Alumni Around the World
Year by year, advanced graduate students pass through the School of Theology and the Center for Global Christianity, then go out into the world to teach and do what they have been studying. As they move, the CGCM community grows in engagement through them. They are such a diverse group of people that no one description could possibly do the entire body justice. Instead, news and updates will be regularly provided. Cumulatively, their activities will create a portrait of the CGCM alumni community.
Alum Profile: Casely Essamuah, Th.D. 2003
Casely Essamuah is the Global Missions and Compassionate Outreach Pastor at the Bay Area Community Church in Annapolis, Maryland. Originally from Ghana, he is an ordained minister of the Methodist Church Ghana.
He received his Th.D. from the School of Theology at Boston University in 2003. His dissertation, “Genuinely Ghanaian: A History of the Methodist Church Ghana, 1961-2000,” examined the history of the Methodist Church in Ghana from 1961, the time of its autonomy from the British Methodist Conference, to the year of 2000, focusing on the missiological issues of contextualization. In this work, he argued that contextualization was one of the most important elements in understanding the history of the Methodist Church Ghana since Ghanaians, especially Fante people, have accepted Methodism on their own terms and have reshaped it to fit their needs. His dissertation was published in 2010 with the same title.
His current research interests include contextualization, over-contextualization, African Christianity, and reverse missions of the majority (or, non-western) world to the western world. In March 2011, he received the distinction of speaking at the Henry Center’s Scripture and Ministry Series, presenting “Missionaries and Over-Contextualization.” In this lecture, he gained wide attention by arguing that the Western churches, especially those in the U.S. are suffering from an “over-contextualizing of cultural forms.” In other words, what matters in the western world, is not the lack of contextualization but over-contextualization. With this concern, he raised a question, “How do you make the gospel understood where it is such a familiar presence as to be unremarkable?”
Essamuah’s interest is not limited to a scholarly one: as an active minister, he is also interested and actively engaged in planting immigrant churches in the U.S.
Bay Area Community Church: http://www.bayareacc.org/
by Hye Jin Lee
Alum Profile: Amos Yong, Ph.D. 1999
Amos Yong is one of the most prolific and active Pentecostal theologians in the academy. He was born in Malaysia, but immigrated to the U.S.A. when he was ten years old. He received an undergraduate degree from Bethany University of the Assemblies of God (1987), and master’s degrees from Western Evangelical Seminary (1993) and Portland State University (1995).
In 1999, Yong received a Ph.D. from Boston University in religion and theology under the guidance of Professor Robert Neville. His dissertation topic was “Discerning the Spirit(s): A Pentecostal-Charismatic Contribution to Christian Theology of Religions” In this in-depth work, he offered a three-fold thesis: First, he argues that the Pentecostal-Charismatic experience of the Holy Spirit instigates "Pneumatological imagination." Secondly, he claims that this imagination facilitates phenomenological, symbolic, and doctrinal comparisons across different religious traditions, allowing theological space for Christian participation in interreligious dialogue. By doing so, he encourages Pentecostals and Charismatics to engage in wider ecumenism and interreligious dialogue. However, he never forgets that the crucial task in Pneumatology should be discernment. Thus, he argues, thirdly, that norms for discerning the Holy Spirit from other spirits in the religions are intrinsic to the Penumatological categories themselves.
Yong was just appointed Dean of the School of Divinity at Regent University (Virginia Beach, VA). He formerly served as the J. Rodman Williams Professor of Theology and as the director of the divinity school's Ph.D. program. Yong is also a member of the Society for Buddhist-Christian Studies, the American Academy of Religion, the Christian Theological Research Fellowship, and the Society for Pentecostal Studies. In addition, he is working as a co-editor of PNEUMA and is co-editor of two monograph series: Pentecostal Manifestos (Eerdmans); and Studies in Religion, Theology and Disability (Baylor). He was also a president of the Society for Pentecostal Studies (2008–9) and the founding co-chair for the Pentecostal-Charismatic Movements Group for the American Academy of Religion (2006–2011).
His academic interest is not limited to global Pentecostalism and Pentecostal theology. It includes interreligious dialogue and comparative theology, theology of disability, political theology, dialogue between science and religion, and theology of love, etc.
He is an incredibly prolific writer: He published as many as 10 books in the last two years (2011 and 2012). Here is the list of those books. Spirit of Love: A Trinitarian Theology of Grace (Waco, Tex.: Baylor University Press, 2012), The Science and Theology of Godly Love (DeKalb, Ill., Northern Illinois University Press, 2012), Godly Love: Impediments and Possibilities (Lanham, Md.: Lexington Books, 2012), Pneumatology and the Christian-Buddhist Dialogue, Does the Spirit Blow through the Middle Way? Studies in Systematic Theology 11 (Leiden and Boston: Brill, 2012), The Cosmic Breath: Spirit and Nature in the Christianity-Buddhism-Science Trialogue, Philosophical Studies in Science & Religion 4 (Leiden and Boston: Brill, 2012), Pentecostalism and Prosperity: The Socioeconomics of the Global Charismatic Movement, Christianities of the World 1 (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2012), The Bible, Disability, and the Church: A New Vision of the People of God (Grand Rapids and Cambridge, UK: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2011), The Spirit of Creation: Modern Science and Divine Action in the Pentecostal-Charismatic Imagination,Pentecostal Manifestos 4 (Grand Rapids and Cambridge, UK: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2011), Who is the Holy Spirit? A Walk with the Apostles (Brewster, Mass.: Paraclete Press, 2011), Afro-Pentecostalism: Black Pentecostal and Charismatic Christianity in History and Culture, Religion, Race, and Ethnicity Series (New York: New York University Press, 2011).
By Hye Jin Lee
Alum Profile: Titus Presler, Th.D. 1995
Titus Presler is Principal of Edwardes College in Peshawar, Pakistan and an author of several books on the theology and practice of Christian mission and the interaction of gospel and culture, with special reference to Africa. His books include Transfigured Night: Mission and Culture in Zimbabwe’s Vigil Movement (University of South Africa Press, 1999) and Horizons in Mission in the New Church’s Teaching Series (Cowley, 2001). His most recent book, Going Global with God: Reconciling Mission in a World of Difference (Morehouse, 2010), focuses on ecumenical mission trends today and on how engaging difference is the mark of mission.
He received a Th.D. degree in mission and New Testament from the School of Theology at Boston University (1995). His dissertation showed the cultural interaction between the Christian gospel and Shona Spirit religion by focusing on the pungwe movement in Zimbabwe. Since the practice arose from Shona Spirit religion, Presler argues that the pungwe movement is an effort to contextualize Christianity by ordinary Shona people who have translated the gospel into their culture through ritual practice. In his view, this pungwe practice demonstrates that a process of localization depends more on populist interaction with diverse cultural resources ready at hand than on proposals advanced by theological elites.
He has held several positions as teacher and minister: He was rector of St. Peter’s Church, Cambridge, Massachusetts, for 11 years and also served five terms as a deputy to the Episcopal Church’s General Convention and chaired the church’s Standing Commission on World Mission from 1997-2000. In addition, he served as president of the Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, Texas (2002-5) and academic dean at General Theological Seminary in New York (2005-9). Acknowledging his worldwide contribution as teacher and minister, he has received honorary Doctor of Divinity degrees from General Theological Seminary in New York (2003) and from Seabury-Western Theological Seminary in Chicago (2005).
Profile written by Hye Jin Lee.
Edwardes College in Pakistan: http://www.edwardes.edu.pk/
Alum Profile: Romeo del Rosario, Ph.D. 1981
Dr. Romeo del Rosario is a missionary and the director of the Cambodia Mission Initiative in the General Board of Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church. He is also teaching at the Cambodian Methodist Bible School (CMBS), training numerous local leaders for the Cambodian Methodist Church. In addition, he is serving as the chair of the theological education committee, which is responsible for the continuing theological training of pastors and church workers in Cambodia.
He received his Ph.D. in theological and religious studies, with a major in ecumenics and mission, from Boston University in 1981. His dissertation analyzed and described the schism which occurred in the Methodist Episcopal Church in the Philippines in 1933, focusing on the struggle for autonomy and indigenization within the Methodist Episcopal Church in the Philippines.
After earning his degree, Dr. Rosario has served many countries as a missionary and teacher for more than 25 years since the mid-1980s: From 1985 to 1988, he taught at Theological Hall (now Sierra Leone Theological College) in Sierra Leone, West Africa. From 1989 to 1992, Dr. Rosario worked as liaison between the United Methodist Church and the Middle East Council of Churches in Jerusalem, West Bank. Then, he served as a lecturer and then dean of the Sabah Theological Seminary in Malaysia from 1992 to 2001. Before taking his current position in Cambodia, he worked for the Union Theological Seminary in the Philippines as an officer-in-charge.
Acknowledging his achievements, Boston University School of Theology named him as one of the four winners of the 2012 Distinguished Alumni Award. He is currently involved in a very important project for the future of the Methodist Church in Cambodia: With the goal of an autonomous Methodist Church in Cambodia by 2016, he is playing a leading role in writing the Book of Discipline in Cambodia.
Profile by Hye Jin Lee.
Alum Profile: Xiyi Yao, Th.D. 2000
Xiyi Yao is an associate professor of World Christianity and Asian Studies at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He has been an active scholar, publishing numerous works in both English and Chinese. He has a variety of research interests, including the history of Protestant missions and mission theology; the fundamentalist and evangelical movements in China and America; comparative studies of Christianities in China, Korea and Japan; history of Christian pacifism in China; Chinese traditional religions and culture, and their relation with Christianity; and Christian thoughts in contemporary China.
He received his Th.D. from the School of Theology at Boston University in 2000. His dissertation uncovered and clarified the roots of the fundamentalist movement among Protestant missionaries in China focusing on the fundamentalist missionaries’ views and engagement in various aspects of the mission enterprise in China. In this work, he paid particular attention to examining major historical events, issues, individuals, and organizations involved in the fundamentalist missionaries’ fundamentalist campaign in China.
Before coming to his current position at Gordon-Conwell, he worked in Hong Kong and mainland China and was involved in various scholarly works: From 2001 to 2003, he served as a Beijing-based consultant for the China Educational Exchange, a North American Mennonite program. Then, from 2003 to 2010, he worked as an assistant professor at the Department of Theological Studies in China Graduate School of Theology (CGST), in Hong Kong. He has been serving as an associate of the Mennonite Mission Network (U.S.A.) since 2003 as well.
His current research projects are: to trace the history and heritage of the Hunan Bible Institute (Biola in China, 1916-1949). In addition, he is also involved in researching the heritage and theology of Wang Wei-fan, a famous Chinese scholar, as a case study of Protestant theology in contemporary China.
Links:
Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary http://www.gordonconwell.edu/
Mennonite Mission Network http://www.mennonitemission.net
by Hye Jin Lee
Alum Profile: Dr. Sung Deok Oak
Sung Deok Oak is an Associate Professor of Korean Christianity at UCLA and the Dongsoon Im & Mija Im Endowment Chair Scholar, which was established under the UCLA Center for Korean Studies. He is one of the core faculty members of the Department of Asian Languages & Cultures (ALC) which is dedicated to the study of the diverse civilizations of Asia, and he is running an online archive for the study of Korean Christianity. This online library provides very valuable tools for researching the history of Korean Christianity in English since it has collected numerous primary and secondary sources along with photos, articles, and books in English.
Dr. Oak earned his Th.D. degree from the School of Theology at Boston University in 2002. His dissertation, “The Indigenization of Christianity in Korea: North American Missionaries’ Attitudes towards Korean Religions, 1884-1910,” under the direction of Dr. Dana Robert examines the first encounter between Western Christianity and Korean religions from a fresh angle. In this in-depth work, Dr. Oak attempts to challenge the prevalent charges of cultural imperialism by the Western missionaries, arguing that Protestant missionaries not only moved beyond proselytism in their approach, but they became, in a sense, harbingers of Korean theology by respecting Korean culture and religions.
He is one of the leading Korean scholars introducing the history of Korean Christianity to the academic world through numerous books and articles. His academic interest ranges from the Korean Bible translation, the ancient Korean religions and their interactions with Christianity, to the Western missionaries who came to Korea and their medical and educational missions. His new book, The Making of Korean Christianity: Encounters of Protestantism with Korean Religions, 1876~1915, is to be published as the first volume of Baylor University Press Series on World Christianity in 2013.
Center for Korean Studies: http://www.international.ucla.edu/korea/
His online Archive: http://koreanchristianity.humnet.ucla.edu/sources
by Hye Jin Lee
Alumni Profile: Dr. Myung Soo Park
Myung Soo Park is a professor of Church History at Seoul Theological University, located in Bucheon, South Korea. He is currently the director of the Institute for the Study of Modern Christianity, a chief editor and publisher of Holiness Church and Theology, and the president of the Korean Church History Society. He received his S.T.M. from School of Theology and Ph.D. from the Department of Religious and Theological Studies at Boston University in 1992.
Both his S.T.M. thesis, “Roots of the Korean Evangelical Holiness Church with special reference to the doctrine of Holiness” and his Ph.D. dissertation “Concepts of Holiness in American Evangelicalism” under the direction of Dr. Dana Robert are considered ground-breaking research, shedding new light on the origins of Korean Evangelical Holiness Church (KEHC), the third largest denomination in Korea. In particular, his research has contributed to shift the historiography of the KEHC from a somewhat nationalistic “Self-born” theory into a “Trans-pacific” theory by relating the origins of the Korean Holiness Churches to the American Wesleyan Holiness movement. In 2007, celebrating its centennial, the KEHC published One Hundred Year History of the Korea Evangelical Holiness Church, Dr. Park played an important role as the editorial supervisor.
His current research interests include the global Holiness movement, global Pentecostalism, and the relationship between Korean society and Christianity. He has written numerous articles and book reviews in Wesleyan Theological Journal, Journal of Pentecostal Studies, and Church History and he is an author of more than thirty books. He was the founding director of the KEHC Historical Research Center, which now has changed its name to the Institute for the Study of Modern Christianity. He also served as the associate editor of the Church history from 2004 to 2009, and was the academic dean of Seoul Theological Seminary from 2005-2010. He is also an ordained pastor of the KEHC.
By Hye Jin Lee
Short Term Missions
Dr. Olu Q. Menjay explores how people on mission trips can avoid exploiting those to whom they are sent in "On Mission Trips, Remember the Ethic of “Stranger"
Daewon Moon Reports on Edinburgh
The 2012 Yale-Edinburgh Group Meeting was held at New College at the
University of Edinburgh on June 28–30, with the theme “Religious
Movements of Renewal, Revival, and Revitalization in the History of
Missions and World Christianity.” Dr. Andrew Walls delivered a keynote
speech about the effects of revival and revitalization in the history
of missionary movements, with extensive examples of “dedicated”
Christians (in contrast to “ordinary” Christians) empowered through
revival and involved in various missions all over the world since the
first century. He noted there is a potential danger in revitalization
because it tends to have a very narrow definition of conversion and
“real” Christians.
Several alumni and current students of BU STH presented papers at the
meeting. Dr. Sung-Deuk Oak (Th.D., ’02, second from left), Associate
Professor of Korean Christianity at UCLA, presented his research on
the Korean Revival and its influence on traditional religions and
colonialism from 1903 to 1935. Jaekeun Lee (STM, ’08, second from
right), Ph.D. candidate at the University of Edinburgh, gave his
presentation on a notable revival meeting in Mokpo in 1906 as a case
study of the influence of the Southern Presbyterian Revivalist
tradition on the Korean Revival. Daewon Moon (right), doctoral student
at BU STH, presented a paper on the contribution of African leaders to
the East African Revival in the 1930s and 40s, and another BU STH
doctoral student, Daryl Island, gave a presentation on John Sung’s
evangelistic bands as a location for a new female identity in
Singapore in the 1930s.
Meet Up at ASM in Chicago
Dr. Robert met up with alums Dr. Ben Hartley, Associate Prof of Mission at Palmer Seminary, Philadelphia; and Dr. Angel Santiago-Vendrell, the E. Stanley Jones Assistant Professor of Evangelism at Asbury Theological Seminary, Orlando at the recent meeting of ASM in Chicago.