Mar 14
By Joshua Huang
America’s Bible College Scene
Today in my seminary module,
Mar 13
By Joshua Huang
During seminary chapel on Tuesday, we were given a special treat. Mark Lounsbrough, filling in this week for an adjunct faculty member who was unable to come teach his module, shared the story of how God brought him on board as a faculty member at FBBC.
I have heard the story before, but it’s always a blessing to hear how God worked in the life of Mr. Lounsbrough to take him away from a ministry he dearly loved and place him in a new ministry that he fulfills so well.
Mr. Lounsbrough was a missionary in Brazil for almost 20 years, teaching in a seminary for nationals down there. When Faith’s missions chair became vacant, Dr. George Houghton, the college dean, called Mr. Lounsbrough and asked him to come join the faculty. Mr. Lounsbrough politely told him that he did not feel God leading him in that direction.
After a series of events in which that position was filled and vacated again, Dr. George again approached Mr. Lounsbrough about the job. To make a long story short, Mr. Lounsbrough eventually accepted the invitation and applied for the job, despite the pain of having to leave his ministry in Brazil.
Oh how thankful I personally am for Mr. Lounsbrough’s ministry at the college! I have had the privilege of working closely with him for three years as the president of the Student Missionary Fellowship, and I have also enjoyed his classes, even at 7am. God is using him in such great ways here.
But that’s all preliminary stuff. The point of this blog post is to tell you why Dr. George sought so hard after Mr. Lounsbrough.
Today in class, we studied the topic of Pentecostalism and the charismatic movement. As we go along through history and study various Bible colleges and how they strayed from the truth, one overall theme is evident. When schools began to hire professors that did not completely conform to their doctrinal beliefs and convictions, they set themselves up for compromise, and eventually it was too late to go back.
Here at Faith, our faculty and staff are held to the highest standards. Dr. George said that he pursued Mr. Lounsbrough because he knew where he stood on the important issues, and he knew that he was in full agreement with the school’s historical beliefs.
According to Dr. George, there’s no reason to fill a position just to fill it if the right person is not available. Some Bible schools welcome teachers who are not in full agreement with them, but at Faith, that is not an option.
Hence, for 91 years, my school has upheld its biblical standards despite the difficulty of doing so. Not everyone will agree with that decision, but nevertheless, it is the one of the primary reasons why the school is still the same school it has always been.
I praise God for my school’s faithfulness, even when it sometimes means being picky.
Mar 12
By Joshua Huang
It’s day two of module week at Faith Baptist Theological Seminary, and I’m learning so much from the
Mar 11
By Joshua Huang
This week I am taking a seminary module at Faith Baptist Theological Seminary: Contemporary Christianity with Dr. George Houghton. After getting over the initial shock resulting from the homework (1500 pages of reading, a six-page annotated bibliography, and an exam over the next 8 weeks) and the price of notes ($60 for two inches of notes),
Mar 10
By Joshua Huang
Somehow I completely missed out on the news about Daylight Savings starting this weekend. But fortunately, my church emailed me yesterday to remind me to set my clock ahead, and today I arrived on time.
But I found out that my church was doing more than just preventing people from forgetting about DST. I walked through the fellowship hall and discovered that they were also prepared to help everyone who might be feeling the effects from an hour less of sleep.
I’m not a coffee-lover, and as much as possible I try to avoid caffeine and function solely on my own body’s energy from regular food, but I thought this was funny and picture-worthy.
Feb 24
By Joshua Huang
Okay, so I have lots of homework to do right now, but I just feel compelled to write about my morning at Heartland Baptist Church.
First of all, I had the the great privilege to play piano for both morning services. Both services were well-attended, and as I played the piano, I could hear the joy in the people’s voices as they sang out loud to the glory of God.
And Can it Be?, My Savior’s Love,
Dec 16
By Joshua Huang
“As it is written: ‘There is none righteous, no, not one;
Dec 6
By Joshua Huang
So, in Canada when someone picks up a phone, dials a number, and uses the phone to communicate with someone else, the action is referred to as “phoning.” If I needed to contact someone with my phone, I would phone him.
But in the United States, we refer to the same action as “calling.” If I need to contact someone with my phone, I would call him.
However, in Canada, if you phone someone and can’t get in contact with them, you hope that they will return your call. The act of phoning you back is called returning your call.
But in the USA, we also say that if we call someone and can’t get in contact with them, we hope they will call us back. The act of calling us back is called returning our call.
But, if you’re going to “phone” someone, shouldn’t the action of phoning you back be referred to as “returning your phone”? After all, the act of calling someone back in the USA is referred to as “returning your call.”
So why inconsistency in Canada? Why the odd mixture of nouns and verbs?
In Canada they phone people with calls. In the US we call people with phones. Shouldn’t they expect people to return their phones just as we expect people to return our calls?
All that to say…Canada is weird. It’s still a beautiful country though (in most places).
Tune in next time when I try to figure out why Canada will only send parcels but not packages.
Nov 28
By Joshua Huang
The other night I had a dream. It was a dream about my beloved country, the United States of America. It was a bittersweet dream…
It was bittersweet because it was also a dream about me…perhaps a nightmare of sorts. It was an uncomfortable dream that woke me up to reality while I slept comfortably. It was…well, the best way to describe it is just to recount it.
Four weeks ago, Barack Obama was re-elected for another term of service as my country’s president. Four more years as our Chief Executive. For me, four more years of perceived hopelessness based on empty words that drove Obama’s campaign forward.
In my dream, I saw the future of America. It wasn’t pretty. It was downright ugly. But to my surprise, I found out that it wasn’t Obama’s fault…and I also realized that it was not only the future USA, but the present USA.
But in my ignorance I still cried out to God and said, “Why God, why? Why did you put Barack Obama back in office? I know that you desire for him to be there, but why?!”
“God, you know everything that Obama stands for…why him?”
As I surveyed the bleak sight of my country I wept and continued to ask questions…and I received answers…answers I wasn’t expecting.
“God, we are $16 trillion in debt. We’re selling ourselves to other countries.”
God replied, “You live in a beautiful house and drive three luxurious cars that you don’t own because you’re taking out more loans than you will ever have money to repay.”
“God, what about freedom of speech? We can’t pray in our public schools anymore.”
God pointed out, “Why does it matter? You don’t pray in secret either.”
“Well, God, what about Your Word? References to Scripture are being removed from buildings and schools and books…”
God said, “When was the last time you opened one of the six Bibles that you own?”
“What about healthcare God? I can’t afford it anymore!”
I felt as if He smirkingly said, “But yet you have money to overeat, four times a day?”
“God, look how many marriages end in divorce! 50%! It’s only going to get worse.”
God said, “You have mistreated your own wife for the last 5 months, and she doesn’t know if you still love her.”
“But God, what about all the babies that are aborted! They aren’t even given a chance to live!”
I almost felt as if God was weeping along with me, if that was possible: “Lift up your eyes, and look at the harvest! Many people are dying and going to hell, but you are doing nothing to give them a chance to live!”
“But…God…I’m concerned about the future of my children. What country will they live in?”
After a brief pause in which God allowed me to ponder what I had just said, He replied, “So am I. But you won’t listen.”
It was then that the full reality of the situation hit me, like a coffin slamming shut. I woke up, and my pillow was drenched in my tears, but I had no strength or desire to get out of my bed.
The problem with me and my country is that we have focused on government more than we have focused on God. How can I be angry at a president that leads my country in the same way that I live my life?
Yes, there are problems with my country…but there are also problems with me, and I need to start there.
“Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” – Matthew 7:5 NKJV
Nov 27
By Joshua Huang
Four weeks ago I took a seminary module at Faith Baptist Theological Seminary. One of the “perks” of a module is a less formal dress code than both the college and seminary. So when I went to class that week, I was the “lucky” guy that didn’t have to wear a tie to class.
Halfway through the week I went to class without my tie while rest of the guys went to class with theirs. When I exited my room a few hours later, everyone else had removed their ties.
At 8:00am, I was special.
At 10:00am, I was normal.
A long-awaited dress code change had been announced in the college chapel, and male students at FBBC & TS were no longer required to wear a tie to class.
As for the girls, they were told that during the months of December-February, skirts were optional as well.
Following chapel, reports of rejoicing ensued, and the era of the classroom tie was over.
So what do I think of the change? First and foremost, hooray for the girls. I had suggested the skirt-during-the-winter change for two years, and I’m glad for the switch.
I simply can’t imagine what it is like to wear a skirt when it’s below freezing outside, nor do I want to know.
As for the guys and their ties, I’m indifferent. I personally don’t mind wearing a tie and I’ve never had an issue with it. Most guys who hate wearing ties complain that they choke them.
Actually, that theory is false. Ties don’t choke us. Shirts whose collars are too small for our necks choke us. So the guys who complained about the ties were usually the ones who didn’t wear shirts that actually fit them.
Don’t blame your pain on your problem.
When I wore shirts that fit me, the tie was no problem, and I looked better with one. After all, ties aren’t designed to choke people and look gross. Ties are designed to make guys look good. Who pays $24.97 for a personal noose anyway, let alone 10 of them?
Do I think Faith has lowered its standards? Not necessarily. I think they have lowered their clothing expectations, but not their standards. We still dress nice for class, and the clothing standards for Sunday dress are virtually the same as in the past.
What does the Bible have to say about ties or no ties? Well…nothing. It tells us to look nice and represent Christ well (1 Corinthians 10:31), and I think we can still do that with ties (for the guys) and pants (for the girls).
All that to say…I’m happy for everyone, but I still choose to wear my ties most – if not all – of the time. I like them and they look nice.
Actually, this is a great illustration of Christian liberty! Christian liberty does not give me the freedom to sin since my sin is paid for by God’s grace. It gives me the freedom to live a life that pleases Him!
Christian liberty is not freedom to live to a lower standard. It is freedom to live at a higher standard! Before I was saved, I was a slave to sin with no ability to live righteously. Now, I have the liberty and ability to pursue holiness.
No, I’m not making a comparison and saying that ties are sin. I’m saying that the handbook at school now gives me the freedom to wear ties rather than being required to wear them. Christian liberty allows for people to have various convictions, but I am free to set even higher standards for myself if I so choose.
Why do I wear a tie to class still?
Because I can. It’s called freedom.