NEWS

May 2025

Dr Craig Blomberg visited Ethiopia Graduate School of Theology – March 2025

On his return from teaching NT in Ethiopia, Dr Blomberg reflected:

“The class was interesting. People were very hospitable and solicitous; the students seemed very appreciative.”  On strategic value, he said, “EGST is one of just a handful of schools on the African continent that is striving to bring students up to [a global academic level].  Although almost all students’ first language is Amharic, teaching and writing is in English, … [their] best students are on a par with the best students elsewhere.  They offer a wide variety of degree programs, emphasize Bible and theology, and the concomitant languages, and have successfully sent a number of their graduates on to top PhD programs around the world.  At the same time, they recognize their main function is to serve the Ethiopian church, which has grown rapidly in recent years, at least numerically, but now needs to grow in knowledge and maturity.  EGST is a beacon of light.”

Stephanie Black met Dr Abeneazer Urga, one of EGST’s faculty, at C25, Tirana.  She asked him about Dr Blomberg’s visit.  He replied enthusiastically, “The students enjoyed Professor Craig and he did a public lecture on his recent book on the gospel of John, and [another] public lecture.  Both were well received. … We had a great time with him.  Thank you TWB for sending him.  It was a great blessing for the church in Ethiopia.”

Watch Dr Urga’s video here.

ICETE C25 Tirana, Albania

TWB’s team, Drs Ian Payne, Stephanie Black and Danny Sathyadass, was at ICETE’s triennial conference C25 in Tirana, Albania in early March. Ian felt the key quote was from Michael Ortiz, ICETE’s International Director, ‘The most vital missiological endeavor of our time is Theological Education.’ Stephanie commented: “It was exciting to be with over 650 people representing evangelical theological education all over the Majority World, although we were saddened that challenges getting visas meant many African and some Asian delegates were unable to participate at the last minute.  But those of us who were there networked, workshopped and dreamed about what’s ‘NEXT for Theological Education.’ Dr Payne participated and continues to serve in an ‘impact team’ about ‘context-rooted curriculum development’. Dr Black has joined the ‘impact team’ focused on strengthening doctoral-level training, especially in the Majority World.” A highlight was TWB’s informal gathering where TWB Scholars and Institutions shared their experiences with one another and with guests. Danny said the positive feedback following it was both informative and encouraging. The team is now exploring periodic online sessions to engage new scholars and strengthen network ties.

TWB’s Partnership with HBI “… a great blessing”

Drs Johnson Rajan and Bobby Gupta, from Hindustan Bible Institute, Chennai, spoke during the TWB side-meeting at C25 Tirana.

Here’s what they said. “I want to thank TWB … When the pandemic broke out, we were really in need of faculty who could record courses for us online. Dr Ian Payne immediately provided us with at least seven (TWB scholars) who could actually work with us. It was … a joy to work with them. We have also had several TWB Scholars visiting us in-person.

Dr Lindsay Wilson has come regularly, teaching ‘Job’ and ‘Proverbs’. Also we’ve had Dr Benjamin Giffone, teaching ‘Isaiah.’ He’s also supervising one of our MTh students in writing his dissertation. Also we’ve had Dr Ruth Sutcliffe with us, teaching ‘Church Creeds and Councils.’ Then we’ve had Dr Green teaching ‘Homiletics.’ So, we’ve had quite a number of scholars who have helped us thus far. The TWB scholars have been very good with communication and timely with their grading.  So, it has been a joy to work with TWB and we look forward to building a stronger relationship.  We enjoyed having Danny Sathyadass visiting us on our campus. It’s been a great blessing to partner with TWB.” Dr Bobby Gupta chimed in too. He said, “One of the things that empowers our students is to have global faculty. The cross-pollination that takes place in the life of our students is quite different from when we have just national faculty alone. There is room for that. It takes our program to another level. Often when an international visitor is teaching, we have a local faculty join them. So, in the process, our faculty are being enabled and enriched. They can watch, participate and help with indigenizing.” Dr Rajen added, ‘The best part is we can be confident that, like us, they believe the Bible is the Word of God.’

Free Books for TWB Scholars to take to MW seminaries

We’re pleased to announce a collaboration between Christianbook International Outreach (CIO) and Theologians Without Borders (TWB). Craig Stoll (CIO) says, “TWB scholars who are traveling (from the USA) to Majority World (MW) seminaries could choose the books they would like to take with them for the schools/students.  We would provide the books and ship them to the scholars in the US.  They would need to be responsible for the cost of carrying them in luggage.” Ian Payne enthused, “The seminary would benefit by having a class set of useful texts. The students would benefit by having the textbooks during the class that the TWB scholar teaches.”   Dr Craig Blomberg recently took some free books with him to Ethiopia.  

How do you get these free books? Contact the TWB scholar three months before they leave to come to your institution. Suggest that they might contact Christianbookoutreach about the free book offer.

Janet Warren and Ruth Sutcliffe reflect on their visits to West African Theological Seminary, Nigeria.

Janet:  “I recently taught at WATS, Lagos, Nigeria, where staff, faculty, and students were very welcoming. The first week I taught “Experiencing God” to seasoned pastors; the second I taught two half days in “Biblical Theology.” Students were very engaged (telling long stories and asking good questions), passionate about their faith, and I learned much about Nigerian Christian culture as well as honing my teaching skills. I also enjoyed chapel services and chatting with other faculty. I was surprised at the busy pace of life – some students commuted for two hours each, had full time jobs and families in addition to their studies. I was also surprised that none had encountered spiritual exercises like breath prayers or gospel contemplation. On one occasion I wanted them to experience God in nature; however, that morning it was too hot to move far from the (inadequate) air conditioning, there weren’t really any pleasant, shady areas, and a local church had a loud service happening! Students told me they didn’t really have quiet areas at home either, so they dutifully came early the next morning to sit by a tree for five minutes – all greatly appreciated the experience!

I found students to be quite confident in their knowledge and ability to hear God’s voice, by the end a little less, as I gently questioned and suggested alternate interpretations…. “Our faith is a living thing precisely because it walks hand in hand with doubt.”

Ruth:  “… I found WATS to be a good partnership in the Gospel. Prior to my visit in April, I taught one online intensive course for them (in January) from Australia. [Student] participation in the class was excellent, they seemed very motivated and had sound Bible knowledge and a desire to improve their theological foundations. I also learnt a lot from them about the issues they face. I was able to meet with them when I visited; they took the initiative to come and meet me and we talked about their ministries and went through the assignments. WATS has Google Classroom, which is fairly intuitive … and there are lots of online videos about it. WATS will send a link so you can access it, just save it to your bookmarks bar. Subsequent subjects can be accessed from one link.”

“WATS was pretty organised and provided helpful information about accommodation, safety and teaching responsibilities. The boarding house is pretty basic … I had a room with a large and very comfortable bed, a small desk for workspace and plenty of cupboard and drawer space, all very clean. The bathroom was … clean, and sometimes there was no water …  The room was cleaned twice a week. It was air conditioned … and had a fan. Visitors need to be prepared to be confined to the compound. There is no opportunity to walk anywhere, so make sure you have things to keep you occupied when not at WATS working. There is a lounge-dining room but the TV is always on so if not a TV person be prepared to spend time in your room. I was given Western food, mainly chicken with rice, pasta or potatoes/ chips and coleslaw or stewed vegetables, for lunch and dinner. Breakfast was toast with omelette or boiled eggs or sometimes porridge. Coffee is instant and milk is powdered.  There was very little fresh fruit on offer, maybe once a week. Bottled water was available at every meal. You will be driven to and from the guest house and WATS. I did get to go to an expat church a couple of times with a staff member.

There is internet in some areas of WATS but none at the guesthouse. Non-Nigerians can’t get SIM cards because you need a Nigerian ID. But the Provost has a spare SIM and I paid about $40 for 10MB of data which covered me for 4 weeks using my phone as a hotspot everywhere without a hitch.  USD seems to be accepted so best to have some of that with you. Be careful about using an EFTPOS or credit card because your own bank is very likely to question a Nigerian transaction and may block your card and then it’s a real hassle to get your account unblocked. There doesn’t seem to be anywhere to get food or drink on campus, so have a big breakfast to see you through to lunchtime back at the guesthouse!

I came down with malaria while I was there, despite being on doxycycline prophylaxis. WATS has a clinic, and they were on to it straight away and I was treated effectively. The clinic is basic, but for something they see commonly it’s fine. They were very caring and the whole lot (diagnosis, IV drip, IV injections and oral meds) came to about $30.

I taught an MDiv class in Church History survey, 40 hours over two weeks, plus a couple of weeks mentoring, helping with assignments, a bit of preaching and so on. Three weeks would be enough … I had 12 students and they were great. Some struggled with the course, but some got very high marks and most passed the exam.

They showed initiative in workshopping the assignments and they were very into discussion time and asked lots of good questions. They are earnest about their studies and ministries. They seemed very appreciative. They come from different denominational backgrounds and theological perspectives and will argue quite earnestly! But they are respectful of clear, biblical, consistent explanations.

The WATS library is pretty good, and they source a lot of books from ACTS, a Nigerian theological publisher, which has a shop onsite, as well as from Langham. The seminary has a Wesleyan tradition and a holiness emphasis, but proclaims its inter-denominationality and they do seem to handle that fairly well. Visitors not used to African styles of worship may be a bit surprised at the style of chapel services. They aren’t Pentecostal, but there can be dancing, lots of “Amens” and “Hallelujahs” and the Nigerian preachers shout their sermons.  There is a nearby mosque (which was quiet) and a nearby African Independent Church (which wasn’t — loud exorcisms occurred!).

If anyone else at TWB is planning to go to Nigeria/ WATS for the first time, I’m happy for you to put them in touch with me as I think it is best to have some idea of what to expect. Overall, I enjoyed my time, I learnt a lot and I’m happy to go back there next year, which they have asked me to do.

Janet and Ruth demonstrated skill, sobriety, strength, and openness while they were here. Ruth Sutcliffe preached in our chapel and assisted both students and staff with mentoring and academic writing.

Janet was also very helpful and resilient. The weather during her visit was quite hot with some intermittent power outages, and she showed remarkable strength. The students enjoyed her class, and it was a rewarding experience with both lecturers. We [would] love to have them around [again] at some point by God’s grace.“

December 2024

When PhD means ‘Persisting [through] Heavy Difficulties

TWB Associate Scholar, Jeff Anderson, from Alaska, tells a beautiful story about his experience teaching online to/with PhD students in Ethiopia:

“During the fall semester for the last two years, I taught Advanced Biblical Hermeneutics for PhD [level] at the International Leadership University in Nairobi.  One student enrolled in 2023 and two students in 2024.  My student in 2023 was a busy instructor at a theological institution in Ethiopia.  All of his work was fresh, well written, and you could tell he was a seasoned instructor.  His project was a text in Acts that drew upon an Old Testament prophetic oracle.  Our zoom sessions were always sketchy, but it made for interesting classes.  Once the power went out in his hometown, but his phone still worked, so we had class in the dark.  It was funny to see the slightest glow of his phone reflecting on his face, and every so often a car would drive by his house and cast light throughout the room.  Most of our other sessions were not as challenging, but they were still unusual.  My student and I exchanged a lot of information about the Ethiopian canon and the fresh possibilities the combination of text and canon makes for Protestant Biblical Interpretation.”

The Message of Humanity,  Humbly and Humanely explained by Dr Ian Payne

Dr Ian Payne, Executive Director, TWB, was commissioned to write on the doctrine of humanity for the Bible Speaks Today series, initiated decades ago by John Stott.  

TWB’s Tony Plews discovered this on the IVP Books website:

“Who do humans think they are?!  A cacophony of answers in the face of global challenges – like climate change, artificial intelligence, racism, nationalism, terrorism, feminism, abortion, gene therapy, gender constructivism – shows we do not agree. To a deeply divided, despondent world, the Bible speaks today about the human condition and destiny by pointing us to Jesus Christ, the true human, the image of God.
Ian Payne’s conviction is that the most important answer to the question of humanity is God’s.” Yes, God has an opinion on how we can be truly human.

Those who’ve read and recommend this important book include Drs Darrell Bock, Gregory Coles, Havilah Dharamraj, Jung-Sook Lee, Jay Mātenga, Timothy Tennent, Kevin Vanhoozer, Varughese John.

Available very soon on https://ivpbooks.com.

Ian Payne expounds a comprehensive selection of Old and New Testament passages and examines a range of issues in being human today.

The book is structured in three parts following the biblical narrative:
Part 1: Being human backwards
Part 2: Being human forwards
Part 3: Issues in being human

This biblical theology shows that hope and meaning for humans are found in remembering and trusting God’s gift of life and goal of redemption and restoration. With an integrated study guide, this book is perfect for personal and group study and preachers’ application of the passages covered.

Those who have read and recommend this important book include …

Dr Darrell L. Bock, Executive Director for Cultural Engagement, Hendricks Center, and Senior Research Professor of New Testament, Studies, Dallas Theological Seminary, USA

Dr Gregory Coles, author of Single, Gay, Christian, and No Longer Strangers

Dr Havilah Dharamraj, former Academic Dean, South Asia Institute of Advanced Christian Studies, India, and editor of Priscilla Papers, the academic journal of Christians for Biblical Equality (CBE)

Dr Jung-Sook Lee, former President, Torch Trinity Graduate University, Seoul, Korea, and President, The MAP Global

Dr Jay Mātenga, Executive Director, World Evangelical Alliance, Mission Commission

Dr Timothy C. Tennent, Distinguished Professor of World Christianity, Asbury Theological Seminary, USA

Dr Kevin J. Vanhoozer, Research Professor of Systematic Theology, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, USA

Rev. Dr A. Varughese John, Principal-in-Charge, Dean of Faculty and Professor of Theology, South Asia Institute of Advanced Christian Studies (SAIACS), India

Dr Myk Habets, Head of School of Theology, Laidlaw College, Auckland, New Zealand

Dr Paul Trebilco, Professor of New Testament Studies, Theology programme, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand

Paul Windsor, International Programme Director, Langham Preaching

The book will be available worldwide from 20 Feb 2025.  It is already available for pre-publishing pre-order from https://ivpbooks.com.

TWB Team Full-Court Press at ETS, San Diego USA, in November

All four of TWB’s global operations team attended the recent Evangelical Theological Society Annual Meeting, San Diego CA, USA, namely Exec Dir, Dr Ian Payne, Dr Stephanie Black, Assoc Dir, Orientation and Training, Regional Representative, Africa, and Daniel Sathyadass, Assoc Dir, Institutional Relations, Regional Representative, South Asia, and Tony Plews, Communications Coordinator. TWB had a prominently positioned booth in the exhibition hall, the purpose being to introduce TWB to the about 3,000 evangelical scholars in attendance with a view to recruiting many more prospective field partners, and to catch up with as many as possible of those TWB Assoc. Scholars who have already fulfilled at least one teaching mission [whether online or on site in person].  Many new friends were made, and some great conversations held, and endorsements received.  

Photo: Dr Kevin Vanhoozer with Dr Ian Payne at ETS, San Diego. Dr Vanhoozer is a member of TWB’s International Advisory Group. And he is a recommender of Ian’s new book. Here’s what he says, “Theologians Without Borders rightly recognizes that the faith’s search for understanding belongs in the communion of saints, best pursued when people from every tribe and nation are able to meet, talk together “about all these things that had happened” to Jesus (Luke 24:13), and so learn from one another.”

Dr Daniel Steffen Enthuses About His Experience in the Philippines

All four of TWB’s global operations team attended the recent Evangelical Theological Society Annual Meeting, San Diego CA, USA, namely Exec Dir, Dr Ian Payne, Dr Stephanie Black, Assoc Dir, Orientation and Training, Regional Representative, Africa, and Daniel Sathyadass, Assoc Dir, Institutional Relations, Regional Representative, South Asia, and Tony Plews, Communications Coordinator. TWB had a prominently positioned booth in the exhibition hall, the purpose being to introduce TWB to the about 3,000 evangelical scholars in attendance with a view to recruiting many more prospective field partners, and to catch up with as many as possible of those TWB Assoc. Scholars who have already fulfilled at least one teaching mission [whether online or on site in person].  Many new friends were made, and some great conversations held, and endorsements received.  

July 2024

Nathaniel Pearce Teaches Senior Leaders in Myanmar in March*

A TWB teaching visit may entail more than just classroom teaching.  Nathaniel’s experience was both typical and thrilling.  He writes: 

“I taught a DMin Pastoral Counselling class with twenty-two students for three hours each morning, five days per week for two weeks.  I was able to teach in English as students had a good understanding of English.  MEGST teaches all classes and requires all assignments to be presented in English as well. Teaching in English did assist the flow of the class and allowed us to cover more ground in shorter periods of time.

The students presented pre-seminar work, done prior to the two weeks of pedagogical sessions. Additionally, assignments were done and presented during both weeks of class, and post-seminar assignments have been given. Lectures were interactive, and students engaged via questions and comments as encouraged by the instructor.

 In all, this was a good visit and opportunity to teach, train leaders in Myanmar to perform counseling in an organized manner. Naturally, counseling is not a priority in most of Asia, and Myanmar is not, as the students admitted, immune from this challenge. It was also interesting, and yet sad, to see the darkness and stronghold of Buddhism on Myanmar. Nonetheless, the entire visit was positive, a sure learning experience for me, and I look forward to returning if invited. In the interim, I am praying for God’s protection upon those who are faithfully and passionately laboring for Christ and His Kingdom in Myanmar.”

MEGST Appreciates

MEGST’ Principal, Dr Ronald Laldinsuah, appreciated Dr Pearce’s visit and the partnership with TWB.

Aside from teaching during these two weeks, there were opportunities to have lunch with students in and outside of class, and dinner with all faculty, staff, visiting board members and spouses. Furthermore, I was invited to and attended the ordination service of one D.Min student.

“On my second day, I had the joy of serving the Lord via the ministry of the Word at a house-church on the outskirts of Yangon.  There were 50-60 in attendance, and some were active Buddhists. Those who are saved are mostly first-generation believers.

On the middle weekend, I had the opportunity to visit and preach at an Assembly of God church of approximately 250 people. The church and its leaders were welcoming.  The service, including worship songs, was in Burmese. I was introduced by my MEGST faculty contact, who is member of that church. I preached in English and an assigned sister translated into Burmese.

Ruth Sutcliffe’s Ethiopian Adventure Teaching at Shiloh International Theological Seminary – 27 Apr-1 June*

Overall, it was a very encouraging experience, and a blessing to work closely with a dedicated group of Christian brothers and sisters. I am definitely looking forward to returning. 

Teaching at Shiloh

The students are friendly and appreciative. English language fluency varies and instructions need to be clear and repeated.  They participated well in Amharic discussion groups, engaged with the material and asked good questions.

I taught three courses at MA level. The first was a two week course held over 10 evenings on Christian Origins. There were 20 or so students attending in person and a variable number on line. The internet was not sufficient to actually record the classes in real time, so I made separate videos based on powerpoint slides which were loaded on the Moodle together with the other teaching materials. I also conducted an in-person Q&A session, as many of the students there were doing this course online. I also ran several online Q&A sessions while I was there for these students.

The second course was one week full time held at the hotel where I was staying. The facility was spacious, with adequate facilities including projector and whiteboard. There were about 25 students, all friendly and welcoming and well engaged with the course.

The final course was History of Doctrine, presented over 10 evenings to essentially the same group as the first course. The students found this the most difficult subject, I think, although it helped that they had studied systematic theology.

In future, I hope to raise awareness of life in Ethiopia and the need for the resourcing of teaching local ministry workers, and the challenges faced by the church in this country. I hope to continue a relationship with SITS through further online teaching and return for some more in person teaching on a fairly regular basis.

SITS Appreciates

Dr Endale Mekonen, SITS’ President, says, ‘TWB’s ministry has been a blessing and great support to SITS. Thank you for connecting SITS and Ruth.’

Read more of Ruth’s story:

Facilities

The facilities at Shiloh are basic but adequate. I taught in the library which is spacious and modestly lit and had walls where I could stick up timelines and pictures. There is a good overhead projector and a small whiteboard. Frequent power outages require the generator to be started. The Wi-Fi is not very strong and is quite intermittent. 

The library has lots of books but some are old. It is not easy to obtain books because of government and currency restrictions. The college has reasonable access to on online resources including to JSTOR and to the Global Digital Theological. A visitor could bring scanned chapters of books and journal articles.

SITS has a Moodle on-line learning platform which is easy to use and can host videos as well as notes and other resources. Assignments are submitted on line.

Lead-up and Preparation

Communication with SITS from Australia was reasonably good. SITS was generally well organised in terms of arranging the classes, notifying the students, and letting me know what would happen. I mainly communicated with the President and with the Registrar, who served as my travelling companion, interpreter, trouble-shooter, and main communicator with students.

 Obtaining a visa was a nightmare.  Extending the visa [beyond 30 days] was also very difficult and stressful.

So, my advice to anyone travelling to Ethiopia would be:

• Only plan to go for no more than 30 days so visa extension is not required (unless you are stationed in Addis and have a local to help you, and ensure you have at least $100 US cash) in hand.
• Obtain an e-visa ahead of time directly from the government website, but have a backup plan to have to pay cash on arrival again if necessary ($US)

Health preparation involved a visit to a travel clinic in plenty of time to get appropriate advice, vaccinations etc. Inoculation against yellow fever was required, and highly recommended to have the full pack of hepatitis, cholera etc as well as malaria prevention.

Accommodation

SITS arranged for my accommodation in a very nice resort hotel nearby. It was clean and comfortable, with peace and privacy. I took all my meals at the restaurant there and the food was very good, the staff courteous and facilities included a pool and wifi internet that was reasonably reliable. 

Safety

I felt extremely safe when at the hotel, at Shiloh and when in the company of trusted locals. Bottled water is readily and cheaply available and a mosquito net was provided.

Other Opportunities

I was asked to preach at a local Mennonite church service, which I did, using a translator. They were very welcoming. I had the opportunity to mentor a couple of younger women who are taking the MA course. SITS is keen for more women to learn theology, but the dropout rate is high because of the inflexibility of their home commitments. We met for lunch and discussed family, study etc. I plan to keep in touch with them. I have been asked to examine the master’s thesis of a student.

* from Ruth’s report, edited for brevity and clarity

Ian Payne Promotes TWB at Langham Scholars Consultation, Auckland, First Week May

TWB’s Executive Director, Ian Payne, attended the recent Langham Scholars Area Consultation in Auckland where some 15 Langham Scholars currently pursuing their doctorates met to compare notes and encourage each other. There Ian was delighted to meet three of his students from SAIACS! Listening in to some of the students’ presentations, Ian was impressed by the depth and relevance of their research. These future decision makers were all interested in how TWB can provide partnership connections with visiting instructors.

2nd photo: Also at the Langham Scholars consultation, Ian Payne meets Dr Rico Villaneuva, of Langham Publishing, who coordinated the Langham scholars group.

Stephanie Black Represents TWB at PhD Programme Inauguration in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Stephanie Black Reports on OC/ ACTEA Institute, Nairobi, 22-26 April

TWB Associate Director Dr Stephanie Black represented Theologians Without Borders at the Institute for Excellence in Nairobi, Kenya, jointly sponsored by Overseas Council and the Association for Christian Theological Education in Africa (ACTEA). The theme of this year’s institute was “Multiplying the Laborers for the Harvest: Embracing Diversity in Theological Education.” Both women and men theological education presidents, deans, and other leaders from across Africa came together at the institute to focus on acknowledging, supporting, and more fully utilizing women, including senior academics, in Africa’s evangelical theological education institutions.

March 2024

Ruth Sutcliffe heading for Ethiopia

Ruth writes: “It’s now just over a month until I head to Ethiopia, God willing. Flights are booked and I’m in the midst of additional vaccinations and health checks. My visa, which I applied for many weeks ago, still has not been issued — I’m told it’s “in progress” — so I would really appreciate your prayers for that to come through without hassle. I have just about finished preparing the two courses I was originally asked to teach: World Church History [WCH] and Christian Origins, and have been asked to teach a third, “History of Doctrine.” I’ve said “yes,” so I need to get that done in the next few weeks too! Thankfully, I have a fair bit of background material already on this. But I would appreciate your prayers for this also, because it’s easy to get stressed with a deadline fast approaching and competing demands from work and from life in general! 

The WCH course is a survey of church history, which is an adaptation of a course I’ve already delivered at Phnom Penh Bible School. But it’s not just a case of crossing out “Cambodia” and writing “Ethiopia!” The emphases and interests are rather different. The Protestant church in Cambodia is very young, just over 100 years.

Ethiopia has had an established Orthodox church since the fifth century and a Protestant church for a couple of hundred years. Cambodia has faced pressures from French colonialism, Chinese communism and the horrors of the Khmer Rouge era where the church was decimated, and had to regrow from refugee camps. Ethiopia has never been colonised apart from a short time under Italian fascism around the time of World War II, but its mix of established Orthodoxy — a version unique to Ethiopia— Protestantism and Islam presents distinct challenges.

The other course, Christian Origins, will look at the intertestamental period, and the influence of Judaism and the Graeco-Roman empire on the early church and its development of a rule of faith, canon of Scripture and organisational structures during a period of intermittent persecution.

It is really encouraging to know that so many brothers and sisters are praying for this work, as it is an important area of world mission. Christians (and non-Christians!) need pastors, teachers, mentors and ministry workers, and such need to be trained. Theological teaching has an exponential effect. I’m so looking forward to visiting our brothers and sisters in Ethiopia and helping in this way. It is such a blessing and a privilege and I’m sure I receive much more than I can possibly provide them.

Dr Xiaoli Yang in Africa

Dr Xiaoli Yang has visited International Leadership University, Nairobi, for a special one-day academic seminar and/or poetry reading for spiritual formation at the invitation of Principal, Dr James Ndungu. This is fruit of TWB offering her availability to half-a-dozen African institutions complementary to her visit to present a paper in a conference in Ghana. 

December 2023

Joyous Jesus Season Greetings to all of you who are connected with Theologians Without Borders [TWB]!

TWB Team Engages with ETS

The TWB Global Operations Team [Exec Dir, Ian Payne, Stephanie Black, Assoc Dir, Orientation and Training, and Danny Sathyadass, Assoc Dir, Institutional Relations] were all at the recent annual Evangelical Theological Society [ETS] conference in San Antonio, Texas, USA, where they engaged with allcomers, adding more than 80 new contacts to the prospective Assoc Scholars’ list.

 They also met with Dr Craig Blomberg, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, New Testament, Denver Seminary, Colorado, who spoke about his observations on Trends in Global Theological Education.

Danny, Stephanie, Craig and Ian at TWB’s meeting

Craig is a big fan of TWB, having already agreed to an African visiting teaching assignment brokered by TWB. He stated following ETS, that he was, “glad to be with [the TWB team] and looked forward to taking up more teaching visit opportunities with Theologians Without Borders.”

Danny had this comment following ETS:

“Attending the … ETS conference … was significant because I personally saw the value of TWB to bring about balance in global theological education. The appreciation and the enthusiastic responses from well-respected professors and scholars were an added affirmation that TWB’s mission is right on track to facilitate reciprocity. It is my prayer that this enthusiasm would grow, so that [more] scholars would eventually get on those flights to serve in institutions where there is a need.”

Ian chatted with Ernest Clark of Overseas Council

Perry Shaw Commends Stephanie’s Work

With the increasing global interactions of theological education, an awareness of contrastive rhetoric is becoming of notable value. Fortunately, as Perry Shaw says, ‘a key player in Theologians Without Borders is Stephanie Black, who wrote a superb chapter on Contrastive Rhetoric in the collection Challenging Tradition: Innovation in Advanced Theological Education with the chapter title “Scholarship in Our Own Words: Intercultural Rhetoric in Academic Writing and Reporting.”’

Perry quotes what Craig Ott writes about contrastive rhetoric (referencing Stephanie):

“Much of the research on contrastive rhetoric has focused on the writing styles of native and non-native speakers of the target language. Initially such differences were thought to be related to linguistic differences between the first and second languages. Now differences are more commonly attributed to cultural convention. Students are taught what is proper writing style; what is considered aesthetic, persuasive, and socially appropriate (e.g., assertive versus restrained). For example, here is how a group of African students described their rhetorical style: “Whereas the Western style of writing is polemical, the African system is more of a negotiation with the audience so as to make them ‘accept’ our work.” Another group said, “African communication is mostly implicit. When a speaker is too explicit, he is perceived by the audience as trying to undermine their intelligence” (Black 2018).” (Teaching and Learning Across Cultures p85)

Tony Plews joins the TWB team

Exec Dir, Ian Payne, welcomes another person to TWB’s team. Tony Plews, who was Exec Dir of LeaDev-Langham, now Beacon Partnerships, for more than 25 years, has joined the TWB team in a part-time voluntary capacity as Communications Coordinator.  He will be responsible for soliciting stories and creating content for TWBTalk, TWBUpdate, and social media.  His contacts are:  

E:  tony.plews@theologianswithoutborders.org

M:  +64 21-683 393