| The Reverend Stephen Tong |
|
|---|---|
| Born | 1940 Gulangyu, Xiamen, Fujian, People's Republic of China |
| Nationality | Indonesian |
| Occupation | Pastor, Evangelist, Theologian, Philosopher, Musician |
| Religion | Christian |
| Denomination | Reformed Evangelical |
| Spouse | Sulfie Lalujawati (known as Alice Tong) |
| Children | Elizabeth, David, Eunice, Rebecca |
| Parents | Tong Pai Hu Tan Tjien Nio (Dorcas Tanjowati) |
| Stephen Tong | |
|---|---|
| Education | Bachelor of Theology, Southeast Asia Bible Seminary |
| Church | Reformed Evangelical Church of Indonesia |
| Offices held | Head of Synod of the Reformed Evangelical Church of Indonesia |
Stephen Tong (Chinese: 唐崇荣; pinyin: Tang Chongrong or Lau Tong; born 1940) is a Chinese Indonesian Reformed pastor, evangelist, theologian, philosopher, and musician of Hakka ancestry. By Dr. Philip Teng of Hong Kong, he had been called "Billy Graham of the East" for his major ministries in Asia, especially in South-East Asia, at that time.[1] Moreover, he had been admitted as a philosophical apologist in this era, like Francis Schaeffer in cultural apologetics.[2] As an evangelist, Tong has preached in Asia, Europe, Australia, America, and guest lectured at many theological seminaries.[3] He is the founder and president of the Stephen Tong Evangelistic Ministries International (STEMI) which has established offices in the United States, European countries, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Taiwan. Tong, as one key figure among some notable Reformed theologian such as Gerald Bray, A.T.B. McGowan, Peter Jones, and Samuel Logan, becomes member of the Theological Commission at World Reformed Fellowship to formalize Reformed Confession of Faith in the 21st Century.[4]
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Stephen Tong was born in 1940 in Xiamen, China, to Tong Pai Hu, a wealthy Chinese man, and Tan Tjien Nio (also known as Dorcas Tanjowati), an Indonesian woman of Chinese ancestry. His father's ascestors had important titles and was regarded by the Qing Government. However, the family went to bankruptcy because of the unceasing war in China.[5]
The family had seven sons (Tony, John, Peter, Caleb, Stephen, Joseph, Solomon), five of which became Christian ministers, and one daughter (Mary).[6]
His father passed away when Tong was just 3 years old. His mother struggled alone to foster the family during the years of Japan imperialism (about 1942-1945) in China as well as in East Java, Indonesia, years later. In 1949, when Tong was 9 years old, the family migrated to Surabaya, Indonesia, because of the Chinese Revolution (1949). Tong regarded his mother as a great example for his spiritual life. "When I was small, the first words I'd hear in the morning were those of my mother while she prayed. She prayed for each of us children by name, and asked God to guide us.", he said of his mother.[7]
When Tong was around 15–17 years old, he realized that he had been committed to the communism, Karl Marx's dialectical materialism, and Charles Darwin's evolutionism. He also had deep hatred towards Christianity and regarded it as "the foolish religion which came from the devilish West and has illogical teachings".[8]
On January 1957, Tong was forced by his mother to attend a youth conference, which was conducted by Southeast Asia Bible Seminary in Malang. On January 9, 1957, Tong dedicated his life to Jesus Christ in the revival service led by Andrew Gih, which concluded the conference.[9]
Afterwards, Tong began preaching and teaching small children in Christian schools, as well as introducing the Gospel to people he met. In 1960, Tong entered Southeast Asia Bible Seminary after suffering from an unknown disease.[10]
Stephen Tong obtained his bachelor degree in theology (BTh) from Southeast Asia Bible Seminary (SABS) in Malang, Indonesia, where he later served in the faculty, teaching theology and philosophy from 1964 to 1988. He has also been invited to be guest lecturer in China Graduate School of Theology, China Evangelical Seminary, Trinity College, Westminster Theological Seminary, Regent College, and many others. In 1985, Tong was awarded an honorary Doctor of Leadership in Christian Evangelism (DLCE) degree from the La Madrid International Academy of Leadership in Manila, The Philippines. In May 2008, he received an honorary Doctor of Divinity (DD) degree from the Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, USA.[11][12] Now, he is formally referred to as "The Reverend Stephen Tong, BTh, DLCE (h.c.), DD (h.c.)" or simply, and most commonly, "Rev. Dr. Stephen Tong".
Stephen Tong named his brand of theology as Evangelical Reformed, which is said to be aimed at meeting the challenge of the Charismatic movement as well as Liberalism.[13] It emphasizes on the importance of the Bible as the sole word of God and actively encourages evangelism. Tong also frequently mentions the need for churches to attend to the cultural mandate. Besides this, he is also a fervent creationist, having promoted his creationist ideas in rallies held in Taiwan and Singapore.
Among his listeners, Stephen Tong is known to possess a unique flair of rhetoric in his preaching, often linked to influences of George Whitefield and Charles Spurgeon. Many of his sermons have been published into books.
Tong has been preaching since he was 17 years old. He was ordained as pastor in 1982. Tong's ministry is mainly conducted among Mandarin and Indonesian-speaking audiences. Since 2000, Tong has preached expository sermons on the Gospel of John, Romans, Hebrews, James and other topics in Jakarta, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, and Taipei every week. Every year, Christmas and Easter mark the occasions for evangelistic rallies in these cities, in addition to other rallies in these cities and others which he visits less frequently. These rallies are conducted by Stephen Tong Evangelistic Ministries International (STEMI), which was founded by Tong in 1979. As an evangelist, he is said to have influenced hundreds of thousands to become full-time ministers of the Gospel.[14]
Stephen Tong saw that many churches had been influenced by world philosophy and churches that are still loyal and consistent to the genuine teaching of the Bible can rarely be found. In response of his vision to reform Christianity, he started the Reformed Evangelical Movement in 1984. The mission of the movement is to restore the understanding of theology based on God's revelation in the Scripture and to burn the people with the fire of evangelism. Tong started the movement by conducting theological seminars (Indonesian: Seminar Pembinaan Iman Kristen, SPIK), in Jakarta to introduce Reformed theology to the people of Indonesia. These seminars had been recorded and adopted into books (see Bibliography below). The theme of the first seminar is "Faith and Religion" and it was attended by 1200 people. The number of people attending his seminars grows rapidly, and more people wanted to learn deeper about Reformed theology. In 1986, together with Rev. Caled Tong and Rev. Yakub Susabda, Tong founded the Indonesian Reformed Evangelical Institution (Indonesian: Lembaga Reformed Injili Indonesia, LRII). Later, Tong founded the Reformed Evangelical School of Theology (Indonesian: Sekolah Tinggi Reformed Injili, STRI), for the laity in Surabaya (1986), Jakarta (1987), and Malang (1990). In 1989, Tong founded the Reformed Evangelical Church of Indonesia (Indonesian: Gereja Reformed Injili Indonesia, GRII). In 1996, Tong founded the Reformed Institute for Christianity and the 21st Century in Washington DC and the Reformed Institute in Jakarta, which was renamed the International Reformed Evangelical Seminary (Indonesian: STT Reformed Injili Internasional, STTRII) in 2011. To answer the cultural mandate, Tong, together with Rev. Benyamin Intan, founded the Reformed Center for Religion and Society in 2006.[15]
Stephen Tong founded the Reformed Evangelical Church of Indonesia in 1989 to establish a Reformed theology-based church and congregations who are committed to evangelism. Tong is currently the Head of Synod of the Reformed Evangelical Church of Indonesia. The church subscribes to the Reformed confessions generally accepted by Reformed churches, but it has its own unique confession of faith.[16][17]
The Reformed Evangelical Church of Indonesia has expanded to include branches in various parts of the world including Germany, North America, Asia and Australia. In 2008, a new building for the Reformed Evangelical Church in Jakarta called Reformed Millenium Center of Indonesia (RMCI), which includes The Messiah Cathedral (a 4800-seat auditorium),[18] was finished. It took 16 years to persuade the Indonesian government to issue a permit to build the church.[19] The church building was personally designed by Tong himself. It is one of the largest Chinese Christian evangelical church facilities in the world, with 600,000 square feet (56,000 m2) of space. The building also includes a theological seminary, STT Reformed Injili Internasional, founded by the Synod of Reformed Evangelical Church of Indonesia in cooperation with Reformed Institute for Christianity and the 21st Century (Stephen Tong Evangelistic Ministries International). The seminary has a strong relation with Westminster Theological Seminary. In 2011, the Stephen Tong Chair of Reformed Theology was endowed in Westminster Theological Seminary.
The Reformed Evangelical Church of Indonesia and its affiliated institutions have female evangelists, lecturers, and church council members. They are allowed to preach and assume authoritative roles, although they are not ordained.[20]
Tong has composed numerous Indonesia, English, and Mandarin hymns and chorus, popular among many Christians.[21] Other than preaching and teaching, his activities revolve around conducting choirs and orchestras, and educating the church in the appreciation of sacred music. In 1986, he founded Jakarta Oratorio Society, a choir specialized in sacred music. His other interests include arts and architectural design, having contributed to the design of many church buildings in Indonesia. In 2009, a 1200-seat concert hall designed by Tong called Aula Simfonia Jakarta was opened as part of RMCI. Since then, the Jakarta Simfonia Orchestra with Tong as its music director and Jahja Ling as its artistic consultant has performed regularly in the concert hall.[22] He is also known to have interest in classical music especially in Baroque era, watches, and antiques.[23] In 2011, Sofilia Fine Art Center in RMCI, which contains numerous antiques, was opened.
Stephen Tong currently resides in Jakarta, Indonesia. He is married to Alice Tong. They have one son and three daughters.
(All Books are edited and summarized in Indonesian Language) Momentum Fine Book Selection
These are adopted from many courses, et. seq.:
1. Seminar Pembinaan Iman Kristen (SPIK) [Yearly Systematic Courses]
2. Seri Mimbar Reformed Injili Indonesia [Reformed Evangelical Pulpit Series]
3. Special Courses
4. Gospel Rally in Various Cities
5. Devotion in Topical Themes (Sorted Number)
6. Seminary with Another Speaker
(Most of his songs were created in Indonesian Languages and implemented in his gospel rally)
These are his songs with descriptions of the city where they were performed at the first time:[24]