August 2009 Edition

SILLIMAN MINISTRY
MAGAZINE
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
C A L
O G I
E O L I O N
T H C AT
E D U
TABLE OF CONTENTS
The E-Files: Notes from the Editor, Reuel Norman O. Marigza ..................................................... 2
From the Dean’s Desk, Muriel Orevillo-Montenegro ...................................................................... 3
Challenges and Prospects for Theological Education, Erme R. Camba ................................... 14
Theological Education and Lay Leadership, Ben M. Dominguez ............................................... 21
Asian Spirituality and Healing, Lucio B. Mutia ............................................................................. 25
Theological Education: Wellness and Well-being, Jane Ella P. Montenegro ............................ 31
Theological Education and the Ecumenical Declaration
on Just Peace: A Challenge, Muriel Orevillo-Montenegro ................................................... 33
Theological Education in the Field: A Partnership
of the Church and the Seminary, Reuel Norman O. Marigza .............................................. 40
Walk the Talk, Karl James Villarmea ............................................................................................. 49
Bible Study: Living By Faith in the Midst of Crisis: The Challenge
of the Christian Schools Today, Noriel C. Capulong ........................................................... 57
Sermon: Happy Birthday, Tatay!, Reuel Norman O. MarigzA .................................................... 67
Resources for Advent, Magnolia Nova V. Mendoza ..................................................................... 72
Book Review .................................................................................................................................. 76
August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine • 1

E-File:
Reuel Norman O. Marigza
Editor-in-Chief
G
reetings 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
2 • August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine

From the Dean’s Desk
Muriel Orevillo-Montenegro, Ph.D.
Once More with Feelings:

Theological Education, Quo Vadis?
Theology in Crisis and Theological Edu- Christ is not expected to translate this accep-
cation in the Midst of Crisis: Some tance into action immediately, such as mak-
Musings and Making Connections ing a connection between one’s discipleship
In March edition of SMM, I intro- and caring for the earth by proper garbage
duced the theme for this year’s convocation. disposal. People get their first experience of
I want to continue to ponder over the matter theological education at home and in church,
of theological education in a very candid way. and yes, in the seminary, for those aiming to
Financial crisis that hit the world in the re- take formal theological education. In light
cent months was aggravated by the spread of this, I could see the interconnection of the
of A(H1N1) fever and the results or impact crisis in theological education in the midst
of climate change. People, not only in the of a world in crisis.
Philippines, were left devastated by floods In line with the observance of Au-
and typhoons that caused the loss of their gust as mission month, a preacher repeatedly
homes, farms and livelihood resources. The asserted that “evangelism is about the gos-
death of former President Cory C. Aquino pel, it has nothing to do with people.” Some
made people remember even for a brief mo- people may share the view with the preacher,
ment the gains of EDSA, gains that were but I was uneasy with the statement. I think
easily trampled by traditional politicians. it is inadequate and problematic. I understand
Some recalled the slogan that says, “Filipi- that the word “gospel” is an English transla-
nos are worth dying for.” Some responded tion of the Greek word evangelion
by saying that “Filipinos are [also] worth liv- (åýáããÝëéïí). Evangelion means the good
ing for.” These musings are theologically news about the life, teachings, and work of
challenging. Many people in-the-pew still Jesus of Nazareth,1 who is regarded by be-
lean towards the preaching about saving souls lievers as Christ. By saying that Jesus reveals
apart from warm bodies, and talk of salva- God, we mean that the life, works, and teach-
tion as a state after death rather than as an ings of Jesus point to the presence and work
experience after birth. In an evaluation of the of God in this world. A person who proclaims
Christian Life Emphasis Week activities, a the gospel is an evangelistis (åýáããåëéóôÞò),
pastor said that a student who accepts Jesus an evangelist.2 [In the New Testament, there

is no word equivalent to the term “evange- hand, we must also ask: must theological
lism.” So such word must be coined from education ignore stewardship and account-
evangelion and evangelistis.] If the term ability when it engages in solidarity with the
“evangelism” is used to substitute for poor? Can the struggle for justice not be prac-
evangelion (gospel), and if the gospel is un- ticed in a just manner? In the midst of com-
derstood to have nothing to do with people, peting justices, those who struggle for jus-
what then is the relevance of incarnation? If tice are called to embody the justice that the
“evangelism has nothing to do with people,” gospel of Jesus has demonstrated. Otherwise,
what then is the relevance of the gospel to the struggle for justice will simply be sub-
the lives of people whose lives are caught in sumed under the rage of a deflated ego, and
various forms of addiction, or who suffer still the world will not attain peace.
because of many calamities? What does an
“evangelism that has nothing to do with Theological Education: Necessary for
people” say to Planet Earth that is destroyed Church Growth and Ministerial Praxis
by human greed for profit and luxury? What All these things challenge us to go
does an “evangelism that has nothing to do back and examine not only the value of theo-
with people” say to people who seek to pro- logical education, its content and method, but
tect people’s human rights, like CHR Chair also the kind of support it gets from the
Leila de Lima, are accused of being a “com- church. Theological education is affected by
munist” by Jovito Palparan and Jun Alcober the crises affecting the church and the world.
who now sit in Congress? What does an It is also needless to say that theological edu-
“evangelism [that] has nothing to do with cation is crucial in the growth of the church
people” say to those who strive to make their and its ministerial praxis. If the church does
dream for genuine socio-economic reforms not recognize this, then the church will con-
and their longing to live a peaceful life come tinue to get stunted, and probably even die
true? What can it say to a nation whose blood both metaphorically and literally. It is sad
and life are sucked by the corrupt leaders of when church growth is reckoned only in
the government? An evangelist must take terms of numbers and quality is ignored.
these more seriously, otherwise, the mean- Theological education provides the impetus
ing of evangelion will be lost. Then, the the- for a local church’s practice of its disciple-
ology of mission and proclamation of the ship.
gospel (evangelism) will be in crisis. Sound theology results in good prac-
On the one hand, if one views tice. If the pastors and the members of the
evangelion that does not address the human church are not anchored in sound theology,
predicament, then we have to ask: What kind they become like floating debris. In Paul’s
of theological education do our homes and language, they are easily tossed to and fro,
churches offer? Once more, one cannot deny and are swayed simply by any teachings that
that a person first receives a snippet, if not a come along their way. This is happening
big chunk, of theological education in the within UCCP. In some cases, such phenom-
homes and in the local churches. On the other enon is reinforced by different reasons and

motivations such as prestige, power, position, equipped and they are needed. However,
money, benefits, and many others. In some there is a need to professionalize the clergy.
cases, ministers and church members do not At least, UCCP came out recently with a
know their boundaries and step on each Magna Carta for Church Workers to address
other’s toes. Consequently, problems arise this matter. Some people reacted to this docu-
and the church experiences a slow death, or ment saying that the lay pastors are the ones
remains stunted. Its organizational problems who go to churches in remote places. This
may be traced back to lack of theological edu- may be caused by lack of seminary-trained
cation. The parts of the body lacks under- pastors. This situation is also complicated by
standing of what the church as Christ’s body the fact that UCCP does not have a good sal-
is all about, what its purpose and mission ary scheme to support church workers who
are.3 also need to support their families. Others
Indeed, the church, particularly the within the church simply hold on to some
United Church of Christ in the Philippines, kind of anti-intellectualism. Ministry does not
faces multifarious problems – both theologi- need a diploma, so they say. One only needs
cally and organically. The church needs pas- the prodding of the Holy Spirit in order to
tors who can lead and nurture. The seminary preach. Others think this is enough and it is
can only offer to hone the potentials of stu- not proper for one to question traditions and
dents sent to its doors. Certainly, theological to engage with social issues. The church
education may not be a panacea that solves should focus on the needs of the soul, as if
all problems, but a church that does not take their souls are separate from their bodies.
theological education seriously will face so To those who think this way, I can
many kinds of problems in the midst of a only ask: If Jesus taught us to love God with
world in crises. Having said this, I will now all our minds, are we not urged to study and
focus on the situation of the seminary, or theo- offer the best of our minds to the service of
logical education in the formal setting. God and God’s people? Why are we con-
tented with mediocrity in our service to God?
Who Needs a Seminary Anyway? Once again, I insist that theological educa-
Given the experience of a seminary tion is a primary responsibility of the church.
related to the UCCP, I often wonder why the Paul has given this exhortation to the believ-
church does not fully support theological ers: “to equip the saints for the work of min-
education. A seemingly secretive response istry, for building up the body of Christ, un-
to this question is this: Who needs a semi- til all of us come to the unity of the faith and
nary anyway? After all, UCCP ordains pas- of the knowledge of the Son of God, to ma-
tors who do not go through formal theologi- turity, to the measure of the full stature of
cal education in the seminary. Conferences Christ.” (Eph. 4:12-13)
offer training programs for lay people, and
after a few weeks of training, they become Institutions of Theological Education:
pastors already. So, who needs an expensive Some Models
theological education that takes five to six I had the opportunity of visiting
years? Definitely, the laity needs to be seminaries in other parts of Asia. I have seen
how church denominations take seriously course offerings within the bounds of denomi-
their seminaries. Once, as a member of an national doctrines. Another model I can think
accreditation team, I visited a seminary lo- of is Union Theological Seminary in New
cated in the mountains of Indonesia. It is a York City. I had the opportunity to study in
seminary supported by one church denomi- this independent theological institution from
nation. This church provides for the salaries where world renowned theologians emerged.
of its faculty and staff, scholarships for 65 % This seminary moved towards independence
of the students (some local churches are able when in mid 20th century the denomination
to give full support to their students), library that supported it wanted to restrain biblical
facilities, dormitories and transportation for scholarship and interpretation led by a pro-
the seminary. Unlike UCCP that allows the fessor named Charles Briggs. When it be-
establishment of many seminaries it could came independent, biblical studies flourished
not support, this church established only one and it became the hub of groundbreaking
seminary for the denomination within the scholarship. Such independence also gave
country to be sure it can support the semi- this institution a rich environment for theo-
nary well. However, it opened its doors to logical excitement because it opened its doors
students from other denominations who want to various denominations and faiths. It re-
to study there. Foreign funding was only a cruits students and give them scholarships.
secondary source of support, and the semi- Consequently, it positioned itself at the cut-
nary uses funds received from abroad to up- ting edge of scholarship and practice of spiri-
grade its library facilities and for faculty de- tuality as it gives its constituency a space to
velopment. be a risk taker. A seminary that does not take
Yet, the case of the seminary in risks will not grow, just as a child who does
Cipanas is not isolated. I observed that semi- not take the risk of learning to walk will never
naries in Malaysia, Singapore and Hong learn to stand up and walk.
Kong are mainly supported by the denomi- I offer these models for the mem-
nations. Sekola Alkitab Asia Tengara in bers and leaders of the United Church of
Malang, East Java that has a sprawling cam- Christ in the Philippines to reflect upon. Or,
pus with impressive facilities hosted the without looking at these models, leaders and
ATESEA assembly last July for free, and it members of UCCP remove the scales from
is mainly supported by the church. Another their eyes and think clearly: Does UCCP need
model is the seminary in Kandy, Sri Lanka many seminaries and simply leave them on
which is jointly supported by three cooper- their own to sink or swim?
ating denominations. Why it is that UCCP If UCCP needs a seminary, or semi-
could not do what other churches in Asia are naries, then, it should take the responsibility
doing? to establish a genuine partnership with these
I am not saying that seminaries sup- seminaries. The UCCP needs to re-examine
ported by only one denomination is a perfect its commitment to theological education –
set up. One possible set-back of a denomi- both formal and informal. How does it de-
national seminary is the tendency of the define its commitment to theological education?
nomination to control the content of the How far can UCCP go in terms of formal
theological education? If it cannot support port. The Divinity School may implement
the cost of theological education, is it will- plans to address this problem, but such plan
ing to institute changes to re-align the func- departs from the scheme of food subsidy that
tions of the existing institutions and pool its was done in the past. This emergency scheme
resources to support one seminary? If it wants had been misunderstood by the church and
to be a partner of a university in doing theo- students as a permanent arrangement.
logical education, what is its commitment and Second, the qualification of a student is
how far can this commitment go? These are crucial, and so admission has to be tight if quality
important questions that need to be answered. product is given primary importance. The Divin-
Otherwise, the church could probably just ity School is slowly moving towards this thresh-
settle with non-formal theological education old. The Divinity School provides some scholar-
and close the formal theological education ships only to qualified students. Applicants are
in the seminaries. Then, the university can expected to maintain a grade of at least 2.5 with
be challenged to pick it up and support it like no incompletes or INC. Applicants should dem-
Yale or Harvard do, without much expecta- onstrate positive attitudes towards study as prepa-
tion from the church. In this way, there will ration for the ministry, and must render one hour
be no pretensions about a partnership that per day service to the Divinity School (a total of
does not exist. five hours a week). Under the premise of a part-
nership, the Divinity School requires the student
Some Practical Matters in Theological to be endorsed by the church. Students whose
Education grades do not reach the cut-off level, have INCs
Theological education is both reflec- and do not fulfill the required number of hours of
tive and practical. As a matter of policy, the services may not apply for scholarship in the fol-
Divinity School tries to follow the principle lowing semester. It behooves the students to ac-
of sharing responsibilities. Under the assump- quire the discipline to study and cultivate the posi-
tion that the existing set up of theological tive attitudes towards the ministry.
education, particularly the Divinity School, For its part, Silliman University will
is still within an ambit of partnership with contribute a maximum of 50% of the student’s
the church, there are expectations to reckon balance of account in tuition. Other fees are
with. not covered by such contribution.
First, recruitment of good students It is our prayer that the church will
is critical. The church is not only expected honor the principle of sharing responsibili-
to recruit and screen good students properly. ties for theological education. After all, it is
It is also asked to provide for their students’ mainly the task of the church.
food, housing, allowances, and other needs. In SMM’s March 2009 edition, I men-
The nagging problem of students complain- tioned that because of the challenges that the semi-
ing that they do not have enough food con- nary is facing, the faculty decided to put this con-
tinues. There are still a good number of resi- cern as the convocation theme for the next three
dents who have not paid for their food since years, beginning this year 2009, with the general
June 2009. This only shows that the church theme on “Theological Education in the Midst of
does not put into action their pledge for sup- Crises.” In the next two years, the Convocation
will have the following theme: “Church and Semi- are offered to address the needs of the pas-
nary Partnership: Broadening the Horizon of Theo- tors and churches such as history of theo-
logical Education,” and “Towards a Transformed logical thoughts, seminar on evangelism and
and Transforming Theological Education in Do- church development, and feminist theologies.
ing God’s Mission in these Times.” Church Administration and Preaching now
have a total of six (6) units each. One semi-
New Program Offerings nar will focus on Bible and Gender, while
During its March 21, 2009 and May another will put emphasis on women in the
2, 2009 meetings, the Board of Trustees ap- New Testament. The revised curriculum was
proved the new program offerings of the Di- implemented in June 2009. The Field Edu-
vinity School, namely: cation Program will also see changes begin-
• Master of Theology in Mission Stud- ning Summer 2010 as internships – both sum-
ies mer and the ten-month long internship will
• Doctor of Theology (major in Biblical have to be enrolled.
Studies, Systematic Theology and Three years ago, the faculty also
Christian Ethics) started to work on a proposed curriculum for
• Master of Divinity program-thesis a Bachelor in Liturgy and Church Music pro-
track - with majors in Biblical Stud- gram. This year, the faculty is retrieving it
ies, Spiritual Care/Clinical Pastoral and will soon submit this to the proper com-
Education, Pastoral Ministry, Theology mittees of the University for approval.
and Christian Education. The Admission forms and other infor-
There are now six M.Th. students mation could be downloaded from the
from Tanzania, Indonesia and South Korea. Website of Silliman University. Copies of
In relation to the new programs, the United such forms were also sent to the offices of
Evangelical Mission has given some funds the Conference Ministers and Bishops to be
for the construction of housing facilities for made accessible to the prospective students.
its scholars. The construction is now going The application letter and other required
on, and a few units enough for the present forms for admission must be submitted to the
number of scholars will be finished hopefully office of the Dean of the Divinity School on
within this semester. or before January 30.
On May 2, 2009, the Board of Trust-
ees approved our new M. Divinity- thesis Faculty Line Up
track program. Although it was too late for With the new program offerings, the
the Divinity School to advertise this new pro- Divinity School has to contend with a bench
gram, four students came to enroll. All of that is low. We are happy that there are re-
them have chosen to take Spiritual Care/Clini- tired but qualified persons around the area
cal Pastoral Education (CPE) as their major who are willing to help as adjunct profes-
field. sors. According to the Collective Bargaining
The revised curricula of Bachelor of Agreement between SUFA and the Univer-
Theology and Master of Divinity (non-the- sity, the services of retired academic person-
sis track) were also approved. New courses nel can be engaged on a yearly basis, although
in practice, the contract is renewed every free. He teaches Greek and Hebrew. How-
semester. Moreover, a unit can take on board ever, he can also teach basic Aramaic, Syriac
a retiree as long as there are no younger fac- and Akkadian to doctoral students in biblical
ulty members who can teach the course, and studies. He also provides supplementary En-
that the person should be physically fit and glish classes to B.Th. and M.Div. students
mentally lucid to teach the course. If the re- who badly need to brush up their English.
tiree is willing to teach the course assigned Hope Sillero provides an ecumenical pres-
to him/her, and upon the concurrence of the ence to the Divinity School as he comes from
faculty, the office of the Dean recommends the tradition of the Seventh Day Adventist.
the hiring of such person.
The Divinity School now enjoys the Available Scholarships and Recipients
services of the following adjunct professors Scholarships are available depending
who were willing to accept the courses as- on the interest earned by the endowment
signed to them: funds. The Divinity School implements a new
1. Erme R. Camba scheme so that the principal fund will grow.
2. T. Valentino Sitoy, Jr. Thus, twenty per cent of the interest will be
3. Benito Dominguez ploughed back to the principal, while the re-
4. Jane Ella Montenegro maining eighty per cent will be made avail-
5. Lucio Mutia able to a qualified applicant. Of the fifty-eight
6. Solomon C. Apla-on (58) students enrolled, twenty-five (25) stu-
The Divinity School also benefits dents enjoy scholarships for tuition, while two
from the free services of Hope Cerose Sillero, (2) others enjoy assistance for non-tuition
who volunteered to help in teaching ancient needs as designated by the donors. These are
languages to Divinity School students for the 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 Recipient

Finance Committee)
1. Badoy Family Theol. 15T for 2 semesters only For Middler or Senior 1) Edfie Maylan
Ed. Fund Student
2. DS Class ‘56 10T for 2 semesters only For Middler or Senior 2) Julan Juayang
student
3. Bp. Pedro Raterta 15T for 2 semesters only Preferably Senior 3) Reynaldo Taglucop
Theological Education student
Fund
4. Jose & Clavel Diao 15T/semester for 5 For student from Cebu 4) Freddie de Asis
Scholarship semesters (pref. from Bradford
Church)
5. Yandell Scholarship 10T/semester for 5 For Junior Liturgy & 5) Cesar Chazyan
semesters Music student Romero

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; DS
does 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 BTh
Scholarship, Hitachi tuition fees re- 2) Jerilde Flor Junior BTh
Church cent 3) Zandy Casia Middler BTh
4) Nelsa Ecat Intern BTh
5) Napoleon Romero Junior M.Div.
2. Minami-Hanashima 2/3 of tuition 1 6) Wella Hoyle Intern BTh
Church
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 BTh
Presbyterian Church 3 years only
5. Cheola PROK 15T/sem for 4 1 13) Rosemarie 1st yr M.Div. thesis
semesters Gonzales track
6. Phil.Am. College Full 1 14) Lovanesa Cagas Senior BTh
of Clergy
7. Philippine Not for tuition; 2 15) Choanalfe Cabuhan Senior BTh
Community Designated by donors 16) Helen Daguplo
Presbyterian Church for food allowances
8. Harvard Family partial 1 17) Rio Miot Intern BTh
UCC Church
9. Koram Deo 15T/per semester for 2 21) Juriel Ursos Sophie BTh
Scholarship 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-Internship
Scholarship Music student Senior Lit. / Music
@ P16,500/sem

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 yet
Scholarship 4 semesters Middler student
2. Bethany Hospital P 50T –available Non-Endowment No applicant yet
c/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 are
being 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 yet
for Ministries and CPE 4 semesters @ 15T/sem
b) One M.Div (thesis) for
4 semesters @ 15T/sem 2. none yet
c) One M.Div (thesis) for 3. none yet
2 semesters @ 15T/sem
2. Himaya Peace a) One M.Div (thesis) @ Preferably woman 4. none yet
Scholarship Fund 15T/semester
for theology for 4 semesters
b) One M.Div (thesis) @ 5. none yet
15T/semester for 2
semesters only
3. McKinley Scholarship One M.Div. (thesis) @ Preferably woman 6. none yet
for theology (c/o Lisabeth 15T/sem for 4 semesters
McKinley – dollar acct)
4. Menzel Endowment One M.Div. (thesis) @ 7. none yet
Fund for theology or 15T/sem for 4 semesters
ethics (dollar acct)
5. Fe Nebres Scholarship One M.Div. (thesis) in Preferably woman 8. none yet
Fund for Christian Christian Ed @ 15T/sem
Education (dollar acct) for 2 semesters only
6. Van Dyke Scholarship a) One M.Div. (thesis) @ 9. none yet
Fund for Biblical Studies 15T/sem for 4 semesters
(US$ account) b) One M. Div (thesis) @ 10. none yet
15T/sem for 2 semesters only

VI. Scholarships that maybe Available when an Application is Submitted:
1. Holly Daze Bazaar Depends on the funds 1
raised during the January
annual bazaar
(no money yet)
2. Women’s Board for
Pacific Island No money yet for this year 1
3. Santiago Luzares Not sure; no word for 1 Used to be earmarked for
Scholarship 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 indicated
Scholarship 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 to
Joseph Guc-ong from
Lanao Conference last
year, but is not awarded
this semester due to
his INC.
6. Class ‘62/2000 65,285.24 Not indicated
7. Cristeta Capulong 126,265.45 Php 150,000.00
Scholarship Fund
8. Solomon Codillo Sr. 72,259.12 Php 150,000.00
Scholarship 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

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 Php In conclusion, I would like to bor-

33,300.00 during the reunion two years ago. row the words of one folksinger in the 1960s,
The fund is still placed in one account. The Bob Dylan, who said: “For all that has been,
DS hopes that this fund will grow as each Thanks! And for all that will be, Yes!”
group or batch of graduates will seek to ful- Please Contact us at:
fill and increase their pledges to raise schol- (63) (35) 422-6002 local 540-541
arships for the students. divinityschool21@yahoo.com SMM
END NOTES
1
Frederick William Danker et. al., eds., A Greek- was male, yes. But Christ (from the verb chrio [÷ñßù]
English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other “to anoint”) is a title or a label for one who is anointed
Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed. (Chicago and to do the christic task as in Luke 4:18. Christ after
London: The University of Chicago Press, 2000), all, is neither male nor female. I use the neutral pro-
402-3. noun for church without reducing the church into a
2
Ibid., 403. non-organic body.
3
I do not use the usual feminine image and femi- 4
Please refer to January 19, 2009 Updated and Cor-
nine pronoun “she” for the church. If the church is rected list of Scholarship Endowment Funds at the
people, then, it is not necessary to associate church DS. SMM
with neither a female nor a masculine body. Jesus

Challenges and Prospects
for
Theological Education
By Erme R. Camba
Introduction and Definition of terms
L
et 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

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

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,

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).

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

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

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.

and 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.

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

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.

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

ASIAN SPIRITUALITY
AND HEALING
By 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-

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-

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-

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 itself. 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

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-

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. 20
2
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

Theological Education:
Wellness and Well-being
By Jane Ella P. Montenegro
W
hat? 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

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.

and the Ecumenical Declaration on Just Peace:
A Challenge
By 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)

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

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-

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

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)

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

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.

Theological Education in the Field:
A Partnership of the Church and the Seminary
COMPILED BY REUEL NORMAN O. MARIGZA
O
ne of the ways in which the partner Church is assisted by the accredited semi-
ship of the church and the ministe naries, which in turn provide basic founda-
rial formation centers is concretized tional academic preparation for the candi-
is in the area of Field Education. The local dates’ pastoral formation. The Church and
churches provide the “laboratory” where the the seminary are partners, since we cannot
seminarians can observe and practice what separate theological education from the to-
they learn in the classrooms, and they bring tal mission of the Church in the field or par-
back to the classroom what they have expe- ish. Hence, the integral field education pro-
rienced in the field, thus, enriching the aca- gram, which includes weekend assignment,
demic component of ministerial formation summer exposures and the one-year intern-
and grounding it to the context and reality of ship, are required in the curriculum.
our churches. This process can be described
as an action-reflection-action continuum. The Internship Year
Our Field Education Program carries The year-long internship is done usu-
this rationale for our Program. ally before the senior year. In some cases,
Education for the Christian Ministry is however, students may request for a post-
first and foremost the task of the Church. senior year-out especially the married stu-
God has endowed upon the church the dif- dents and those with some deficiencies. It
ferent gifts of the Ministry of Jesus Christ, is the Conference from which the student
such as in Ephesians 4:11-13, “...that some comes that gives the assignment, either in
should be apostles, prophets, evangelists, the local church, circuit, cooperative parish,
pastors, teachers; to equip the saints for the church-owned or church-related institutions
work of the ministry, for building up the body that can provide the student rich experien-
of Christ...” The proclamation of the whole tial learning. This is exposing the student to
WORD to all people, the ministry of the demanding routine of a practical other-
shepherding, reconciliation, nurturing, heal- wise realistic personal, intellectual, spiritual/
ing, guiding and empowerment of the people devotional and professional fitness for church
must continue until all human beings submit vocation. Internship can also be the time for
to and experience the REIGN OF GOD. the candidate for the Christian Ministry to
Such theological education of the discover whether s/he is called to such min-

istry, and if not, may still have a chance to habits.
change into another career after serious con- 3. To be able to develop self-discipline
siderations. and self-management.
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES: 4. To be able to develop positive atti-

The SUDS Internship Program has tude toward work and daily routines.
two major goals. One has to do with de- 5. To develop genuineness and uncon-
fined personality development in which the ditional regard towards others and
student is challenged to utilize her/his full to grow in relationship with the
potentials to become a mature Christian, a people and other creation of God.
responsible and effective steward of God’s 6. To grow in wisdom and understand-
gifts and creation. This is enhanced in the ing as a child of God and a respon-
meaningful use of one’s self in a dynamic sible trustee of God’s creation.
relationship network: with God, with other
humankind, with the physical world. This B. For vocation/professional competence:
field assignment offers a variety of ways for that the intern
the students to grow into a wholesome per-
son: a child of God. 1. demonstrates the ability to put into
The other goal is dealing with profes- practice the things learned.
sional growth and competence in doing the 2. develops the capacity to learn from
ministry of Jesus Christ. It involves the de- the various experiences that the as-
velopment of the capacity to interpret the signment has in store for her/him.
WORD of GOD and the Christian Faith in 3. is enabled to grow in her/his voca-
order to empower the church people to be tion identity as s/he takes on the fol-
equipped for their own witness and service lowing tasks:
in the world of work, profession, lifestyle and
leisure. This also entails the actual practice a. conducting the liturgical function
of developing skills in church administration, as a pastor/church worker;
pastoral care and counseling, education and b. facilitating Bible studies with
nurture and all others related to the strength- church groups and families;
ening of one’s own vocational identity.
c. preaching the Word: and in the
It is therefore incumbent upon the
teaching nurturing functions;
Church to expose the Intern into the multi-
faceted life and work of the people of God; d. administering the affairs of the
thereby the following objectives be realized: church;
A. For personal developmental tasks e. stimulating/implementing/moni-

toring and evaluating of church
1. To grow spiritually through a dy- programs together with church
namic study of the Bible, books, officers concerned;
reading materials, and through daily
personal devotions. f. stimulating the church to de-
velop financial resourcing and
2. To keep a sound mind in a sound budgeting; resources develop-
body as one takes good care of per- ment to support the ministry;
sonal health and develop wholesome

g. pastoral care and counseling ister the Sacraments. Such license
with people at the point of their shall expire after the internship is
needs; concluded.
h. network building with church 5. The Intern is expected to cooperate,
agencies for empowerment of collaborate in carrying out Church/
church people and for them to Conference programs as far as per-
empower the community mitted.
4. improve vocational/professional 6. Pertinent to Conference member-
skills to concretize the priesthood/ ship, the Intern must submit willingly
pastorhood of all believers. to disciplinary actions within the
rules of the Church or Judicatory.
RELATIONSHIP OF THE INTERN 7. The Intern, as nearly as possible, is
A. With the School: in the same relationship as any other
Definitely, the intern is a student of the member of the Conference Ministe-
SUDS doing theological education through rial Roll, yet without violating his/her
full-time service in the assignment other than definitive relationship with the
the campus. However, s/he is not matricu- School.
lated in the University during the internship POLICIES
year. The DS Faculty continues to have a
1. Internship year is basically an inte-
formal continuing link with the intern through
gral part of theological education and
the Office of the Field Education Director.
it should be preferably done after the
B. With the Conference and other Church Middler year of the student’s aca-
Judicatories: demic preparations. It is only when
1. The church service relationship of a request for a post-senior circum-
the Intern is by special Conference stance that the internship is deferred
assignment under the joint arrange- to the last year of the entire course.
ment of the Seminary and the Con- 2. The School, through the Field Edu-
ference through the Settlement or cation Director, communicates to the
Ministerial Formation Committee. Conference the names of their stu-
2. The assignment is temporary for at dents who are qualified to go on in-
least ten months coinciding a school ternship.
year. 3. The Conference through the Settle-
3. Since the student belongs to a Con- ment or Ministerial Formation Com-
ference and Jurisdiction, these judi- mittee, takes charge of assignment,
catories have responsibility over the housing, support (material, moral)
Intern, who in turn is expected to and expected relevant matters.
recognize and respect their author- 4. The Head of the Church or Confer-
ity. ence shall take charge of assigning
4. Relative to the pastoral functions, a supervisor-counselor in consulta-
the Intern must be granted partial tion with the Education or Ministe-
license (Licentiate status) to admin- rial Formation Committee. The
School, through the Field Education

Office, must be notified in order to worker entails 6 days-a-week labor.
confirm such appointment and if Monday is usually a day-off.
possible give some kind of training 14. A two-week vacation after the New
to these Supervisors. Year’s Day shall be enjoyed by In-
5. The Intern must attend pre-intern- tern. This must be communicated
ship seminar, mid-year processing earlier so that the Church activities
and post-internship evaluation and can be arranged properly ahead of
sharing in order to satisfactorily com- time.
plete the Internship requirements. 15. Getting married during internship is
6. No intern shall be assigned to his/ discouraged. However, one can be
her home church. Only one Church allowed only upon earlier arrange-
is allowable. ment with the family, church, Con-
7. No student can go to internship if ference and the School before in-
there is any academic deficiency or ternship.
incomplete grades. At least a cu- The New Magna Carta for Church Work-
mulative QPA of 2.0 or more is de- ers and Theological Education
sired and required.
Among its many provisions, the newly-
8. S/he must comply with all require- approved Magna Carta for Church Workers
ments and must obtain/send written details the relationship of various church ju-
evaluation and certification for sat- dicatories relative to the recruitment and
isfactory completion from Church, training of church workers:
Supervisor-counselor and from the
Conference Minister. Section 2. The Recruitment Process
9. In the event of illness or any emer- a. As the primary locus of mission, the lo-
gencies, the School, through the cal church “recruits, recommends, and
Field Education Office must be no- supports candidates for its varied forms
tified, especially when the illness or of ministry” (Constitution, Art. V, sec.
emergency constitute a big disrup- 4.e.). The local church therefore,
tion to the internship assignment. through the Church Council, the Board
Necessary measures must be in of Christian Educators and the Church-
place for the benefit of those con- Recognized Organizations, is respon-
cerned. sible for recruiting prospective candi-
dates in preparation for the ministry.
10. Only one summer exposure can be When done seriously, sincerely and sys-
deferred before a student can qualify tematically, the recruitment process may
for a year-long internship. come to prospective candidates for the
11. International exposures for 3 weeks ministry as the divine “call” they have
or more can be credited towards one been wanting to hear to confirm their
summer exposure. desire to enter into full-time ministry of
12. The limited license (Licentiate sta- the Church.
tus) expires as the Intern finishes the The recruitment process starts in
assignment. consciously scouting for candidates es-
13. The work of the pastor/church pecially from the ranks of the youth. The

ability to recruit and the availability of ceed to the one-year Apprenticeship Pro-
recruits is greatly enhanced by how the gram.
Christian education and nurture program
Section 3. The Apprenticeship Program
of the church has prepared and formed
The one year Apprenticeship Program
members from childhood. Recruitment
aims to offer venues to help the church dis-
is further effected by and with close co-
cover the potentials of those who desire to
ordination with parents who help en-
go into ministerial formation for the ministry
hance the identified gifts and talents of
of the Church. The program will be con-
their children who are prospective re-
ducted in Local Churches designated for the
cruits for the ministry of the church. The
purpose. The apprenticeship centers are
recruitment process intentionally empha-
expected to provide the apprentices expo-
sizes gender equality and gender justice.
sures to and experiences of a dynamic and
This gender emphasis will remain a non-
wholistic ministry. The program intention-
negotiable feature in the recruitment of
ally aims to have the apprentices experience
candidates for the ministry, in ministe-
varying situations in their exposure, includ-
rial formation and in the ministry of the
ing exposures to tensions and conflicts that
UCCP.
crop up in the local churches and in the dif-
b. Prospective candidates for ministerial ferent ministries of the Church as people
preparation are endorsed by the Board endeavor to journey and witness together to
of Christian Educators to the Local the life-giving presence and transforming
Church through the Church Council. love of Jesus Christ.
c. The Local Church, through the Church a. Objectives of the Program
Council, recommends and endorses the
candidates to the Conference Ministe- 1. Expose the apprentices to the dif-
rial Formation Committee which reviews ferent aspects and faces of the min-
all the requirements; 1) academic istry of the Church.
records, 2) church endorsements, 3) 2. Guide the apprentices in developing
pledges of support, 4) physical exami- appreciation and understanding of
nation, 5) essay on the candidates’ jour- the various aspects and faces of the
ney of faith and why s/he desires to pre- Church’s ministry and their roles in
pare for the ministry. these ministries.
d. The Conference Ministerial Formation 3. Prepare and assess the apprentices
Committee interviews and screens the as regards their gifts, capabilities
candidates. The screening includes hav- and potentials for growth and matu-
ing the candidates undergo psychologi- rity in relation to the ministry of the
cal testing. Those who meet the require- Church.
ments are recommended by the Confer- b. Responsibilities of the Apprenticeship
ence Ministerial Formation Committee Centers
to the Conference Council for approval
as ministerial formation students and 1. Provide the apprentices a wide va-
confirmed by the Conference in its an- riety of support systems available in
nual session. the host local church and in the dif-
ferent ministries of the Church.
e. The approved apprentices shall then pro-

2. Organize Sponsor Families that will Section 4. Support Groups and Mechanisms
host the apprentices. for the Apprenticeship Program
3. Encourage, inspire and support the a. An Apprenticeship Committee is formed
apprentices in developing to monitor, offer guidance and counsel
a) Steadfast faith in Jesus Christ and other forms of support and encour-
and a wholistic understanding of agement for the apprentice in close co-
the ministry of the Church. ordination with the host Local Church.
b) Regular devotional life and study b. The Apprenticeship Committee shall be

time. composed of the following:
c) Lively reading habit and inter- 1. The Pastor of the Host Local
est in a wide variety of subjects Church
d) Respect for cultural heritage 2. A Church Worker serving in the
specific ministry of the intended
e) Gender sensitivity and gender apprenticeship
justice
3. Representative of the Board of
f) Sense of dignity of own Christian Educators of the host
personhood and of others Local Church
g) Capacity for listening and em- 4. Representative of the Board of
pathizing Elders of the Host Local Church
h) Compassion for the suffering c. The apprentice is presented by the Chair
and the needy of the Conference Ministerial Formation
i) Healthy and wholesome rela- and the Conference Minister to the Lo-
tionships cal Church where s/he is to be assigned.
j) Stewardship of time, talents and d. The Conference Ministerial Formation
resources Committee and the Host Local Church
k) Care for the environment] of the apprentice shall to ensure ad-
equate provisions for apprenticeship and
l) Simple, humble, selfless and for ministerial preparation, which may in-
courageous lifestyle clude the following:
m) Emotional, physical, intellectual 1. Personal contributions from the
and spiritual fitness for the life apprentice and/or his/her fam-
and work of the Church ily
n) Recognition of personal weak- 2. Home Church of the apprentice
nesses and strengths and poten-
tials for change 3. Apprenticeship Center
o) Ability and humility to recognize 4. Churches within the circuit/par-

and admit errors, prejudices and ish/district cluster of the appren-
biases tice
p) Ability to accept praise and rec- 5. Conference
ognition humbly and gratefully 6. General Assembly
7. Donations
e. The Apprenticeship Committee, together posed of three (3) active minis-
with the apprentice, plans and designs ters and two (2) lay persons who
the apprenticeship program. shall have oversight of the re-
f. The Apprenticeship Committee sched- cruitment, apprenticeship and
ules periodic meetings with the appren- formation of ministerial students
tice. In the meetings the apprentice sub- of the Conference. The Com-
mits a progress report. mittee shall assist students in
their work and needs, and cer-
g. Special meetings may be held upon re- tify to their progress and stand-
quest by the Apprenticeship Center and ing to the Conference.
the apprentice.
Section 5. Apprenticeship Evaluation and Section 6. Field Education in Ministerial For-
Certification Procedures mation
a. After thorough evaluation of the appren- a. Field Education is an integral process of
tice at the end of the apprenticeship year, theological education. Through this pro-
the Apprenticeship Committee recom- gram ministerial students are enabled to
mends to the Conference Ministerial put into practice the theories and prin-
Formation Committee any of the follow- ciples learned in the classroom setting.
ing: This educational process also helps stu-
dents develop a growing capacity to en-
1. Approval for ministerial forma-
gage in critical thinking, disciplined re-
tion
flection and continuing exploration in the
2. Extension of apprenticeship many aspects of the ministry.
3. Disapproval or deferment of b. Field education emphasizes that the abil-
candidacy ity of church workers to engage in min-
b. The approved apprentice is endorsed by istry can be greatly enhanced by engag-
the Conference Ministerial Formation ing in ministry itself and attempting at
Committee to the Conference during its all times to improve the quality of that
annual session. involvement.
c. The Conference certifies the approved In sum Field Education is an integra-
apprentice as ministerial student and tive factor in ministerial preparation
endorses her/him to a Ministerial For- where students bring their classroom
mation Center. knowledge and theories into the field and
their experiences from the field into their
MC Section 7. Oversight and Support Sys- classroom discussions and reflections.
tems. In the process the students grow in their
a. Conference Committees on the Ministry capability to articulate and verbalize their
(By-Laws Article II, Section 8) learning while they also grow in their
1. Ministerial Formation Commit- ability to undertake more demanding
tee. The Conference shall ap- tasks in the field.
point upon nomination of the c. Included in the ministerial formation pro-
Conference Minister, a Ministe- gram are the following phases of Field
rial Formation Committee com- Education:

1. Concurrent Field Education is as a licentiate may have the
done by the student while on privilege of exemption.
campus. It is a week-end as-
d. Each Ministerial Formation Center shall
signment that takes place within
have a Field Education Director who
the three (3) years of the
shall coordinate the implementation and
student’s residence in the Min-
supervision of the Field Education Di-
isterial Formation Center. Ven-
rection program of the school and to-
ues for Concurrent Field Edu-
gether with the students design a pro-
cation are Local Churches and
gram for reflections and assessment of
Church-Related/Owned Institu-
their summer work in their respective ar-
tions and special Church-based
eas of exposure.
projects in areas close to the
Ministerial Formation Centers. e. The Conference Ministerial Formation
Committee acting as the Field Educa-
2. Summer Field Education is done
tion Committee together with Confer-
in 2 summers, each lasting for
ence Minister, in coordination with the
six (6) weeks. Areas of Sum-
Ministerial Formation Center Field Edu-
mer Field Education shall in-
cation Director, designates a Local
clude any of these ministries of
Church as Exposure Center that will host
the UCCP; rural life, urban-in-
regular reflections of Field Education
dustrial, campus, clinical pasto-
students facilitated by the Exposure Cen-
ral education, ecumenical and
ter Coordinator, an ordained Church
community.
Worker with a master’s level Ministerial
3. Internship shall be done by as- Formation Center degree and with at
signing students before their least 5 years experience as Church
senior year (or post-senior, on Worker.
a case-to-case basis) to a pas-
f. Concurrent Field Education students
toral charge or ministerial posi-
meet monthly with the Exposure Center
tion for two (2) semesters within
Coordinator. Shared reflections will be
one (1) ecclesial year. Wher-
the subject of further discussions in the
ever they may be assigned, the
Ministerial Formation Centers with the
final decision for such shall rest
Field Education Director.
with the Settlement Committee
of the Conference where the in- g. Interns shall meet quarterly with their
tern belongs. Field Education Director for reflection,
assessment and supplemental seminars.
Internship serves to test
It is advisable and strongly suggested
in practice the theories, knowl-
that the Conference assign a mentor-
edge and skills learned in the
counselor from among the nearest and
classroom and also as time-off
accessible ordained or diaconal minis-
for introspection and reexami-
ters to care for the intern.
nation of one’s vocational path
and. Section 7. Over-all Supervision of the Field
Students who have, at Education Programs
least, five years of experience a. The over-all supervision of the Field

Education Programs is coordinated by cies that they should be present before
the UCCP Office of the Clergy. any action is taken on their behalf. Such
attendance to CAS shall be counted as
Section 8. Summer Field Education Program
part of the exposure proper.
Process
e. Daily logbook of participants include re-
a. Interview of students by the Ministerial
cording of experiences/activities and
Formation Center Field Education Direc-
theological reflections.
tor.
f. Periodic visits to students by Ministerial
b. Communication by the Field Education
Formation Center Field Education Direc-
Director of the MFC to the Office of the
tor.
Clergy, UCCP National Office and to the
Conference where such students belong, g. Report-Writing by participants at the
on students going into summer exposure. close of the exposure program with cop-
Exposure Centers are furnished copies ies furnished to the Ministerial Forma-
of the letter. tion Center Field Education Director,
Exposure Center Coordinator, and the
c. Summer exposure students are informed
Office of the Ministry, UCCP.
of the orientation programs and actual
schedules arranged by the Exposure h. Evaluation and group reflection of the
Centers for summer exposure students. summer exposure participants with the
Field Education Directors of the Minis-
d. As far as practicable, exposurees must
terial Formation Centers and Exposure
be given time to attend their Conference
Center Coordinators facilitated by the
Annual Sessions, ministerial students
Office of the Ministry, UCCP. SMM
having been classified as voting mem-
bers of the CAS with usual standing poli-

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
T
here 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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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).

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-

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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 NOTES
1
Presented as Bible Study for the Association of Christian Schools, Colleges and Universities National Conven-
tion, May 11-12, 2009 in Silliman University
2
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.

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.

Happy Birthday, Tatay
Text: Hebrews 12:1
Rev. Reuel Norman O. Marigza
July 10, 2009 Divinity School
O
n the June 17 this year, the Sunday ther of the Reformed faith, the father of the
School children of the Chapel of the Presbyterian polity, the father of a body of
Evangel Fellowship paid tribute to theology associated to his name (Calvinism)
their fathers. I even received a card from a – John Calvin, born on July 10, 1509, in
daughter of a co-pastor whose father was out Noyon, France.
doing his pastoral duty outside Dumaguete. Were he alive today, he would surely
It was a very touching emotional moment es- protest having his name attached to a theol-
pecially as even older children upon the prod- ogy he began and which his followers es-
ding of some in the congregation went in front poused and widely spread. While he was a
to share their thoughts on their fathers who forceful personality, he was very self-effac-
were there. Many eyes were moist with gath- ing and did not want to draw attention to him-
ering tears, not least among them, the “astig self. In fact, even before his death, Calvin
na mga tatays.” Though my father was not had been afraid that people may treat him in
in the congregation, I stood to pay tribute to the way he had seen the saints being vener-
my father as in a few days thereafter, on June ated and was anxious that this would not hap-
23, he would celebrate his 80th birthday. I pen. So, in accordance with his instruction,
said that I always thought of my father in he was buried in a simple grave in the cem-
terms of the song, “the Leader of the Band” etery (in the year 1564). The grave was left
– not only to our family and clan, but to the unmarked and no memorial built upon it (Ian
many his life has touched, but more so to the Manson, Calvin in Context, pp. 117-8)
more than 25 young people who entered into So, why then this attention given to
various ministries both in church and para- him on his 500th birthday? Well, for one, we
church ministries during his 13 years as pas- are a living legacy to the leader of the band.
tor of the UCCP-Baguio. As I often say, in We celebrate, not to venerate the man nor
line with the song, “My life has been a poor praise him but to thank God for giving us an
attempt to imitate the man, but I am a living example of how one life, how one individual
legacy to the leader of the band.” can make a tremendous impact in his imme-
Today, we celebrate the birthday of diate community and even the world. And
another father – the 500th birthday of the fa- hopefully we may be inspired and challenged

to continue the legacy he has begun and left was only 55 when he died.
to us — calling us to be reformed and trans- He was not very healthy and was far
formed and to be agents of continuing refor- from being a physically imposing figure. He
mation and transformation within the church had bouts with regular migraines, his lungs
and within the wider community outside the might have been affected with some form of
church. After all, one of the battle-cries of asthma and he suffered from bladder stones
Calvinism is that of the church reformed and and gout. Sometimes, he would conduct his
is always reforming. lectures on his bed or be carried to the meet-
Many things can be said about Calvin ing halls (Manson).
– many good things, not a few misconcep-
tions as well. Rev. Peter Wyatt, in his blog, Myth: Calvin was the spiritual father of
lists some of the “myths” concerning Calvin, capitalism.
like: Rev Wyatt made this observation: It
was true that “Calvin was the first European
Myth: Calvin ruled Geneva as a theocracy. theologian to defend the lending of money
The truth of the matter was Calvin was with interest. However, money was already
a refugee from France. In fact, the pejora- being lent throughout Europe at rates of 12
tive title given him by those who opposed and 14 percent by the Christian kings of En-
him in Geneva was “that Frenchman.” His gland and France. (In Geneva, the rate was
actual position was chief pastor, and there capped at five percent.) Living in the time of
was actually a ruling Council in Geneva, run- transition between the middle and modern
ning its civic and political affairs. It was ages, Calvin understood that a principled re-
this Council that hired him in 1536 and which alism needed to replace an unsustainable ide-
fired him, yes, he was fired after two years. alism about “filthy profit.” In the turbulent
But he was invited to return in 1541 economy of 16th-century Europe, he dis-
It was at this time when his influence cerned that businesses need credit to get
grew. “But his direct denunciations of the started and thus provide employment for
unethical behavior of the good burghers and workers — among them Geneva’s many refu-
magistrates of Geneva sometimes resulted in gees. Calvin defended only those interest-
fights breaking out on the church steps. There bearing loans that would benefit lender and
was even a time when he was manhandled borrower alike.”
near his home. Political control continued to What can we learn and emulate from
be in the hand of the State Council. Calvin? The study material published by the
He is at times caricatured as a stern WARC and the John Knox International Re-
and grumpy old man and a killjoy, but he formed Center entitled, “The Legacy of John
was quite young when he made his mark. Calvin: Some Actions for the Church in the
He was only 26, when he wrote the first ver- 21st Century,” points to some legacies which
sion of “The Institute of the Christian Reli- we can pick up for our own time and place.
gion,” sa ato pa, CYFer pa lang siya. He I will be drawing some insights from this
was only 27 when he went to Geneva. He study guide and adding a little reflection on

my own. blacks and the coloreds – all Calvinists or
As it was in the time of Calvin, these Reformed but formerly apart. That is not to
concerns remain to be some of the pressing say that while we became united in 1948 that
issues of our times. As we look at these we no longer have issues of division and dis-
themes, and see what Calvin has done with unity within our own church. In fact for the
regards to them in his time and in his adopted last two quadrennia, this problem has taken
land, we are also at the same time challenged so much of our time, resources and energies.
to see and act on “what can be done by us In the difference of Luther and Zwingli on
today, right here in our land.” the Eucharist, Calvin sought to take a middle
Let us focus on three areas of concern: position, which unfortunately was not ac-
unity, justice and care for creation. ceded to by the two. He had corresponded
to other leaders of the Reformation, even to
First on concern for unity. Luther whom he addressed as the “very ex-
In his passion for Christian unity, cellent pastor of the Christian church … and
Calvin once said, “I’d cross ten seas in the my much respected father.” Unfortunately,
cause of Christian unity.” For Calvin the it did not seem to reach Luther.
church and its unity was a central (key) con- Can we too manifest the same passion for
cern. For instance, he said, “Each time we Christian unity among ourselves and among
read the word ‘one’, let us be reminded that others outside our church circles?
it is used emphatically. Christ cannot be di-
vided. Faith cannot be divided. There are Second, on the issue of justice.
not various baptisms, but one, which is com- On his sermon on Matthew 3:9-10, he
mon to all. God cannot be torn into different preached “. . . the rich should not be like
parts. It cannot but be our duty to cherish wild beasts to eat and gobble up the poor
holy unity, which is so bound by many ties. and suck their blood and their substance –
Faith and baptism, and God the Father and but should rather help them and always look
Christ, ought to unite us, so as almost to be- on them with fairness . . . For otherwise they
come one human being.” [Commentary on are like murderers if they see their neighbors
the Epistle to the Ephesians] wasting away and yet do not open their hands
Yet when we look at the church today, to help them. In this, I tell you, they are
we see divisions and fragmentation. Even certainly like murderers.”
within the Reformed tradition alone. When In another, he declared: “(A fair distribu-
I attended the Consultation of United and tion) can become reality -
Uniting Churches in South Africa last year, I • if the rich do not greedily swallow
discovered that some of these uniting up whatsoever they can get together;
churches-in-process are all from the same • if they do not rake up on every side
communion, unlike our UCCP which came what belongs to others to satisfy their
from several. To cite an example the Re- greed
formed Churches in South Africa were di- • if they do not gorge themselves upon
vided along racial lines: the whites, the the hunger and want of the poor

• if they do not, as far as in them lies, lives of millions and destroyed
stifle the blessings of God much of God’s creation.
• in a word, if they do not accumulate
great heaps as their intemperance (or Lastly, on the issue of the care of creation.
their excessiveness) drives them . . . John Calvin instructed his hearers then and
(Commentary on the 5 Books of now: “Whoever owns a piece of land, should
Moses, Exo. 16:19) harvest the fruits in such a way that the soil
In recent times and in keeping with does not suffer any damage. He should leave
Calvin’s legacy, the Reformed tradition has the land to his children and children’s chil-
taken seriously the call for justice. It stated dren in the same state as he has received it
that apartheid is anathema and is contrary to or even improve on it. He should enjoy the
God’s will and that it is a matter of faith to revenue of the land in such a way that it
reject it. More recently, the World Alliance does not serve luxury nor become marred
of Reformed Churches issued the Accra Con- or ruined by neglect. Even more, let us be
fession, which I hope can be studied in our guided by a sense of responsibility and re-
ethic and theology subjects. Issued in 2004, spect towards all the good things God pro-
the Accra Confession which carries a series vides us with, so that everybody considers
of ‘We Believe – Therefore we reject’ asser- himself for the things he owns as God’s stew-
tions, “is an instrument to help Christians ards. If we follow this line, nobody will
articulate our understanding of God’s de- behave immoderately and destroy through
mands in the areas of justice in the economy misuse what God wishes to preserve. (Com-
and taking care of creation” (The Legacy of mentary on the 5 books of Moses, Gen. 2:15)
Calvin, 32). Today, we live with the awareness that
To quote in part, as a way of illustra- the resources of our planet are limited. Even
tion, the Accra Confession states: worse, it is becoming increasingly apparent
• “We believe that any economy of that technological and industrial develop-
the household of life, given to us ment was causing irreversible damage to the
by God’s covenant to sustain life, environment. Soil, water and the atmosphere
is accountable to God. We believe suffer from pollution. In short, humanity
the economy exists to serve the dig- lives beyond its means (The Legacy of
nity and wellbeing of people in com- Calvin, 30) – and our planet and its atmo-
munity, within the bounds of the sphere can no longer cope with our demands.
sustainability of creation. We be- The way the world is going is unsus-
lieve that human beings are called tainable and untenable. As the song that
to choose God over Mammon and Helen sang last Monday reminds us: “Re-
that confessing our faith is an act of member the children, remember the future,
obedience. remember the children, remember Mother
• Therefore we reject the unregulated Nature.”
accumulation of wealth and limit- Many more good things can be learned
less growth that has already cost the from our “leader of the band.” It is my hope

that this “abregana” has whetted your appe- poor sinner like himself. Yet, God had
tite to dig in and find out more about the deemed it wise to take that solitary life to
man and the impact of his life even today. become a force for good in both church and
Calvin is now part of that great cloud society. As we celebrate Calvin’s birthday
of witnesses cheering us on to run the race, and as we thank God for his life and his
to continue the legacy he and the others had contribution to the deepening of our faith,
begun. Calvin was not a perfect person. It let us, each one of us, offer our lives as a
is not my intention to make him appear so. fertile soil ready to receive the seed of chal-
He too had his flaws, like many of us. Even lenge to be agents of change and transfor-
towards the end, he acknowledges the mercy mation to the honor and praise of our living
and compassion of God for reaching to a God. Amen. SMM

RESOURCES FOR
Advent & Christmastide
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:

Leader: If we have heard stories of struggle, with no intention of sharing the
burden or pain:
Leader: If we have identified the misuse of power, but failed to prophesy
against it, and refused to empower the weak:
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 one
else 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

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.

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

book review
Christianity with an Asian Face:
Asian American Theology in the Making
By Peter C. Phan.
Maryknoll, New York: Orbis Books, 2003. 253 pp.
A
s 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

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

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.

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.”

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SILLIMAN MINISTRY

August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine • 1

We have also opened a social networking group at http://

Dean, Muriel Orevillo-Montenegro contributed the Book Review, as well as

2 • August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine

Once More with Feelings:

August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine • 3

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Scholarship Fund Slots (as agreed by DS Remarks Recipient

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III. Scholarships Available c/o Student Scholarship and Aid Division

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Name of Scholarship Available Amount Nature Remarks

V. Scholarships Available for M.Div. (thesis track) beginning 2009-2010

Scholarship Fund Slots Remarks Applicants

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The DS Alumni raised a total of Php In conclusion, I would like to bor-

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Introduction and Definition of terms

14 • August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine

Theological education in the ministerial formation centers must also be faithful

I. Theological Education as “Education for Ministry”.

August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine • 15

Lay Theological Education

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Theological Education must aim at “Enabling the Enablers”

August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine • 17

II. Theological Education as “Avant-garde in the Interpretation and Praxis of the

18 • August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine

August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine • 19

20 • August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine

THE CHURCH AS A LAY MOVEMENT

August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine • 21

INTERRUPTION OF THE CHURCH AS A LAY MOVEMENT

22 • August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine

THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION AND LAY LEADERSHIP

Lay Theological Education: a very Urgent Need in the UCCP Today

August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine • 23

24 • August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine

August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine • 25

26 • August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine

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28 • August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine

August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine • 29

30 • August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine

In the Interest Group, we hope to share a lived-experience of wellness and well-

August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine • 31

32 • August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine

The Making of the Initial Statement on Just Peace

August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine • 33

The Initial Statement: Ecumenical Declaration on Just Peace

34 • August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine

The God of Peace and the Peace of God

August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine • 35

In the Name of Christ: Churches as Communities and Agents of Peacebuilding

36 • August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine

The Challenge of the Ecumenical Declaration on Just Peace to Theological Education

August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine • 37

38 • August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine

August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine • 39

40 • August 2009, Silliman Ministry Magazine

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES: 4. To be able to develop positive atti-

A. For personal developmental tasks e. stimulating/implementing/moni-