In a recent press release of Reformed Institute, Dr. Rev. Stephen Tong, founder of Indonesian Evangelical Reformed Church and Reformed Institute for Christianity & 21st Century, was invited by the faculty and directors of Westminister Theological Seminary as the key speaker for their graduation ceremony and was presented the school’s honorary doctor’s degree.
According to source, the board directors and the professors of WTS unanimously agreed to present the Honorary Doctors of Divinity degree to Tong, exemplifying his long-term commitment in proclaiming the gospel of Christ and maintaining the tradition of reformed theology.
In the last half-century, Tong, a preacher and a theologian, has preached to over 20 million people. To train the believers more deeply and systematically, he has been traveling in between the major cities of Southeast Asia- Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Taipei- in recent years, to hold weekly bible-study seminars and annual theological seminars.
Furthermore, Tong has incessantly held evangelism conferences around the world. Dring every year's Christmas, he would travel in between the major cities of Southeast Asia. While the emerging church movement may impact the Reformed faith and traditions, which teach the return to the Bible, sola-scriptura, a idea emphasized since Religious Reformation, Tong with the reformed theology as foundation has passionately preached the gospel and did his utmost in prolonging the Reformed Evangelical movement.
Last year, Tong was invited to be the advisor of the International Fellowship of Chinese Reformed Evangelicals, and he urged that the churches to place high regard for the tradition of John Calvin's religious reformation, which emerged from the reformed movement, propagating the Christian churches to return to the Bible and “work diligently in unity for the professed gospel” and “do one’s utmost in fighting for the truth that was once handed down to the Saints.”
As the modern day reformed strong-hold, Westminister Theological seminary was founded by the key faculty members of Princeton Theological Seminary - Robert Dick Wilson, J. Gresham Machen, Oswald T. Allis, and Cornelius Van Til, all of whom are key observant of the reformed faith. In 1929 Princeton Theological Seminary was reorganized under modernist influences, these four men founded WTS in Philadelphia and continued the exposition and defense of the Reformed faith.
Several influential Chinese Christian theologians who graduated from WTS were Rev. Dr. Jonathan Tien-Ene Chao, founder of China Ministries International, Dr. Samuel Ling, founder of China Horizon, Dr. Che Bin Tan, former president of China Evangelical Seminary, and Dr. Wilson Chow, former president of China Graduate School of Theology.
