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The first question people usually ask me when they see me is, "What book are you working on now?"

Well, may I say the plural "books"? This year alone will probably produce ten books from the Tsang study, Lord willing.

Now, you may ask, "Why so many books?" Before I answer that, let me state that almost my entire faculty is now producing books. Dr. Sam should not have all the fun. Let me announce that Dr. Lai will be writing a commentary in 1 Peter for Ming Dao in Hong Kong this year. Dr. Fong continues his series of systematic theology in which I give a detailed foreword endorsement. Dr. Kuo is in the middle of talking with Tien Dao Publishers in Hong Kong in order to turn his chapel sermons into books. I believe these sermons will be greatly beneficial for all lay believers and pastors alike.

We don't do advertising brochures that people throw into the rubbish bin. We do books because people do not toss meaningful books into the rubbish bin. Writing here in OTS is a team effort. It is a school culture. It is serious business.

In light of our writing ministry, I would challenge every one of you to check out our books. There is one commonality between all of us, despite differences in specialty and perspectives. We all write in relevant language. We do not make the drastic separation between the intellectual and spiritual. We all fully subscribe to the great saying by the 19th century bishop J. C. Ryle, "All theological should be devotional. All devotional should be theological."

So, why indeed does a seminary staff need to publish? Isn't teaching good enough? Isn't the seminary professor's job to teach and the university professor's job to publish? No, I believe the current shortage of quality and updated academic books and the poverty in sound theological devotional books answer those superficial questions very easily.

Wherever I teach, there is always a complaint among the educated that they are tired of reading the same old stuff. Professors complain that there is a lack of updated text book. Stuff from the 1980's and 1990's can only get you so far. Translated works do not fare better.

Here in OTS, we pride ourselves on our quality teaching. I expect the whole faculty to perform up to 110% in the classroom, but that itself is not enough to make any permanent impact in the wider church community. To focus merely on teaching will limit our impact. The problems Chinese churches face cannot be solved by teaching alone. Even when we preach in different churches all over the country (and we do), we can only reach one church at a time. Our books though, can reach thousands upon thousands of readers who may never get to listen to us lecture or preach.

Besides teaching, writing is the other half of our work here at OTS. Unlike many seminaries who choose to fly their staff all over the place with fragmented extension courses to influence a handful, we at OTS influence in other ways that will ultimately change the minds of thousands.

In the past year, the professors have been making steady progress on their writing. We at OTS are among the most productive in the North American Chinese Christian seminaries. We plan to keep this up.

Some may think that the writing emphasis will take away from classroom effectiveness. In my own experience, I find the opposite to be true. If professors do research properly, they will find that they have such an abundance of material to teach in the classroom that the students will never lose their enthusiasm for learning new things.

Professors who still teach the same stale material from when they graduate years ago with their doctorates are cheating students of a true education. We at OTS believe that our students deserve the best.

By writing, we are continuously giving our students our latest effort even in the classroom. The most updated research is what the church deserves. If a student gets accepted to OTS, we make sure the student gets that "best." By implementing a bigger writing ministry, I believe our quality of teaching at OTS will take things to the next level above and beyond the run of the mill Chinese seminary.

Another reason why we pursue the writing ministry is stewardship. God has gifted us with highly competent individuals on our faculty. It would be a true shame when we do not live up to what He has done here in OTS.

In short, writing is important and we plan to use our keyboards to challenge the Chinese Christian community to think deeper and more meaningful in what it means to live as a witness in the 21st century. No wonder the Apostle Paul was not just a preacher but a writer. His influence is still felt far and wide, evident in the amount research published about him. The writing ministry is highly biblical and widely influential.

I hope the above gives a very clear picture of the direction OTS is taking in 2008. Do pray for us as we pursue God's call to raise leaders for this new era, not only in the classroom but also in the bookstores. If you have any question on how to better support our ministry here at OTS, please do not hesitate to email us.