Asia Theological Association (ATA) is a

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

organisation of

seminaries A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...

. It is a member of the

International Council for Evangelical Theological Education International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

. The headquarters is in

Quezon City Quezon City (, ; fil, Lungsod Quezon ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read in Filipino as Kyusi), is the List of cities in the Philippines, most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a populatio ...

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

History

ATA was formally established in 1970 as a direct outcome of the Asia-South Pacific Congress of Evangelism held in

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

in 1968. Its primary goal was to develop "evangelical scholars, thinkers and teachers" for the leadership of the Asian church. Accreditation services were rendered to institutions in 1978. Since then, it has developed in serving its member theological institutions in teaching evangelical biblical theology and in the training of Christian pastors and church workers. Its operating principles include strengthening partnership, enhancing scholarship, furthering academic excellence, fostering spiritual and ministerial formation, and mobilising resources to fulfil global Christian mission within diverse Asian cultures. The main reason for the establishment of ATA was to be an aid to theological institutions in contextualising theology in the Asian context. Through this Christian pastors and Christian churches can be aided to be more effective in supporting Christian ministry more effectively with other Asians in their own context. Today the majority of Evangelical seminaries in Asia are members of ATA. The ATA's Statement of Faith indicates that theologically it "follows mainstream

evangelicalism Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being " born again", in which an individual exper ...

in the west."

Legal status

It is a member of the

. Asia Theological Association accredits theological seminaries in the Asian region. However, not all seminaries accredited by ATA are recognised by the respective government. In India, no seminaries are recognized by the University Grants Commission therefore, ATA degrees and doctorates are not recognized under Section 22 of the UGC Act. Since there are no government or UGC approved Seminaries or Divinity Schools in India that provide degrees in biblical languages and Christian theology, the degrees accredited by ATA institutions are recognised by Universities and Seminaries outside of Indian peninsular, especially in Europe, Australia and North America. ATA is the Asian sponsor of the International Council for Evangelical Theological Education (ICETE), the theological education network covering all the continents that operates under the auspices of the

World Evangelical Alliance The World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) is an interdenominational organization of evangelical Christian churches, serving more than 600 million evangelicals, founded in 1846 in London, England, United Kingdom to unite evangelicals worldwide. WEA i ...

(WEA). This effectively partners ATA with established accreditation bodies from other regions of the world, such as

The Association for Biblical Higher Education The Association for Biblical Higher Education (ABHE), formerly The Accrediting Association of Bible Colleges (AABC) is an evangelical Christian organization of bible colleges in the United States and Canada. It is a member of the International Cou ...

(ABHE) in North America.

Publications

The ATA published two journals: the ''Journal of Asian Evangelical Theology'' and the ''Journal of Asian Mission''. Both are published twice a year.

Some Accredited Institutions

Alliance Bible Seminary Alliance Bible Seminary (Abbreviation: ABS; ), is a Christian and Missionary Alliance, C&MA seminary, located in Cheung Chau, Hong Kong. The seminary was originally founded in 1899 in Wuzhou, Guangxi, under the name Alliance Bible College. Establi ...

Asia Graduate School of Theology The Asia Graduate School of Theology (AGST) is a consortium of evangelical theological seminaries. It was established by Asia Theological Association in 1984, and consists of three bodies: AGST Japan, AGST Philippines, and AGST Alliance (Cambodia ...

Baekseok University Baekseok University is a private Christian institution of higher education, located in Cheonan City, in northern South Chungcheong province, South Korea. It carries a maximum enrollment of 15,000. Academics Undergraduate offerings are divide ...

* China Lutheran Seminary * Chongshin University *

Chung Yuan Christian University Chung Yuan Christian University (CYCU; ) is a private university in Zhongli District, Taoyuan City, Taiwan. The university was established as Chung Yuan Christian College of Science and Engineering in 1955 by a group of Taiwanese and American Chr ...

* East Asia School of Theology *

Jerusalem University College Jerusalem University College (formerly American Institute of Holy Land Studies) is an independent undergraduate and graduate academic institution in Israel used by a consortium of North American theological seminaries and Christian colleges. Hi ...

Malaysia Baptist Theological Seminary Malaysia Baptist Theological Seminary (MBTS) is a denominational seminary affiliated with the Malaysia Baptist Convention. It is located in Batu Ferringhi, Penang, Malaysia.Malaysia Baptist Theological SeminaryAbout MBTS Established in 1954, MBTS ...

* Reformed Theological Seminary, Seoul * South Asia Institute of Advanced Christian Studies *

Tokyo Christian University is a private university in Inzai, Chiba, Japan, offering an undergraduate liberal arts degree in both Japanese and English. TCU is the only evangelical university fully accredited by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science ...

Torch Trinity Graduate University Torch Trinity Graduate University (TTGU) orean: 횃불트리니티신학대학원대학교is an evangelical graduate school and seminary in Yangjae-dong, Seocho District, Seoul, South Korea. It was formerly called Torch Trinity Graduate School ...

References

External links

* {{authority control School accreditors Educational institutions established in 1970 Evangelicalism in Asia Evangelical organizations established in the 20th century Christian organizations established in 1970 College and university associations and consortia in the Philippines