CHRISTIAN MINISTRY
Definition: DTS exists to equip godly servant leaders for the building up of the church worldwide.
Overall Statement: Over the course of my internship I met with Dr. Wong on a consistent basis each week over the course of a year, and in these meetings he helped me navigate what my future in theological education could look like. He advised me in the ins and outs of choosing a PhD institution, he mentored me in how to navigate academia with a budding family, and he helped me define which emphasis I wished to pursue at a PhD level. This knowledge will help me reach my goal of completing a PhD and using that to help train pastors in English and Spanish-speaking contexts.
Learning Reflection: Dr. Wong advised me in how to maintain a work-life balance in academia. He himself has a large family with young children, and alot of our time included his advice as to how to navigate being a father and a husband while also being a professor and scholar. The prospect of completing a PhD with a young family has been one of the biggest hold-ups for me that has made me hesistant to pursue a PhD. Dr. Wong's advice has been and will continue to be a great help for balancing my work with my family and home life. Specifically, he advised me on how to bring your children along in your studies in order to study and still spend time with your family. I have no doubt that this will help me in pursuing a PhD with excellence and help me in equipping other godly servant leaders for the building up of the church worldwide.
Lifelong Learning Statement: My time with Dr. Wong in our weekly meetings gave me ways to balance my work obligations with my family obligations. This will be invaluable for global ministry, because part of being a faithful minister requires one to be a faithful husband and father. I was hesitant to pursue a PhD because I did not think this was possible, however my time with Dr. Wong has shown me that it can be possible. The Spanish world does not need merely good scholars and teachers, it needs faithful ministers who prioritize their ministries at home while also achieving excellent scholarship. Ministry is more than just one's scholarship, it includes one's life as a whole.
CULTURAL ENGAGEMENT
Definition: DTS values teaching truth in a variety of contexts, which includes equipping pastors and teachers who will be in a multitude of secular environments in their ministries.
Overall Statement: In my internship with Dr. Wong I had the opportunity to write three master's level syllabi for classes which would each cover a different aspect of theology. My first syllabus was for a class on Bibliology. My second syllabus was for a class on Trinitarianism. My third syllabus was for a class on Anthrolopology, Angelology, and Hamartiology. Each of these syllabi can be found attached as artifacts on the portfolio section of this website. Each of these syllabi contain books and curriculum outlines that intended to engage people from a variety of cultural contexts, and maintained a consideration of various student backgrounds and worldviews.
Learning Reflection: I learned that there is a need to keep in mind a diverse audience when one is teaching. For example, when constructing a syllabus, Dr. Wong helped me keep in mind that there are different levels of students. Therefore, when thinking about reading assignments and materials, I must keep in mind the variety of academic levels and diversity of cultures represented in my classes. Furthermore, Dr. Wong helped me keep in mind the need to create syllabi for a Spanish-speaking context. For this reason, even though we did not create such a syllabus for my internship, I researched and reflected on what such a syllabus would include.
Lifelong Learning Statement: As I created syllabi in an english context and considered how to do so in a spanish context, I realized that there are different learning needs and criteria for the same class due to cultural differences. An example of this is found in the anthropology portion of my third syllabus. When thinking about LGBTQ issues, race, and gender, the ways that I teach these topics will vary based on the cultural context in which I am teaching. In my future minstry in theological education in both English and Spanish-speaking contexts, taking cutlural aspects of my classes will only aid in my communication of the truth that the Bible teaches in a culturally engaged way.
COMMUNICATION
Definition: DTS values a high standard of academic rigor, this requires thorough research before being able to communicate with and teach others in the classroom and through writing.
Overall Statement: In my internship I had the opportunity to investigate multiple subjects for Dr. Wong, in order to assist his research process as he prepares for his academic works. This included performing word studies, translating using AI technology from German into English, and researching various subjects for him and collecting and curating relevant sections from my research for his use in his writing. Examples of these artifacts are linked in the portfolio section of this website. Seminary and my undergraduate experience have taught me to value academic rigor. In this intership I had the opportunity to experience what is entailed in communicating at a scholarly level, especially through the eyes of a Seminary Professor.
Learning Reflection: I learned that when a scholar publishes an academic work, a great majority of the research necessary serves merely as a background to his writing and may not receive direct citation in his work. This experience provided me with a helpful insight into what academic scholarship and research entails. A majority of the research I performed for Dr. Wong did not make it into his academic works, yet I believe it was still valuable to his writing process because, when one topic of research did not pan out and prove to be fruitful to his overall goals, it still led him into research of other subjects related to the original topic. This taught me that research requires persistence and discipline in order to be excellent.
Lifelong Learning Statement: My work in aiding Dr. Wong in his research for the internship has allowed me to see that the writing process has alot of failure and rerouting involved. Sometimes publications are not accepted, sometimes research does not support your idea as expected, and sometimes you cannot find an adequate resource for your work. As I intend to continue in academia in a pursuit of a PhD and with the hope of eventually writing at a scholarly level, it was very useful to participate in Dr. Wong's research and learn more about what it takes to be a published scholarly author.