Why sign up for theological education? To cultivate love for God and neighbour

When I resigned as a Polytechnic lecturer in 2004 to embark on full time theological education, a well-meaning Christian colleague cautioned me: “Are you sure you want to do this? Some people have ended up losing their faith while studying theology!”

Twenty years later, I’m now a theologian and church historian at the Biblical Graduate School of Theology (BGST). For the last six years, I have also served as its Principal. By the grace of God, I’m still a Christian! 

What I have discovered in the process of theological studies is that I have not only deepened my appreciation of Christ’s love but also learnt how His Word can guide us as we engage the diverse concerns of our contemporary lives – from how should we vote as Christians in an election, engage our Chinese cultural heritage, develop ourselves as leaders and whether Christians can use Chinese medicine. 

My conviction remains the same: If God is the Creator of the world, surely His Word can guide us in every arena of our lives, whether it is our love for art or football, our workplace challenges, how we should love the poor, or how we can appreciate science.

At this point, one may wonder, “Why shouldn’t I undergo theological education? Aren’t the teachings at church good enough? Isn’t theological education only for those preparing to be pastors and missionaries?”

I would like to offer three perspectives as an answer to this question.

1. Theological education deepens our love for Christ in the larger community of Christians

The call of every Christian is always to love God and our neighbours (Mark 12:30-31). The first port of call for learning this is our own churches. It is here that we encounter the Word preached weekly. It is here that we cultivate our love for God through fellowship with our church mates. It is here also that we learn to serve and  reach our local communities.

Yet, at the same time, the Church of Christ is not just our own church. It also comprises other Christians in different denominations, different countries and different cultures. Beyond that, the Church also includes Christians from different historical periods. What is wonderful is that the Spirit of God speaks in these different denominations, cultures and historical periods. A key purpose of theological education then is to unlock the wisdom of both our contemporary Christians and spiritual forefathers so that we can broaden our knowledge of how God’s goodness and love have operated in different places, spaces and across time. In this way, we can deepen our love for Christ and one another, and grow more Christ-like.

How does this work, practically speaking?

Theological education introduced the author to this book which led him to understand his true worth.

During a course in Christian History and Spirituality, for example, I encountered the Sayings of the Desert Fathers. These are (somewhat terse) sayings and stories of Christian monks compiled from fourth century Egypt. From these early Christians, I have learnt so much about how to grow as a Christian. 

Take Abba or Father Poemen, for example, who advises his fellow monks that they should stay in their “cells” and keep quiet. There they will learn all they need to learn about Christ and themselves. The monastic cell is a room where a monk spends most of his time praying. While this advice may work for the monks, it sounds strange for us ordinary Christians initially. 

Yet, as I discovered, there is much wisdom in this: It is only when we try to stay quiet that we begin to see all our distractions, fears, concerns and insecurities emerging. When we are not careful, these are concerns that can often mislead us or indeed lead us to sin.

These sayings came at a poignant time for me. I was in my early 30s then and serving extensively in church – teaching in small groups, leading worship in both English and Mandarin worship services, serving as a Young Adults deacon, and all this while working full time at the Polytechnic and studying at BGST. I was essentially a spiritual workaholic, trying to become more spiritual by doing more ministry! 

Abba Poemen’s wise words advised me to slow down and find my identity in Christ. It is only in the quietness that I discover that my worth – not based on my work or ministry but in the simple fact that Christ loves me. 

Since then, I have drawn much wisdom from the early Christians like Augustine (4th century), 16th century Reformers like Martin Luther and John Calvin, and early evangelicals like John Wesley and Jonathan Edwards (18th century). 

To be sure, we can read these spiritual giants on our own. What formal theological education can help and do more is to provide guidance on how to learn from these Christians systematically. 

More importantly, it also provides opportunity for us to do this in the companion of fellow students from other denominations – Anglicans, Baptists, Charismatics, Methodist, Presbyterians and more – so that we can glean from the wisdom of each other.

2. Becoming theologically mature as we are professionally competent

Singapore is a global city where many Christians work in different vocations ranging from the civil service to education, technology, banking and finance and social work and more. Furthermore, we interact with peoples from different cultures, faiths and ethnicities. 

What does it mean to be a Christian, or indeed, an ambassador of Christ in our workplaces, and before the diverse peoples we meet?

There is a certain degree of complexity to such encounters. How do we apply our faith in such diverse workplaces and industries? For example, as a financial planner and insurance agent, how can I honour God in my work? Are there insurance products I should not sell as they will not benefit my clients? How do I manage the need to be profitable and the temptation of achieving high sales at all cost? How should I treat my fellow workers so that they respect the God I worship?

Theological education will help support your Christian witness in the workplace and marketplace. Photo from Depositphotos.com

Navigating the workplace has much to benefit from theological reflections and spiritual discernment, so that we may become theologically mature as we are professionally competent. The last thing that should happen is for us to excel professionally and earns lots of money, but remain unsure or clueless as to whether we have been faithful to God at work, or not at all! 

Theological and spiritual formation, when done well, can provide us the handles for navigating these questions in our respective industries.

3. Developing wisdom to engage the world

Third and finally, the complexity in our world goes deeper than our work. How do we serve well in our churches and meet its diverse needs – aging, reaching out to new migrants, caring for those grappling with sexuality issues? 

Beyond this, how can we dialogue with others of different faiths respectfully while staying firm in our faith? Or how do we contextualise our Christian faith so that we can remain true to the Gospel and yet cultivate our ethnic roots? 

All these require us to engage in deep theological reflection as we try to understand the concerns of our neighbours, both Christian and non-Christian. When we do so, what we say and how we behave is winsome, reflect Christ’s love and uphold His truths.

CS Lewis once spoke of the knowledge and experience of God as going “further up  and further in”. As we dive deeper in the love of God through learning, we also present His love faithfully to whoever we meet. 

My encouragement for all Christians is to embark on some form of theological education. Perhaps, you can start with watching The Bible Project’s YouTube videos, or sign up for a micro-learning class. 

The author encourages every believer to take up some form of theological education to grow in his knowledge and understanding of the Word and of God. Photo from Depositphotos.com

Perhaps you can participate in Bible Study Fellowship or Precept study groups. Or perhaps it is to engage in more formal training in theological schools such as BGST, Trinity Theological College or Singapore Bible College. As Paul Stevens puts it, “theological education is too good to be reserved just for pastors (and missionaries).”

My prayer is that as we engage deeper in the knowledge of God, His Spirit and Word will inspire us with His love and transfigure us to greater Christ-likeness.

Ready to deepen your faith, sharpen your thinking, and grow in your calling?
BGST’s new semester begins in July 2025. Registration is now open. Click here to find a course to sign up for: bg.st/AY2526Sem1