“Dogmatics in Outline” by Karl Barth (Rev Dr Edmund Fong)
Mondays 7.30-9.30pm | 9, 16, 30 Jan & 6, 13, 20, 27 Feb | via Zoom

Synopsis. The German theologian Karl Barth stands as one of the giants in modern theology, whose theology has been described as “orthodox and modern.” Yet, most are afraid to read his works, daunted by the voluminous pages of Church Dogmatics, his magnum opus. This course will introduce participants to the thoughts and theology of Barth through one of his more accessible works Dogmatics in Outline (156 pages only), a collated series of lectures on the Apostles’ Creed that Barth gave during his time at the University of Bonn (1947). Come and hear the substance of the Christian faith as proclaimed by Barth, and experience for yourself this man whose views are orthodox and faithful to the Tradition but yet modern and insightful for our time.

Biodata. Rev Dr Edmund Fong is an ordained minister of the Presbyterian Church in Singapore and associate minister at Adam Road Presbyterian Church. He did his doctoral studies at the University of Otago (2014–2016) covering the theology of the Swiss-German theological giant, Karl Barth. Edmund teaches systematic theology at Trinity Theological College and lectures on the doctrine of the person and work of Christ and salvation, denominational studies in Presbyterianism, and the theology of John Calvin. His research interests range from Barth to Calvin, Reformed Theology, Theological Anthropology, and Hermeneutics. Edmund is married to Mei Ying and they have 3 children—Phoebe, Chloe, and Jonathan.

New Testament Survey **^ (Rev Dr Leonard Wee)
Tuesdays 7.30-9.30pm | 3, 10, 17, 31 Jan & 7, 14, 21 Feb | via Zoom

Synopsis. With accounts of the life and teaching of Jesus, the spread of the gospel, and the issues faced by the various New Testament writers which provide the foundations for the life and theology of Christians and the Church throughout history, the importance of the New Testament cannot be overstated. This course will provide an orientation to the various books of the New Testament by locating them in their social and historical contexts. This course will discuss the New Testament’s relevance to Christians, churches and the world today.

Biodata. Rev Dr Leonard Wee is the Registrar and Lecturer in New Testament at Trinity Theological College. He obtained his PhD at Durham University (UK), specialising in Paul’s interpretation of the Old Testament, and was sponsored by Langham Partnership for postdoctoral research on the use of the Old Testament in Hebrews. He previously served as a pastor for 10 years. Besides teaching Koine Greek, New Testament theology, biblical intertextuality, and other subjects, he also provides supervision for postgraduate research at TTC.

Theology of Mission ** (Rev Dr Andrew Peh)
Wednesdays 7.30-9.30pm | 4, 11, 18, 25 Jan & 1, 8, 15 Feb | via Zoom

Synopsis. This course explores the biblical and theological presuppositions and principles that shape the Christian missionary enterprise in today’s world, particularly in the Asian context. This will include a scan of the historical developments, a reading of the biblical text, a survey of the changing social and theological paradigms that affect how the Church understands its missional role and the study of selected missional documents adopted by key Christian groups and traditions.

Biodata. Rev Dr Andrew Peh, PhD (Asbury Theological Seminary), lectures in the area of mission and mission history at Trinity Theological College. His interests are in the history of Christianity in Asia and mission trends in the 21st century. He also serves in the Chinese Annual Conference of the Methodist Church in Singapore as a diaconal minister appointed to Charis Methodist Church.

City of God, City of Men: An Introduction to Christian Political Thought (Rev Dr Nathanael Goh)
Thursdays 7.30-9.30pm | 5, 12, 19, 26 Jan & 2, 9, 16 Feb | via Zoom

Synopsis. The playwright George Bernard Shaw is dubiously quoted as saying that “politics is the last resort for the scoundrels.” Boies Penrose, a former US Senator, once said “public office is the last refuge of the incompetent.” Though tongue-in-cheek, these quotes suggest why politics is often considered a dirty word. There is a sense of cynicism, frustration, and even despair whenever politics is mentioned. Yet this was not always so. Celebrated thinkers in the Christian tradition have seen politics, if disciplined and informed by a robust Christian faith, as a vocation of high dignity and nobility. This course examine politics from biblical and theological perspectives. Participants will read key figures in the Western Christian political tradition and attempt to recover a theological vision of the good of politics and also consider how this vision might shape political ethics, such as issues of law, justice, human rights and the common good.

Biodata. Rev Dr Nathanael Goh is a pastor from the Chinese Annual Conference of the Methodist Church in Singapore. He is pastoring at Sengkang Methodist Church. An advocate for the importance of Christian ethics and moral formation, his interests are at the intersection of Scripture, theology, and ethics – especially a retrieval of Christian theological visions of the common good.

What is the Church? (Rev Dr Jeremy-Joe Tan)
Mondays 7.30-9.30pm | 20, 27 Mar; 3, 10, 17, 24 Apr; 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 (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’s 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’s 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 ** (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 21^st 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? (Dr 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.

Ministry to Children: Helping Children to Love God and Love Others (Dr Morgan Zhou)
Mondays 7.30-9.30pm | 10, 17, 24, 31 July & 7, 14, 21 Aug | Wesley Methodist Church/via Zoom (TBC)

Synopsis. This course will equip lay Christians with biblical foundations as well as knowledge of processes and strategies to minister to children, including children with diverse educational needs. Participants will draw on principles and practices from Scripture and developmental psychology to establish a coherent and integrated philosophy of ministry to children. In addition, participants will learn how to leverage teaching and learning resources to help children build an authentic relationship with Jesus, discover and cultivate spiritual gifts, and be released for ministry to serve God with the power of the Holy Spirit.

Biodata. Dr Morgan Zhou holds a doctorate in educational leadership from the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University. He has worked as a former vice-principal and teaching fellow at NIE. Morgan has served in the Boys’ Brigade and children ministry in his church and currently chairs the Board of Children’s Ministry in the Trinity Annual Conference of The Methodist Church in Singapore. He is passionate about mentoring, outreach to disadvantaged families, and keenly interested in strengthening the education of children and youth with diverse abilities and special needs.

Church History: Once Upon a Time in His Story^ (Rev Dr Chiang Ming Shun)
Tuesdays 7.30-9.30pm | 11, 18, 25 July & 1, 8, 15, 22 Aug | Trinity Theological College / Zoom (TBC)

Synopsis. This brief survey of the history of the church will look at the explosion of Christianity throughout the world from the time of the Apostles to current efforts to make the Gospel known to all the world.  We will breeze through 2000 years of history in 7 sessions. This survey will take us through not only the history of the church in the West but also in the East.  We will see how our Christian brothers and sisters struggled with the same kinds of problems we do today, how they interacted with different cultures and other religions, how they fought with each other, how they grew into three traditions (Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant), and how they sought continually to expand the Lord’s Kingdom.

Biodata. Rev Dr Chiang Ming Shun is Lecturer in Church History at Trinity Theological College. He has a PhD from Cambridge and is fond of reading all sorts of histories, military history included. He is an ordained minister with the Trinity Annual Conference (TRAC) of the Methodist Church in Singapore, and has served as pastor in two churches and as chaplain in two schools. He has been a pastor for over 21 years and has been to the state of Israel three times.

Cultural Anthropology * (Rev Dr Andrew Peh)
Wednesdays 7.30-9.30pm | 12, 19, 26 July & 2, 16, 23, 30 Aug | St Andrew’s Cathedral / via Zoom (TBC)

Synopsis. Cultural anthropology is the study of people and their cultures. This is an introductory course that presents some basic concepts of cultural anthropology (which includes an understanding of human behaviour and beliefs, kinship systems, world view, social organizations, economic and political systems) with special attention to the application of an anthropological perspective for Christian mission.

Biodata. Rev Dr Andrew Peh, PhD (Asbury Theological Seminary), lectures in the area of mission and mission history at Trinity Theological College. His interests are in the history of Christianity in Asia and mission trends in the 21st century. He also serves in the Chinese Annual Conference of the Methodist Church in Singapore as a diaconal minister appointed to Charis Methodist Church.

Christ-centred Preaching in the 21st Century ^ (Rev Dr Christopher Chia)
Thursdays 7.30-9.30pm | 27 July, 3, 10, 17, 24, 31 Aug & 14 Sep | Trinity Theological College / Zoom (TBC)

Synopsis. Why are Christians and church so anaemic? One of the main reasons could be the impoverished preaching from our pulpits. How can we return to the fidelity and vitality of centering our lives and churches on the gospel, Jesus and God? This course seeks to equip us to read, live, evangelize, and mature in God’s Word with this pivotal Christ-centered focus.

Biodata. Rev Dr Christopher Chia is Senior Pastor at Adam Road Presbyterian Church. He was converted at Billy Graham Crusade in 1979 while studying in Sydney, Australia. A former journalist, he has preached the gospel internationally, including the UK, Australia, China, India, Kenya, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Sri Lanka, and Malaysia. His passion is being a pastor to pastors, raising the next generation, training leaders, and building godly marriages and families. He holds an MTh (Oxford) and a DMin in Preaching (Gordon Conwell Seminary). Married with two children, he has ten siblings, two dogs, and a neglected terrapin.

Experiencing God in Ordinary Worship (Ms Leong Chin Yee)
Mondays 7.30-9.30pm | 18, 25 Sep & 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 Oct | Wesley Methodist Church/via Zoom (TBC)

Synopsis. What is the posture that we take as we worship each Sunday or even each time we meet? Do you feel like weekend worship is just getting another routine checked and done with? Worship, regardless of style, does not seem to move you and you wonder if something is wrong with your own spiritual life. This course will lead you in discovering the beauty and depth of worship through its different elements—music, proclamation of the word, sacraments, benediction, prayers from long ago, amongst others. You will be learn to craft prayers, worship orders, and explore songs repertoire. This course seeks to inspire you to engage God in the ritual of worship so that you may be challenged to be God’s instruments in the world the other days of the week—bringing worship into our daily lives.

Biodata. Ms Leong Chin Yee is a pastoral team staff at Barker Road Methodist Church.  She is a graduate of Trinity Theological College (MDiv, 2005) and was a missionary teacher in two seminaries in Northeast India for four years before returning to local church ministry in 2019. Her two passions are missions and worship. She loves crafting worship liturgies and marvels at how God reveals Himself through worship regardless of how simple it may be when hearts are open to Him.

The Gospel of John (Rev Dr Tan Yak-hwee)
Tuesdays 7.30-9.30pm | 19, 26 Sep & 3, 10, 17, 24, 31 Oct | Trinity Theological College / Zoom (TBC)

Synopsis. This course serves as a general introduction to the Gospel of John and addresses several issues and topics, such as the relationship of Jesus and the other Gospels, the character of Jesus, and his discourses with various people. This course will analyze the Gospel from a variety of different perspectives and methodologies and examine contemporary appropriations of the Gospel of John for church and society. After this course, participants should be able to discuss the contents, theology and themes of the Gospel.

Biodata. Rev Dr Tan Yak-hwee is Associate Professor of Biblical Studies at Tainan Theological College, Tainan, Taiwan. Yak-hwee was previously the Tutor of New Testament Language, Literature and Theology at Westminster College, Cambridge, UK, and also Affiliated Lecturer of the Faculty of Divinity, University of Cambridge. She is the author of Re-presenting the Johannine Community: A Postcolonial Perspective (2008). Her research interests include Johannine literature, biblical theology, missions and intersectional approaches in bible and theology. Yak-hwee is an ordained minister of the Presbyterian Church in Singapore.

Church Mission Programme: Churches as Missional Communities * (Mr Lawrence Ko)
Wednesdays 7.30-9.30pm | 20, 27 Sep; 4, 11, 18, 25 Oct; 1 Nov | St Andrew’s Cathedral / via Zoom (TBC)

Synopsis. What is Christian mission to the local church? How can the church organise itself to fulfil the Great Commission and the missio Dei? How can pastors and church leaders serve in strategic planning, policy making, and resource development to fulfil the missionary calling of God? How can church mission structures and teams mobilise and equip the saints for God’s mission in the 21st century? This course presents a vision of missiological ecclesiology and explores what it takes to see “the whole church to bring the whole gospel to the whole world.”

Biodata. Mr Lawrence Ko studied history at the National University of Singapore and has a MDiv from Trinity Theological College. He is founder-director of Asian Journeys Ltd, a social enterprise involved in ministry among heartland youths and urban poor.  He was the National Director of Singapore Centre for Global Missions (2012-2022). Lawrence served as a pastor for seven years and held management positions in mission organisations including YMCA, ORTV and TWR-Asia. Lawrence also served on the Asian Lausanne Committee, Singapore Lausanne Exco and the Asia Evangelical Alliance Mission Committee. He is author of 2 books, 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 been associate trainer with Civil Service College since 2007 and continues to research on cultural anthropology and provides corporate training in cross-cultural competencies.

Shared Leadership in the Missional Church (Rev Dr Bernard Chao)
Thursdays 7.30-9.30pm | 21, 28 Sep; 5, 12, 19, 26 Oct; 2 Nov | Trinity Theological College / Zoom (TBC)
(Note: The previously scheduled course “Challenging Youth Ministry” will be offered in 2024 in a new EQUIP format to be announced later this year.)

Synopsis. How can our churches more faithfully live and lead in ways that are attentive to what God is doing? This course discusses leadership through the primary theological perspective of missional ecclesiology and offers a rethink of leadership practices that focus on the few toward shared leadership that involves and engages the rest of the church in a more authentic kingdom partnership. This course is designed for lay persons, lay leaders, full-time staff, and pastors. Participants are encouraged to come as cell groups, ministry teams, leadership or staff teams, to learn and reflect on how they lead together in their own contexts.

Biodata. Rev Dr Bernard Chao is a lecturer in Practical Theology at Trinity Theological College. Bernard is an ordained elder of The Methodist Church in Singapore (Trinity Annual Conference) and has been a Methodist pastor since 2005. He also serves as Associate Brigade Chaplain of The Boys’ Brigade in Singapore. Bernard has served variously as a youth worker, Boys’ Brigade Captain, pastor, and pastor-in-charge in several Methodist churches, as well as a school chaplain in several Methodist schools. He has also served as an Assistant Director for the Board of Youth Ministry in his conference, and as Associate Director for Ministry in Schools in his denomination. Bernard has also previously taught at the Cambodian Methodist Bible School (Phnom Penh). Bernard was formerly a litigation lawyer and was called to the English bar (Lincoln’s Inn) in 1993, and the Singapore bar in 1997. Bernard is married to Ai Jin, a psychotherapist and they have three children.

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