Asia Theological Association

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Asia Theological Association is a private and non governmental association formed by Evangelical Christians in Asia to confer accreditation to theological institutions in Asia.

History

ATA was established in 1970 as a direct outcome of the Pan-Asia Congress of Evangelism held in Singapore in 1968. Its primary goal then was to promote evangelical theological education including lay training. Accreditation services were rendered to institutions in 1978.^[1] Since then, it has grown into a movement committed to serving its members in the development of evangelical biblical theology by strengthening interaction, enhancing scholarship, promoting academic excellence, fostering spiritual and ministerial formation, and mobilizing resources to fulfill God’s global mission within diverse Asian cultures.The main reason of the establishment of ATA is to contextualize the theology in Asian context. Through this the Christians can share the gospel more effectively to the Asians in their own context.Today most of the Evangelical bible colleges of Asia are the members of this association.^[2]

Statement of Faith

The statement of faith of the ATA is in keeping with the historical evangelical faith of the Church and all its member institutions are expected to affirm the same.

• The divine inspiration of the Holy Bible, of sixty-six books of the Old Testament and New Testament, as the infallible Word of God, its consequent uniqueness, entire trustworthiness and supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct. One God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

• The full deity and humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ, His representative and substitutionary death, His bodily resurrection and personal return in glory to consummate His kingdom.

• The dignity of humans, made in the image of God, their universal sinfulness, their need of repentance, redemption and justification through faith alone in Christ crucified and risen from the dead.

• The resurrection of all humans, either to eternal life or to condemnation.

• The illuminating, regenerating, indwelling, and sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit, enabling Christians to witness effectively to the Gospel and to serve responsibly in the world.

• The unity in our Lord Jesus Christ of all believers, who comprise the Church.

• The total mission of the Church to the whole man in society in the contemporary context, in obedience to God, according to the Scriptures.

Legal status

Asia Theological Association offers to accredit theological seminaries in the Asian region. While it was not been authorized by the education department of any of these countries, ATA is the Asian sponsor of the International Council for Evangelical Theological Education (ICETE), the theological education network that operates under the auspices of the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA). This effectively partners ATA with established accreditation bodies from other regions of the world, such as The Association for Biblical Higher Education (ABHE) in North America.

References

External links

• Asia Theological Association