Far Eastern Bible College

Far Eastern Bible College
远东神学院

"Holding forth the Word of Life" (Phil 2:16)
"Holding fast the Faithful Word" (Titus 1:9)
Address
9A Gilstead Road
Newton, 309063
Singapore
Coordinates 1°18′56″N 103°50′18″E / 1.3156°N 103.8382°E / 1.3156; 103.8382Coordinates: 1°18′56″N 103°50′18″E / 1.3156°N 103.8382°E / 1.3156; 103.8382
Information
Type Seminary
Religious affiliation(s) Christianity
Denomination Bible-Presbyterian
Established 17 September 1962
Founder Timothy Tow
Principal Jeffrey Khoo
Staff 8
Faculty 14
Gender Mixed
Enrolment Approx. 100
Colour(s)          Blue, gold
Graduates Approx. 700
Website www.febc.edu.sg

The Far Eastern Bible College (abbreviation: FEBC; Chinese: 远东神学院) is a reformed, fundamentalist, and separatist Bible-Presbyterian theological institution located at Gilstead Road, under the Novena Planning Area, within the Central Region of Singapore. Founded in 1962 by Timothy Tow,[1] FEBC is the fourth oldest Bible college in the country. The current principal is Jeffrey Khoo.[2]

The college motto is "Holding forth the Word of Life" (Phil 2:16) and "Holding fast the Faithful Word" (Titus 1:9).

History

Far Eastern Bible College was established on 17 September 1962 as an autonomous institution independent of ecclesiastical control. It shares premises with the Life Bible-Presbyterian Church, but the two organisations had a falling out over a doctrinal issue. In 2008, the church sued the college over what it considered to be "deviant Bible teachings", and sought to force FEBC to leave the Gilstead Road premises.

The FEBC faculty had been promoting a doctrine known as "Verbal Plenary Preservation", which states that the text of Scripture has been perfectly preserved.[3] However the church failed as the Court of Appeal, the apex court in the Singapore legal system, held on 26 April 2011 that (i) “the College, in adopting the VPP doctrine, has not deviated from the fundamental principles which guide and inform the work of the College right from its inception, and as expressed in the Westminster Confession”; (ii) “[i]t is not inconsistent for a Christian who believes fully in the principles contained within the Westminster Confession (and the VPI [Verbal Plenary Inspiration] doctrine) to also subscribe to the VPP doctrine”; and (iii) “[i]n the absence of anything in the Westminster Confession that deals with the status of the apographs, we [the Court] hesitate to find that the VPP doctrine is a deviation from the principles contained within the Westminster Confession.[4][5]

Doctrine

Far Eastern Bible College subscribes to the system of theology called "Reformed" as expressed in the Westminster Confession of Faith, and its Larger and Shorter Catechisms (1643-1648). The college rejects the documentary hypothesis, source criticism, Form criticism, and redaction criticism.

Culture

College anthem

The "FEBC Anthem"[6] was written by the founding principal to music composed by M. D. Buell and arranged by Dave Haas. The early years of hardships and difficulties moved the founding principal to write the lyrics while on a train journey from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur in 1966.

Dean Burgon Oath

Since 1979, the Dean Burgon Oath has been taken by members of the Board of Directors and Faculty at every annual convocation to publicly affirm their allegiance to the Bible:[7]

I swear in the name of the triune God—Father, Son and Holy Spirit—that the Bible is none other than the voice of Him that sitteth upon the throne. Every book of it, every chapter of it, every verse of it, every word of it, every syllable of it, every letter of it, is the direct utterance of the Most High. The Bible is none other than the Word of God, not some part of it more, some part of it less, but all alike the utterance of Him that sitteth upon the throne, faultless, unerring, supreme. So help me God. Amen.

Academic programmes

Non-degree programmes

Degree programmes

In-ministry programmes

Publications

FEBC publishes a theological journal, The Burning Bush.

Principals

See also

References

  1. ↑ Tow, Timothy. "A Word from the Founding Principal". Far Eastern Bible College. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  2. ↑ "Faculty". Far Eastern Bible College. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  3. ↑ John, Arul (18 December 2008). "Church sues Bible college directors". The New Paper. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  4. ↑ "Khoo Jeffrey and others v Life Bible-Presbyterian Church and others [2011] SGCA 18.". Singapore Academy of Law, paras 95 and 98. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  5. ↑ See also Khoo Jeffrey and others v Life Bible-Presbyterian Church and others
  6. ↑ "Far Eastern Bible College | College Anthem". www.febc.edu.sg. Retrieved 2015-09-15.
  7. ↑ "Far Eastern Bible College | IN DEFENCE OF THE FAR EASTERN BIBLE COLLEGE, THE REFORMED FAITH, AND THE REFORMATION BIBLE". febc.edu.sg. Retrieved 2015-09-15.

External links

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