A Busy Graduation Season

Graduation season has nearly arrived at SATS, with the ceremony taking place on 14th April. This year we will be graduating 12 PhD students, hailing from Haiti, Congo, Ghana, USA, Argentina, Canada and Brazil. Two hundred and fifty students will be graduating on the day.

The week leading up to graduation day is crammed with events for the Seminary. On the Monday and Tuesday, staff will be gathering from around the world to participate in team-building exercises and workshops. We will also be taking this time to bid a formal, fond farewell to Dr Reuben van Rensburg, Principal of SATS since 2006, as he enters retirement. The Thursday and Friday of graduation week we will hold our annual Academic Retreat, with the keynote speaker being Dr Manfred Kohl. Finally, the week is capped off with the Graduation Ceremony on the Saturday.

Call for Papers: SATS Webinar

The South African Theological Seminary will be hosting a webinar on Pentecostalisation in the Global South, from 13 – 14 June 2018, and is calling for papers. The plenary address will be given by Dr Craig S. Keener, professor of New Testament at Asbury Theological Seminary. 
Papers are invited that explore:

  • Global Pentecostal and Charismatic trends in the last twenty years
  • Pentecostalisation and the church in Africa
  • Pentecostalisation and the Cross of Christ
  • Pentecostalisation and the future of the seminary
  • Pentecostalisation, socio-economics, and community development
  • Pentecostalisation and the environment

Abstracts are to be sent to Batanayi Manyika ([email protected]) on or before 30th April 2018.

Registration for the webinar opens on 1st April and closes on 31st May. Follow this link to register:

Papers presented will be considered for publication in a special edition of Conspectus, a journal of the South African Theological Seminary.

Connecting with the Pentecostal and Wesleyan Churches, USA

Earlier this month, Dr Reuben van Rensburg (Principal, SATS) attended the combined SPS (Society for Pentecostal Studies) and Wesleyan Conference in Cleveland, Tennessee. Besides promoting the Seminary and hosting a table at the conference, Reuben met with senior leaders of Lee University, the Academic Dean of the Pentecostal Theological Seminary and several other key leaders. He also connected with US-based SATS faculty, alumni and students, besides forging new relationships.

ASET Conference, Kenya

Dr Robert Falconer (Faculty Member, SATS) presented a paper at the ASET (Africa Society of Evangelical Theology) Conference in Limuru, Kenya, on the 9th of March. The conference theme was God and Creation in Contemporary Theological Discourse, and Robert’s paper was entitled: A Vision of Eschatological-Environmental Renewal: Responding to and African Ecological Ethic. One of the recurring concerns at the conference, he notes, was that vital theological issues often remain in academia, and don’t filter down into the theology and practices of local church congregations. “Biblical misinterpretation too often promotes poor behaviour. For example, misinterpretation of Scripture has at times led to a dominion theology, which has failed to steward creation faithfully.”

Singapore: NEXT 4-14 Global Summit

Mrs Bev van Rensburg (Student Counsellor and Academic, SATS) attended the NEXT 4-14 Global Summit in Singapore two weeks ago. Bev identified some key trends that emerged at the conference. “Technology has become the prime means of resourcing children and their leaders,” which includes initiatives such as the Bible App for Kids’s discipleship material and SuperBook series. Bev also noted that, in many parts of the world, “children who are saved are being trained to lead peers to Christ and disciple them.” Many wonderful testimonies of children being involved in evangelism and discipleship were shared at the Summit.

Vacancy

St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, is looking for a senior pastor. Please read HERE for more information. Applications, with the stipulated documentation, must be submitted to [email protected] by 30 April 2018.