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Action Card – August 2006
Gospel and Culture in Thailand
These spectacularly dressed women are performing a traditional Thai dance. Their upper body remains upright and as they flex their knees to stretch and move to the rhythm of the music, they move their hands in beautiful and symbolic gestures which are accentuated by their specially designed six-inch nails. There are 108 specific moves in this form of dancing and each motion symbolises a part of an ancient Thai story about lives loved and lost. The dances are a traditional form of story-telling and also a way of sharing ideas, values and an understanding of the order of the world. In this, they are not dissimilar from the parables in the Gospels.
The good news of Jesus comes to life for people in Asia when similarities between the biblical message and traditional Asian wisdom are explored. Many have come to realise that if evangelism and mission are to be successful they must embrace and celebrate these similarities and not be afraid of them.
These ideas are the basis of the theological course offered by the McGilvary Faculty of Theology at Payap University in Chiang Ma, which is associated with the Church of Christ in Thailand (CCT).
The McGilvary Faculty offer a Master of Divinity degree which is designed to strengthen and support the life and ministry of the church by seeking to prepare students for the parish ministry and equip them for other forms of Christian vocation. This biblically rooted program is founded in the traditions of mainline Protestant Christianity, ecumenical in its outlook and, most importantly, it is also sensitive to the cultural and religious heritage of Asia. The program also addresses the issues that arise out of the rapidly growing trends in science and technology while teaching patterns of faith that nurture justice and peace.
Most students are from poor, rural
congregations and 30 percent are from tribal minorities in the hills of
Northern Thailand. Scholarship aid is a main concern.
Office for External Relation Payap University Thailand
Postage for airmail postcard – 50 pence, plus airmail sticker
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