeatedly reminded his disciples, who were jostling for leadership among themselves, that the call to discipleship is first and foremost a call to servanthood: ‘For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life for many’ (Mark 10:45). This is the gospel’s answer to the crying need for leadership today. But is the church modelling it? How can Christian academics serving in university leadership positions embrace and embody Jesus’ understanding of leadership that begins with servanthood?
Among his many roles, Dr Yung has served as a pastor and bishop within the Methodist Church, and as principal of Malaysia Theological Seminary. He has also been involved with various international ministries, including as chair of the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies’ council of trustees and a member of the International Board of the Lausanne Movement.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in the Addenda are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of the Society of Christian Scholars.
