Patrick Chan lives in Hong Kong, received a Langham Scholarship in 2017 and graduated in 2024 from the University of Aberdeen, Scotland. He is now the General Secretary of Campus Crusade in Hong Kong. He also teaches at the East Asia School of Theology (Cru’s seminary located in Singapore) and Evangel Seminary in Hong Kong. In addition, he is in the process of writing the Asia Bible Commentary series on First Corinthians, which will be a joint publication of Langham Publishing and Asia Theological Association.
Patrick commenced his Masters of Divinity and Master of Theology at Fuller Seminary in the USA, which is where he learned about Langham Partnership and successfully applied for a scholarship. He decided to transfer his study to the UK halfway through his studies, and was able to complete his PhD remotely from his home in Hong Kong with a yearly visit to the University of Aberdeen.
Understanding Culture
Patrick’s PhD was on “The Moral and Emotion of Shame and the Identity Formation of the People of God in First Corinthians”. He shares, “I surveyed how Paul used the word shame in First Corinthians… in the mission field there is always the idea of honour and shame because missiologists will categorise the Majority World, especially the East Asian culture as an honour and shame culture. And they also developed some kind of evangelical material in response to the honour and shame culture in Chinese. But when I was in ministry with Campus Crusade, I felt like some of their materials were not really responding to the needs of the issue of shame. It was more like the western perception of shame superimposed into the eastern culture.
“Through my study of the first Corinthians idea of shame, I noticed that the way Paul presented shame pretty much aligned with the Chinese conception of shame, which is very different from the western conception of shame. And in that way, I’m able to push back on the Western dichotomous conception of honour and shame and offer a more nuanced understanding of shame, both in Chinese culture and in the first century greater Roman context.”
Beyond the Surface
Patrick shares his experience with Langham, “I’m very grateful for the Langham Scholarship. Without the Scholarship and also the connection within Langham, I would not be able to achieve many of the things that I’m currently doing or have been doing, so I just feel like I’m so indebted to the gracious support from Langham”.
“Langham is not only about the financial support, the most precious thing is really about the network it has opened up. Through Langham I’m able to connect with many different scholars… So I felt like I was not working alone in this journey with so much peer support… I’m also so thankful that there are three different scholars coordinators who cared for me, prayed for me at different times. I’m very thankful for their support and prayer through this process”.
He continues, “I’ve met many other PhD students… and I can see there is a huge difference for the students who were able to plug into a scholarship or community, they just received so much support, which is not experienced by other people. I can see there is a huge difference for people who are able to connect versus other people. And so I just feel it is a very worthwhile investment for potential donors if they want to support the Majority World. Especially for many of those Langham scholars, when they move back, their impact will have an exponential increase because of maybe their position or because of the academic writing that they are working on right now”.
“It is unlike a normal seminary student when they just go back and then serve in the local context. Many of the Langham Scholars that I know in the Majority World are holding significant positions. And in those positions, they’re influencing people at this moment and they are also charting the course for the development of Christianity in the Majority World, So I think it is very important to invest in Langham scholars”.
Prayer Points
- Thank God for Patrick and how He is using him in Hong Kong to lead and teach
- Pray for the Asian Bible Commentary he is working on, that he can finish it and it will bless the church in Hong Kong
- Thank God for all the donors that support Langham Scholars, and for the impact the graduates are having in the Majority World to grow the Kingdom.