Chinese Reformed Weblog Conference May Run Again Next Year

Friday, Oct. 9, 2009 Posted: 9:43:53PM HKT

Organisers of an ongoing weblog conference for Chinese Reformed churches are considering running it again next year.

According to a September 30 posting by organiser Jonah Tang on the website, the CREDO 500 team is receiving suggestions from readers and participants to improve on possible future conferences.

CREDO 500, which has Reformed leaders and thinkers submit contributions for review and comment on the topics of the legacy of Reformed theology and the Reformation and John Calvin, was organised as a spiritual help for Chinese Reformed believers living in challenging times.

Tang, in his introduction posted prior to the start of the conference on September 7, explained: “On the one hand, the weak faith of many suffer from the onslaught of postmodernism and the rapid growth of all manner of heresies, while on the other, the 21st century is witnessing the rapid increase in the Church as many ethnic Chinese are coming to the Lord.

“In order to provide a platform for the exchange of ideas in light of these facts, and in the hope of continuing the proclamation and development of Calvinist theology and the rich heritage of the Reformed tradition, this conference has been organised.”

The conference seeks to promote the ecumenical Reformed faith and tradition of the early and Reformation Churches.

Its acronym ‘CREDO’, the Latin word for ‘I believe’, symbolises the first five centuries of the early church while ‘500’ refers to the five centuries since the birth of John Calvin.

CREDO itself stands for ‘Chinese Reformed Evangelical Discussion Online’, and has the goal of “planting the Reformed faith in the new generation of Chinese Evangelicals”.

All of the 20 papers are edited and translated to cater to both an English and Chinese-speaking audience.

The Rev Tang expressed his hope that the ‘strict confessionalism’ and godly piety of the 16th and 17th century Reformers and English Puritans, along with the faithful witness of the Apostles and believers of all ages, would find new adherents.

This objective is greatly facilitated by the Internet which has ‘flattened’ the world, he noted.

Explaining the importance of being rooted in Reformed theology, he said: “For unless we know and understand the Reformation and its necessity and beginning, we will never be able to be one substantive household of faith founded on the Truth of our Lord Jesus Christ”.

“May this conference contribute, no matter how small, to the goal of helping the Chinese churches know more about John Calvin and Reformed theology, and thus achieve unity in the truth,” he reiterated in a later posting.

The weblog conference was initiated by Tang, a pastor under the Masland Church in the Methodist Sarawak Chinese Annual Conference, and co-organised with Daniel Chew, a blogger, author and member of Covenant Evangelical Reformed Church in Singapore.

Three Reformed leaders were invited to serve as advisors, including Associate Professor at Seattle University, Acting Principal of the Reformed Institute for Christianity and 21st Century and senior pastor of Bay Area Reformed Evangelical Church Stephen Chan, Theology Professor at Calvin Seminary Zhi Yong Wang and President of the Gospel Culture Centre Keng Ann Lee.

The theme of the weblog conference is Calvin to the modern Chinese Churches. Organisers plan to publish the results of the conference in a volume separately in English and Chinese.

At the end of the conference, The Rev Dr Stephen Chan will give a conclusion and exhortation. Contributors and readers are invited to write a short note or message in commemoration of Reformation Day, which falls on October 30 and 31 (the conference will end on October 28).

Nathanael Ng
nathanael@christianpost.com