Rev. Dr. Christopher J. H. Wright
Walking in the Ways of the Lord:
Old Testament Ethics for the Church and the Marketplace

Offered by Vocatio Creation, St. Andrew・s Church & Evangelical Community Church in partnership with Langham Foundation Hong Kong & HKPES
September 18-20, 2009
(Conducted in English only)

About Chris Wright

PhD, University of Cambridge
International Director, Langham Partnership International

Chris Wright ：has been one of the most significant writers on Old Testament ethics over recent decades.； He holds a PhD in Old Testament economic ethics from Cambridge and was ordained in the Anglican Church of England. He has pastored a local parish church, taught for five years at Union Biblical Seminary in India, and then returned to serve as academic dean and subsequently principal at All Nations Christian College in London, an international training centre for cross-cultural mission. In 2001 he was appointed to his present role as International Director of the Langham Partnership International, a group of ministries founded by John Stott and committed to leadership development for the church in the Majority World. Chris has a passion to bring to life the relevance of the Old Testament to Christian ethics and mission. His has authored two commentaries on Deuteronomy and Ezekiel, and over a dozen books including Old Testament Ethics for the People of God, God・s People in God・s Land, Knowing Jesus Through the Old Testament and The Mission of God. Besides being the Chair of the Theological Resource Panel of Tear Fund, Chris is the Chair of Lausanne・s Theology Working Group which is involved in preparing the third Lausanne congress in Cape Town in 2010. Chris is also the designated Bible expositor for CCCOWE 2011.

Program Description

Sep 18 (Fri)
7:30-9:30pm

Open Lecture

Moral Society Thus Moral Man:
Reshaping Marketplace Ethics from an Old Testament Perspective

Today Christian ethics tends to begin at the personal level and work outwards. Our emphasis is to persuade people to live a certain kind of life according to this and that moral standard. If enough individuals live up to such-and-such a morality, then, almost as a by-product, society itself will be improved or at least maintained as a healthy, happy, safe environment for individuals to pursue their personal goodness. But we will have to undergo a complete reorientation in our habitual pattern of ethical thinking if we really want to take the Old Testament seriously and to transform the marketplace for the glory of God. The Old Testament looks at the question of ethics just the other way round, tending to emphasize social ethics over personal ethics: that is the kind of society that God wants, what kind of person we must be?

Sep 19 (Sat)
9.30am-5.30pm
and
Sep 20 (Sun)
2.00-6.00pm

 

Weekend Intensive

Old Testament Ethics for the Church and the Marketplace

Some Christians distinguish the moral laws in the Old Testament (which must be obeyed) from the ceremonial and civil laws (which may be disregarded). Others prefer a strictly New Testament ethic. Neither option, argues Chris Wright, does justice to the Old Testament as an essential part of our Bible. In this intensive, Chris Wright will develop for us a comprehensive alternative. First, he will propose a theological, social and economic framework for Old Testament ethics. Then, using this threefold framework, he will explore a variety of ethical issues in relation to the contemporary church, marketplace and economics.

Location

St Andrew・s Church, 138 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon.

Please click here for a location map.

Language Requirement

The program will be offered in English only. Participants should be sufficiently proficient in English for graduate theological education.

Who Should Attend?

  1. Pastors, teachers and leaders of the church who wish to gain fresh theological insight on the authority and the relevance of the Old Testament to Christian ethics and modern ethical issues.
  2. Leaders in the political, business, professional, and education arenas who wish to apply Old Testament Scripture to think Christianity about the social and economic dimensions of their life in the marketplace.

What Can I Expect from These Events?

Participants can expect to be stimulated and challenged by clear, fresh, dynamic presentations on Old Testament ethics from a distinguished scholar based on his thirty years of reflection and study on this subject. Chris Wright will discuss with audience modern ethical issues significant to the church and the marketplace. Participants will come to a remarkably comprehensive understanding of a theological, social and economic framework for exploring the authority and relevance of the Old Testament to Christian ethics within an evangelical tradition. Throughout these events will seek to bridge the gap between the best biblical reflection and the most real practice in business, education, social welfare, and government in order to help develop a genuinely fresh biblical approach to the public arena.

Textbook

Participants of the Weekend Intensive are requested to read indicated sections from Chris Wright, Old Testament Ethics for the People of God (Leicester, IVP, 2003) preferably before coming to the class. Book order service is available (see Registration Form). Ordered book can be collected at HKPES office (5A, Eader Centre, 39-41 Hankow Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon; Tel: 2314-3331).

Registration Fees (excluding book & meal)

 

On/before August 31

After August 31

 

Open Lecture

Weekend Intensive

Open Lecture

Weekend Intensive

Practitioners

$120

$1,200

$150

$1,400

Pastors / Christian workers

$100

$1,100

$130

$1,300
CGST alumni $90

$1,000

 $120

$1,200

Full-time seminarians

$60

$600

$75

$700

* St. Andrew・s & ECC members please register directly with respective church office

Register

To register, please download the Brochure here and return the Registration Form with your cheque payment made payable to Vocatio Creation Limited to Suite A, 12/F, Empire Land Commercial Centre, 81-85 Lockhart Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong. Alternatively you may deposit the fees into our Hang Seng Bank account 768-121790-883 and fax us your payment slip together with the form. An email confirmation along with a ticket, and a complete course syllabus if you register for the Weekend Intensive, will be sent to you upon successful registration. No refund will be considered after registration.

For further information, please contact us at:

Tel: (852) 2144 4900
Fax: (852) 3575 7414
Email: otethics@vocatiocreation.com.hk
URL: www.vocatiocreation.com.hk

General Terms & Conditions

Application & Payment

  1. Please send the Registration Form with your payment in crossed cheque payable to ：Vocatio Creation Limited； to: Suite A, 12/F, Empire Land Commercial Centre, 81-85 Lockhart Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong. Alternatively you may deposit the fees into our Hang Seng Bank account: 768-121790-883. Please fax the payment slip, your name and contact number to us at (852) 3020-1774. Please note we do not accept applications in person at our above mailing address.
  2. If you enroll in more than one person, please fill out a separate registration form for each applicant. Please list out all the applicants on the bank receipt or on the back of the cheque.
  3. Registration is complete only if it is accompanied by full payment. Fees paid are not refundable. Fees will only be refunded if the course is full or cancelled.

Admission

  1. Admission is made on a first-come first-served basis. Late applications will only be considered if there are still vacant places.
  2. We reserve the right to cancel the event if there is insufficient enrolment or unforeseen difficulties arising from mounting the course. We may, at our discretion, refuse to admit an applicant.
  3. Your admission will be confirmed by email and/or letter, but we shall not be responsible for any delivery failure. Please contact us if you do not receive our confirmation 5 days before the event starting date.
  4. We will make every effort to ensure that the course meet at the place and time advertised, and with the same speaker(s). However, we reserve the right to make changes if necessary.

Adverse Weather Arrangements

If the Black Rainstorm Warning Signal or the Typhoon Signal No.8 or above is hoisted at the following hours, the course will be suspended as below:

Signals hoisted by

Sessions suspended

7:30am
12:00nn
5:30pm

Session that start from 9:30am to 1:00pm
Session that start from 2:00 to 6:00pm
Sessions that start from 7:30 to 9:30pm

When the following Signal is hoisted during the course already in progress

Typhoon Signal No. 8 or above
Black Rainstorm Signal

Course will be immediately suspended
Course will be continued