Download - August 2009 Edition
August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine • 1
SILLIMAN MINISTRYM A G A Z I N E
A Publication of The Divinity School of Silliman University Issue No. 83
Serving Protestant Ministry in the Philippines August 2009
Editor: Rev. Reuel Norman O. Marigza ISSN 00037-5276
TABLE OF CONTENTSThe E-Files: Notes from the Editor, Reuel Norman O. Marigza ..................................................... 2From the Dean’s Desk, Muriel Orevillo-Montenegro ...................................................................... 3Challenges and Prospects for Theological Education, Erme R. Camba ................................... 14Theological Education and Lay Leadership, Ben M. Dominguez ............................................... 21Asian Spirituality and Healing, Lucio B. Mutia ............................................................................. 25Theological Education: Wellness and Well-being, Jane Ella P. Montenegro ............................ 31Theological Education and the Ecumenical Declaration
on Just Peace: A Challenge, Muriel Orevillo-Montenegro ................................................... 33Theological Education in the Field: A Partnership
of the Church and the Seminary, Reuel Norman O. Marigza .............................................. 40Walk the Talk, Karl James Villarmea ............................................................................................. 49Bible Study: Living By Faith in the Midst of Crisis: The Challenge
of the Christian Schools Today, Noriel C. Capulong ........................................................... 57Sermon: Happy Birthday, Tatay!, Reuel Norman O. MarigzA .................................................... 67Resources for Advent, Magnolia Nova V. Mendoza ..................................................................... 72Book Review .................................................................................................................................. 76
THEOLOGIC
AL
EDUCATIONTHEO
LOGICAL
EDUCATION
2 • August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine
E-File:Reuel Norman O. Marigza
Editor-in-Chief
Greetings of grace and peace from the Editor's cutting room. Once
again, we bring you another issue of the Silliman Ministry Magazine.
This school year there will be changes to our publication. SMM, in
this format, will now be issued just once a year. In lieu of the other two issues,
we will bring out a more frequent and more 'news-y' Silliman Divinity Newslet-
ter. Initially we will try one issue for every three months, then when we get the
pacing right, we will have it once in two months. We would like to have your e-
mail addresses because we will maximize the use of the Web for this pur-
pose.
We have also opened a social networking group at http://
divinityschool.ning.com. If you are not yet a member, please visit the site and
register so you can get in touch with your batch mates. Join the re-union on
the Web.
For this issue, we are bringing an aperitif, an abregana for the Special Interest
Groups of the Church Workers Convocation. We have asked the facilitators
to submit an initial article that can be used as a springboard for the Interest
Group discussions.
Rev. Magnolia Nova V. Mendoza gathered some resources for Advent, while
we feature the first part of Dr. Capulong's Bible Study.
This year marks the 500th birth year of John Calvin, the French Reformation
leader who made a world-changing impact in Geneva. The World Alliance of
Reformed Churches and other Reformed bodies worldwide have lined up a
year-long series of activities to remember the legacy of Calvin. I was privi-
leged to participate in a study tour last June in Geneva. A sermon I preached
at the Chapel on July 10, this year - the very day of Calvin's 500 birthday, is
included in this issue and can be adapted for use on the Reformation Sunday.
Dean, Muriel Orevillo-Montenegro contributed the Book Review, as well as
'From the Dean's Desk.' SMM
August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine • 3
Christ is not expected to translate this accep-tance into action immediately, such as mak-ing a connection between one’s discipleshipand caring for the earth by proper garbagedisposal. People get their first experience oftheological education at home and in church,and yes, in the seminary, for those aiming totake formal theological education. In lightof this, I could see the interconnection of thecrisis in theological education in the midstof a world in crisis.
In line with the observance of Au-gust as mission month, a preacher repeatedlyasserted that “evangelism is about the gos-pel, it has nothing to do with people.” Somepeople may share the view with the preacher,but I was uneasy with the statement. I thinkit is inadequate and problematic. I understandthat the word “gospel” is an English transla-tion of the Greek word evangelion
(åýáããÝëéïí). Evangelion means the goodnews about the life, teachings, and work ofJesus of Nazareth,1 who is regarded by be-lievers as Christ. By saying that Jesus revealsGod, we mean that the life, works, and teach-ings of Jesus point to the presence and workof God in this world. A person who proclaimsthe gospel is an evangelistis (åýáããåëéóôÞò),an evangelist.2 [In the New Testament, there
From the Dean’s DeskMuriel Orevillo-Montenegro, Ph.D.
Once More with Feelings:Theological Education, Quo Vadis?
Theology in Crisis and Theological Edu-
cation in the Midst of Crisis: Some
Musings and Making Connections
In March edition of SMM, I intro-duced the theme for this year’s convocation.I want to continue to ponder over the matterof theological education in a very candid way.Financial crisis that hit the world in the re-cent months was aggravated by the spreadof A(H1N1) fever and the results or impactof climate change. People, not only in thePhilippines, were left devastated by floodsand typhoons that caused the loss of theirhomes, farms and livelihood resources. Thedeath of former President Cory C. Aquinomade people remember even for a brief mo-ment the gains of EDSA, gains that wereeasily trampled by traditional politicians.Some recalled the slogan that says, “Filipi-nos are worth dying for.” Some respondedby saying that “Filipinos are [also] worth liv-ing for.” These musings are theologicallychallenging. Many people in-the-pew stilllean towards the preaching about saving soulsapart from warm bodies, and talk of salva-tion as a state after death rather than as anexperience after birth. In an evaluation of theChristian Life Emphasis Week activities, apastor said that a student who accepts Jesus
4 • August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine
is no word equivalent to the term “evange-lism.” So such word must be coined fromevangelion and evangelistis.] If the term“evangelism” is used to substitute forevangelion (gospel), and if the gospel is un-derstood to have nothing to do with people,what then is the relevance of incarnation? If“evangelism has nothing to do with people,”what then is the relevance of the gospel tothe lives of people whose lives are caught invarious forms of addiction, or who sufferbecause of many calamities? What does an“evangelism that has nothing to do withpeople” say to Planet Earth that is destroyedby human greed for profit and luxury? Whatdoes an “evangelism that has nothing to dowith people” say to people who seek to pro-tect people’s human rights, like CHR Chair
Leila de Lima, are accused of being a “com-munist” by Jovito Palparan and Jun Alcoberwho now sit in Congress? What does an“evangelism [that] has nothing to do withpeople” say to those who strive to make theirdream for genuine socio-economic reformsand their longing to live a peaceful life cometrue? What can it say to a nation whose bloodand life are sucked by the corrupt leaders ofthe government? An evangelist must takethese more seriously, otherwise, the mean-ing of evangelion will be lost. Then, the the-ology of mission and proclamation of thegospel (evangelism) will be in crisis.
On the one hand, if one viewsevangelion that does not address the humanpredicament, then we have to ask: What kindof theological education do our homes andchurches offer? Once more, one cannot denythat a person first receives a snippet, if not abig chunk, of theological education in thehomes and in the local churches. On the other
hand, we must also ask: must theologicaleducation ignore stewardship and account-ability when it engages in solidarity with thepoor? Can the struggle for justice not be prac-ticed in a just manner? In the midst of com-peting justices, those who struggle for jus-tice are called to embody the justice that thegospel of Jesus has demonstrated. Otherwise,the struggle for justice will simply be sub-sumed under the rage of a deflated ego, andstill the world will not attain peace.
Theological Education: Necessary for
Church Growth and Ministerial Praxis
All these things challenge us to goback and examine not only the value of theo-logical education, its content and method, butalso the kind of support it gets from thechurch. Theological education is affected bythe crises affecting the church and the world.It is also needless to say that theological edu-cation is crucial in the growth of the churchand its ministerial praxis. If the church doesnot recognize this, then the church will con-tinue to get stunted, and probably even dieboth metaphorically and literally. It is sadwhen church growth is reckoned only interms of numbers and quality is ignored.Theological education provides the impetusfor a local church’s practice of its disciple-ship.
Sound theology results in good prac-tice. If the pastors and the members of thechurch are not anchored in sound theology,they become like floating debris. In Paul’slanguage, they are easily tossed to and fro,and are swayed simply by any teachings thatcome along their way. This is happeningwithin UCCP. In some cases, such phenom-enon is reinforced by different reasons and
August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine • 5
motivations such as prestige, power, position,money, benefits, and many others. In somecases, ministers and church members do notknow their boundaries and step on eachother’s toes. Consequently, problems ariseand the church experiences a slow death, orremains stunted. Its organizational problemsmay be traced back to lack of theological edu-cation. The parts of the body lacks under-standing of what the church as Christ’s bodyis all about, what its purpose and missionare.3
Indeed, the church, particularly theUnited Church of Christ in the Philippines,faces multifarious problems – both theologi-cally and organically. The church needs pas-tors who can lead and nurture. The seminarycan only offer to hone the potentials of stu-dents sent to its doors. Certainly, theologicaleducation may not be a panacea that solvesall problems, but a church that does not taketheological education seriously will face somany kinds of problems in the midst of aworld in crises. Having said this, I will nowfocus on the situation of the seminary, or theo-logical education in the formal setting.
Who Needs a Seminary Anyway?
Given the experience of a seminaryrelated to the UCCP, I often wonder why thechurch does not fully support theologicaleducation. A seemingly secretive responseto this question is this: Who needs a semi-nary anyway? After all, UCCP ordains pas-tors who do not go through formal theologi-cal education in the seminary. Conferencesoffer training programs for lay people, andafter a few weeks of training, they becomepastors already. So, who needs an expensivetheological education that takes five to sixyears? Definitely, the laity needs to be
equipped and they are needed. However,there is a need to professionalize the clergy.At least, UCCP came out recently with aMagna Carta for Church Workers to addressthis matter. Some people reacted to this docu-ment saying that the lay pastors are the oneswho go to churches in remote places. Thismay be caused by lack of seminary-trainedpastors. This situation is also complicated bythe fact that UCCP does not have a good sal-ary scheme to support church workers whoalso need to support their families. Otherswithin the church simply hold on to somekind of anti-intellectualism. Ministry does notneed a diploma, so they say. One only needsthe prodding of the Holy Spirit in order topreach. Others think this is enough and it isnot proper for one to question traditions andto engage with social issues. The churchshould focus on the needs of the soul, as iftheir souls are separate from their bodies.
To those who think this way, I canonly ask: If Jesus taught us to love God withall our minds, are we not urged to study andoffer the best of our minds to the service ofGod and God’s people? Why are we con-tented with mediocrity in our service to God?Once again, I insist that theological educa-tion is a primary responsibility of the church.Paul has given this exhortation to the believ-ers: “to equip the saints for the work of min-istry, for building up the body of Christ, un-til all of us come to the unity of the faith andof the knowledge of the Son of God, to ma-turity, to the measure of the full stature ofChrist.” (Eph. 4:12-13)
Institutions of Theological Education:
Some Models
I had the opportunity of visitingseminaries in other parts of Asia. I have seen
6 • August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine
how church denominations take seriouslytheir seminaries. Once, as a member of anaccreditation team, I visited a seminary lo-cated in the mountains of Indonesia. It is aseminary supported by one church denomi-nation. This church provides for the salariesof its faculty and staff, scholarships for 65 %of the students (some local churches are ableto give full support to their students), libraryfacilities, dormitories and transportation forthe seminary. Unlike UCCP that allows theestablishment of many seminaries it couldnot support, this church established only oneseminary for the denomination within thecountry to be sure it can support the semi-nary well. However, it opened its doors tostudents from other denominations who wantto study there. Foreign funding was only asecondary source of support, and the semi-nary uses funds received from abroad to up-grade its library facilities and for faculty de-velopment.
Yet, the case of the seminary inCipanas is not isolated. I observed that semi-naries in Malaysia, Singapore and HongKong are mainly supported by the denomi-nations. Sekola Alkitab Asia Tengara inMalang, East Java that has a sprawling cam-pus with impressive facilities hosted theATESEA assembly last July for free, and itis mainly supported by the church. Anothermodel is the seminary in Kandy, Sri Lankawhich is jointly supported by three cooper-ating denominations. Why it is that UCCPcould not do what other churches in Asia aredoing?
I am not saying that seminaries sup-ported by only one denomination is a perfectset up. One possible set-back of a denomi-national seminary is the tendency of the de-nomination to control the content of the
course offerings within the bounds of denomi-national doctrines. Another model I can thinkof is Union Theological Seminary in NewYork City. I had the opportunity to study inthis independent theological institution fromwhere world renowned theologians emerged.This seminary moved towards independencewhen in mid 20th century the denominationthat supported it wanted to restrain biblicalscholarship and interpretation led by a pro-fessor named Charles Briggs. When it be-came independent, biblical studies flourishedand it became the hub of groundbreakingscholarship. Such independence also gavethis institution a rich environment for theo-logical excitement because it opened its doorsto various denominations and faiths. It re-cruits students and give them scholarships.Consequently, it positioned itself at the cut-ting edge of scholarship and practice of spiri-tuality as it gives its constituency a space tobe a risk taker. A seminary that does not takerisks will not grow, just as a child who doesnot take the risk of learning to walk will neverlearn to stand up and walk.
I offer these models for the mem-bers and leaders of the United Church ofChrist in the Philippines to reflect upon. Or,without looking at these models, leaders andmembers of UCCP remove the scales fromtheir eyes and think clearly: Does UCCP needmany seminaries and simply leave them ontheir own to sink or swim?
If UCCP needs a seminary, or semi-naries, then, it should take the responsibilityto establish a genuine partnership with theseseminaries. The UCCP needs to re-examineits commitment to theological education –both formal and informal. How does it de-fine its commitment to theological education?How far can UCCP go in terms of formal
August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine • 7
theological education? If it cannot supportthe cost of theological education, is it will-ing to institute changes to re-align the func-tions of the existing institutions and pool itsresources to support one seminary? If it wantsto be a partner of a university in doing theo-logical education, what is its commitment andhow far can this commitment go? These areimportant questions that need to be answered.Otherwise, the church could probably justsettle with non-formal theological educationand close the formal theological educationin the seminaries. Then, the university canbe challenged to pick it up and support it likeYale or Harvard do, without much expecta-tion from the church. In this way, there willbe no pretensions about a partnership thatdoes not exist.
Some Practical Matters in Theological
Education
Theological education is both reflec-tive and practical. As a matter of policy, theDivinity School tries to follow the principleof sharing responsibilities. Under the assump-tion that the existing set up of theologicaleducation, particularly the Divinity School,is still within an ambit of partnership withthe church, there are expectations to reckonwith.
First, recruitment of good studentsis critical. The church is not only expectedto recruit and screen good students properly.It is also asked to provide for their students’food, housing, allowances, and other needs.The nagging problem of students complain-ing that they do not have enough food con-tinues. There are still a good number of resi-dents who have not paid for their food sinceJune 2009. This only shows that the churchdoes not put into action their pledge for sup-
port. The Divinity School may implementplans to address this problem, but such plandeparts from the scheme of food subsidy thatwas done in the past. This emergency schemehad been misunderstood by the church andstudents as a permanent arrangement.
Second, the qualification of a student iscrucial, and so admission has to be tight if qualityproduct is given primary importance. The Divin-ity School is slowly moving towards this thresh-old. The Divinity School provides some scholar-ships only to qualified students. Applicants areexpected to maintain a grade of at least 2.5 withno incompletes or INC. Applicants should dem-onstrate positive attitudes towards study as prepa-ration for the ministry, and must render one hourper day service to the Divinity School (a total offive hours a week). Under the premise of a part-nership, the Divinity School requires the studentto be endorsed by the church. Students whosegrades do not reach the cut-off level, have INCsand do not fulfill the required number of hours ofservices may not apply for scholarship in the fol-lowing semester. It behooves the students to ac-quire the discipline to study and cultivate the posi-tive attitudes towards the ministry.
For its part, Silliman University willcontribute a maximum of 50% of the student’sbalance of account in tuition. Other fees arenot covered by such contribution.
It is our prayer that the church willhonor the principle of sharing responsibili-ties for theological education. After all, it ismainly the task of the church.
In SMM’s March 2009 edition, I men-tioned that because of the challenges that the semi-nary is facing, the faculty decided to put this con-cern as the convocation theme for the next threeyears, beginning this year 2009, with the generaltheme on “Theological Education in the Midst ofCrises.” In the next two years, the Convocation
8 • August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine
will have the following theme: “Church and Semi-nary Partnership: Broadening the Horizon of Theo-logical Education,” and “Towards a Transformedand Transforming Theological Education in Do-ing God’s Mission in these Times.”
New Program Offerings
During its March 21, 2009 and May2, 2009 meetings, the Board of Trustees ap-proved the new program offerings of the Di-vinity School, namely:
• Master of Theology in Mission Stud-ies
• Doctor of Theology (major in BiblicalStudies, Systematic Theology andChristian Ethics)
• Master of Divinity program-thesistrack - with majors in Biblical Stud-ies, Spiritual Care/Clinical PastoralEducation, Pastoral Ministry, Theologyand Christian Education.
There are now six M.Th. studentsfrom Tanzania, Indonesia and South Korea.In relation to the new programs, the UnitedEvangelical Mission has given some fundsfor the construction of housing facilities forits scholars. The construction is now goingon, and a few units enough for the presentnumber of scholars will be finished hopefullywithin this semester.
On May 2, 2009, the Board of Trust-ees approved our new M. Divinity- thesistrack program. Although it was too late forthe Divinity School to advertise this new pro-gram, four students came to enroll. All ofthem have chosen to take Spiritual Care/Clini-cal Pastoral Education (CPE) as their majorfield.
The revised curricula of Bachelor ofTheology and Master of Divinity (non-the-sis track) were also approved. New courses
are offered to address the needs of the pas-tors and churches such as history of theo-logical thoughts, seminar on evangelism andchurch development, and feminist theologies.Church Administration and Preaching nowhave a total of six (6) units each. One semi-nar will focus on Bible and Gender, whileanother will put emphasis on women in theNew Testament. The revised curriculum wasimplemented in June 2009. The Field Edu-cation Program will also see changes begin-ning Summer 2010 as internships – both sum-mer and the ten-month long internship willhave to be enrolled.
Three years ago, the faculty alsostarted to work on a proposed curriculum fora Bachelor in Liturgy and Church Music pro-gram. This year, the faculty is retrieving itand will soon submit this to the proper com-mittees of the University for approval.
The Admission forms and other infor-mation could be downloaded from theWebsite of Silliman University. Copies ofsuch forms were also sent to the offices ofthe Conference Ministers and Bishops to bemade accessible to the prospective students.The application letter and other required
forms for admission must be submitted to theoffice of the Dean of the Divinity School on
or before January 30.
Faculty Line Up
With the new program offerings, theDivinity School has to contend with a benchthat is low. We are happy that there are re-tired but qualified persons around the areawho are willing to help as adjunct profes-sors. According to the Collective BargainingAgreement between SUFA and the Univer-sity, the services of retired academic person-nel can be engaged on a yearly basis, although
August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine • 9
in practice, the contract is renewed everysemester. Moreover, a unit can take on boarda retiree as long as there are no younger fac-ulty members who can teach the course, andthat the person should be physically fit andmentally lucid to teach the course. If the re-tiree is willing to teach the course assignedto him/her, and upon the concurrence of thefaculty, the office of the Dean recommendsthe hiring of such person.
The Divinity School now enjoys theservices of the following adjunct professorswho were willing to accept the courses as-signed to them:
1. Erme R. Camba2. T. Valentino Sitoy, Jr.3. Benito Dominguez4. Jane Ella Montenegro5. Lucio Mutia6. Solomon C. Apla-onThe Divinity School also benefits
from the free services of Hope Cerose Sillero,who volunteered to help in teaching ancientlanguages to Divinity School students for
free. He teaches Greek and Hebrew. How-ever, he can also teach basic Aramaic, Syriacand Akkadian to doctoral students in biblicalstudies. He also provides supplementary En-glish classes to B.Th. and M.Div. studentswho badly need to brush up their English.Hope Sillero provides an ecumenical pres-ence to the Divinity School as he comes fromthe tradition of the Seventh Day Adventist.
Available Scholarships and Recipients
Scholarships are available dependingon the interest earned by the endowmentfunds. The Divinity School implements a newscheme so that the principal fund will grow.Thus, twenty per cent of the interest will beploughed back to the principal, while the re-maining eighty per cent will be made avail-able to a qualified applicant. Of the fifty-eight(58) students enrolled, twenty-five (25) stu-dents enjoy scholarships for tuition, while two(2) others enjoy assistance for non-tuitionneeds as designated by the donors. These arethe following:
I. Available Scholarship under DS Endowment Funds (cheques issued by the banks in the name of SU,
and are already prepared for turn over to SU)
Scholarship Fund Slots (as agreed by DS Remarks RecipientFinance Committee)
1. Badoy Family Theol. 15T for 2 semesters only For Middler or Senior 1) Edfie MaylanEd. Fund Student
2. DS Class ‘56 10T for 2 semesters only For Middler or Senior 2) Julan Juayangstudent
3. Bp. Pedro Raterta 15T for 2 semesters only Preferably Senior 3) Reynaldo TaglucopTheological Education studentFund
4. Jose & Clavel Diao 15T/semester for 5 For student from Cebu 4) Freddie de AsisScholarship semesters (pref. from Bradford
Church)
5. Yandell Scholarship 10T/semester for 5 For Junior Liturgy & 5) Cesar Chazyansemesters Music student Romero
10 • August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine
II. Other Scholarships Available (Non-Endowment) Donors give funds based on pledges, or on the statement of account issued by SU’s B/F Office; DSdoes not hold an account for these scholarships
Name of Donors Type Slots Recipients/Applicant Yr Level
1. Rutsuki Memorial Earmarked; at least full 4+1 1)Shelah Mari Senior BThScholarship, Hitachi tuition fees re- 2) Jerilde Flor Junior BThChurch cent 3) Zandy Casia Middler BTh
4) Nelsa Ecat Intern BTh5) Napoleon Romero Junior M.Div.
2. Minami-Hanashima 2/3 of tuition 1 6) Wella Hoyle Intern BThChurch
3. Yangco Memorial Depends on the 5 7) Alan Patadlas Senior M.Div.Scholarship statement of accounts 8) Lalaine Sanchez Pre-internship
from SU Senior, M.Div.9) Marnie Vega Pre-internship
Senior, M.Div.10) Roel Lebios Senior M.Div.11) Gideon Gunda Intern M.Div.
4. Swarthmore Full scholarship but for 1 12) Sarah Cuyag Sophomore BThPresbyterian Church 3 years only
5. Cheola PROK 15T/sem for 4 1 13) Rosemarie 1st yr M.Div. thesissemesters Gonzales track
6. Phil.Am. College Full 1 14) Lovanesa Cagas Senior BThof Clergy
7. Philippine Not for tuition; 2 15) Choanalfe Cabuhan Senior BThCommunity Designated by donors 16) Helen DaguploPresbyterian Church for food allowances
8. Harvard Family partial 1 17) Rio Miot Intern BThUCC Church
9. Koram Deo 15T/per semester for 2 21) Juriel Ursos Sophie BThScholarship one semester; no 22) Melvin Tacaisan Freshie BTh
money yet but assured
III. Scholarships Available c/o Student Scholarship and Aid Division
Name of Scholarship Slots Available Remarks Recipient Year Level
1. Rainer and Marie 3 slots @ P 15T per c/o SU 1. Laura Gaviola Senior M.Div.Paule Neu Scholarship semester/student 2. Valentino Nudalo Middler M.Div.
3. Florencio Gutang Senior B.Th.
2. Elena Maquiso 1 slot for Liturgy & c/o SPO 4. Helen Daguplo Pre-InternshipScholarship Music student Senior Lit. / Music
@ P16,500/sem
August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine • 11
IV. Other Available Scholarships for B.Th. and M.Div (non-thesis)
Name of Scholarship Available Amount Nature Remarks
1. Conrada del Carmen 10T/semester for Endowment - For a No applicant yetScholarship 4 semesters Middler student
2. Bethany Hospital P 50T –available Non-Endowment No applicant yetc/o Mr. Laurino Braulio (July 2009) (one-time grant)
V. Scholarships Available for M.Div. (thesis track) beginning 2009-2010(for UCCP-endorsed students; cheques were already issued by the banks in the name of SU and arebeing prepared for turn over; the funds in dollar are deposited directly to SU account4 )
Scholarship Fund Slots Remarks Applicants(grade required: 3.0)
1. Tolentino Scholarship a) One M.Div (thesis) for Preferably woman 1. none yetfor Ministries and CPE 4 semesters @ 15T/sem
b) One M.Div (thesis) for4 semesters @ 15T/sem 2. none yet
c) One M.Div (thesis) for 3. none yet2 semesters @ 15T/sem
2. Himaya Peace a) One M.Div (thesis) @ Preferably woman 4. none yetScholarship Fund 15T/semesterfor theology for 4 semesters
b) One M.Div (thesis) @ 5. none yet15T/semester for 2semesters only
3. McKinley Scholarship One M.Div. (thesis) @ Preferably woman 6. none yetfor theology (c/o Lisabeth 15T/sem for 4 semestersMcKinley – dollar acct)
4. Menzel Endowment One M.Div. (thesis) @ 7. none yetFund for theology or 15T/sem for 4 semestersethics (dollar acct)
5. Fe Nebres Scholarship One M.Div. (thesis) in Preferably woman 8. none yetFund for Christian Christian Ed @ 15T/semEducation (dollar acct) for 2 semesters only
6. Van Dyke Scholarship a) One M.Div. (thesis) @ 9. none yetFund for Biblical Studies 15T/sem for 4 semesters(US$ account) b) One M. Div (thesis) @ 10. none yet
15T/sem for 2 semesters only
12 • August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine
VI. Scholarships that maybe Available when an Application is Submitted:
1. Holly Daze Bazaar Depends on the funds 1raised during the Januaryannual bazaar(no money yet)
2. Women’s Board forPacific Island No money yet for this year 1
3. Santiago Luzares Not sure; no word for 1 Used to be earmarked forScholarship this SY specific students
VII. Other Scholarship Endowment Funds (not yet available; funds need to earn more interest)
Name Seed Amount Principal Remarks(as of June 2009)
1. Frank and Lorna Beltran USD 2,500.00 Not indicatedScholarship Fund
2. Bacerra Scholarhip Php 104,736.58 Not indicated
3. Udarbe Scholarship 34,9912.20
4. Class ’98 (Chesed) 72,357.30 Php 100,000.00
5. Serapio Serate Scholarship 140,000.00 Not indicated Php10T was awarded toJoseph Guc-ong fromLanao Conference lastyear, but is not awardedthis semester due tohis INC.
6. Class ‘62/2000 65,285.24 Not indicated
7. Cristeta Capulong 126,265.45 Php 150,000.00Scholarship Fund
8. Solomon Codillo Sr. 72,259.12 Php 150,000.00Scholarship Fund
9. Dion Tanion Scholarship Fund 94,383.89 Php 150,000.00
10. Oracion/Remasog/Quiñones 85,034.06* Levi Oracion - 17,220.45* Ramasog - 33,097.29* Quiñones - 34,716.32
11. Gregorio Gonzales Fund 114,487.42 Php 100,000.00
August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine • 13
VIII. Graduate Teaching Fellows (GTF)
Graduate Teaching Silliman University 3 18) Ruben Puguon Junior M.Div.Fellow – for M.Div. students 19)Joanas Lozano Senior M.Div.
20) Amihan Asi Junior M.Div.
The DS Alumni raised a total of Php33,300.00 during the reunion two years ago.The fund is still placed in one account. TheDS hopes that this fund will grow as eachgroup or batch of graduates will seek to ful-fill and increase their pledges to raise schol-arships for the students.
1 Frederick William Danker et. al., eds., A Greek-
English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other
Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed. (Chicago andLondon: The University of Chicago Press, 2000),402-3.2 Ibid., 403.3 I do not use the usual feminine image and femi-nine pronoun “she” for the church. If the church ispeople, then, it is not necessary to associate churchwith neither a female nor a masculine body. Jesus
In conclusion, I would like to bor-row the words of one folksinger in the 1960s,Bob Dylan, who said: “For all that has been,Thanks! And for all that will be, Yes!”
Please Contact us at:
(63) (35) 422-6002 local [email protected] SMM
END NOTES
was male, yes. But Christ (from the verb chrio [÷ñßù]“to anoint”) is a title or a label for one who is anointedto do the christic task as in Luke 4:18. Christ afterall, is neither male nor female. I use the neutral pro-noun for church without reducing the church into anon-organic body.4 Please refer to January 19, 2009 Updated and Cor-rected list of Scholarship Endowment Funds at theDS.
SMM
14 • August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine
Introduction and Definition of terms
Let me first clarify the use of terms in this article. I am speaking of theological
education as “education for ministry.”[1] As Dr. Ross Kinsler, one of the origi
nal proponents of theological education by extension, aptly puts it: the mandate
of theological education is “to motivate, equip, and enable
the people of God to develop their gifts and give their lives
in meaningful service.”[2]
As I make a strong emphasis on “education for
ministry,” I would, in the same breath, describe theo-
logical education institutions as avant-garde in biblico-
theological studies leading the Church in the contextual in-
terpretation and praxis of the Faith. As such theological
education is called upon to seek new and innovative ex-
pressions of the Faith leading the Church to creative and
even radical paradigms and Christian actions. [3]For our purpose, I submit two main ideas of challenges and prospects:
1. Theological Education as “Education for Ministry” and
2. Theological Education as “Avant-garde in the interpretation and Praxis of the Faith.”
At the turn of the New Century, the Silliman University Divinity School hosted
a Theological Education Summit of the UCCP related seminaries on “the nature and
shape of theological education for the third millennium.” The following statement came
from the report:
Theological education must seek to link and integrate the social and church
realities in a single praxis. These are not two detached realities nor are they
two separate realms but an integrate reality, impinging on the lives of the
church members both individually and collectively. The church, led by its work-
ers, must be equipped to address these inextricably linked realities. A ministry
Challenges and Prospectsfor
Theological EducationBy Erme R. Camba
August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine • 15
to one, at the exclusion of the other, can only lead to a fragmented, and there-
fore, distorted ministry.
Theological education must, first of all, be an education for basic competencies
in pastoral leadership. But there should be a room for specialization in specific
areas of ministry.
Theological education must attract students and faculty of the highest caliber.
There should be an intentional, purposive, organized and systematic program
of recruitment, coupled with a system of ensuring support for theological edu-
cation.
Theological education must be integrative and inter-disciplinary. Economics
and finance, social and political sciences must be an integral part of seminary
curricula so as to equip church workers to be able to understand the socio-
economic realities from the perspectives of the Christian faith and be enabled to
communicate the same to the members of the church.
Theological education must be ready to address issues at the frontier of theol-
ogy. The Church should promote the development of theological scholars and
thinkers who will do research, write and examine issues and concerns emerging
at the end of a millennium and at the dawning of a new one.
For us to be able to do all these, theological education must be truly indepen-
dent, self reliant, and unbeholden to any church bureaucrat nor servant of any
vested interest.
______________
*An article Version of a Keynote Address for the Consultation on Theological Education of St.
Andrews Theological Seminary, Quezon City on the 75th Founding Anniversary held in Pansol, La-
guna, Dec. 12-14, 2007.
Theological education in the ministerial formation centers must also be faithful
to the heritage of the Church as expressed in the historical creeds and [tradi-
tions], and the present creeds and positions of the [Church}. [4]
I. Theological Education as “Education for Ministry”.
Theological education is a servant of the Church. The seminary trains profes-
sional workers for the ministry of the Church. The objective is to educate persons for
the ordained ministry but today there is a clamor in the UCCP for lay theological educa-
tion.
Theological education is a major part of the Church’s education for mission and
ministry. The Church now calls on the seminaries to provide such “equipping the saints
for ministry” since the seminary is supposed to be the most equipped institution of the
16 • August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine
Church to do this particular ministry. In other words, the seminary is challenged to
provide education not only for the ordained and other professional church workers but
also for the lay people who are in the frontiers and the cutting edge of everyday life in
society.
The demand of lay people of varied professions such as medical doctors, justices,
bankers, engineers, nurses, university professors and others to learn theology is sup-
ported by the fact that “doing theology” is not a monopoly of the professional theolo-
gians, theological professors and seminarians. As Dr. Judo Poerwowidagdo, former
Executive Secretary for Ecumenical Theological Education of the World Council of
Churches puts it:
[Doing theology] is the right and the proper responsibility of every
believing Christian, because doing theology means discerning where
God reveals [God]self in the world and responding to this revelation.
Moreover, he says:
…in doing theology we need to actively discern the presence of “God in
Christ” in the daily events surrounding our lives in the community, in
society and in our nation. This discernment requires us to be actively
engaged, not only reflecting academically or intellectually and
speculatively, but we must also physically, mentally and emotionally
engage and involve ourselves with our whole being, in the life of the
people where we may be able to grasp the presence and the work of
God. [5]
Lay Theological Education
To serve the need for lay theological education, the seminaries should endeavor
to offer a curriculum that is different from the regular seminary offerings. Such curricu-
lum should aim to give basic theological understand to equip the laity in their ministry in
the world, in their own professions. Such programs may be offered on weekends or
during the summer vacation. Or perhaps for periods of one school year for the lay
people who may be able to take a year off work.
We must however avoid the pitfall of confusing theological education for the
professional Church ministry and theological education for the laity. Lay theological
education is not a program “to respond to the shortage of priest and pastors.”
Lay people of the Church are entitled to the best education for ministry compa-
rable to the regular seminary offerings. However, I do not advocate for “an imitation
seminary” for the lay people for them to become “substitute ministers.” I advocate for
a solid Lay Theological Education that provides foundational and practical Christian
education to equip the laity in their various ministries in the world where they “do
theology” in word and deeds and where they are able to, as Judo puts it, “physically,
August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine • 17
mentally and emotionally engage and involve [them]selves… in the life of the people
where [they] may be able to grasp the presence and the work of God.” Seminaries
today must necessarily provide solid lay theological education to empower the laity
towards building the Kingdom of God.
Theological Education must aim at “Enabling the Enablers”
As we strongly advocate for the Protestant principle of priesthood of all believers,
we should also understand that there are various functions in the ministry of the Church.
The Acts records that the Early Church recognized this fact (Acts 6:1-4). As the Chris-
tian community expanded, many other ministries were recognized such as apostles,
prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers (Ephesians 4:11) as well as bishops, elders or
presbyters and deacons (I Timothy 3:1-13; 5:17).
It is a fact that not everyone in the Church can go into many years in-depth
theological studies. The practice, therefore, is for the local church to select from among
their members persons who have the gift for full time professional ministry in the church.
As the UCCP consultation on Theological Education puts it:
1. The Professional Church Worker is “expected to possess and demonstrate
the necessary skills and competencies required for an effective, faithful and
socially relevant ministry”
2. The Professional Church Worker “must have completed the training re-
quired by the [UCCP Constitution] that will render the church worker ad-
equately equipped in the various aspects and responsibilities of the ministry
such as preaching, teaching, counseling, evangelizing, church administra-
tion, community involvement and leadership, and prophetic advocacy.
3. The Professional Church Worker “must strive to embody those qualities
that exemplify the ideal church worker worthy of his/her calling, such as,
integrity, honesty, humility, openness, patience, compassion and genuine
love for people, faithfulness and devotion to one’s duties, a spirituality that
can inspire others being enriched by a prayerful life and deepened by a
never-ending passion for learning and growth in his/her faith and witness.[6]
In sum, the professional church worker is expected to posses the necessary
pastoral skills, equipped academically and professionally and exemplifies a personal life
style and spiritual growth.
For this purpose seminaries must provide a theological education program that is
biblically and contextually oriented, academically relevant and innovative, ecumenical
and inclusive, and prophetically involved in the dynamic praxis of “doing theology,” to
“enable the enablers” to equip “the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the
body of Christ until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son
of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Eph.
4:12-13).
18 • August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine
Since the chief function of the minister is to prepare the laity for their tasks in the
church and in the world, the seminary plays a crucial role in educating ministers and
other professional church workers to do their supporting function faithfully and effec-
tively. In this way the role of the seminary is to “enable the enablers.”
The professional ministry demands for the Church to recruit the finest and com-
mitted youth and young professionals. We must have first-rate students who are capable
of taking advantage of academic offerings of the seminaries.
However, in this time of high cost of seminary education, the churches must
provide adequate scholarship support for these students, not only in terms of tuition and
fees but also academic tools mainly books.
For their part, the seminaries must provide high quality of academic and physi-
cal plants for the students.
Aside from the pastoral task, the call is for equipping the church workers for
prophetic advocacy. Training students in this area is a perilous task since in the semi-
naries we do not only teach theories in the classroom, but place students under field
education exposure program where the issues of human rights, justice and peace are
lived and demonstrated.
This brings me now to the second role of theological education in the educational
mission of the Church. I submit the role of
II. Theological Education as “Avant-garde in the Interpretation and Praxis of the
Faith.”
To provide theological education that is biblically and contextually oriented, aca-
demically relevant and innovative, ecumenical and inclusive, and prophetically involved
in the dynamic praxis of “doing theology,” seminaries are called upon to be avant-garde
in the interpretation and praxis of the Faith.
The UCCP Theological Summit said that
Theological education must be ready to address issues at the frontier of
theology. The Church should promote the development of theological
scholars and thinkers who will do research, write and examine issues and
concerns. [7]
Let me just list some challenges for theological education.
1. The Challenges of Philippine issues of poverty and unhealth, corruption
in high places, moral bankruptcy. Can the seminaries help the Church do socio-politi-
cal analyses and provide theological undergirding for a prophetic stance?
2. The Challenges of Economic Globalization. The World Alliance of Re-
formed Churches General Assembly in Accra, Ghana in 2004 said: We see the dramatic
convergence of the economic crisis with the integration of economic globalization and
geopolitics backed by neo-liberal ideology. This is a global system that defends and
protects the interests of the powerful. It affects and captivates us all. Further, in biblical
August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine • 19
terms such a system of wealth accumulation at the expense of the poor is seen as unfaith-
ful to God and responsible for preventable human suffering and is called Mammon.
Jesus has told us that we cannot serve God and Mammon. (Luke 16:13)(Par.14) [8]
Can the seminaries, through the faculty and students, become prophetic in stud-
ies and pronouncements?
3. The Challenge of Environmental Degradation. As churches and seminar-
ies should we join the voices of those who are working hard to preserve God’s Creation?
How much interest and effort are we giving in our theologizing for the People of God to
provide theological guidance?
4. The Challenge of the Empire. A new Empire has come upon us similar to
the Roman Empire that was condemned in the Book of Revelation. The WARC 2004
Assembly in Accra defined “empire” as “the coming together of economic, cultural,
political and military power [constituting] a system of domination led by powerful na-
tions to protect and defend their own interests” (Par. 11) Is the Empire a challenge to
theological education? How can the seminaries theologically guide the people in the
pew to understand the idolatry of the Empire? What do we say about the Kingdom of
God and the Oikoumene in relation to Empire? [9]
5. The Challenge of Pluralism: Religious, Ideological, Cultural. Asia is the
cradle of world religions. Indeed, Christianity is a very small community compared to
the millions of Buddhists and Muslims. How does theological education handle this
issue? Can the seminary scholars lend a hand by giving theological advise for decisions
that should be made?
To be able to meet the challenge as avant-garde in the interpretation and praxis
of the Faith, theological education must be truly independent, self- reliant and unbeholden
to any church bureaucrat nor servant of any vested interest.
Concluding Words
Theological Education stands at the cutting edge of churches ministry in church
and society. Seminaries must necessarily lead the way. Let me conclude with 1989
UCCP Consultation on Education for Ministry:
The ministry of the Church is the ministry of Jesus Christ. This ministry is
entrusted by Christ to His Body, the Church.
Within the body of Christ, some are set apart not to do the ministry on behalf of
the whole body, but for the task of equipping and enabling the various parts of
the body to fulfill their ministry in the world.
The service of equipping and enabling the body of Christ involves the shepherding,
educating and training of God’s people to engage themselves in the midst of the
world’s life with its struggles, suffering, agonies as well as its hopes and joys, in
20 • August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine
order to celebrate and bring about the fuller manifestation of God’s reign: peace,
freedom, justice, love and proclamation of the acceptable year of the Lord.[10]
SMM
Endnotes[1] The term “education for ministry” was recommended by the 1989 Consultation on Educa-
tion for Ministry. Cf: Education for Ministry: Proposed Guidelines, UCCP-CEN, 1989.
[2] Kinsler, Ross: Ministry by the People, WCC/Orbis Books, 1983 as quoted by Dr. Judo
Peorwowidagdo in Towards the 21st Century: Challenges and Opportunities for Theological Educa-
tion, WCC, 1995, p. 53.
[3] Peorwowidagdo, Ibid, p. 61-62. Cf. James Massey, Contextual Theological Education,
ISPCK, India, 1993; and TEF, Learning in Context: The Search for Innovative Patterns in Theologi-
cal Education, Theological.Education Fund, England, 1973.
[4] Unpublished overall synthesis entitled: “A Framework for the UCCP Theological Educa-
tion,” Aug., 1999, pp.4-5.
[5] Peorwowidagdo, ibid.
[6] “A Framework for UCCP Theological Education,” an unpublished Overall Synthesis of
the UCCP Theological Education Summit (June 22-29, 1999), p. 7.
[7] “A Framework…, ibid., p.5.
[8] Par 14, 24th WARC Gen Ass in Accra, Ghana, July 30-Aug. 13, 2004.
[9] See Camba: “The New Roman Empire,” Reformed World, pp. 404-414.
[10] Education for Ministry: Proposed Guidelines, UCCP-CEN, 1989, p. 3.
August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine • 21
Theological Educationand Lay Leadership
Ben M. Dominguez
INTRODUCTION
The Church of our Savior Jesus Christ started as a lay movement. The members of
the early church saw themselves as the new people (laos) of God tasked to pursue the mis-
sion of Jesus summed up as proclaiming—in word and life—the good news of God’s love in
Jesus Christ that makes all humankind and creation new! (2 Cor. 5. 17-19; John 10.10;
Matt. 16.18).
The theme, “Theological Education in the Midst of Crisis: Prospects and Chal-
lenges”, somehow portrays the context and situation of theological education in the UCCP.
The sub-theme, “Theological Education and Lay Leadership” offers an apt and relevant
venue for rediscovering/recapturing the “missing link” in pursuing the mandate of the church.
Our sub-theme aims to probe into the prospects and challenges of the church of Jesus Christ
as a lay movement.
THE CHURCH AS A LAY MOVEMENT
Characteristics of the Church as a lay movement
1. Charismatic leadership
Leadership in the church as a lay movement is based on people’s charisma
(gifts/talents). The leaders are not elected but assume their positions of leadership
by virtue of their gifts (e.g., I Cor. 12; Rom. 12). Thus, a member who has the gift
of singing becomes the song leader; one who is good in speaking becomes the
preacher; and one who facilitates well becomes the teacher, etc.. The members take
this way of assuming leadership positions as following the guidance of the Spirit for
members are given all the opportunities to develop, employ and share their cha-
risma only for one purpose, that is, for the edification of the faith community and to
ensure that the cause of Jesus will go on. The lay leaders view and practice leader-
ship as commitment/responsibility to serve and not as positions of authority. This
characteristic of the church as lay movement was dominant in the churches that Paul
founded.
22 • August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine
2. Highly participatory
A church as a lay movement constantly offers opportunities to every member to
make a contribution towards the implementation of the mandate of the church. The
“idealized” picture of the church in Acts 2 and 4 demonstrates this characteristic of
the church as a lay movement. The goal of the Greek cosmopolis (the world as one
big city, and all are sisters and brothers); and the dream of the Jewish messianic
community (where no one remains hungry) found fulfillment in the new faith com-
munity in Jerusalem made possible by lay people making their contributions and
uniting to carry out the mandate of the church, i.e., to offer opportunities for people
to “have life and have it to the full” (Jn. 10.10)
3. Ownership of the Church’s mandate
The laos must commit themselves to God’s mandate for God’s people. In other
words, members of the church should own the mission of the church in the sense
that they actively take part, support and unite in pursuing the cause of Jesus in the
world. This could be the reason why, in the early church, witnessing and martyr-
dom were inseparable. The laos were ready to give up their lives as they proclaimed
the gospel to people in their communities and beyond (witness in Jerusalem, Judea,
Samaria, and the “ends of the earth”, i.e., Rome). The picture does not only portray
geographical contexts but also (and more important!) ethnic/cultural contexts, i.e.,
from relatives and friends to enemies and persecutors. The church, however, was
able to go through a long and winding road to Rome because the Church, at that
time, was a lay movement.
INTERRUPTION OF THE CHURCH AS A LAY MOVEMENT
By the time of the Pastorals (I Timothy, II Timothy, Titus), the “division” of the laos of
God into clergy and lay started to take place. This was towards the end of the 1st and the
beginning of the 2nd century AD. The problem of “false” teachings confronting the faith
communities “forced” the churches to make adjustments in order to respond to threats com-
ing from rival teachings that waylaid members of the churches. The leaders of the churches
(presbyters and bishops) were set apart and tasked to serve as
a) guardians of sound teaching (doctrine); and
b) interpreters of the faith.
The leaders assumed the position of clergy. Their interpretations of the faith and their
guarding of sound teaching from “error” were taken as authoritative by the faithful (lay)
although their authority (seen in the Pastorals) rested on their faithfulness to their calling and
responsibility to the faith community and not legislated. Thus began the clergy – lay distinc-
tion in the Church which interrupted her being a lay movement and eventually stifled active
August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine • 23
lay participation and relegated them into the background in pursuing the cause of Jesus in
the world.
THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION AND LAY LEADERSHIP
Current Practice of Theological Education
As practiced by the churches, theological education is the process of preparing,
sustaining and nurturing women and men for full-time church work. The basic functions of
the clergy laid down by the church during the time of the Pastorals feature at the heart of
theological education in the present: interpreters of the Christian heritage and guardians of
“sound” teaching for the faith communities. What is sad, however, is the continuing relega-
tion of the lay into the margins of the church’s theological enterprise! Theological education
is not for lay people. What is available for them is lay formation and lay leadership trainings
which hardly equip them for serious, in-depth, effective and sustained participation and
leadership in carrying out Jesus’ mandate for the church in the world. Thus our local churches
today are clergy-dependent!
Lay Theological Education: a very Urgent Need in the UCCP Today
Theological education for the clergy is meaningless without theological education for
the lay - for theological education empowers faith communities and equips them for coura-
geous and unhindered witness in the world. (See the many lay persons mentioned by Paul in
his letters who pursued his work in the different local churches that he organized.). Lay
leadership, therefore, is a necessary component of theological education.
Theological education for lay people must not duplicate theological education for the
clergy to arrest what is currently happening in the UCCP. Often, trained lay persons in the
local churches are assimilated into the “clergy” class. Thus, lay persons who go into training
for leadership in the local churches get the idea that they are prepared to be church workers,
which aborts opportunities to recapture the church as a lay movement!
The two (2) basic theological education strategies in the early church were:
a) charisma enhancement, and
b) apprenticeship
Church members, depending on their charisma, went with lay people with special
gifts, e.g., evangelists, teachers, prophets (there were early Christian prophets), administra-
tors, etc., observed, took part, and learned from what these lay leaders did in pursuing the
mission of the church. Then they put into practice what they learned in their local faith
communities. The practice was replicated involving other members. This ensured that the
faith communities were lay movements! This is the kind of theological education that is
urgently needed in the UCCP.
24 • August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine
Characteristics of Lay Theological Education
1) Creative
To be creative, theological education should be culture-sensitive. Our culture as a
people is so rich and could provide different ways of expressing/communicating
faith. Hand in hand with culture sensitivity is a good grasp of/familiarity with the
basic beliefs that Christians should know.
(In formulating the curriculum for lay theological education there should be some
sort of “standard” level of competence in Bible, Theology and Ethics, Church
History, Ministries, etc, to enable them to creatively help enable their peers and co-
members to recapture the church as a lay movement)
2) Critical
Awareness of “what is” that is critically analyzed and a vision of “what should be”
that is based on faith make a dynamic witness. Lay theological education should
equip participants with analytical tools on the one hand and an integrating orienta-
tion on the other. The church as a lay movement needs lay leaders that could see
through “blinders” and could “read between the lines”.
3) Reflective
At the heart of the church as a lay movement is witnessing which always brings the
church into an experience of “double wrestling”, i.e., grappling with the word and
the world. In the process, the witnesses have to draw and “drink from their own
wells” of experiences and contexts. Faith, therefore, becomes a lived experience
that brings about confessions of what God in Jesus does in the lives of peoples and
communities.
4) Committed
When Moses asked Yahweh what name of God he would announce to the enslaved
people he was tasked to help deliver, Yahweh said, “I am who I am”, i.e. “I walk
with you!” (Exodus 3). When Jesus gave his “great commission” to the disciples
(Matthew 28), he assured them, “I will be with you always…” A real experience of
the companionship of God is in involvement. Lay theological education should be
planned and structured in such a way that it would lead participants to commit
themselves to concrete ministries that would result in rediscovering the Church as a
lay movement.
CONCLUSION
Lay theological education is the “missing link that would lead to the rediscovery of
the Church as a lay movement. It is our hope that our endeavors promoting lay theological
education will bear fruits of change, empowerment and new life in the UCCP! SMM
August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine • 25
ASIAN SPIRITUALITYAND HEALINGBy Lucio B. Mutia
A new wind is blowing in pastoral care educa
tion and spirituality from the Asian perspec
tive. It blows toward praxis - reclaiming the
process of healing and spirituality in the context of the
Asian paradigm called TAO or the WHOLE.
What is this WHOLE? The Asian thought is very
clear. The WHOLE is unnamable. You cannot repre-
sent it. It has no image, no word. The amazing classic
TAO TE CHING puts it this way: “The TAO that can
be named is not the eternal TAO; the NAME that can
be named is not the eternal name.”1 The sense of the
WHOLE is always there that has no name, no image,
no concept, but since, we must talk about it, let’s call it
TAO. It’s not simply nothing. It is the source of all
things. It is that one which undergird and nurtures the
multiplicity and diversities of the world. It is the source
of power that allows things to be and to become and to
not become as well. That TAO – WHOLE is always
there. We are part of the cosmos, the whole.
In 1989 at EWHA Women’s University – a gather-
ing in search of Asian Christian spirituality concludes:
land is sacred and the whole cosmos is interrelated and
interdependent.2 From Matthew Fox’s book, Spiritu-
ality Named Compassion, he says: “as we enter the
new millennium, society needs to realize that
spirituality’s purpose is to guide us on a path that leads
to a genuine love of all our relations and a love for our
shared interdependence and to recognize the
interconnectedness of all things.”3
Lao Tzu, the sage, creates a paradigm: “Heaven,
Earth, Mankind constitutes a single unity; no bound-
26 • August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine
aries separate them, they are all bounded in single unity.
They nurture and support each other.” 4
A Filipino poet and folk songs composer, Joey
Ayala, describes his perception this way: “Lupa, laot,
langit ay magkaugnay; hayop, halaman, tao ay
magkaugnay. Ang lahat na bagay ay magkaugnay,
magkaugnay ang lahat.”5
The song says, … “all things are interrelated and
interdependent.”
The 20th century Western thought from the quan-
tum mechanics theory, we learn that heaven is really a
universe, rich, creative and dynamic where “all things
are interrelated and interdependent.” 6
The WHOLE or TAO manifests itself in human life
and in the universe and work in three amazing phe-
nomenal ways: WU WEI, meaning - non-action, YING
YANG, meaning - polarity, and CHI, meaning - en-
ergy.
1. WU WEI manifest first of all in this amazing
wonderful word wu wei (wu meaning non-not,
wei means doing). So, its non-doing. This is a
remarkable perception on special way of doing:
all things get done by non-doing.7
TAO works and showed the creation. It is a special
way of manifesting; it’s by non-doing, you just flow
spontaneously like water. Water does not strain, no ten-
sion. Image a rock, hit by a continuous “drip, drip,
drip” of water. It’s just a drip; it does not shout, say-
ing: “no, no, no.” Within a year the rock may become
pebbles.8
A slow yet constant rain changes the contour of the
land even of a vast mountain. This is the special way
of doing. This is called wu-wei – non-doing. A story of
a butcher is told about his practice of not sharpening
his knives. The people asked him. “How come?” Then,
he said: “I always find the open space. That’s all. No
bones to contend with.”9
Imagine patients (or non-patients) who come to you
or you visit them and you locate the open space. We
always focus on the bone of contention called prob-
August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine • 27
lems. Why not find out that open space. That is wu-
wei, that is the manifestation of the TAO.
2. YING YANG. This is the polarity, such as: Dark
and light, wet and dry, soft and hard, cold and
warm, feminine and masculine. Both are abso-
lutely necessary. In every ying there is yang,
and every yang there is ying. There is no point
searching and reaching the top of the mountain
because upon reaching the top, it circles back.
Mountains have always an aura of inviting people
to climb its heights, such as Mount Everest. The chal-
lenge though is most always in the category of success
versus failure. This writer’s pastoral colleague from
Washington D.C. after his retirement from parish as-
signments fulfilled his dream to climb Mt. Everest.
However, he came home to the U.S. a cargo.
In our Asian context, we know so well that in all
life there is amazing change, a reversal. So a man or
woman can be conceited, proud, disgraced, then, hu-
mility follows. In every success there is an awesome
sense of failure. In every illness there is an amazing
enlightenment, yet to be learned; a grace to embrace.
YING YANG – an amazing thing in this Asian per-
ception of healing is not that there are polarities but
somehow there is the amazing thing called CHI – a
vital energy.
From quantum mechanics, again, it says that hu-
man being is a microcosm within the vast universe of
microcosm where the physical body is a unique aggre-
gation of particles of matter and matter is nothing but
frozen light – interspersed with the physical body of
light are the vast cosmic energy from where there is
the sustaining flowing in and out of the body.10
3. CHI. Asians learned long ago that before you
understand the muscle, the anatomy, you find
out the energy that flows in the physical body.
It took physicists to suggest that matter is really
nothing but light energy.
This is emerging in the medical field in the
west; It is called the vibrational medicine. Vibra-
28 • August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine
tion is something to reckon with. The CHI that
flows in is slowly working to wholeness again.
This is the essential paradigm of the Asian under-
standing of healing.
As a whole, within the whole web of relationship
and throughout all relation there is an amazing energy
that nurtures.
To summarize, there are four elements of healing
that an Asian understands and a Western knows:
1) Prevention. We pay doctors to prevent us from
getting sick. Exercise, dieting, food productions
are imperatives for wholeness to happen.
2) In caring for someone, know the person: a) fam-
ily history, b) family relationship, c) the times
of the day the illness occur: morning, afternoon
or evening, and d) understanding the environ-
ment. This is the statement made famous by the
Canadian surgeon, Dr. Olses.
3) The amazing sense that the body is the instru-
ment of healing. This means to let the body,
through its immune system, heal itself. This is
what acupuncture and herbal are all about.
All we need to know is that the body is
made to heal i tself . The mind trains the
body. If I do negativity, the body and its
immune system do an amazing thing. Im-
mune system is so structured that a nega-
tive thought raises the stress syndrome and
depress the immune system. On the contrary
if I make an affirmation of something posi-
tive, the whole immune system goes up and
stress goes down. This is how it works ev-
ery moment of our lives. Every movement
of the body has a ying and a yang.
The point is that if we, through our minds, do
not put roadblocks, the body will know exactly what
to do … absolutely!
Based on the above, the patient is the healer:
not the doctor. It is neither the medicines, not drugs
nor any wonderful aids that heals. The patient is the
August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine • 29
healer. The patient must learn to accept the respon-
sibility and discipline. And the patient realizes and
becomes aware that there is TAO … an amazing
energy and s/he lives in a world of relationships
that he must love and learn to understand. This is
the Asian big picture.
4) Spirituality. This is a spiritual resource. We
are spiritual being, made in the image of
God. I am talking of spirituality divorced
of religion. Every human being has this di-
mension. We are reluctant to talk about it
because there is nothing we can prove. Our
language is inadequate and few will risk
talking about it.
By definition, the spirit is a transcending ele-
ment. When spirituality embraces what we call
religion, then that spirituality transforms into what
we call self-transformation. THEN SOMETHING
IS OPEN at this point to that which we call God
in the sense of the holy but has no name. Religion
is the awesome courage to name it and say: “I am
that I am.” It takes courage to affirm that name.
Religion provides a name “I am that I am,” a pres-
ence with a name, unlike TAO which is unnamable.
This has a history and has a community. The
Psalmist says: “Yeah, though I walk in the shadow
of the valley of death I will fear no evil, for Thou
art with me.”11 That’s presence.12
So, what is the man/woman of TAO in the Asian
perspective? He/she is the man/woman who allows
energy to flow to him/her so he/she sees that life is a
web of relationship … always open to the energy that
flows. His/her life becomes an even dance.
The spirituality of the man/woman in the Asian
context becomes a dance that immerses itself in
the suffering of other human beings whose lives
are immersed in awesome tensions and alienations.
It does not avoid them because when he/she calls
his name “God,” that God has a commandment
that says, “Thou shall love your neighbor as thy-
30 • August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine
self.” It has a sense of justice. Having said that -
a different kind of spirituality is unveiled here
grounded from the Source of power that allows
things to be and to become divorced from reli-
gion. When you manifest this spirituality, you be-
come a healing listening presence, not an answer.
This lies at the heart of an authentic Asian spiri-
tuality. SMM
____________________
*Dr. Lucio B. Mutia, a Certified ACPE CPE Supervi-
sor of the Association for Clinical Pastoral Educa-
tion, Inc., U.S.A and of the Pastoral Care Founda-
tions in the Philippines, Inc; directing the Spiritual
Care and CPE Program of both the Silliman Divinity
School and Silliman Medical Center and Instructor of
Pastoral Care and Counseling courses at the Silliman
Divinity School.
1 Lao Tzu, Te Tao Ching, New York: Ballantine Books, 1989,
p. 202 Virginia Fabella (ed.) Asian Christian Spirituality, New
York: Orbis Books, 1992, pp. 1-10.3 Matthew Fox, Spirituality Named Compassion. Vermont:
Inner Traditions, 1999, p. 126-127.4 Lao Tzu, Loc. cit.5 Joey Ayala sung this song during his concert at the Luce
Auditorium in Silliman University in 1988.6 Nick Herbert, Quantum Reality, New York, Anchor Books,
1987, p. 41-44.7 From an address of Dr. Mitsuo Aoki to the Annual Con-
vention of the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education,
U.S.A. Inc. in Oakland, CA. in May 2001.8 Mitsuo Aoki, Loc. Cit.9 Loc. Cit.10 Nick Herbert, Ibid., p. 47.11 Psalms 23:4
August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine • 31
Theological Education:
Wellness and Well-beingBy Jane Ella P. Montenegro
What? Theological Education is now entering the medical domain and the healing
enterprise? Is this a challenge to abstract, ambiguous male-centered, Euro-
American theological education that we inherited from our colonial past? Is
the theological education of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines endeavoring
to become more relevant and striving to be more responsive to the actual needs of the
“common tao” today?
Indeed, this topic arouses much curiosity, especially because the UCCP semi-
naries, theology and Bible Schools were pioneered by mostly male, Euro-American
missionaries. The Biblical scholarship imported to our homeland introduced colonial
and derogatory attitudes which separated the new “converted Christians” from their
own sisters and brothers “who remained pagans, uncivilized and primitive devil wor-
shipers.”
The medical enterprise took the same path. Male Euro-American colonizers
claimed the sole right and responsibility of treating the sick and handling childbirth.
And in a short time, the “manghihilot,” midwife, herbalist, and “babaylan” became a
non-entity in her own land. In fact, in Europe and in many Asian countries, their
counterparts were tortured, massacred or burned at stake during the Medieval Ages.
Can we say then that in this 48th Church Workers Convocation of the SU Divin-
ity School in particular, and the UCCP’s theological education in general, this tradition
is beginning to shift – reclaiming what is inherently the cultural-spiritual ethos of our
people?
For the priceless treasure of our indigenous peoples is. . .
The wellness of our Being (pagkatao)
Living wellness (pagsasabuhay )
And having one’s well-being interconnected with others
(pakikipagkapwa-tao)
In harmony with nature , with the spirits, with the cosmos and
with the Divine Spirit.(pakiki –isa sa kalikasan)
In the Interest Group, we hope to share a lived-experience of wellness and well-
being even for just a brief time. Hopefully, this will become the seeds that will sprout in
32 • August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine
the hearts of those who are touched by it – converging with other heart-spirits who will
also carry it on for the generations following. Perhaps then, our theological education
shall learn to drink from our own wells and shall learn how to live life abundantly,
collectively! (Acts 17:24-28)
Objectives:
1. To reclaim the obscured treasure of Wellness and Well being which was a way
of life for the early Filipinos.
2. To experience facets of indigenous wisdom for the nurturance of wellness and
well being.
3. To share some practical life-enhancing activities practiced by Filipino healers
today.
4. To gather the collective insights of participants on how the UCCP’s theologi-
cal Education/Ministerial Formation Centers could benefit from Filipino heal-
ers in his search for life-giving theologies SMM
References:
Rosario Battung, RGS. “Indigenous Peoples’ Primal Religions and Cosmic Spirituality
as Wellsprings of Life”. Taken from Springs of Water: Asia, Her Life, Struggles and
Hope. Proceedings of the Fourth Asian Theological Conference of the Ecumenical
Association of Third World Theologians (EATWOT, 1997, Yogyakarta, Indonesia).
R.S. Sugirtharajah. ed. Voices from the Margin: Interpreting the Bible in the Third
World. Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 1991.
Choan-SengSong. Third-eye Theology. Indigenous Theological Resources. Maryknoll:
Orbis Books, 1979. Pp. 8-9.
Resource Person:
Ms. Lualhati (Lally) Deslate Abainza
+a graduate of Bachelor of Religious Education, major in Sacred Music, Union Theo-
logical Seminary, Cavite, 1980
+a practitioner of Acupuncture and Moxibustion , Nanjing University of Traditional
Medicine, 1992‘
+Certified Human Potential Development Facilitator, University of the Philippines, 2004
+Facilitator, enabler, healer; practices music and dance therapy, Naturopathy, Chi-gong,
Reikki healing, etc.
August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine • 33
Theological Educationand the Ecumenical Declaration on Just Peace:
A ChallengeBy Muriel Orevillo-Montenegro
Introductory Remarks
A couple of weeks ago, a workshop with the representatives of the Peace Panels of the
Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the National Democratic Front
in the Philippines was organized to discuss possible inputs for the next round of
peace talks. The focus for the next round of peace talks will be the Comprehensive Agree-
ment on Socio-Economic Reforms (CASER). This workshop was organized by Justice and
Peace Center-Kalinaw Project and the Philippine Ecumenical Peace Platform. This effort is
a demonstration of taking steps to make the church workers of the ecumenical church be
aware of the peace process that is going on, and to help the churches accompany such peace
process. The vicissitudes in the process are too many, but Christians are called to not to grow
weary and work for peace for the sake of the children of today and for the sake of the world.
I believe that the church will be able to accompany peace processes and to practice
just peacebuilding if it is well grounded in sound understanding of just peace, not simply
about peace. Thus, I would like to bring to the reader’s attention an important document
from the World Council of Churches. It is an initial statement on Just Peace, and so I invite
the reader and the workshop participant to share nuggets of wisdom to enrich the statement.
The Making of the Initial Statement on Just Peace
A week ago, a visiting lecturer and retired German professor, Karl Wilhelm Dahm
who gave a lecture on the ethics of peace made an uninformed critique on the Ecumenical
Declaration on Just Peace as a product of a “top-to-bottom” process. Unfortunately, unin-
formed critiques are usually not fair and not helpful. Indeed, the drafters and the World
Council of Churches invited critiques, comments and suggestions so that in 2010, the next
set of drafters will be able to improve the initial statement. The improved statement will be
submitted for discussion during the International Ecumenical Peace Convocation in May
2011 in Kingston, Jamaica.
“Glory to God and Peace on Earth!” This is the theme of the assembly of the World
Council of Churches held in Porto Alegre in February 2006. In line with the theme, the
assembly composed of representatives from 349 member-churches in more than 110 coun-
tries gave a mandate to formulate a statement on peace to be presented during the Interna-
tional Ecumenical Peace Convocation to culminate the Decade to Overcome Violence (DOV)
34 • August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine
in 2011. Upon the mandate of the general assembly, a Drafting Committee whose members
come from different Christian traditions and from different continents was formed by the
general secretary of WCC, Dr. Samuel Kobia. The members of the Drafting Committee
were: Dr. Daniel Benga from Romania, Rev. Dr. Wanda Deifelt from Brazil based in the
USA, Fr. Kurian Jacob of India, Dr. Muriel Orevillo-Montenegro from the Philippines, Dr.
Larry Rasmussen from the US, Prof. Robert Schreiter from the US who provided the Roman
Catholic presence, and Dr. Geiko Muller-Fahrenholz (Coordinator of the IEPC) from Ger-
many. One member, Dr. Lin Hong-Hsin of Taiwan contributed during the first part of the
first meeting, while Prof. Musa Dube from Africa failed to participate in the whole process.
In its first meeting, the committee discussed task of drafting the initial statement and
agreed on a certain framework. This framework was presented to the multi-racial DOV
Reference Group headed by a Mennonite professor, Dr. Fernando Enns of Hamburg Univer-
sity. The Reference Group reviewed the framework and provided guidance by challenging
the Drafting Committee to think over seven points, namely: Initial Guiding Concerns, the
Importance of Coherence, Methodological Considerations, and the Objective of the Docu-
ment, Audience and Length of the Document, Interfaith Contexts, and Points of Tension.
After the discussion between the Reference Group and the Drafting Committee, the follow-
ing points were agreed upon:
a. That the drafting of a Just Peace Declaration is a process that comes out of DOV;
b. That one document should be produced as an initial statement;
c. That the length will be around 25 pages;
d. That the document will be sent to the member churches for their comments and that
the DOV office will send the document to other entities for comments (e.g., other
Christian organizations, certain NGOs, etc.);
e. That at a later stage in the process, we might consider a longer and a shorter docu-
ment, the longer perhaps constituting a study guide;
f. That the primary audience of this statement are the member-churches of WCC,
while recognizing that it is also an invitation for Christian churches and the wider
public that is religiously plural (though they may maintain different academic and
political commitment), to enter into a conversation on the nature of Just Peace.
Subsequently, the members of committee were given assignments to write based on the
outline decided upon by the committee. The second meeting was spent on presentations and
integrating the critiques and suggestions from each member on each section of the docu-
ment. Over all, the purpose of this initial document on Just Peace declaration is to stimulate
discussions in the level of member-churches and give their feedbacks within 2009. In 2010,
another drafting committee will be organized to either integrate these feedbacks into the
initial draft, or write a new document based on these feedbacks.
The Initial Statement: Ecumenical Declaration on Just Peace
As mentioned above, this workshop seeks to introduce the initial statement towards
August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine • 35
an Ecumenical Declaration on Just Peace and to solicit responses to this document.1 The
statement has five parts, namely:
1. A Meditative Introduction
2. A Preamble: Witnessing to Peace in a Violent World
3. Chapter 1: The God of Peace and the Peace of God
4. Chapter 2: In the Name of Christ: Churches as Communities and Agents of Peace-
building
5. Chapter 3: On the Way towards Just Peace – The Scope of the Churches’ Engage-
ment
The titles give us an idea of the content of each section. The Drafting Committee hopes
that this declaration will motivate churches to revisit their understanding of peace and see
that peace is basically God’s peace. Peace is God’s gift and churches need to wrestle what
“God’s peace” means for their witness in this contemporary world. We must remember how
the once-persecuted church have become the persecutor and legitimated violence and sup-
port patriarchy, slavery, genocide and many other colonizing projects in the name of God
and to gain power in history. The Drafting Committee also sees the effort as a “mission
statement” but then, it calls the church to draw concrete steps of peace-building in situations
where they are called to live out their faith.
The Introduction
The Meditative Introduction draws out reflections from the Lukan text where the
angels brought the good news to the shepherds in the fields: “Glory to God and peace on
Earth.” It is important to note that the angels stressed that peace is located on earth, but
people must learn to have goodwill. The birth of a child in a lowly condition only shows that
God’s peace requires people to be humble and live simply.
The Preamble
The Preamble is a call to witness peace in the midst of a violent world. It is a
recognition that humanity’s sinfulness brought so much violence to the world and that brings
to memory some images of violence that should not ever happen again in this Earth. Thus,
reminding us that as individuals, as a people, and as church, we must repent for whatever
complicity we have done. The preamble also highlights a few milestones of humanity’s
effort to make peace a reality.
The God of Peace and the Peace of God
The first chapter gives a brief elucidation of the meaning of peace based on the
biblical sources and how peace is embedded in the Trinitarian doctrine. It articulates that
while peace is God’s gift, people have responsibility to make it a reality. The concepts of
shalom or eirene in the Bible are comprehensive and inclusive of personal and communal
life. One cannot talk of peace apart from justice. Yet, to be a peacebuilder requires submis-
36 • August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine
sion of one’s life to God’s will and purpose. This section reflects briefly on human nature as
earthlings, sinfulness and the nature of violence. Thus, peace recognizes the need for hu-
manity to be humble and repent and move towards the embrace of God in love, peace and
beauty; into the eternal Trinitarian dance of creating and sustaining, healing and redeeming,
bringing to fulfilment and reconciliation in peace.
In the Name of Christ: Churches as Communities and Agents of Peacebuilding
From there, the next chapter takes a closer look at the nature of the church as com-
munities of peace and as agents of peacebuilding. As a creation of the Spirit, the church is a
gift of God, and is a sign and instrument of God’s mission in this world. As such, the church
is a sacrament of peace and a prophetic sign and instrument in peacebuilding. Peacebuilding
requires healing and reconciliation.
The church, as people of God, is therefore called to mirror among the members the
harmonious relationship and co-inherence between the Persons of the Trinity. Yet, the aware-
ness among Christians “how far they often are from realizing this communion with one
another and with the Trinity” should lead them to repentance and turn around to realize their
calling. Peace is a way of life, spirituality, and a web of practices and attitudes that consis-
tently demonstrates the relationships of Trinitarian life - sustaining, transforming, and sanc-
tifying a broken world.
On the Way towards Just Peace – The Scope of the Churches’ Engagement
The third chapter articulates the breadth and width of the church’s engagement. We
are guided to distinguish just peace vis-à-vis the old traditions such as Christian pacifism
and just war, properly understood as justified use theory. Both the old traditions uphold the
norm of non-violence, seek to reduce violence, and aim to overcome violence. Both adhere
to the way of Jesus that calls for reconciliation. Yet, both parted ways on the question of
exceptional use of killing violence. Just use theory allows the use of exceptional, deadly
violence in strictly limited ways and conditions. Pacifists hold that violence, even if used as
a last resort, will not result enduring or lasting peace. However, both work together for
nuclear disarmament, in anti-dictatorship, anti-regimes and anti-racism and other peacebuilding
efforts. They seek to change the thinking from militarism (killing to gain “victory”) to polic-
ing (saving innocent lives or preventing further harm). Yet, peace must not be conceived
with military focus because the other potential peace builders – the ordinary citizens – are
left out.
Just peace broadens the scope of the older peace traditions. Just peace addresses the
following areas: massive reality of human self-destruction; gender-related and
intergenerational violence; the entertainment industry’s use of the fascination of violence;
violence against nature; the violence inherent in economic injustice in its globalized ramifi-
cations and structural expressions; and the age-old scourge of war that continues to afflict
millions of people on this Earth. It is concerned with the promotion “of processes of truth
August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine • 37
and reconciliation in transition societies, on healing the memories of past violations, and on
developing the means of conflict resolution for home, school, church, community, and work-
place.” In other words, just peace encompasses the whole earthly life of humanity and the
healthy life of the planet that older Christian peace traditions have ignored. Just peacebuilding
addresses the challenge of securing, on a healthy planet, the goods of the community of all
beings God has created, and confronts the obscene opulence of few in the face of imposed
poverty in light of human being’s well being and dignity.
The Challenge of the Ecumenical Declaration on Just Peace to Theological Education
The Declaration poses many challenges to theological education in the churches and
seminaries at all levels. It recognizes the value of peace education and skills training for
peace work, but that peace education must foremost be understood as soul-craft. Otherwise,
whatever skills training on conflict transformation, mediation and others will be inadequate
if not bound to fail. Peace education, if understood as soul-craft, will create and sustain just
peacebuilders. One may therefore have acquired some knowledge and skills or a certificate
and diploma on that field of study and in strategies of work for peace, but education for
peace is more than these. It is about the shaping of character and honing capacities to re-
spond non-violently to provocations
The Initial Declaration defines soul-craft as the gradual, intentional shaping of one’s
values, perspectives and development of a person’s character and identity. Soul-craft is
the slow formation and transformation of character and conscience in a
thousand ways, many barely noticed in the routine of growing people up.
Soul-craft is the ancient practice of shaping an authentic self; it is one prayer
at a time, one offer of hospitality at a time, one planting and watering at a
time, with one child at a time. Soul-craft is the moulding of convictions and
morality and greatness of heart befitting peacemakers as the blessed chil-
dren of God.(§86)
The challenge of peace education or soul-craft is a challenge to theological educa-
tion. Theological education must take on the task of soul-craft, or in the language of the
Divinity School and seminaries, the task of spiritual formation. Yet, the task of spiritual
formation takes over a long period of time and it begins in the homes and church. Soul-craft
or peace education is a process “from womb to tomb.” Let me quote again from the Decla-
ration:
Growth in the biblical understanding of peace, learning about the tempta-
tions that lead people away from peace into violence, examining our narra-
tives about how we describe to ourselves those who may be our potential
enemies, learning to engage in practices of peace (especially for children
and adolescents), learning to care for the earth as a way of cultivating peace,
and making prayer for peace a prominent part of our worship: all of these
things promote peace. (§ 61)
38 • August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine
Did theological education take cognizance of this challenge? Peace education seemed
to have been pushed to the periphery or, simply as an “implicit curriculum” or better still, a
“null curriculum to use the words of Elliot Eisner, and elaborated by Maria Harris.2 Peace
education was there but there was no intentional recognition that soul-craft is itself the core
of peace education. Consequently, peace education was never a part of seminary curriculum.
If ever it exists, it is taken as a separate department, or simply a project. Universities have
offered degrees in “peace studies” and “peace education”, but these are limited to instruction
in skills, strategies of work for peace, and acquisition of knowledge. While knowledge,
skills and strategies of work for peace are important, these must be built upon soul-craft.
The formation of a way of life that avoids harm to others is part of soul-craft, because
just peace is about one’s spirituality.
For this reason, theological education needs to take the challenge of the Ecumenical
Declaration of Just Peace, particularly peace education as soul-craft. Peace education is
about “walking the talk,” or “doing what we preach.” It is about doing no harm to one’s self,
other people and the Earth. It is making connections with our way of life with the health of
a people, of the economy, and Planet Earth.
By saying that peace education or soul-craft is a womb-to-tomb process, it is impor-
tant to see that parents are the first agent of peace or agent of unpeace that children encoun-
ter. Parents teach their children well by their spoken and unspoken languages. Then, chil-
dren learn from the church as models of peace or, as models of unpeace. Thus, parents and
churches face the challenge of embodying the theological foundations of soul-craft or peace
education in the homes and churches.
Our society is undeniably a violent one. Yet, children who grow in homes that are
conscious of soul-craft will mature into being agents of peace. The church must provide
space, encouragement and active support in this effort towards soul-craft or peace education.
The church also needs to support people who have special gifts for promoting particular
paths of peacebuilding, and take these as “gifts of the Spirit of Peace within the churches and
for the sake of the world. . . Some will have distinct capacities for accompanying victims of
violence; others, for settling disputes; still others, for caring for the earth.”(§62)
Church members – parents, church school teachers, and ministers - must engage in
self-criticism and ask themselves: How did our theology, biblical interpretation, structures,
language, actions, choices, decisions and lifestyle make our children agents of peace? Or, in
what ways did we make ourselves and our children agents of unpeace? More questions must
be asked, to prod us into soul-searching and be humble enough to acknowledge our weak-
nesses and our indirect or direct complicity with agents of unpeace and violence.
Concluding Remarks
Member-churches of the World Council of Churches are now busy reflecting on the
document and making responses to it. I wonder if the ecumenical churches in the Philippines
know anything about this document. It is heartwarming that at least, a small ecumenical
August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine • 39
group of women are trying to study and reflect on this document. Perhaps, people are so
busy with many things, the basic concept of peace education or soul-crafting is indeed a null
curriculum, or if at best, merely an implicit curriculum.
In his December 2008 letter to the member churches, associate councils, council of
churches, Christian world communions, regional ecumenical organizations, specialized min-
istries and international ecumenical organizations, the General Secretary of the World Coun-
cil of Churches, Dr. Samuel Kobia requested these bodies to give their inputs to the Ecu-
menical Declaration on Just Peace. He reminds Christians that “[P]rimarily, our work for
an ecumenical declaration on just peace is . . . directed towards practical steps and exem-
plary practices that are being developed in our churches.” He recognizes that even in the
midst of a violent world, there are many stories of meaningful on-going peacebuilding ef-
forts that need to be told because the wider ecumenical family and the world at large do not
know about these. Indeed, it is important to share these stories of meaningful peacebuilding
works in order to inspire others to do their part. Such stories, when shared, will give people
who are in the midst of hopeless violence a glimmer of hope. You and I are called not only
to give inputs on the document, we are also called to submit to WCC the names of commit-
ted groups that contribute to the creation of peacebuilding networks for the flourishing of
life on earth as widely as possible.
In closing this piece, I would like General Secretary Samuel Kobia to speak to you
once more:
“I call on all our member churches, their ecumenical officers, theological seminar-
ies and faculties, action groups and ecumenical initiatives at all levels of the churches’
life to rally around this project. Let this be an example of our discipleship to God
who sent the Son as the Prince of Peace in our midst.” SMM
END NOTES
1 For the full text of the initial statement, please go to WCC’s website for Decade to Overcome Violence:
http://www.overcomingviolence.org/en/resources/documents/declarations-on-just-peace/drafting-group/ini-
tial-statement.html
2 Maria Harris, Fashion Me a People (Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1989). “Implicit
curriculum” refers to patterns, organization or procedures that frame the explicit curriculum (the inten-
tional), such as attitudes, the setting of educational activities, the presence or absence of particular groups as
children or women, etc. “Null curriculum” is a paradox because it is there but it does not exist. It refers to
areas that are left out (themes, content, a point of view, and I may add, language) and methods or proce-
dures that are not used. Implicit curriculum refers to patterns, organization or procedures that frame the
explicit curriculum (the intentional), such as attitudes, the setting of educational activities, the presence or
absence of particular groups as children or women, etc.
40 • August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine
One of the ways in which the partner
ship of the church and the ministe
rial formation centers is concretized
is in the area of Field Education. The local
churches provide the “laboratory” where the
seminarians can observe and practice what
they learn in the classrooms, and they bring
back to the classroom what they have expe-
rienced in the field, thus, enriching the aca-
demic component of ministerial formation
and grounding it to the context and reality of
our churches. This process can be described
as an action-reflection-action continuum.
Our Field Education Program carries
this rationale for our Program.
Education for the Christian Ministry is
first and foremost the task of the Church.
God has endowed upon the church the dif-
ferent gifts of the Ministry of Jesus Christ,
such as in Ephesians 4:11-13, “...that some
should be apostles, prophets, evangelists,
pastors, teachers; to equip the saints for the
work of the ministry, for building up the body
of Christ...” The proclamation of the whole
WORD to all people, the ministry of
shepherding, reconciliation, nurturing, heal-
ing, guiding and empowerment of the people
must continue until all human beings submit
to and experience the REIGN OF GOD.
Such theological education of the
Theological Education in the Field:A Partnership of the Church and the Seminary
COMPILED BY REUEL NORMAN O. MARIGZA
Church is assisted by the accredited semi-
naries, which in turn provide basic founda-
tional academic preparation for the candi-
dates’ pastoral formation. The Church and
the seminary are partners, since we cannot
separate theological education from the to-
tal mission of the Church in the field or par-
ish. Hence, the integral field education pro-
gram, which includes weekend assignment,
summer exposures and the one-year intern-
ship, are required in the curriculum.
The Internship YearThe year-long internship is done usu-
ally before the senior year. In some cases,
however, students may request for a post-
senior year-out especially the married stu-
dents and those with some deficiencies. It
is the Conference from which the student
comes that gives the assignment, either in
the local church, circuit, cooperative parish,
church-owned or church-related institutions
that can provide the student rich experien-
tial learning. This is exposing the student to
the demanding routine of a practical other-
wise realistic personal, intellectual, spiritual/
devotional and professional fitness for church
vocation. Internship can also be the time for
the candidate for the Christian Ministry to
discover whether s/he is called to such min-
August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine • 41
istry, and if not, may still have a chance to
change into another career after serious con-
siderations.
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES:The SUDS Internship Program has
two major goals. One has to do with de-
fined personality development in which the
student is challenged to utilize her/his full
potentials to become a mature Christian, a
responsible and effective steward of God’s
gifts and creation. This is enhanced in the
meaningful use of one’s self in a dynamic
relationship network: with God, with other
humankind, with the physical world. This
field assignment offers a variety of ways for
the students to grow into a wholesome per-
son: a child of God.
The other goal is dealing with profes-
sional growth and competence in doing the
ministry of Jesus Christ. It involves the de-
velopment of the capacity to interpret the
WORD of GOD and the Christian Faith in
order to empower the church people to be
equipped for their own witness and service
in the world of work, profession, lifestyle and
leisure. This also entails the actual practice
of developing skills in church administration,
pastoral care and counseling, education and
nurture and all others related to the strength-
ening of one’s own vocational identity.
It is therefore incumbent upon the
Church to expose the Intern into the multi-
faceted life and work of the people of God;
thereby the following objectives be realized:
A. For personal developmental tasks
1. To grow spiritually through a dy-
namic study of the Bible, books,
reading materials, and through daily
personal devotions.
2. To keep a sound mind in a sound
body as one takes good care of per-
sonal health and develop wholesome
habits.
3. To be able to develop self-discipline
and self-management.
4. To be able to develop positive atti-
tude toward work and daily routines.
5. To develop genuineness and uncon-
ditional regard towards others and
to grow in relationship with the
people and other creation of God.
6. To grow in wisdom and understand-
ing as a child of God and a respon-
sible trustee of God’s creation.
B. For vocation/professional competence:
that the intern
1. demonstrates the ability to put into
practice the things learned.
2. develops the capacity to learn from
the various experiences that the as-
signment has in store for her/him.
3. is enabled to grow in her/his voca-
tion identity as s/he takes on the fol-
lowing tasks:
a. conducting the liturgical function
as a pastor/church worker;
b. facilitating Bible studies with
church groups and families;
c. preaching the Word: and in the
teaching nurturing functions;
d. administering the affairs of the
church;
e. stimulating/implementing/moni-
toring and evaluating of church
programs together with church
officers concerned;
f. stimulating the church to de-
velop financial resourcing and
budgeting; resources develop-
ment to support the ministry;
42 • August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine
g. pastoral care and counseling
with people at the point of their
needs;
h. network building with church
agencies for empowerment of
church people and for them to
empower the community
4. improve vocational/professional
skills to concretize the priesthood/
pastorhood of all believers.
RELATIONSHIP OF THE INTERN
A. With the School:
Definitely, the intern is a student of the
SUDS doing theological education through
full-time service in the assignment other than
the campus. However, s/he is not matricu-
lated in the University during the internship
year. The DS Faculty continues to have a
formal continuing link with the intern through
the Office of the Field Education Director.
B. With the Conference and other Church
Judicatories:
1. The church service relationship of
the Intern is by special Conference
assignment under the joint arrange-
ment of the Seminary and the Con-
ference through the Settlement or
Ministerial Formation Committee.
2. The assignment is temporary for at
least ten months coinciding a school
year.
3. Since the student belongs to a Con-
ference and Jurisdiction, these judi-
catories have responsibility over the
Intern, who in turn is expected to
recognize and respect their author-
ity.
4. Relative to the pastoral functions,
the Intern must be granted partial
license (Licentiate status) to admin-
ister the Sacraments. Such license
shall expire after the internship is
concluded.
5. The Intern is expected to cooperate,
collaborate in carrying out Church/
Conference programs as far as per-
mitted.
6. Pertinent to Conference member-
ship, the Intern must submit willingly
to disciplinary actions within the
rules of the Church or Judicatory.
7. The Intern, as nearly as possible, is
in the same relationship as any other
member of the Conference Ministe-
rial Roll, yet without violating his/her
definitive relationship with the
School.
POLICIES
1. Internship year is basically an inte-
gral part of theological education and
it should be preferably done after the
Middler year of the student’s aca-
demic preparations. It is only when
a request for a post-senior circum-
stance that the internship is deferred
to the last year of the entire course.
2. The School, through the Field Edu-
cation Director, communicates to the
Conference the names of their stu-
dents who are qualified to go on in-
ternship.
3. The Conference through the Settle-
ment or Ministerial Formation Com-
mittee, takes charge of assignment,
housing, support (material, moral)
and expected relevant matters.
4. The Head of the Church or Confer-
ence shall take charge of assigning
a supervisor-counselor in consulta-
tion with the Education or Ministe-
rial Formation Committee. The
School, through the Field Education
August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine • 43
Office, must be notified in order to
confirm such appointment and if
possible give some kind of training
to these Supervisors.
5. The Intern must attend pre-intern-
ship seminar, mid-year processing
and post-internship evaluation and
sharing in order to satisfactorily com-
plete the Internship requirements.
6. No intern shall be assigned to his/
her home church. Only one Church
is allowable.
7. No student can go to internship if
there is any academic deficiency or
incomplete grades. At least a cu-
mulative QPA of 2.0 or more is de-
sired and required.
8. S/he must comply with all require-
ments and must obtain/send written
evaluation and certification for sat-
isfactory completion from Church,
Supervisor-counselor and from the
Conference Minister.
9. In the event of illness or any emer-
gencies, the School, through the
Field Education Office must be no-
tified, especially when the illness or
emergency constitute a big disrup-
tion to the internship assignment.
Necessary measures must be in
place for the benefit of those con-
cerned.
10. Only one summer exposure can be
deferred before a student can qualify
for a year-long internship.
11. International exposures for 3 weeks
or more can be credited towards one
summer exposure.
12. The limited license (Licentiate sta-
tus) expires as the Intern finishes the
assignment.
13. The work of the pastor/church
worker entails 6 days-a-week labor.
Monday is usually a day-off.
14. A two-week vacation after the New
Year’s Day shall be enjoyed by In-
tern. This must be communicated
earlier so that the Church activities
can be arranged properly ahead of
time.
15. Getting married during internship is
discouraged. However, one can be
allowed only upon earlier arrange-
ment with the family, church, Con-
ference and the School before in-
ternship.
The New Magna Carta for Church Work-ers and Theological Education
Among its many provisions, the newly-
approved Magna Carta for Church Workers
details the relationship of various church ju-
dicatories relative to the recruitment and
training of church workers:
Section 2. The Recruitment Process
a. As the primary locus of mission, the lo-
cal church “recruits, recommends, and
supports candidates for its varied forms
of ministry” (Constitution, Art. V, sec.
4.e.). The local church therefore,
through the Church Council, the Board
of Christian Educators and the Church-
Recognized Organizations, is respon-
sible for recruiting prospective candi-
dates in preparation for the ministry.
When done seriously, sincerely and sys-
tematically, the recruitment process may
come to prospective candidates for the
ministry as the divine “call” they have
been wanting to hear to confirm their
desire to enter into full-time ministry of
the Church.
The recruitment process starts in
consciously scouting for candidates es-
pecially from the ranks of the youth. The
44 • August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine
ability to recruit and the availability of
recruits is greatly enhanced by how the
Christian education and nurture program
of the church has prepared and formed
members from childhood. Recruitment
is further effected by and with close co-
ordination with parents who help en-
hance the identified gifts and talents of
their children who are prospective re-
cruits for the ministry of the church. The
recruitment process intentionally empha-
sizes gender equality and gender justice.
This gender emphasis will remain a non-
negotiable feature in the recruitment of
candidates for the ministry, in ministe-
rial formation and in the ministry of the
UCCP.
b. Prospective candidates for ministerial
preparation are endorsed by the Board
of Christian Educators to the Local
Church through the Church Council.
c. The Local Church, through the Church
Council, recommends and endorses the
candidates to the Conference Ministe-
rial Formation Committee which reviews
all the requirements; 1) academic
records, 2) church endorsements, 3)
pledges of support, 4) physical exami-
nation, 5) essay on the candidates’ jour-
ney of faith and why s/he desires to pre-
pare for the ministry.
d. The Conference Ministerial Formation
Committee interviews and screens the
candidates. The screening includes hav-
ing the candidates undergo psychologi-
cal testing. Those who meet the require-
ments are recommended by the Confer-
ence Ministerial Formation Committee
to the Conference Council for approval
as ministerial formation students and
confirmed by the Conference in its an-
nual session.
e. The approved apprentices shall then pro-
ceed to the one-year Apprenticeship Pro-
gram.
Section 3. The Apprenticeship Program
The one year Apprenticeship Program
aims to offer venues to help the church dis-
cover the potentials of those who desire to
go into ministerial formation for the ministry
of the Church. The program will be con-
ducted in Local Churches designated for the
purpose. The apprenticeship centers are
expected to provide the apprentices expo-
sures to and experiences of a dynamic and
wholistic ministry. The program intention-
ally aims to have the apprentices experience
varying situations in their exposure, includ-
ing exposures to tensions and conflicts that
crop up in the local churches and in the dif-
ferent ministries of the Church as people
endeavor to journey and witness together to
the life-giving presence and transforming
love of Jesus Christ.
a. Objectives of the Program
1. Expose the apprentices to the dif-
ferent aspects and faces of the min-
istry of the Church.
2. Guide the apprentices in developing
appreciation and understanding of
the various aspects and faces of the
Church’s ministry and their roles in
these ministries.
3. Prepare and assess the apprentices
as regards their gifts, capabilities
and potentials for growth and matu-
rity in relation to the ministry of the
Church.
b. Responsibilities of the Apprenticeship
Centers
1. Provide the apprentices a wide va-
riety of support systems available in
the host local church and in the dif-
ferent ministries of the Church.
August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine • 45
2. Organize Sponsor Families that will
host the apprentices.
3. Encourage, inspire and support the
apprentices in developing
a) Steadfast faith in Jesus Christ
and a wholistic understanding of
the ministry of the Church.
b) Regular devotional life and study
time.
c) Lively reading habit and inter-
est in a wide variety of subjects
d) Respect for cultural heritage
e) Gender sensitivity and gender
justice
f) Sense of dignity of own
personhood and of others
g) Capacity for listening and em-
pathizing
h) Compassion for the suffering
and the needy
i) Healthy and wholesome rela-
tionships
j) Stewardship of time, talents and
resources
k) Care for the environment]
l) Simple, humble, selfless and
courageous lifestyle
m) Emotional, physical, intellectual
and spiritual fitness for the life
and work of the Church
n) Recognition of personal weak-
nesses and strengths and poten-
tials for change
o) Ability and humility to recognize
and admit errors, prejudices and
biases
p) Ability to accept praise and rec-
ognition humbly and gratefully
Section 4. Support Groups and Mechanisms
for the Apprenticeship Program
a. An Apprenticeship Committee is formed
to monitor, offer guidance and counsel
and other forms of support and encour-
agement for the apprentice in close co-
ordination with the host Local Church.
b. The Apprenticeship Committee shall be
composed of the following:
1. The Pastor of the Host Local
Church
2. A Church Worker serving in the
specific ministry of the intended
apprenticeship
3. Representative of the Board of
Christian Educators of the host
Local Church
4. Representative of the Board of
Elders of the Host Local Church
c. The apprentice is presented by the Chair
of the Conference Ministerial Formation
and the Conference Minister to the Lo-
cal Church where s/he is to be assigned.
d. The Conference Ministerial Formation
Committee and the Host Local Church
of the apprentice shall to ensure ad-
equate provisions for apprenticeship and
for ministerial preparation, which may in-
clude the following:
1. Personal contributions from the
apprentice and/or his/her fam-
ily
2. Home Church of the apprentice
3. Apprenticeship Center
4. Churches within the circuit/par-
ish/district cluster of the appren-
tice
5. Conference
6. General Assembly
7. Donations
46 • August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine
e. The Apprenticeship Committee, together
with the apprentice, plans and designs
the apprenticeship program.
f. The Apprenticeship Committee sched-
ules periodic meetings with the appren-
tice. In the meetings the apprentice sub-
mits a progress report.
g. Special meetings may be held upon re-
quest by the Apprenticeship Center and
the apprentice.
Section 5. Apprenticeship Evaluation and
Certification Procedures
a. After thorough evaluation of the appren-
tice at the end of the apprenticeship year,
the Apprenticeship Committee recom-
mends to the Conference Ministerial
Formation Committee any of the follow-
ing:
1. Approval for ministerial forma-
tion
2. Extension of apprenticeship
3. Disapproval or deferment of
candidacy
b. The approved apprentice is endorsed by
the Conference Ministerial Formation
Committee to the Conference during its
annual session.
c. The Conference certifies the approved
apprentice as ministerial student and
endorses her/him to a Ministerial For-
mation Center.
MC Section 7. Oversight and Support Sys-
tems.
a. Conference Committees on the Ministry
(By-Laws Article II, Section 8)
1. Ministerial Formation Commit-
tee. The Conference shall ap-
point upon nomination of the
Conference Minister, a Ministe-
rial Formation Committee com-
posed of three (3) active minis-
ters and two (2) lay persons who
shall have oversight of the re-
cruitment, apprenticeship and
formation of ministerial students
of the Conference. The Com-
mittee shall assist students in
their work and needs, and cer-
tify to their progress and stand-
ing to the Conference.
Section 6. Field Education in Ministerial For-
mation
a. Field Education is an integral process of
theological education. Through this pro-
gram ministerial students are enabled to
put into practice the theories and prin-
ciples learned in the classroom setting.
This educational process also helps stu-
dents develop a growing capacity to en-
gage in critical thinking, disciplined re-
flection and continuing exploration in the
many aspects of the ministry.
b. Field education emphasizes that the abil-
ity of church workers to engage in min-
istry can be greatly enhanced by engag-
ing in ministry itself and attempting at
all times to improve the quality of that
involvement.
In sum Field Education is an integra-
tive factor in ministerial preparation
where students bring their classroom
knowledge and theories into the field and
their experiences from the field into their
classroom discussions and reflections.
In the process the students grow in their
capability to articulate and verbalize their
learning while they also grow in their
ability to undertake more demanding
tasks in the field.
c. Included in the ministerial formation pro-
gram are the following phases of Field
Education:
August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine • 47
1. Concurrent Field Education is
done by the student while on
campus. It is a week-end as-
signment that takes place within
the three (3) years of the
student’s residence in the Min-
isterial Formation Center. Ven-
ues for Concurrent Field Edu-
cation are Local Churches and
Church-Related/Owned Institu-
tions and special Church-based
projects in areas close to the
Ministerial Formation Centers.
2. Summer Field Education is done
in 2 summers, each lasting for
six (6) weeks. Areas of Sum-
mer Field Education shall in-
clude any of these ministries of
the UCCP; rural life, urban-in-
dustrial, campus, clinical pasto-
ral education, ecumenical and
community.
3. Internship shall be done by as-
signing students before their
senior year (or post-senior, on
a case-to-case basis) to a pas-
toral charge or ministerial posi-
tion for two (2) semesters within
one (1) ecclesial year. Wher-
ever they may be assigned, the
final decision for such shall rest
with the Settlement Committee
of the Conference where the in-
tern belongs.
Internship serves to test
in practice the theories, knowl-
edge and skills learned in the
classroom and also as time-off
for introspection and reexami-
nation of one’s vocational path
and.
Students who have, at
least, five years of experience
as a licentiate may have the
privilege of exemption.
d. Each Ministerial Formation Center shall
have a Field Education Director who
shall coordinate the implementation and
supervision of the Field Education Di-
rection program of the school and to-
gether with the students design a pro-
gram for reflections and assessment of
their summer work in their respective ar-
eas of exposure.
e. The Conference Ministerial Formation
Committee acting as the Field Educa-
tion Committee together with Confer-
ence Minister, in coordination with the
Ministerial Formation Center Field Edu-
cation Director, designates a Local
Church as Exposure Center that will host
regular reflections of Field Education
students facilitated by the Exposure Cen-
ter Coordinator, an ordained Church
Worker with a master’s level Ministerial
Formation Center degree and with at
least 5 years experience as Church
Worker.
f. Concurrent Field Education students
meet monthly with the Exposure Center
Coordinator. Shared reflections will be
the subject of further discussions in the
Ministerial Formation Centers with the
Field Education Director.
g. Interns shall meet quarterly with their
Field Education Director for reflection,
assessment and supplemental seminars.
It is advisable and strongly suggested
that the Conference assign a mentor-
counselor from among the nearest and
accessible ordained or diaconal minis-
ters to care for the intern.
Section 7. Over-all Supervision of the Field
Education Programs
a. The over-all supervision of the Field
48 • August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine
Education Programs is coordinated by
the UCCP Office of the Clergy.
Section 8. Summer Field Education Program
Process
a. Interview of students by the Ministerial
Formation Center Field Education Direc-
tor.
b. Communication by the Field Education
Director of the MFC to the Office of the
Clergy, UCCP National Office and to the
Conference where such students belong,
on students going into summer exposure.
Exposure Centers are furnished copies
of the letter.
c. Summer exposure students are informed
of the orientation programs and actual
schedules arranged by the Exposure
Centers for summer exposure students.
d. As far as practicable, exposurees must
be given time to attend their Conference
Annual Sessions, ministerial students
having been classified as voting mem-
bers of the CAS with usual standing poli-
cies that they should be present before
any action is taken on their behalf. Such
attendance to CAS shall be counted as
part of the exposure proper.
e. Daily logbook of participants include re-
cording of experiences/activities and
theological reflections.
f. Periodic visits to students by Ministerial
Formation Center Field Education Direc-
tor.
g. Report-Writing by participants at the
close of the exposure program with cop-
ies furnished to the Ministerial Forma-
tion Center Field Education Director,
Exposure Center Coordinator, and the
Office of the Ministry, UCCP.
h. Evaluation and group reflection of the
summer exposure participants with the
Field Education Directors of the Minis-
terial Formation Centers and Exposure
Center Coordinators facilitated by the
Office of the Ministry, UCCP. SMM
August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine • 49
Walk The Talk:Worship That Does The Messianic Reign
by Karl James Villarmea
In my previous article The Meeting on the Eighth Day: Towards a
Liturgy of Liberation, I offered a theological reflection on the way in which
we could think and reinvent our worship—which I call as the meeting on
the eighth day—that could make us more faithful, as followers of Jesus, to
his mission. In my own estimation, the urgency of such consideration is
particularly important in light of the recent ‘fad’ among our local congrega-
tions and pastors alike who embrace liturgical practices in order to accom-
modate church’s “concerns”—from making it more entertaining to increas-
ing membership—without much reflection whether this could make the
community as visible signs of the reign of justice, generosity and joy or
purveyors of indifference, apathy and injustice. Using historical and bibli-
cal accounts and the ordo of Christian worship, I have provisionally offered
ways in which to construct and enact a liturgy of liberation that contributes
and ushers in the reign of God in our midst, in the here and now.
Here, I would like to reflect on some theoretical resources that could
be appropriated for such a project. To substantiate this further, I will show
exactly how these resources could provide us theoretically concrete ground
to think about the project and why it is important today to not only preach
the good news but also to enact it every Sunday. As a constructive sugges-
tion, I will show at the end what we could do to perhaps walk our talk.
On the issue: idea over practice/word over flesh
There seems to be a kernel of truth in the common observation that we, Protestants, are
obsessed with words: not only that we put much value in our preaching but we also
value less the importance of our action especially those done in the sanctuary during
worship service. Although our faith tradition, as we claim, is one that helps build the king-
dom of God in our midst, one could really wonder how we exactly live this out in our
communal life together (today, this happens especially every Sunday). From my conversa-
tions with seminarians and colleagues in the ministry, I can sense that there is clearly a bias
50 • August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine
for ideas over practice. Pastoral theology and liturgical study is less loved compared to
systematic theology and biblical studies, for example.
In the history of Western thought, such dualism of ideas and practice could be traced
in the works of, and the thinking of Plato. Attributed as the figure in the tradition of such
dualism of mind (ideas) and body (practice), Plato developed the notion that the mind is
superior to the body. In a very fascinating way, this was carried on, in different expressions
and various articulations, by Western thinkers, from Augustine to Kant, Hegel to Descartes
and Marx to Bourdieu. With the way we prioritize things in our faith communities, it seems
to me that we are deeply influenced by this Platonian tradition, for good and bad. Thus I
think, and not without good reason, that we must remind ourselves yet again that in our
Christian tradition, this dualism is challenged by Incarnation: the becoming of God into
man, the self-emptying of the Transcendence into the Immanence. As an aside: not only that
this became a scandal to the Greco-Roman civilization, but also one that continues to haunt
humanity in general: the opting out of God to what is visible and material—which is unques-
tionably the transcendental political act of our God.
Indeed this is a circuitous way of saying that there seems to be an urgent need for us
to reconsider yet again the centrality of the material and concrete—that is, of and for the
flesh—in our faith tradition if we are to continue our faithful witness to this in-breaking and
unfolding of this reality that is ushered in the incarnation of God in Jesus Christ. I believe
this is the task of our times.
It is in this context that I situate and continue to ask and pursue the question of what
it means, or to be more precise, on what we could do in order to enact the messianic reign,
incarnate in us, in our life together as faithful witness and agents. Questions that pertain to
what we could do in concrete and practical sense. One venue for this for us to consider, I
believe, is our liturgical practice when we meet on the eighth day.
My claim here is simply this: what happens in worship tells more about who we are,
to whose we are, and what we are for—more than what our statement of faith could faith-
fully express. This is a point that I have briefly alluded to in my previous article. In this
reflection, I will offer theoretical grounds to substantiate it further, and to help us imagine
and ground our thinking in constructing a liturgy of liberation; and to illustrate, as a conclu-
sion, how this could be done and show its direct relevance to our task.
On materiality of beliefs, embodied practice and performativity: Considering Althusser,
Bourdieu and Butler
In Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses, Louis Althusser made an important
contribution to the way in which we think about ideology (transposed here simply as ideas).
Contrary to an intellectual tradition that simply attributes ideology as false consciousness; he
claims that ideology is concrete and material. As such, ideological beliefs are not simply in
people’s mind but also is embedded and embodied in social institutions. In this seminal
work, he argues that these ideological beliefs come into being particularly in its material
August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine • 51
expressions in institutions, i.e., churches and universities.1 These ideological apparatuses
become a system that reproduces the condition of production. As product of social arrange-
ments shaped by the principles of production, these institutions support, if not fortify, the
ruling (normative and regulative) ideologies of the society. A good contemporary example
of this is how our contemporary universities functions within the capitalist system: a univer-
sity produces graduates who support and sustain the network and mechanism of global
capitalist production—say, workers and managers of factories. Except only on occasional
basis, universities produce ideas that maintain the status quo, especially in preserving the
class that configures and determines the relations of the means of production of the society.
Indeed for Althusser, ideas produce or are made manifest in material forms, i.e. in institu-
tions that produce the mode of reproduction of such ideas.
In Logic of Practice, Pierre Bourdieu gave a powerful sociological account on how
ideas and values are not only in institutions but are also and actually embodied in practice
and actions of people.2 For sure, this is a development from Althusser’s work: ideas and
values do not only materially come into expressions in institutions, but also, and actually, in
everyday practice of bodies, that is, of people. In his influential ethnographic study of Kabyle
community in Algeria, he showed how ideas and values are embodied in practice, not in an
abstract manner; say,only through theoretical connection between ideas and practices. Rather
he demonstrated in this study that it is both constituted and embodied in bodily practice and
movements. In his theoretical formulation, the way we move our bodies are shaped and
influenced by ideas embedded in our bodies as habitus, and in return, these bodily move-
ments and practices configure the symbolic order (that is, simply put, the realm of ideas that
supplement or shape the organizing principle of the real world). In this cycle of co-configu-
ration and constitution of the symbolic and the real world, ideas and values—or the habitus,
as Bourdieu call it, embedded in the bodies—are shaped and formed in the material world,
that is, in the practice and movement of concrete bodies.
What Bourdieu did not emphasize, however, is on the way in which the habitus is
formed through performativity on the basis of interpellation (in a thoroughly Althusserian
sense). Judith Butler gave theoretical account on this gap.3 A professor at Berkeley and one
of the key figures in postmodern feminism and queer theory, she built on what Althusser has
theoretically opened up and Bourdieu developed. In Butler’s formulation, the practice or
iteration is already and necessarily an effect of social and institutional interpellation (a lin-
guistic performativity) and such reproduce the very phenomenon that makes it culturally
intelligible. The habitus embodied in the practice and embedded in the body, in other words,
is a contingent product of material and historical conditions, of particular time and space;
and is self-reproducing and a reproductive principle of the condition of production. In a sort
of re-articulation of Althusserian theory, she placed back the central role of social institu-
tions in the way in which ideas and practice are formed and configured in social reality and
how the bodies and practices are produced through reiterative power of discourse/interpella-
tion. In so doing, she fills in the gap in the theories of Bourdieu and Althusser.
52 • August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine
Although this brief theoretical excursion—for sure—is not enough to give a full ac-
count of their theoretical formulations, what I hope to show is how materiality of beliefs,
embodied practice and performativity could give us a basis of thinking on the importance of
worship as action or reiteration of remembrance and enactment of the story that sustains and
endows life and meaning to our identity as Christians:4 how practice/reiterative actions
shape social configuration and could enact social reality. Moreover, this could also remind
us of the importance of the role of the institution (church) in forming such reality, especially
the interpellating character of the institution—but since this deserves more attention and
particular focus, this should be set aside for another paper.
Let me offer a caveat however. Theories like doctrines are travel compass; they tell us
where we could go, the directions where we could possibly continue our journey. They
could help us navigate and steer away from dangers, and help us find our way to our desti-
nation. But they could not bring us to the-there. It is only us that could make ourselves
arrive—not them.
As a way, therefore, to proceed, using the theoretical insights that I have laid out
above, let me offer concrete reflections and proposals on how we could make our meeting on
the eighth day reiterative and expressive of our faith-commitments, in a more material and
concrete way.
The word made flesh: re-thinking worship
If there is one thing that we could learn (or perhaps to be more accurate, that we are
reminded about) from these thinkers, it is that—to put it in theological term—the new reality
that God in Christ Jesus enacts, of justice, mercy, generosity and joy are not only ideas, but
they incarnate among us: not in the other-world, but in this-world. And they are in us—
embodied and embedded. Thus, and for our purposes here, it is important for us to think and
consider what we do as its embodiments when we gather on the eighth day. Have we been
embodiment of this incarnation? Are we reiterating those that which that sustain life and
enable the new reality?
So we must ask yet again: every Sunday, in what way have we embodied, or, reiter-
ated/reiterating, the messianic reign in the way we welcome one another? When we cel-
ebrate the Lord’s Supper? In the way we ask and give forgiveness to one another? When we
pass to one another the peace of Christ given to us?
It is in this context that we could perhaps think about some of the implications of this
reflection on its direct relation to our worship practice. In our attempt to emphasize words
over deed, I ask rhetorically: have we not failed to incarnate what has been ushered to us in
the life and ministry of Jesus? When we gather every Sunday, is it not that only very seldom
we think that the way we arrange ourselves in the sanctuary, the way we perform and sing
our hymns, recite prayers, and hold one another are the ways in which the messianic is and
could be in our midst?
I believe what the aforementioned thinkers provoke us to think about is that the word
August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine • 53
is made flesh in us—interestingly enough they do not suggest something new, rather in my
own estimation, only reminded us about the core character of our faith. They offer us some-
thing to think about how “the word is made flesh”, and thus, how this could especially
embody in our practice, and most especially in our gathering on the eighth day. The time to
come together to sing, praise, pray, confess, bless, listen, eat and welcome one another could
become the time when the messianic reign becomes a concrete reality for us and for the
others: a time that could unleash a potentiality into an actuality, from promise into reality,
from hope into real-hope.
As a community that pledges loyalty to such messianic reign, we must then reconsider
and reenact our meeting on the eighth to make it one that embodies and enacts such reign.
(Re)enacting Worship
Given the limited space here, I could not offer a comprehensive demonstration and
illustration on what worship could be like if we take into account the theoretical insights that
I have discussed above. What I will provide instead are a couple of thoughts (concrete
proposals) that could perhaps become a basis for liturgical renewal and making our worship
a better manifestation of the messianic reign.
Welcome. In most if not all churches today, it is a very common practice that the
elders or few assigned person or even the pastor will greet and welcome the worshipper
upon entering the sanctuary. In some setting, the greeters are even dressed in beautiful and
tailored uniforms.
In the first instance, there seems to be nothing wrong with this practice until we
compare it to that in theatres and auditoriums, say like the Luce Auditorium of Silliman
University. Like in theaters and auditoriums, the ways we welcome members seem like to
suggest that our worship is like a show. It is as if we are saying, “please enjoy the show” (the
sermon, the songs, the choir, the prayers)—of course we only color it with the so-called god-
language. We give them the order of worship (the program of the show) and lead them to
their seats. Whether this happens in big or small churches, we seem to just look like a poor
copycat. Ushers at Luce, for example, are often, if not always, more welcoming and warm
than the ushers in our churches; and they are more conversant with the proper etiquette and
protocols and house rules than we are.
Could we not welcome one another, that is, everybody welcomes everybody? If we
are indeed a manifestation and signs of the messianic reign in our midst, is it not the case that
whatever and however we do our welcome signifies and tells us who we really are and to
whom we are for?
Simply said, the task of welcome is the task of the whole church, and we welcome
everybody without any condition. It is not the kind of welcome that is perpetuated by those
who, unfortunately, claim they are also faithful Christians. They welcome the sinners but not
the sins. How can that be a part of the messianic welcome! Our welcome should be like a
messianic welcome, that is, a welcome that welcomes everybody without condition. The
54 • August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine
embrace is in its totality. And unlike auditoriums and concert halls, in the sanctuary of our
church, the only etiquette we have is respect and responsibility with one another. It is not
about the dress or the jewelry, but the warmth and openness to others. It is not about the
social status or categories of the individual or group, but the kind of commitment and dedi-
cation they have for the messianic mission —that we welcome one another. These are the
bases of our welcome.
Perhaps we could also ask: in our gathering every Sunday, have we also wel-
comed those whom the messiah had welcomed—the strangers and the vulnerable—
into our community? Our invitation and welcome are not necessarily to make them
members of our community. Rather it is to let them experience what we witness and
proclaim. And to teach us what it means to be part of the mission of the messiah and
to enact it. Perhaps here we could also learn something from Jacques Derrida; in
Hospitality, he writes that perhaps only those who experienced homelessness could
offer and provide true hospitality.
Lord’s Supper. This is the part that I really feel that we could do more to become
better representatives and manifestations of the messianic reign that we yearn to come.
In our practice, most of our churches do this part of the worship once every
month, usually every first Sunday. And it is without failure that one could notice
that most churches use little pieces of bread or communion wafers and small cups of
grape juice or red wine. Common practice is to either line up in the center aisle to
receive the elements or wait in the pews while the elders distribute the communion
elements. At least since childhood, this has been the sight every first Sunday in the
churches where my parents were assigned.
For the intent of this paper, I would like to invite us to reconsider this practice not
only from a liturgical point of view but also from a more theological and practical concern.
If indeed this is the Lord’s Supper, as we claim it to be, isn’t this supposed to be therefore a
meal that satisfies not only the doctrinal understanding, but also, more importantly, a meal
that satisfies the hunger and thirst, provide companionship and assurance, and assure us of
forgiveness and mercy?
To give us a biblical story to sort of concretize this abstract description of
what the Lord Supper is and could be, let me recall a passage in the gospel of Mark.
Here we found one of the most powerful and moving accounts of the Lord’s Supper,
that is, a supper that enacts what Jesus meant when he reminded his disciples to
remember him. In the feeding of the four thousand: through the sharing of food with
one another, by not abandoning one another at the dessert, by sitting together and
resting after a day’s work, Jesus and the crowd demonstrated when and how the
messianic reign is realized. For them, the messianic reign breaks in when the reality
of generosity and abundance is shared with one another; in food and in company
with one another where rest and abundance come into full manifestation—indeed,
not in the assurance that they will be all right (false sense of security), not in the
August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine • 55
belief that Jesus will ‘save’ them from hunger and weariness (false belief), not in
self-preservation and private possession of goods (false sense of humanity). This is
the Lord’s Supper in the gospel of Mark: sharing generously what one has and giv-
ing company to each other.
Taking the hint from the basic ordo of the story, I believe we can reinvent and con-
struct our Lord’s Supper in this manner so that it could become what Jesus asked us to do
when we remember him. In our celebration and commemoration, we could invite all mem-
bers of the church to bring what they want to share with the whole congregation—this could
be some leftovers or extra or especially prepared foods for such an occasion—and we share
these with one another especially to those whom we have invited whose access to food and
drink is very limited. The point of it all is to include and welcome those whom Jesus asked
us to serve and care and to share generously what we have with one another—that is, the
integrity and faithfulness of our witness and mission. And if this is the case, then perhaps we
will not also limit how many times we enact the reality that Jesus asked us to remember and
enable.
Concluding Remarks
I offer this reflection because of my conviction that this is an important and urgent
task of our time especially for the religious leaders of our communities. Indeed our task is
not only to transform ideas but also to transform practices so that we could expect and enact
the reality which we hope and yearn for. We liberate ourselves as we liberate others—not
only our society but also our churches. Jurgen Moltmann once commented that “(w)ithout a
liberated church there can be no liberated society; without a reform of the churches there can
be no social revolution.”5 Indeed I believe that a church trapped in the realm ‘ideas’ could
not live out its external life, that is, the life for others, the life for the world, thus, it could not
participate in the messianic mission of Jesus to liberate humanity from their destructive
ways; and in liberating our society from avarice, injustice and domination.
Ritual and liturgical scholars are in agreement
that internal disposition of the worship space and
action bear significance to the meaning and under-
standing of such gathering.6 And as I have discussed
above, this meaning and understanding is not only
present in the symbolic level but in fact it is (could)
incarnate in the everyday practice of life. Thus if
what we do continually in our worship is a reality
of liberation then liberation is not anymore a com-
ing-to but in the process of our living-out—in our
worship!
And as I have hopefully clearly illustrated
here, one way to liberate our church is to liberate
56 • August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine
the way we worship. From a doctrinaire understanding to a more creative, flowing and
dynamic recreation and retelling of our story; in the enacting and living out the word of who
we are and what we are for even in our worship service, I believe we become a liberated
church in a small but significant way. Because not only then that we witness in words, but
we incarnate them in our action. We walk our talk—and only then, I believe and as Tillich
puts it, we become a visible form of grace.7 SMM
END NOTES
1 Louis Althusser, “Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses (Notes towards an Investigation),” in Lenin and Philosophy
and Other Essays, trans. Ben Brewster (New York: Monthly Review Press, 1971).2 Pierre Bourdieu, The Logic of Practice, trans. Richard Nice (Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 1990).3 Judith Butler, Gender Trouble: Feminism and Subversion and Identity (New York and London: Routledge Press, 1990),
and Bodies That Matter: On the Discursive Limits of “Sex” (New York and London: Routledge Press, 1993).4 This reflection could also benefit the works of Mircea Eliade (The Sacred and The Profane), Victor Turner (The Ritual
Process), and Theodoe W. Jennings, Jr. (On Ritual Knowledge). Due to limitation of space and theoretical scope, I must
refrain from discussing them, but their significance should be acknowledged if this work should be developed further.5 Jurgen Moltmann, God for a Secular Society: The Public Relevance of Theology (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 1999),
64.6 James White, “The Spatial Setting” in The Oxford History of Christian Worship, eds. Geoffrey Wainwright and Karen B.
Westerfield Tucker (New York: Oxford University Press, 2006), 793-816.7 Paul Tillich, “Protestantism as a Critical and Creative Principle,” in Political Expectation (New York: Harper & Row,
1971).
August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine • 57
Living By Faith in the Midst of Crisis:The Challenge of the Christian Schools Today
(A Bible Study on the Book of Habakkuk)By Dr. Noriel C. Capulong1
I. Introduction:
Editor’s Note: Part I of two sessions of Bible study reflections on ACSCU
convention on the theme: “The Christian Schools in the Face of Challenges: Preparing
the Young for Responsible Citizenship.” On the challenges facing the Christian schools
of today and the need to understand it from a Biblical perspective - challenges that we
all face these days and reflecting on this from the perspective of the passages from
Habakkuk (1:1-13; 2:1-4; 3:17-19).
The second part will address, the need to redefine and reaffirm the mission of
the Christian schools towards the youth of our land who enter its portals in the face of
the critical challenges they are facing these days.
. This three-chapter book of Habakkuk is short enough for the purpose of
studying and reflecting, as we try to discern the word of God for guidance in the living
of these very challenging times.
II. The context and principal issues in the time of Habakkuk
The book of the prophet Habakkuk2 emerged out of a time in Israel’s history that
is filled with much distress and rising contradictions and disappointed hope, aptly
described by the prophet in 1:4 , “Destruction and violence are before me; strife and
contention arise; the law becomes slack and justice never prevails. The wicked sur-
round the righteous- therefore judgment comes forth perverted”.
The year was 609 BCE. It was a time when Judah’s best hope for a truly inde-
pendent and sovereign nation free from the domination of foreign imperial nations like
Assyria, crumbled to pieces when its much beloved king Josiah was brutally killed in a
battle against the Egyptians in the historic pass of Megiddo.3 It was a time when the
political and military power of Assyria was already spent and waning, and other and
more ambitious imperial nations, like Babylon and Egypt were racing to the scene
hoping to become the next world power to fill in the vacuum about to be created by the
impending demise of Assyria. In the clash of these giant superpowers, each one as-
serted its claim of being the more powerful by displaying its capacity for greater vio-
58 • August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine
lence and cruelty than the other. In the process the little nation of Judah was simply
stepped upon and ended up with their beloved, very idealistic, nationalistic and God-
fearing king Josiah dead (2 Kgs. 23:29-30).4
What followed was a situation of near chaos in the internal conditions of the
nation. At first, Judah became a vassal of Egypt, then shortly thereafter, when Egypt
was defeated by Babylon, her new king, Jehoiakim, a son of the late king Josiah,
shifted his allegiance and began remitting to Babylon (Chaldea, in our text) the re-
quired tributes forcibly collected from the citizens of the land. The forcible confiscation
of the farmers’ produce and properties, to support their puppet and corrupt local govern-
ment and pay the required tribute to their colonial master Babylon, led to the further
impoverishment and deprivation of the majority of the citizens, resulting into an eco-
nomic crisis of unprecedented proportions.
The local rulers and their partners amassed wealth at the expense of the people
through confiscation and foreclosure of properties of citizens who could not afford to
pay their taxes and tributes, as well as those who could not pay their loans to the usurer.
As a result, some of these victimized people became debt slaves, some became tenants
in their own former lands, some were driven out of their homes and were reduced to
begging outside the city. A number of them however began to resort to banditry and
thievery. The social landscape became one that was filled with much economic distress,
political instability, emotional insecurity and religious anxiety.
This is where we can locate Habakkuk’s context as he opens his own book with
a series of gut level complaints to the Lord and demanding immediate answers. For
somehow, in view of what is happening, Habakkuk feels that the Lord has stopped
listening to the pleadings and cries of His people.
“O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not listen?
Or cry to you ‘Violence’, and you will not save?” (1:2)
As if everywhere he looks, Habakkuk hears and sees scenes of violence, cor-
ruption and victimization, all violations and distortions of God’s just order as revealed
in the covenant law or the Torah. Thus, he really complains to the Lord in manner rarely
heard in Israel as if making the implication that God has become insensitive to the plight
of His own people.
Why do you make me see wrong-doing and look at trouble?
Why must I look at misery? (1:3)
Why? Why does God allow his prophet to experience such miserable condition
in life? It is as if the prophet has begun to feel so helpless in the face of the apparent
collapse of the moral and spiritual foundations of the nation as defined in the law. Now
he even sees the law or the Torah being ignored (1:4) as destruction and violence reign
in this post-Josiah era. It is as if the law has become a useless instrument in the life of
the people. With the demands of the law being ignored, the perversion of justice comes
August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine • 59
easy. There are the oppression of the weak by the strong, endless litigations and quar-
rels and deceitful dealings between persons. God’s intended order for Judah as a
covenanted, chosen people of God has become totally missing.
This is what the prophet was feeling so miserable about as he sees the growing
contradiction between what Judah was supposed to be as a covenanted, chosen people
of God, and what Judah has become.5
III. From Habakkuk to the Contemporary Philippine Context:
The problems of Judah in the time of Habakkuk are actually not much different
from the challenges we are also facing as a nation these days. We, too, are facing a lot
of contradictions in the way we live as a nation.
Our nation is supposed to be the only predominantly Christian nation in Asia.
Yet, we have to bear the stigma of being perceived as the most corrupt in Asia and one
of the most corrupt countries in the world. We are supposed to be a predominantly
Christian nation, yet we see that other non-Christian nations around us here in Asia are
becoming far more progressive, far more developed and stable, far more caring of each
other and for their own people. We are supposed to be a predominantly Christian
nation, yet we are considered as the “basket case” of Asia, having one of the highest
levels of poverty, unemployment, hunger, illiteracy, mortality rates due to poor health
services and homelessness.6
Some people would immediately point to the endemic condition of poverty as a
main problem that demands immediate attention from the government and from its
own people. But even as this is real and urgent, I would also suggest that aside from
economic poverty being experienced by the people today, the nation is actually suffer-
ing from a much more serious malady, that is the poverty of the spirit. This means a
very serious erosion of the spiritual and moral fiber of the nation. This has been the
subject of the talk of Jun Lozada last December here in Silliman University and the
source of his deep anguish to the point that he sounded like a man who has already lost
hope.
One year after courageously testifying what he knows about the notorious ZTE-
NBN scandal, nothing has come out of his own revelations. He himself had remained
jobless, income less as he and his family remained under the care, protection and
support of the nuns and priests of the La Salle community. What has he gained in his
attempt to speak the truth? Nothing, but more and more legal suits against him. But he
remained so firm in his stand. He voiced out the conviction that our people had been
robbed, in the various corruption scandals that he had personal knowledge of, not only
of billions of pesos of precious resources that could have decisively improved their
living conditions and provided a better future for them. They have been robbed of their
hopes and ability to dream. Because of this poverty of the spirit, the people also have
60 • August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine
become impoverished of their hope and ability to dream of a better future.
The president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, Bishop
Angel Lagdameo, formerly assigned in Dumaguete, described the observance of Hu-
man Rights Day last December as “A Day of Shame”, owing to the long list of unre-
solved human rights violations record of the government7 . This list includes the case of
the murder of my younger brother. No one’s been arrested, no one’s been brought to
court, no one’s been convicted and put in jail for any of the more than 900 cases of extra
judicial killings and involuntary disappearances that has occurred under the present
government.
These are also days of continuing wars and conflicts between peoples and na-
tions in various parts of the world, and even in our own neighboring Mindanao, where
anyone, even innocent civilians can become targets of violent attacks and more lately,
of almost unabated kidnappings for ransom, that it may appear to have developed al-
ready as a promising cottage industry in the area.
We could actually raise the same cry as that of Habakkuk: “Destruction and
violence are before me; strife and contention arise. So the law becomes slack and
justice never prevails. The wicked surround the righteous- therefore judgment comes
forth perverted.”
We live in an age of growing hopelessness, fear and loss of the spiritual and
moral moorings of so many of our people. We live in a time of growing insecurity and
fear over what the future may bring. Headline after headline in the newspapers these
days contain almost nothing but bad news that forebode more of bad times to come.
With the global financial meltdown afflicting every major developed nation of the world,
and now beginning to spill over right into our own backyard, threatening the jobs of
thousands of our own overseas Filipino workers, we cannot but feel the growing fear
and anxiety of many families these days. Is this the end of globalization as we know it?
Does this point to the failure of capitalism the way we know it? What is missing here?
And what if we still add the almost regular occurrence now of natural calamities
that come with more devastating impact than ever before, whether it is here in our
country or in many other countries. We now have more powerful and destructive ty-
phoons, earthquakes, like the one that hit central Italy only recently, and deadlier floods
and landslide and mudslides burying entire villages, but much warmer and drier and
longer summers, and fast melting polar ice caps, rising sea levels, most of them brought
about by the unrelenting, wasteful and destructive activities of people. Are we seeing
the beginning of the end of life as we know it? Is there still hope for us as a nation in
the midst of seemingly hopeless and deteriorating conditions?
In fact, hope is fading fast in the hearts of many people these days. A mother in
my home province in Laguna, out of extreme poverty and wanting to end it all, poi-
soned her own three children before committing suicide herself. Another mother not
August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine • 61
too long ago, so desperate over her failure to find food to appease their hunger, hanged
her own young child and then killed herself. A young school girl in Mindanao commit-
ted suicide because in the face of the poverty of her family, she found no hope of a
better future. Hope is fast fading in the hearts of millions of our people these days.
What then can we do. We need to look for answers the way Habakkuk did. We need to
look for hope or signs of hope that may come from our own dialogue with God.
IV. Habakkuk’s Dialogue with the Lord
This is precisely what Habakkuk sought to do, to search for answers to the
questions arising from the contradictions that he sees around him, to look at the only
source where the answer and where hope can be found. Habakkuk engaged the Lord in
a series of dialogues. This is how serious and deeply rooted in his faith Habakkuk was
as a prophet of God. He raised very serious questions addressed to God not because he
has begun to doubt the power of God’s providence and just rule, but because he has
considered God as a covenant partner of his own people, a listening, conversation
partner, and as a partner, one who can be engaged in a dialogue that can provide
answers and offer hope.
Habakkuk certainly knows that God rules history and reigns supreme in the life
even of other nations. He knows that God has a plan that will restore order, purpose
and meaning in all history and creation. But he sees around him the apparent collapse
of order and meaning as he witnesses the intensification of the forces of evil, espe-
cially with the arrival of the Babylonian forces which could only bring bloodshed,
death of the innocent and dread and fear of the new colonizer. So, he asks,”… why do
you look on the treacherous and are silent when the wicked swallow those more righ-
teous than they?” (1:13). How long o Lord, are you going to allow this distortion of
your will to happen? Lord, when are you going to fulfill your redemptive purpose on
the earth?
Here, Habakkuk is voicing out the dilemma that has confronted faithful people
in every age- “the dilemma of seemingly unanswered prayer for the healing of the
society.”8 Indeed, those who trust in the Lord may sometimes wonder, as Habakkuk
wonders, how God’s promises and blessings for the faithful can be realized on earth in
the face of overwhelming human sin and evil.9
Yet, Habakkuk decided he will await God’s answer to all his questions in what
is called a watchtower. This watchtower has now become a symbol of patient, eager,
faithful waiting for the Lord. We cannot force an answer from the Lord the way we
want it, when we want it, according to our own expectations, according to our own
terms. The Lord will reveal his answer to all of our questions, to all the contradictions
that we see around us, in God’s own good time, in his own appointed time, in God’s
own kairos. We can only wait in faith and in openness and readiness to receive and
62 • August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine
embrace whatever the response from the Lord may be. “If it seems to tarry, (or seem-
ingly delayed), wait for it; it will surely come. It will not delay,” says the Lord. (2:3)
But this is not supposed to be a passive waiting, or passive resignation to the
events that are occurring, according to the very significant passage in 2:4. While wait-
ing, history goes on and events will continue to take place. There is the proud, the
arrogant, those drunk with power, those immersed in activities that only produce weeping
victims on the side. The Lord says, “their spirit is not right in them.” The Lord has
already judged this people as those who would rather live with the wrong spirit, those
who would rather live with the spirit of wickedness, destruction, oppression and ex-
ploitation. But, the Lord also says, the righteous shall live by their faith, by the ethical,
moral and spiritual tenets of their faith.
There is a big difference though between the proud and the righteous. The proud,
aside from being arrogantly drunk with power, are those who live their lives for their
own, believing and relying only on their own power and resources, assuming they can
already play god over the lives of others. They make their own life crooked or dis-
torted, away from the true intention of God. In short, they live their lives separate
from and independent of God’s will and control. The righteous, meanwhile are those
who live their lives always in humble and faithful reliance on the power and grace of
God. They live by the power and grace of God and not by their own power and abili-
ties.
They humbly acknowledge their own limitations as human but also accept the
gifts of God in their life and use them so that they may be able to live their lives fully,
so that they truly blossom and flourish and bear good fruit in due season. Most of all,
as Scriptures affirm, to be righteous means to fulfill the demands of a relationship.
Since this relationship is a relationship with God, this is to be fulfilled by “faithful-
ness”, which means trust, dependence, clinging to God not just in times of crisis, but in
every moment of our life.
V. Living by Faith in Times Like These
Living by faith in times like these therefore, is not a passive thing. It is active
waiting and living faithfully, taking on the responsibilities and duties of a true child of
God even in the face of critical challenges in our life and in our faith, opposing with all
of our spiritual and moral energies those whose spirit is not right in them, those who,
in their arrogance and greed for power, have taken on the prerogatives of the divine,
those whose wicked activities have driven them to the point of destroying life itself
and distorting the sacredness and goodness of all creation. Taking up the challenge of
those whose spirit is not right, the proud, the arrogant, those hungry for power, privi-
leges and wealth, this is living by faith, living by trust and confidence in the eventual
coming of the redemption that God has promised to those who remain faithful to the
August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine • 63
very end.
For our God takes every human activity, every human decision seriously and
responds to them in light of God’s own goal and plan for the eventual redemption and
transformation of the whole creation. In effect, there will always be a continuing en-
counter, a dialogue in history that will always take place between God and His people,
as we respond to the challenges of our times and as God responds to our actions, to our
prayers, to our appeals for help and strength along the way. This is living “in the
meantime”. For God takes note of how we fare even at this time, not just at how we
view and believe in the end time. God takes seriously our own daily affairs, how our
faith becomes expressed in our day to day activities, duties, concerns and involve-
ments, how we place God at the very center of all of our life’s concerns.
This is why Habakkuk 2:4 has become one of the central affirmations of our
biblical faith as it summarizes what it means to live a faithful life. This teaching of
Habakkuk on righteousness and living by faith became so foundational in the develop-
ment of the apostle Paul’s interpretation of what it means to have faith in Jesus Christ
in Romans 1:17 and Gal. 3:11 as it became also one of the main theological principles
in the summary of the faith of the Protestant reformation. “The one who is righteous
will live by faith.”
VI. Poetic Summary of Habakkuk’s Faith
That is why we can talk of what Habakkuk talks about in 3:17-19. There we can
clearly see in beautiful poetry what it means to live in faith especially in a time of great
crisis. Faith always has that element of “in spite and despite of”. That is, in spite or
despite of the non-resolution of the crisis stated in chapter 1, that is, even with continu-
ation of the violence and destruction that were still raging in his community, and na-
tions still rage and devour those weaker than they, even as the arrogant and the proud
still rule in their land and the poor still suffer and the slaves still labor for nothing
(2:13), even if the whole land has become so barren and empty and was not able to
produce enough for their own sustenance and survival, still, these will not stop the
prophet from affirming and even singing this song of trust as an expression his own
faith conviction in precisely those times, as he exclaims:
Even though the fig tree does not blossom, and no fruit is on the vines;
though the produce of the olive fails, and the fields yield no food;
though the flock is cut from the fold, and there is no herd in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will exult in the God of my salvation.
God, the Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
and he makes me tread upon the heights.10
In such challenging times, it is this kind of faith affirmation that makes the book
of Habakkuk a very valuable resource for spiritual, theological and moral renewal.
64 • August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine
This even more becomes so important as a source of basic guidance in the religious
posture and basic ethical response we are going take towards particular burning issues
in our time, in our land, which cry for immediate and just resolution. This could be of
great help whether it is about the lingering or worsening economic crisis and the
viability of globalization as an economic policy, the crisis of our environment that is
fast deteriorating, the worsening issue of corruption in the government, the need for
genuine and lasting peace in Mindanao and the rest of the country and of course, the
need for a more relevant and responsive and effective educational system in the coun-
try and many more.
More significantly, Habakkuk provides us with a very powerful paradigm on
the faith understanding and practice we need to undertake as we respond to the chal-
lenge of our very critical times, a faith understanding that is rooted in a life of sus-
tained prayer as a means of dialogue or conversation with God. This will essentially
define who we are as individuals and as institutions. Our identity will now revolve
around the nature of our faith understanding, on the kind of identity and nature of God
that we can now discern from the testimony of the prophet and with whom we can
confess and profess a relationship of trust, dependence and faithfulness. This will also
determine our vision and mission as an institution.
VII. Conclusion
God’s own vision of a truly new world that is coming, which Habakkuk still
have to write on tablets, will then have to be our own vision, too, as institutions
devoted to the practice and promotion of this faith in this God. That vision itself has
been articulated more concretely by Jesus in his preaching on the kingdom of God, or
the reign of God reflecting and living out a truly different world where values and
relationships have become radically transformed in accordance with God’s righteous
and just will.
This is a world where the sick and those with broken lives can have the hope of
healing, where the poor can receive the good news of a better future, where the lame
can walk free of the old crutches that has enslaved them in the past, where the blind
can see out of the darkness which had kept both mind and body and soul imprisoned
for so long, and the deaf are able to hear new truths previously unheard of, where the
oppressed can experience God’s gift of true freedom and where even the oppressor,
slave owners, tax collectors, usurers and corrupt officials can experience real transfor-
mation and conversion towards the new life of reconciliation, renewal and wholeness.
(Matt. 11:2-5; Luke 4:18-19).
This is a different world where values and perspectives have become reversed,
where the first shall become the last, and where those who are last shall become first,
where those who serve the most are to be the greatest, where the lowly are to be lifted
August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine • 65
up and where the powerful ones are to brought down from their thrones, where the
hungry will be filled with good things, while the rich are sent away empty. (Luke 1:46-
53).
In Habakkuk, God’s vision of a new world also becomes God’s mission in
dealing with nations and powers and authorities, with the proud and the arrogant and
at the same time sustaining the righteous in their life of faithfulness. God’s mission, as
it has been concretized and embodied in the life and ministry, death and resurrection of
Jesus will then have to be our mission, too, as we now live our life of faith in times of
crisis like these days. And as we become instru-
ments of God’s mission, we also become agents
of hope for a truly new world that is coming. How
is this mission to be explicated further in more
concrete acts as it was demonstrated in the life
and ministry of Jesus Christ, however, will be the
subject of our next study which will focus on Matt.
28:16-20. Truly, may we find Habakkuk and his
faith testimony a worthy response to the multi-
plicity of questions we ourselves are constantly
raising these days. Amen. SMM
END NOTES1 Presented as Bible Study for the Association of Christian Schools, Colleges and Universities National Conven-
tion, May 11-12, 2009 in Silliman University2 The origin and meaning of the name “Habakkuk” or “Habaqquk” is unclear. But it may have been derived from the
Hebrew verb habaq which means to embrace or to fold as if to designate an expression of love by means of the action
or positioning of one’s hands or arms (Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, vol. 1, eds. R. Laird Harris, et al.
[Chicago: Moody Press, 1980]); E. A. Leslie, “Habakkuk” in The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible, vol. 2, eds. G.
A. Buttrick, et al. (New York and Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1962), 503, however considers as more probable its
being derived from an Akkadian name of a plant, hambakuku.3 John Bright, A History of Israel, 2nd ed. (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1972), 324-325.4 Noriel C. Capulong, Reading and Hearing the Old Testament in Philippine Context, vol. 2 forthcoming publica-
tion (Quezon City: New Day Publishers, 2009), 27-29.5 Capulong, ibid., 29-31.6 Leonor Magtolis Briones, “Balancing Personal Faith with Social and Economic Justice,” unpublished article,
National College of Public Administration and Governance, University of the Philippines.7 Philippine Daily Inquirer (December 10, 2008).8 Elizabeth Achtemeier, “Nahum-Malachi”, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Preaching and Teaching, eds.
James L. Mays, et. al. (Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1986), 35-36.9 Ibid., 36.10 Achtemeier, ibid., 58-60.
Bibliography:
Achtemeier, Elizabeth. “Nahum-Malachi”, Interpretation: A Bible Commen-
tary for Preaching and Teaching, eds. James L. Mays, et. al. Atlanta: John Knox
Press, 1986.
66 • August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine
Bright, John. A History of Israel, 2nd ed. Philadelphia: Westminster Press,
1972.
Briones, Leonor Magtolis. “Balancing Personal Faith with Social and Eco-
nomic Justice.” unpublished article, National College of Public Administration and
Governance, University of the Philippines.
Capulong, Noriel C. Reading and Hearing the Old Testament in Philippine
Context, vol. 2 forthcoming publication Quezon City: New Day Publishers, 2009.
Leslie, E. A. “Habakkuk,” The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible. vol. 2, eds.
G. A. Buttrick, et al. New York and Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1962.
Philippine Daily Inquirer. (December 10, 2008).
Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, vol. 1. eds. R. Laird Harris, et al.
Chicago: Moody Press, 1980.
August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine • 67
ther of the Reformed faith, the father of the
Presbyterian polity, the father of a body of
theology associated to his name (Calvinism)
– John Calvin, born on July 10, 1509, in
Noyon, France.
Were he alive today, he would surely
protest having his name attached to a theol-
ogy he began and which his followers es-
poused and widely spread. While he was a
forceful personality, he was very self-effac-
ing and did not want to draw attention to him-
self. In fact, even before his death, Calvin
had been afraid that people may treat him in
the way he had seen the saints being vener-
ated and was anxious that this would not hap-
pen. So, in accordance with his instruction,
he was buried in a simple grave in the cem-
etery (in the year 1564). The grave was left
unmarked and no memorial built upon it (Ian
Manson, Calvin in Context, pp. 117-8)
So, why then this attention given to
him on his 500th birthday? Well, for one, we
are a living legacy to the leader of the band.
We celebrate, not to venerate the man nor
praise him but to thank God for giving us an
example of how one life, how one individual
can make a tremendous impact in his imme-
diate community and even the world. And
hopefully we may be inspired and challenged
Happy Birthday, TatayText: Hebrews 12:1
Rev. Reuel Norman O. MarigzaJuly 10, 2009 Divinity School
On the June 17 this year, the Sunday
School children of the Chapel of the
Evangel Fellowship paid tribute to
their fathers. I even received a card from a
daughter of a co-pastor whose father was out
doing his pastoral duty outside Dumaguete.
It was a very touching emotional moment es-
pecially as even older children upon the prod-
ding of some in the congregation went in front
to share their thoughts on their fathers who
were there. Many eyes were moist with gath-
ering tears, not least among them, the “astig
na mga tatays.” Though my father was not
in the congregation, I stood to pay tribute to
my father as in a few days thereafter, on June
23, he would celebrate his 80th birthday. I
said that I always thought of my father in
terms of the song, “the Leader of the Band”
– not only to our family and clan, but to the
many his life has touched, but more so to the
more than 25 young people who entered into
various ministries both in church and para-
church ministries during his 13 years as pas-
tor of the UCCP-Baguio. As I often say, in
line with the song, “My life has been a poor
attempt to imitate the man, but I am a living
legacy to the leader of the band.”
Today, we celebrate the birthday of
another father – the 500th birthday of the fa-
68 • August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine
to continue the legacy he has begun and left
to us — calling us to be reformed and trans-
formed and to be agents of continuing refor-
mation and transformation within the church
and within the wider community outside the
church. After all, one of the battle-cries of
Calvinism is that of the church reformed and
is always reforming.
Many things can be said about Calvin
– many good things, not a few misconcep-
tions as well. Rev. Peter Wyatt, in his blog,
lists some of the “myths” concerning Calvin,
like:
Myth: Calvin ruled Geneva as a theocracy.
The truth of the matter was Calvin was
a refugee from France. In fact, the pejora-
tive title given him by those who opposed
him in Geneva was “that Frenchman.” His
actual position was chief pastor, and there
was actually a ruling Council in Geneva, run-
ning its civic and political affairs. It was
this Council that hired him in 1536 and which
fired him, yes, he was fired after two years.
But he was invited to return in 1541
It was at this time when his influence
grew. “But his direct denunciations of the
unethical behavior of the good burghers and
magistrates of Geneva sometimes resulted in
fights breaking out on the church steps. There
was even a time when he was manhandled
near his home. Political control continued to
be in the hand of the State Council.
He is at times caricatured as a stern
and grumpy old man and a killjoy, but he
was quite young when he made his mark.
He was only 26, when he wrote the first ver-
sion of “The Institute of the Christian Reli-
gion,” sa ato pa, CYFer pa lang siya. He
was only 27 when he went to Geneva. He
was only 55 when he died.
He was not very healthy and was far
from being a physically imposing figure. He
had bouts with regular migraines, his lungs
might have been affected with some form of
asthma and he suffered from bladder stones
and gout. Sometimes, he would conduct his
lectures on his bed or be carried to the meet-
ing halls (Manson).
Myth: Calvin was the spiritual father of
capitalism.
Rev Wyatt made this observation: It
was true that “Calvin was the first European
theologian to defend the lending of money
with interest. However, money was already
being lent throughout Europe at rates of 12
and 14 percent by the Christian kings of En-
gland and France. (In Geneva, the rate was
capped at five percent.) Living in the time of
transition between the middle and modern
ages, Calvin understood that a principled re-
alism needed to replace an unsustainable ide-
alism about “filthy profit.” In the turbulent
economy of 16th-century Europe, he dis-
cerned that businesses need credit to get
started and thus provide employment for
workers — among them Geneva’s many refu-
gees. Calvin defended only those interest-
bearing loans that would benefit lender and
borrower alike.”
What can we learn and emulate from
Calvin? The study material published by the
WARC and the John Knox International Re-
formed Center entitled, “The Legacy of John
Calvin: Some Actions for the Church in the
21st Century,” points to some legacies which
we can pick up for our own time and place.
I will be drawing some insights from this
study guide and adding a little reflection on
August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine • 69
my own.
As it was in the time of Calvin, these
concerns remain to be some of the pressing
issues of our times. As we look at these
themes, and see what Calvin has done with
regards to them in his time and in his adopted
land, we are also at the same time challenged
to see and act on “what can be done by us
today, right here in our land.”
Let us focus on three areas of concern:
unity, justice and care for creation.
First on concern for unity.
In his passion for Christian unity,
Calvin once said, “I’d cross ten seas in the
cause of Christian unity.” For Calvin the
church and its unity was a central (key) con-
cern. For instance, he said, “Each time we
read the word ‘one’, let us be reminded that
it is used emphatically. Christ cannot be di-
vided. Faith cannot be divided. There are
not various baptisms, but one, which is com-
mon to all. God cannot be torn into different
parts. It cannot but be our duty to cherish
holy unity, which is so bound by many ties.
Faith and baptism, and God the Father and
Christ, ought to unite us, so as almost to be-
come one human being.” [Commentary on
the Epistle to the Ephesians]
Yet when we look at the church today,
we see divisions and fragmentation. Even
within the Reformed tradition alone. When
I attended the Consultation of United and
Uniting Churches in South Africa last year, I
discovered that some of these uniting
churches-in-process are all from the same
communion, unlike our UCCP which came
from several. To cite an example the Re-
formed Churches in South Africa were di-
vided along racial lines: the whites, the
blacks and the coloreds – all Calvinists or
Reformed but formerly apart. That is not to
say that while we became united in 1948 that
we no longer have issues of division and dis-
unity within our own church. In fact for the
last two quadrennia, this problem has taken
so much of our time, resources and energies.
In the difference of Luther and Zwingli on
the Eucharist, Calvin sought to take a middle
position, which unfortunately was not ac-
ceded to by the two. He had corresponded
to other leaders of the Reformation, even to
Luther whom he addressed as the “very ex-
cellent pastor of the Christian church … and
my much respected father.” Unfortunately,
it did not seem to reach Luther.
Can we too manifest the same passion for
Christian unity among ourselves and among
others outside our church circles?
Second, on the issue of justice.
On his sermon on Matthew 3:9-10, he
preached “. . . the rich should not be like
wild beasts to eat and gobble up the poor
and suck their blood and their substance –
but should rather help them and always look
on them with fairness . . . For otherwise they
are like murderers if they see their neighbors
wasting away and yet do not open their hands
to help them. In this, I tell you, they are
certainly like murderers.”
In another, he declared: “(A fair distribu-
tion) can become reality -
• if the rich do not greedily swallow
up whatsoever they can get together;
• if they do not rake up on every side
what belongs to others to satisfy their
greed
• if they do not gorge themselves upon
the hunger and want of the poor
70 • August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine
• if they do not, as far as in them lies,
stifle the blessings of God
• in a word, if they do not accumulate
great heaps as their intemperance (or
their excessiveness) drives them . . .
(Commentary on the 5 Books of
Moses, Exo. 16:19)
In recent times and in keeping with
Calvin’s legacy, the Reformed tradition has
taken seriously the call for justice. It stated
that apartheid is anathema and is contrary to
God’s will and that it is a matter of faith to
reject it. More recently, the World Alliance
of Reformed Churches issued the Accra Con-
fession, which I hope can be studied in our
ethic and theology subjects. Issued in 2004,
the Accra Confession which carries a series
of ‘We Believe – Therefore we reject’ asser-
tions, “is an instrument to help Christians
articulate our understanding of God’s de-
mands in the areas of justice in the economy
and taking care of creation” (The Legacy of
Calvin, 32).
To quote in part, as a way of illustra-
tion, the Accra Confession states:
• “We believe that any economy of
the household of life, given to us
by God’s covenant to sustain life,
is accountable to God. We believe
the economy exists to serve the dig-
nity and wellbeing of people in com-
munity, within the bounds of the
sustainability of creation. We be-
lieve that human beings are called
to choose God over Mammon and
that confessing our faith is an act of
obedience.
• Therefore we reject the unregulated
accumulation of wealth and limit-
less growth that has already cost the
lives of millions and destroyed
much of God’s creation.
Lastly, on the issue of the care of creation.
John Calvin instructed his hearers then and
now: “Whoever owns a piece of land, should
harvest the fruits in such a way that the soil
does not suffer any damage. He should leave
the land to his children and children’s chil-
dren in the same state as he has received it
or even improve on it. He should enjoy the
revenue of the land in such a way that it
does not serve luxury nor become marred
or ruined by neglect. Even more, let us be
guided by a sense of responsibility and re-
spect towards all the good things God pro-
vides us with, so that everybody considers
himself for the things he owns as God’s stew-
ards. If we follow this line, nobody will
behave immoderately and destroy through
misuse what God wishes to preserve. (Com-
mentary on the 5 books of Moses, Gen. 2:15)
Today, we live with the awareness that
the resources of our planet are limited. Even
worse, it is becoming increasingly apparent
that technological and industrial develop-
ment was causing irreversible damage to the
environment. Soil, water and the atmosphere
suffer from pollution. In short, humanity
lives beyond its means (The Legacy of
Calvin, 30) – and our planet and its atmo-
sphere can no longer cope with our demands.
The way the world is going is unsus-
tainable and untenable. As the song that
Helen sang last Monday reminds us: “Re-
member the children, remember the future,
remember the children, remember Mother
Nature.”
Many more good things can be learned
from our “leader of the band.” It is my hope
August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine • 71
that this “abregana” has whetted your appe-
tite to dig in and find out more about the
man and the impact of his life even today.
Calvin is now part of that great cloud
of witnesses cheering us on to run the race,
to continue the legacy he and the others had
begun. Calvin was not a perfect person. It
is not my intention to make him appear so.
He too had his flaws, like many of us. Even
towards the end, he acknowledges the mercy
and compassion of God for reaching to a
poor sinner like himself. Yet, God had
deemed it wise to take that solitary life to
become a force for good in both church and
society. As we celebrate Calvin’s birthday
and as we thank God for his life and his
contribution to the deepening of our faith,
let us, each one of us, offer our lives as a
fertile soil ready to receive the seed of chal-
lenge to be agents of change and transfor-
mation to the honor and praise of our living
God. Amen. SMM
72 • August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine
A Prayer
Holy and gracious God, the season of Advent is so important to me:
It’s not just the parties and presents. Not for me!
What I look forward to each year, is your coming;
your love born again, as if never before.
But save me from thinking this is just happening to me.
Or to my family.
Or to a family of like-minded people called Christians.
Remind me that Advent is about everyone,
with or without beliefs, or presents, or baggage.
And remind me, too, that Advent is not just for individuals,
but for the world, and everything in it;
for cultures and nations and peoples;
for justice and equality;
and for enough care of the planet to make hills sing with joy.
Remind me most of all, holy and gracious God,
that Advent is about you, and your reign over all things.
Remind me of how you changed the history of the world;
and hold time and space in your hands.
Help me to see just how big this party is!
And whatever else you do, God,
Please save me from making a fool of myself
by pretending that it is my party,
or the celebration of the faithful few.
Brian Woodcock and Jan Sutch Pickard, Advent Readings from Iona, Glasgow:
Bell & Bain, 2000.
Leader: If we have worshipped you as a relic from the past, a theological
concept, a religious novelty, but not as a living God:
People: Lord, forgive us.
Leader: If we have confused your will with our understanding of it, if we have
preferred divergence to unity:
RESOURCES FOR
Advent & Christmastide
August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine • 73
People: Lord, forgive us.
Leader: If we have heard stories of struggle, with no intention of sharing the
burden or pain:
People: Lord, forgive us.
Leader: If we have identified the misuse of power, but failed to prophesy
against it, and refused to empower the weak:
People: Lord, forgive us.
Leader: If we have sung songs in praise of your creation, while defiling the
goodness of the earth:
People: Lord, forgive us. O God, show mercy to those who have no oneelse to turn to.
Leader: The Lord says: I will bring my people back to me, I will love them with
all my heart. No longer am I angry with them. I will be to the people
like rain in a dry land. This is the promise of God.
People: Amen. Thanks be to God.
Worship resources World Conference on Mission & Evangelism (World Council
of Churches 1989). Ps. 72.6; Isa. 1.12-17; Isa.24.13-14; Hos.11.1-9
Bread of Tomorrow, Edited by Janet Morley, Cambridge, Great Britain: University
Press, 1992, pp. 23- 24
The Song Our Lives Sing
Women: O holy God, your name is the song our lives sing. We long for the
knowledge that you are with us. Help us to see you and your vast love
in our ordinary lives, because often we feel like helpless children in the
dark.
Men: O holy God, your name is the song our lives sing. We pray to see
more clearly the artificial goals that cause us pain and separate us
from you. We ask for strength to pursue honestly the genuine meaning
of your peace in this Advent season.
Women: O holy God, your name is the song our lives sing. Help us to bring your
light and peace into our lives, into this church, into this community, into
the jails, into government housing, into the hospitals, and into all the
hearts of this earth.
Men: O holy God, your name is the song our lives sing. Help us to see the
birth of Christ wherever people are searching for meaning, wherever
life is struggling to express itself, wherever hands are reaching out to
74 • August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine
grasp other hands, wherever strong hearts whisper to the weak, “You
count,” and wherever leaders are determined to provide people with
love and equality on this earth.
Both: O holy God, your name is the song our lives sing. Amen.
By Betty Caton, Athens, Georgia USA
Sing Out New Visions: Prayers, Poems and Reflections by Women, An ecumeni-
cal collection produced in cooperation with the Justice for Women Working Group
of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, edited by Jean
Martensen, p. 77.
For Christmas
We Pray for All Children this Night
Almighty and Eternal God, we come today because of the birth of your child. Let
us come to this event as little children: innocent, wide-eyed with anticipation and
wonder and awe. Let the simplicity of the manger fill our hearts and minds as we
worship the Christ Child.
We pray for all your children: ever age, color, and nationality. We pray for your
children who are living with grief; give them comfort. We pray for your children
who are living with war; give them peace. We pray for your children who are
abused; give them strength. We pray for your children who are sick; give them
health. We pray for your children who are homeless; give them shelter. And for
your children who are lost; we pray, give them the hope of Jesus.
O God, we pray that the Spirit of Christ will be born in us. Help us to share the
gift that came to us in a manger in Bethlehem. And when we hear the question
“What child is this?” Let us respond clearly: “This is the Christ, Ruler and Savior
of my life!” We ask these things humbly in the Holy Child’s name. Amen.
By Nancy Oliver, Decatur, Georgia USA
Sing Out New Visions: Prayers, Poems and Reflections by Women, An ecumeni-
cal collection produced in cooperation with the Justice for Women Working Group
of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, edited by Jean
Martensen, p. 77.
August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine • 75
For Christmas/Epiphany
There is dignity here – we will exalt it.
There is courage here – we will support it.
There is humanity here – we will enjoy it.
There is a universe in every child – we will share in it.
There is a voice calling through the chaos of our times;
There is a spirit moving across the waters of our world;
There is movement, a light, a promise of hope.
Let them that have eyes to see, see.
Let them that have ears to hear, hear.
But look not for Armageddon,
nor listen for a trumpet.
Behold, we bring you good tidings of great joy;
the incarnation.
By Philip Andrews, ‘The Song of the Magi,’ in Ron O’Grady and Lee Soo Jin, eds.
Suffering and Hope, Christian Conference of Asia (Singapore 1976).
Gen.1.2; Mk.4.9; Mk.8.18; Lk.2.10
Bread of Tomorrow, Edited by Janet Morley, Cambridge, Great Britain: University
Press, 1992, pp. 57-58
76 • August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine
book review
Christianity with an Asian Face:
Asian American Theology in the MakingBy Peter C. Phan.Maryknoll, New York: Orbis Books, 2003. 253 pp.
As Richelle Go yielded to the possibility of dying, her Catholic sensibilities made
her think she would soon “meet the Lord.” She asked herself: “How will I speak
to the Lord? Will I speak in Tagalog? In Mandarin? In Fookien? In English? What
if the Lord is Spanish? All I know is ‘sí Señor’ and ‘gracías’. Is that enough so I can go to
heaven?” This is a scene from the Filipino film entitled Mano Pô,1 a movie that demon-
strates the struggle of people who are caught in between two worlds of culture, tradition,
religion, race and class.
The main character, Richelle Go, is a third generation Chinese-Filipino girl who
earns the disdain of her family for her Westernized, carefree lifestyle. She shuttles be-
tween two worlds and the contrasting traditions of her Catholic Filipina grandmother and
her Buddhist Chinese grandfather within the Filipino society that heavily bears the marks
of Western colonization.
Caught in the intersection of two cultures, religions, races, and classes, Richelle Go
has to come to terms with being “in-between,” of being “neither-this-nor-that” but also
being “both-this-and-that,” and longing to be “beyond-this-and-that” in order to live life to
the fullest. Unlike Richelle who grows up in the Third World context of the Philippines,
Peter C. Phan left the third world-ness of Vietnam for the United States in 1975 as a
refugee. Like Richelle who shares the success of her family who became part of the
Chinese business enclave in Manila, Phan also flourished in his adopted country as a
priest and became the first non-Caucasian president of the Catholic Theological Society of
America.
The experience of Asian immigrants in North America is complex because not only
are they thrown into a multicultural context, they also become part of “the system of
racial, gender, economic, and political exploitation and domination” (p. xv) of an unri-
valled empire. It is from this context and experience of “in-between-ness” that Peter C.
Phan explores theology as “both Asian and American.” As such, the experience of being
uprooted from one’s homeland, of suffering, and of “in-between-ness” is an important
resource and starting point for understanding Asian American theology.
Phan considers his effort a “modest attempt at furnishing building blocks for
constructing an Asian American theology whose contours still remain vague,” (p. xi) but
he is clear that it is an intercultural theology, one that is “forged in the cauldron of the
August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine • 77
book review
encounter of two vastly different cultures” (p.xiv).
How does a person who is “neither-this-nor-that” but is “both-this-and-that” and
“beyond-this-and- that” speak of God and of Jesus the Christ? How does an Asian Ameri-
can person understand one’s being in relation with other human beings in order to build
communities? How can an Asian American make a difference to those who are deprived
and help them to have a decent life?
Through the collection of essays that form his book, Phan attempts to address these
issues. The book is divided into two parts. The first part discusses a theological methodol-
ogy that makes central the theme of liberation. To retrieve useful dimensions of both
Western and Asian traditions for the needs of Asian communities in North America, Phan
examines different types of liberation theologies, particularly black, Hispanic, and Asian
theologies. He suggests that an Asian American theology can make a “unique contribu-
tion” if it undertakes the triple task of mediation/negotiation of social analysis, hermeneu-
tics, and practice of liberation theologies. He especially acknowledges his indebtedness to
the Federation of the Asian Bishops’ Conference (FABC) that challenged him to embark
on the three-fold task of liberation, inter-religious dialogue, and enculturation. These
interlocking tasks are necessary to make a significant contribution to the theological
enterprise, particularly in the area of contemporary theological method and ecclesiology.
The third chapter of Part I probes into the encyclical of Pope John Paul entitled
Fides et Ratio which serves as a springboard for the discussion on the overarching theme
of enculturation in the second part of the book. Here, Phan points to the “limitations
philosophy as a tool for the enculturation of the Christian faith in Asia.” In the eight
chapters of Part II, Phan gathers together the building blocks for the construction of an
Asian American theology with special attention to the sub-themes of the kingdom of God,
Christology, the church, evangelism and catechesis. He also gathers together resources
from Asian traditions, particularly the indigenous cult of the spirits, Confucianism and
Taoism. He argues for the recovery and affirmation of the revolutionary as well as the
transcendent dimensions of Jesus’ message about the kingdom of God. Devoting more
space to the discussion on Christology, Phan examines the works of Asian theologians like
Aloysius Pieris, Lee Jung Young, Chung Hyun Kyung, and C.S. Song, and focuses on
their methodology to construct a meaningful Christology for Asians.
Phan makes a significant contribution in putting forward his Christology that draws
wisdom from the Confucianist tradition of filial piety and the religion of ancestor worship.
To him, more than being an embodiment of an immigrant par excellence, Jesus is the
Elder Brother and the paradigmatic Ancestor of superior distinction. Anticipating feminist
objections against the sexism and androcentrism of Confucianist tradition, Phan is quick
to point out that feminist perspectives could help purify the Asian traditions to make
theology truly liberating for women and men. With the understanding that ecclesiology
78 • August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine
book review
and catechism are crucial to the direction of mission and evangelism in Asia, he draws
insights from the apostolic exhortation of Pope John Paul II called Ecclesia in Asia as well
as from the documents of the Federation of Asian Bishops Conference.
Phan explores the possibilities of new ways of being church and proposes a
catechetical approach that takes seriously the importance of enculturation. He holds up the
catechetical material produced by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines as a
model. The final chapter of the book includes particular emphasis on a Vietnamese Ameri-
can theology that hopes to see the dragon (Vietnam) and the eagle (U.S.) “learn to dwell
together in harmony and peace.” This theology also expresses a hope to see the emergence
of a new culture among the Asians in America that is shaped by the “dialectical fusion” of
communitarianism and individualism (p. 243) as an outcome of the meeting of the Asian
and North American cultures.
Although the essays were written on various occasions, Phan compiles his essays in
a way that projects a coherent and unified presentation. In his book, Phan also demon-
strates that weaving together multicultural traditions leads to the emergence of a beautiful
multicoloured theological fabric that enables us to feel the warmth of God’s love that
transcends religions and cultures. I stand on the premise that all theologies are partial and
are not, therefore, free from limitations. Yet, I also contend that some of these limitations
can be minimized, if not corrected. Phan should be commended for not overlooking the
category of gender in his methodology and putting it alongside the categories of race,
culture, class and ethnicity. However, bringing up the lone female voice of Chung Hyun
Kyung in this book gives me the impression that Phan uses her voice merely as a token
among those of the males. The book could have been richer if Phan had brought more
Asian feminist women’s theological voices into the conversation. It would be interesting
to see how far Asian American theology could take the purifying perspectives of Asian
feminists particularly on the subject of women’s rights over their bodies on the issue of
contraception and abortion, and on the issue of women’s ordination in the Roman Catholic
Church.
It is indeed inspiring to see Phan engage in dialogue with various types of liberation theolo-
gies in order to enrich his articulation of an Asian American theology. However, I missed the
presence of some subaltern voices within the Asian-American communities in this book. I am
frustrated to note that Phan engages with the liberation theologies only of straight people, and has
advertently left out the liberationist voices of gay and lesbian Asians and Asian-Americans. Phan
turns his gaze away from these members of the Asian American community who are marginalized
and discriminated against by their own Asian communities as well as by the dominant White North
American society. In refusing to address homophobia in the Asian and Asian-American communi-
ties, Phan refuses to acknowledge the existence and personhood of Asian-American gay men and
lesbian women.
August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine • 79
book review
If the theological task of Asian-American theology, as Phan points out, is to reflect
on the significance of Asian-American experiences of separation, ambiguity, diversity, and
love of the stranger (xenophilia) in the midst of a xenophobic and heterosexist white
culture, then, such theology should give space to the reflection on homophobia within
Asian and Asian-American communities. One can only discern that Phan is not yet totally
free from the clasp of patriarchy that is deeply entrenched in the cultural and religious mix
from which he comes. Such “mix” certainly involves traditions that remain hesitant to
open the door to someone who is “different,” who is the “other.”
The final chapter is indeed hopeful as it envisions a “new heaven and a new earth.”
This book was written before the Obama event; but with or without Obama, I still wish to
see an Asian-American theology that takes a more vigorous approach to its prophetic task
of challenging the Eagle, Phan’s adopted country, to be accountable for its actions, not
only inside its own territory, but most especially in the Third World. The presence of
Obama in the presidency of the US, and the ominous financial melt-down in the empire
do not reduce the challenge of taming the Eagle for it to learn respect the rights of other
nations and to stop supporting corrupt governments like the one we have in the Philip-
pines.
Globalization has increased the mobility of people around the world. People move
from one region of the planet to another due to multifarious reasons – be it economic,
political, or socio-cultural. Such mobility of people has spurred the growth of
multicultural communities around the world and makes us encounter many Richelle Gos
in contexts that are similar yet also different. From his social location, Peter C. Phan puts
forth the challenge of positing an intercultural theology that speaks meaningfully to the
missionary projects that are caught in the cauldron of cultural multiplicity. For this, Phan
deserves our thanks and appreciation.
This is a revised version of the review published in Quest: An Interdisciplinary Journal of
Asian Christian Scholars, Vol. 3, number 1 (April 2004):125-128.
1 Joel Lamangan, “Mano Pô” (Manila, Philippines: Regal Studio, 2000). The Filipino tradition of taking and putting the
back of the hand of any elderly member of the family on one’s forehead is a sign of respect. It is a way of saying, “I bless
and respect you. Please bless me also.”
80 • August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine
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