wfn.org | The Academic Year Begins at Taiwan's 4 Presbyterian Theological

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Colleges
Taiwan Church News 2742, 13-19 September 2004
Reported by Yang Shu-hao.  Translated and Rewritten by David Alexander

Four theological colleges are associated with the Presbyterian Church in
Taiwan.  They began to open for the new academic year on different days over
the last week.	Yushan Theological College in Hualien, which specializes in
training of Aboriginal church workers, held opening worship on September
15th.
Eleven of the incoming new students hail from regions that suffered natural
disasters over the past five years. College Principal Kao Wan-chin preached
on
"Bringing Powerful Love" to encourage them to depend on the love of God as
they face the challenges of life.
  Rev. Kao expressed thanks to the many ethnic Han churches that have
supported his college's ministry of Aboriginal education through cash and
in-kind contributions.	This was especially meaningful for the families of
students from disaster areas, who otherwise would not have been able to
attend.
  At Taiwan Theological College in Taipei this was the first year for Rev.
Lin
Hong-shin to experience opening worship as college president.  The college
held a 3-day retreat for faculty and students during which opening worship
was
held on the 22nd.  Scheduling and holding the term's opening within a retreat
setting testifies to the school's vision for spiritual formation.
  Changes are afoot for the Presbyterian Bible College in Hsin-chu, which
this
year began a programme of deep cooperation with the Presbyterian-related
Aletheia University in Tamsui.	Bible College students take up to 80 units of
their undergraduate work within the university context. Twenty qualified for
the programme.
   President Lin Rei-lung said, "The Bible College is pressured in finding
students because of competition from other schools. But we want to teach from
a faith basis, leading students by faith and striving to root them in faith.
When our graduates enter society they become powerful witnesses for Christ."
   At Tainan Theological College there is a renewed emphasis on graduate
level
theological foundations. Students enrolled for the Master of Arts in Religion
degree have an option of concentrations in Christian Social Work, Church
Music
or Theology. All students, no matter what their concentration, will take the
theological portions of their degree together with the first year students in
the college's Master of Divinity programme. That will bring an
interdisciplinary approach to classrooms and partially overcome the
"speciality ghettoization" which is common to many graduate programmes in
this
country.

For More Information: Yushan Theological College  www.yushanth.org.tw
		   Taiwan Theological College  www.taitheo.org.tw
		   Presbyterian Bible College	www.pbc.org.tw
		   Tainan Theological College  www.ttcs.org.tw

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