The Association for Theological Education in South East Asia (ATESEA) is an organisation of Christian

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, ...

and other tertiary institutes of

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

. It is based in

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

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 ...

and currently networks 102 member institutions and schools in 16 countries. It also acts as an accreditation agency for theological education in the South East Asian region. ATESEA publishes the ''Asia Journal of Theology'', provides accreditation services, operates the

South East Asia Graduate School of Theology The South East Asia Graduate School of Theology (SEAGST) is a Protestant graduate school of theology, established in 1966 and operated by the Association for Theological Education in South East Asia (ATESEA) in cooperation with and on behalf of m ...

, and promotes faculty development, theological renewal and contextualization in the light of the "Critical Asian Principle", while coordinating regional planning in Christian theological education. In 2007, ATESEA seminaries developed
Guidelines for Doing Theologies in Asia
', responding to the many challenges facing the region, including

religious fundamentalism Fundamentalism is a tendency among certain groups and individuals that is characterized by the application of a strict literal interpretation to scriptures, dogmas, or ideologies, along with a strong belief in the importance of distinguishi ...

ecological problems Human impact on the environment (or anthropogenic impact) refers to changes to biophysical environments and to ecosystems, biodiversity, and natural resources caused directly or indirectly by humans. Modifying the environment to fit the needs ...

natural disasters A natural disaster is "the negative impact following an actual occurrence of natural hazard in the event that it significantly harms a community". A natural disaster can cause loss of life or damage property, and typically leaves some econo ...

globalisation Globalization, or globalisation (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is the process of interaction and integration among people, companies, and governments worldwide. The term ''globalization'' first appeared in the early 20t ...

and

post-colonialism Postcolonialism is the Critical theory, critical academic study of the cultural, political and economic legacy of colonialism and imperialism, focusing on the impact of human control and exploitation of colonized people and their lands. More speci ...

. ATESEA is a full member of the World Conference of Associations of Theological Institutions (WOCATI) by which the association is networked with other regional associations and accreditation agencies for theological education worldwide like the

Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada The Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS) is an organization of seminaries and other graduate schools of theology. ATS has its headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. History It was founded in 1918. The assoc ...

(ATS), the

American Theological Library Association The American Theological Library Association (Atla) is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3), professional association, headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Atla's member libraries and librarians provide resources for scholarly research to tens o ...

(ATLA) and the Board of Theological Education of the Senate of Serampore College (BTESS) in India.

Aims and objectives

The aims of the ATESEA according to Section II of the association's constitutionATESEA
Constitution
(URL accessed on May 4, 2007) are as follows: # To promote creative relationships among institutions and agencies engaged in theological education and the churches in the region. # To facilitate regional efforts in theological education in the service of the churches in South East Asia. # To set guidelines and standards of theological education and to provide accreditation services to member institutions and to others requesting it. # To work for the improvement and renewal of theological education in the region in such ways it may deem appropriate.

History

ATESEA was established as the Association of Theological Schools in South East Asia in 1957 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 ...

with 16 schools as founding members. The first full meeting was held in 1959 under the leadership of Benjamin I. Guansing of the Philippines and John R. Fleming was elected as the first executive director. The secretariat and offices of ATESEA was in Singapore from 1959 to 1974. In June 1974, ATESEA moved to Manila, Philippines when Emerito P. Nacpil was elected the executive director. It was again relocated to Singapore in 1981. In 1981, the name of the association was changed to the current title and continued to expand its scope of operations to include the conducting of theological study institutes in disciplines of the theological spectrum such as the improvement of the management and administration of schools, the search for a new spirituality in Christian formation, the encouragement of the experiments in innovative or alternative patterns of theological education, the promotion of closer relationship between seminary and church, the search for a more adequate understanding of excellence in theological education and the development of Asian perspective and insights in Christian theology. It has also facilitated faculty exchange among its member schools and institutions. In 1998, the secretariat and offices was again relocated to Manila; it has remained there to date.

Accreditation

ATESEA runs an Accreditation Commission which provides accreditation for tertiary institutes of theology and seminaries. The commission is composed of the Executive Committee of ATESEA plus two people elected by the association, normally chosen from the Graduated School Senate. Accreditation by ATESEA does not necessarily mean that the member institutions are granted accreditation by the education regulatory bodies of the countries where the institutions are. Many countries in the South East Asian region do not have a formal accreditation process for Christian theological education. In countries where such processes exist like Australia and Indonesia, ATESEA accredited institutions have also been accredited by the respective national and regional accreditation agencies.

Membership

ATESEA has a two-tier membership: regular and affiliate. The former is open to institutions engaged in the provision of training for the Christian ministry in South East Asia and the latter open to institutions involved in theological education in South East Asia, such as research and study centers, lay training institutes, and

Theological Education by Extension Education for Ministry (EfM) is a program of theological education-at-a-distance which originated at thUniversity of the South School of Theology while Urban T. Holmes III was dean, drawing on the work of the Jesuit theologian Bernard Lonergan. It ...

centers.

Member institutions

ATESEA has 95 member institutions in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

and

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

. A full list of ATESEA's member institutions can be found a
Member Institutions ATESEA's website

''Asia Journal of Theology''

ATESEA publishes the ''Asia Journal of Theology'', a biannual journal established in 1983 as the ''East Asia Journal of Theology'' (it obtained its current title in 1987). The

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...

is Simon Chan (

Trinity Theological College, Singapore Trinity Theological College (TTC), Singapore, was founded in 1948 as a union college between Anglicans, Methodists, and Presbyterians for theological training. The Lutherans joined the union in 1963. Academic programmes are offered in both Englis ...

). According to

John Roxborogh John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

, the ''Asia Journal of Theology'' has been a vehicle of theological ferment in Southeast Asia.

Affiliations

Forum of Asian Theological Librarians Forum or The Forum (plural forums or fora) may refer to: Common uses *Forum (legal), designated space for public expression in the United States *Forum (Roman), open public space within a Roman city **Roman Forum, most famous example *Internet ...

World Conference of Associations of Theological Institutions In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...

References

External links

Association for Theological Education in South East Asia

World Conference of Associations of Theological Institutions
{{DEFAULTSORT:Association For Theological Education In South East Asia School accreditors College and university associations and consortia in the Philippines Organizations based in Manila Educational institutions established in 1957 1957 establishments in the Philippines