Can you share with the readers your calling to be in CE?
My first attraction to CE was when I was in seminary in Singapore. Rev. Howard Peskett, my OT professor, influenced me deeply. He was a graduate from Cambridge University with an MA, but he was proficient in both Greek & Hebrew and was an outstanding teacher. Whenever he ended his classes our hearts were on fire for God. One day, I asked Rev. Peskett, “Why don’t you go for your PhD? You are so well known as a gifted scholar and teacher here, and you have an excellent mind.” Rev. Peskett told me that if he wanted to further his studies he would go into the field of education. His passion was to teach the Bible effectively. He felt that his MA in Bible and Religion has adequately prepared him to study the Bible for himself. Doctoral work in biblical studies, while useful, will according to him likely lead to a very narrow specialization. He said that if he were to pursue a doctorate, it would be with Ted Ward, Professor Emeritus of Education at Michigan State University. This was my first exposure to the importance of education in the church. I wanted to be like Rev. Peskett, my teacher and mentor, to teach like him.
After my basic theological studies in Singapore, I returned to Malaysia and served with Inter Varsity Christian Fellowship among university students for three years. In 1988, I went to Regent College to complete my Master of Divinity. After Regent I felt called to a more formal teaching ministry and explored doctoral studies. I remembered my conversation with Rev. Peskett and my deep desire to learn how to teach the Bible was rekindled. I decided to get a doctorate in CE and studied with Professor Ted Ward, who after 30 years at Michigan State University accepted an endowed chair of CE and mission at TEDS.
My studies at TEDS totally changed my life. Professor Ward introduced me to key educational concepts—the community of scholar-learners, the challenge of thinking for oneself, the importance of reading broadly and the need to integrate Bible, theology, education and the social sciences for a holistic educational experience. It was like a second conversion experience! After TEDS, I returned to teach at Singapore Bible College and had six wonderful years teaching and mentoring pastors and leaders for the church in Asia.