Attempt Great Things for God

videoOPTalksTEBTBooks
Written By Open Plaza

Rev. Dr. Sammy Alfaro and Dr. Chloe T. Sun celebrate theological education in diaspora

 

Rev. Dr. Sammy Alfaro talks to Dr. Chloe T. Sun about her book Attempt Great Things for God: Theological Education in Diaspora (Eerdmans, 2020). Part of the TEBT book series, the work was inspired by Dr. Sun’s experience of being born in China and raised in Hong Kong, before coming to the United States to attend college and where she would become a Christian. “In this process of finding my vocation,” she says, “I struggled with the question of who am I, really—in terms of my identity, my ethnic bicultural identity, and my spiritual identity—and so it took me a while to figure that out.” Dr. Sun encourages others to “find that identity in God's Kingdom and to embrace it and to share it with those who have struggles about who they are in this journey of theological education.”

This episode of OP Talks is part of the Theological Education between the Times (TEBT) series, an initiative out of HTI member school Emory University Candler School of Theology that "gathers diverse groups of people for critical, theological conversations about the meanings and purposes of theological education. The project begins with a recognition that theological education is between the times, on the way. And it works in the confidence that we do not walk this road alone."

 
 
 
 

“This book fills a gap in our knowledge of theological education in the diaspora by showcasing the story of Logos Evangelical Seminary. Chloe Sun challenges the narrative of decline of theological education in America and helps us reimagine the future of theological training with vision and hope. I highly recommend this insightful text.”


— Kwok Pui-lan
Candler School of Theology at Emory University

 
Featured
Sammy Alfaro

Rev. Dr. Sammy Alfaro is a pastor-scholar whose research interests focus on doing theology from and for the Pentecostal Latina/o church and community. He is an ordained bishop with the Church of God (Cleveland, TN) and founding pastor of Iglesia Nuevo Día (New Day Church), a Latina congregation in Phoenix, AZ. Rev. Dr. Alfaro is Professor of Theology at Grand Canyon Theological Seminary. His publications include Divino Compañero: Toward a Hispanic Pentecostal Christology (Pickwick Publications, 2010) and a co-edited work with Néstor Medina, Pentecostals and Charismatics in Latin America and Latino Communities (Palgrave Macmillan, 2015). Rev. Dr. Alfaro holds a BA in Pre-Seminary Studies from Patten University; he earned an MA in Biblical and Theological Studies and a PhD in Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary.

Featured
Chloe Sun

Dr. Chloe Sun was born in Beijing, China, raised in Hong Kong, and became a Christian while attending college in the US. Her PhD is from Fuller Theological Seminary. She is a Professor of Hebrew and Old Testament at Logos Evangelical Seminary, El Monte, California, where she also serves as Acting Director of ThM and PhD Programs, and Academic Dean. Dr. Sun has published in both Chinese and English, and conducts Bible seminars internationally. Her recent publications include Attempt Great Things for God: Theological Education in Diaspora (Eerdmans, 2020) and Conspicuous in His Absence: Studies in the Song of Songs and Esther (IVP Academic, 2021). She is interested in promoting diversity in theological education because of her own context as a Chinese woman in the academy and her vision for a more inclusive future. You may visit Dr. Sun’s website at: chloesunphd.com

Open Plaza
Previous

Christianity, Empire and the Spirit
Next

Creating Meaning and Purpose