Asia Theological Association is a private nongovernmental association formed by evangelical

Evangelicalism

Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...

 Christian

Christian

A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...

s in Asia

Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...

 to confer accreditation

Educational accreditation

Educational accreditation is a type of quality assurance process under which services and operations of educational institutions or programs are evaluated by an external body to determine if applicable standards are met...

 to theological institutions

Seminary

A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...

 in Asia

Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...

.

History

ATA was established in 1970 as a direct outcome of the Pan-Asia Congress of Evangelism held in Singapore

Singapore

Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...

 in 1968. Its primary goal then was to promote evangelical theological education including lay training. Accreditation services were rendered to institutions in 1978. Since then, it has grown into a movement committed to serving its members in the development of evangelical biblical theology by strengthening interaction, enhancing scholarship, promoting academic excellence, fostering spiritual and ministerial formation, and mobilizing resources to fulfill God’s global mission within diverse Asian cultures.The main reason of the establishment of ATA is to contextualize theology in Asian context. Through this Christians can share the gospel more effectively with other Asians in their own context. Today most of the Evangelical bible colleges of Asia are the members of this association.

Statement of faith

The statement of faith of the ATA is in keeping with the historical evangelical faith of the Church and all its member institutions are expected to affirm the same.

• The divine inspiration of the Holy Bible, of sixty-six books of the Old Testament and New Testament, as the infallible Word of God, its consequent uniqueness, entire trustworthiness and supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct. One God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
• The full deity and humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ, His representative and substitutionary death, His bodily resurrection and personal return in glory to consummate His kingdom.
• The dignity of humans, made in the image of God, their universal sinfulness, their need of repentance, redemption and justification through faith alone in Christ crucified and risen from the dead.
• The resurrection of all humans, either to eternal life or to condemnation.
• The illuminating, regenerating, indwelling, and sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit, enabling Christians to witness effectively to the Gospel and to serve responsibly in the world.
• The unity in our Lord Jesus Christ of all believers, who comprise the Church.
• The total mission of the Church to the whole man in society in the contemporary context, in obedience to God, according to the Scriptures.

Legal status

Asia Theological Association offers to accredit theological seminaries in the Asian region. While it was not been authorized by the education department of any of these countries, ATA is the Asian sponsor of the International Council for Evangelical Theological Education (ICETE), the theological education network that operates under the auspices of the World Evangelical Alliance

World Evangelical Alliance

- Introduction :' is a global ministry working with local churches around the world to join in common concern to live and proclaim the "Good News of Jesus" in their communities...

 (WEA). This effectively partners ATA with established accreditation bodies from other regions of the world, such as The Association for Biblical Higher Education

The Association for Biblical Higher Education

The Association for Biblical Higher Education or ABHE is a nationally recognized accrediting agency in the United States. It is recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation...

(ABHE) in North America.