1.      Standing in Caesarea in Israel and reading the name “Pontius Pilate” on a stone in the Roman theater there. For years scholars had doubted the existence of Pilate. The find gives historical credibility to the text of John’s Gospel.

 

2.      Reading accounts of the Moabite Stone (found in 1868) which tell of the greatness of King Omri of Israel. After being oppressed under Omri’s rule for 40 years, King Mesha of Moab defeated the Israelites. Though the kings of the world thought Omri to be great, 2 Kings 3 gives just a few verses to his rule, because Omri would not acknowledge God and walk humbly with Him.

 

3.      Standing in awe in the British Museum in London studying for hours some of the reliefs which lined the walls of Ashurbanipal’s palace at Nineveh. Though he was one of the cruelest rulers in history, Nahum’s prediction of Ashurbanipal’s defeat was remarkably fulfilled.

 

4.      Walking through Hezekiah’s tunnel in Jerusalem with students from China Baptist Theological College in Hong Kong, almost a century after some archaeologists doubted the tunnel’s existence. Wading in waist deep water, we could feel the marks in the wall where diggers had chipped away more than 27 centuries ago.

 

5.      Reading Kathleen Kenyon’s announced findings on the site at Jericho: “Jericho was unoccupied in the time period covered by Joshua 6” and then excitedly reading Bryant Wood’s rebuttal: “The common notion among scholars that the pre-monarchical period as narrated in the Bible is unhistorical does not stand up to the scrutiny of impartial data.”

 

6.      Digging in Tiberias with the team of Yizhar Hirschfeld and his team from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The team was made up of 25 workers from 6 countries. As we stood in the trenches we could glance up at the Sea of Galilee.

 

7.      Challenging my students to “be the one who discovers Herod’s tomb” at the Herodium in the desert of Judea, just 8 miles from Bethlehem. After many years of digging, the tomb was discovered in 2008!

 

 

   - Dr. Ambacher was appointed with ABWE in 1962 as a church planter to Hong Kong. He currently serves as President Emeritus of the China Baptist Theological College and as ABWE International Professor of Theological Education and Missiology.

 

 

Forum on Theological Education
in South Africa a Great Success

Thirty participants gathered at the Pine Lodge in Port Elizabeth, South Africa to discuss the future of theological education in Southern Africa.  Dr. Paul Steyn and Dr. John Volmink brought tremendous expertise to the discussions.  Dr. Volmink talked about the challenges of Christian higher education in South Africa and the mid-course corrections that are often required as one develops a strong institution with a Christian commitment.  Dr. Steyn is a foremost authority on Higher Education in South Africa.  He has experience in the public and private sector.  His humorous and anecdote filled presentations helped the participants understand the complexities of accreditation and registration. 

 

Small groups developed models for an approach to theological education that would allow for greater collaboration, regional distribution and accreditation.  In the end one model seemed to rise to the top as the preferred model.   The group affirmed the need for another meeting and asked Dr. Dale Marshfield to chair that meeting.   

A follow-up meeting was held on the 3 & 4 March in Gauteng and a working committee formed to develop a concrete proposal for establishing a new school. 

 

 

“Students don’t learn everything you teach them… What do they learn? … In terms of lifetime commitments, what do they really learn? … Let me tell you what they learn, they learn what I’m excited about.”

  - D.A. Carson
Reflections on Life and Ministry (04-27-2009) in The Scholar as Pastor series (Excellent lecture in audio or video)  http://www.thegospelcoalition.org/resources/a/The-Scholar-as-Pastor#  

 The Association of Baptists for World Evangelism is an unaffiliated, independent Baptist missions agency.  The mission office is located in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA.