International Council for Evangelical Theological Education
Sponsorship: ACTEA (
(Euro-Asia); AETAL (Latin America); AABC (North America); SPABC (South Pacific)
ICETE News
an in-house circular for the ICETE community
October 2006
Theological Educators Affirmed and Enriched
Theological educators at ICETE’s 2006 International Consultation heard the noted scholar of world Christianity, Professor Andrew Walls, state: “I can think of no more important ministry at this juncture than the one in which you are engaged.”
The ICETE Consultation, held 7-11 August 2006 in
This was the largest ICETE Consultation to date, and highly diverse. Participants came from: Angola, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, Central African Republic, Chad, China, Congo, England, Estonia, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Guatemala, Haiti, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Israel, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Liberia, Malaysia, Nepal, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Russia, Scotland, Sierra Leone, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Trinidad, Ukraine, USA, and Zambia.
Global Themes, Global Leaders, Global Scholars
The 2006 ICETE Consultation was framed by a focus on the new reality that the Christian community is now global, and increasingly a global community manifesting a ‘southern’ tilt—with implications that will directly impact the future of evangelical theological education around the world. The gathering in Chiang Mai was graced by the presence of two academic authorities on world Christianity, and also by two key leaders of global evangelicalism. Professor Andrew Walls of
The second panel of the Consultation was formed to respond to the presentation by Chris Wright himself, on the challenging topic: “North/South Issues: Addressing the Global Divide.” The panel featured the heads of five leading evangelical post-graduate institutions from across the majority world: Wilson Chow of China Graduate School of Theology in Hong Kong; Ashish Chrispal of South Asia Institute of Advanced Christian Studies (SAIACS) in India; Douglas Carew of the Nairobi Evangelical Graduate School of Theology in Kenya; Dieumeme Noelliste of the Caribbean Graduate School of Theology in Jamaica; and Orbelina Eguizabal of the Seminario Teológico Centroamericano (SETECA) in Guatemala. The panel was chaired by David Baer, President of Overseas Council International (OCI).
Addressing the noticeable imbalances between ‘North’ and ‘South’ in the world of evangelical theological education, Chris Wright urged that we should be sure to define disparity as God sees it. The materially rich ‘North’ needs to recognise its own spiritual impoverishment and decline. And in any mutual sharing of resources the Christian communities in the North need to be challenged, not with: “Take pity” on the South, but rather with: “Don’t miss the party”. Wright suggested that investing in majority world Christianity is a matter of survival for Christianity.
Complementing these contributions were plenary presentations by (among others) Carver Yu of China Graduate School of Theology in
Celebration, New Leadership, … and the Next Consultation
· The ICETE Consultation included a celebratory banquet mid-week to commemorate ICETE’s 25th anniversary. ICETE was established in 1980 at meetings held at High Leigh, . The banquet featured a screen presentation on ICETE’s quarter-century history, recognition of various past ICETE leaders, and a charming programme by a local Christian ethnic choir.
· On the final evening of the Consultation, ICETE’s Chair, Dieumême Noelliste, announced the appointment of Paul Sanders as the new ICETE International Director. Sanders presently serves in
· Dr Noelliste also announced that ICETE’s next International Consultation for Theological Educators will be held in 2009, at a venue probably in
· Consultation participants enjoyed access to a range of specialist workshops and issue groups each afternoon. Topics included: Expatriate Presence: Help or Hindrance of Indigenous Theological Education; the Role of Theological Education in the Context of Poverty; Interaction between Western and Indigenous Patterns in Theological Education; Starting a Doctoral-Level Programme in the Majority World; Distance Education at Its Best and Worst; Managing the Tensions between Church and Academy; Winds of Change in International Accreditation; and International Partnerships in Theological Education.
· Some two dozen participants stayed on after the Consultation to attend an ICETE-sponsored professional development workshop for academic deans and other academic officers.
About ICETE
ICETE is a global community, sponsored by eight continental/regional networks of theological schools, to encourage excellence and renewal in evangelical theological education worldwide. The ICETE community embraces more than seven hundred theological schools in 100 countries, predominantly in the majority world. ICETE was established in 1980, and functions under the auspices of the World Evangelical Alliance.
The continental/regional associations sponsoring ICETE are:
·
Africa Accrediting Council for Theological Education in Africa (ACTEA) · Asia Asia Theological Association (ATA)
· the Caribbean Caribbean Evangelical Theological Association (CETA)
· Europe European Evangelical Accrediting Association (EEAA)
· Euro-Asia Euro-Asian Accrediting Association (E-AAA)
· Latin America Association for Evangelical Theological Education in Latin America (AETAL)
· North America Association for Biblical Higher Education [North America] (ABHE)
· South Pacific South Pacific Association of Bible Colleges (SPABC)
ICETE Officers—Chair: Dieumême Noelliste (); Director: Paul Sanders ()
ICETE Council of Reference—Dr Rolf Hille (Germany); Dr Emilio Nuñez (Guatemala); Dr Chris Wright (UK); Dr Wilson Chow (Hong Kong); Dr Peter Kuzmič (Croatia)
for further information, or to contact ICETE, go to:
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