Dr. John T. Shin will be teaching the Old Testament at LBH Zion Theological School, a Contextualized Leadership Development center of Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary.
Dr. John Shin, who has been teaching the Bible since 1980 through Contextualized Leadership Development schools through Gateway Seminary (formerly known as Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary), says his passion is to teach not only the "head knowledge' about the Bible, but also stir in students a passion to share the gospel by the power of the Holy Spirit. Shin says these are the very aspects he still desires to impart to his students as he continues to teach this upcoming fall.
"The founding person of lay ministry is Jesus -- He called ordinary people and trained them and empowered them to do extraordinary work," Shin said. "And extraordinary work means it's a ministry done by the Holy Spirit. That's the key -- I'm not perfect, but He will do it."
Shin explained that another reason he is passionate about teaching through CLD, a ministry training program aimed to be accessible and affordable for individuals of post-high school level, is that he believes the role of the lay person is important in fulfilling change in the church and in the greater community.
"Most seminaries or theological schools emphasize academic criticism, which is not bad," he continued. "But our classes are focused on the ministry of the Holy Spirit, so you can apply the knowledge directly into ministry, whether it's personal ministry, pastoral, missionary, counseling, any type of ministry."
This fall, Shin will only be teaching the Old Testament, and aims to provide an understanding of the Old Testament that will better equip students to also understand the New Testament more deeply. Though the class is a part of the Korean track of Gateway's CLD program, Shin plans to teach in both Korean and English if the enrolled students are in need of both. All materials handed out in class will be written in both Korean and English.
Meanwhile, those who complete a course through a CLD center could continue to take more courses to receive a CLD certificate or diploma, which could then be used to earn 10 credits upon enrollment to a master's program at Gateway or any other theological school.
The Old Testament course is $285 including the registration fee, and is worth 3 units. Those who are interested must apply by August 31, and the class will run from August 29 to November 21. For more information, email jshinglobalms@hotmail.com.
