South East Asian Theological Schools, Inc.

11/08/2026

Here is the latest SEATS schedule. PM is the key.

02/08/2026

SEATS DMin 309 Philosophical Hermeneutics:
Dr. Jonathan Exiomo, DMin, PhD
18, 19, 21, 25, 26, 28 August 2026, 8-10AM (Manila time)

Here are some more information from the class textbook:

This volume grew out of a simple, persistent conviction: the way we interpret Scripture directly shapes the way we relate to God, understand ourselves, and pastor our communities. For too long, hermeneutics in the Christian tradition—particularly within many academic and evangelical spaces—has been treated primarily as a technical discipline. We are often taught to approach the text as an object to be dissected, decoded, and
mastered through grammatical-historical analysis alone.

While rigorous exegesis remains indispensable, it is incomplete on its own. Interpretation is never a neutral, detached exercise conducted from a vacuum. Every reader approaches the text bearing a complex web of personal wounds, unexamined assumptions, denominational instincts, and cultural histories. When we ignore these shaping forces, we risk mistaking our partial perspectives for absolute truth, reducing Scripture to a toolbox for quick answers, or worse, imposing our biases onto the very people we seek to serve.

Being Mastered by Truth proposes a different path. Drawing on key insights from philosophical hermeneutics—most notably the work of Hans-Georg Gadamer and Paul Ricoeur—alongside deep engagement with Filipino cultural dynamics like loob, kapwa, hiya, and utang na loob, this book reimagines interpretation as an ontological journey. It invites us to move from trying to master the text to allowing ourselves to be mastered by the Truth revealed in Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit.

The framework presented here is structured around three foundational movements

The Expository Movement: Listening attentively to the literary, historical, and canonical dynamics of the text.

The Ontological Movement: Examining how the text exposes, challenges, and refigures our hidden prejudices, cultural instincts, and pastoral identities.

The Missional Movement: Translating faithful reading into wise, compassionate, and accountable actionwithin our local contexts.

Written originally within the context of a Doctor of Ministry seminar, this material is designed for pastors, scholars, and ministry practitioners who long for an approach to reading that integrates academic rigor with spiritual formation. It is my hope that these pages offer a practical guide for listening deeply—to Scrip-
ture, to our distinct cultural horizons, and to the wounded human lives entrusted to our care.
May we come to the text not as masters seeking control, but as servants willing to be read, corrected, and transformed.

30/07/2026

Our Academic Dean, Michael Fast, was honoured to present the opening talk at the BCP Biennial 2026 Harvest Echoes conference.

Here is a copy of his presentation on The Philippine Church: The Lay of the Land

The following is the text of a talk I gave at the 2026 Biennial Conference for the Baptist Conference of the Philippines, 30 July 2026.

14/07/2026

Here is the upcoming schedule for SEATS classes. PM is the key for enrolling. 

07/07/2026

ATM: May shooting kami ni Emily F. Belarmino sa ambag ng SEATS at Pingkian Family Worship sa darating na BCP Biennial.

Ikaw? Nakapag register ka na ba? Mag register ka na sa link na nasa sa unang comment, sa ibaba!

12/06/2026

Sa Araw ng Kalayaan ng Pilipinas, nagpapasalamat tayo sa kasaysayan, mga sakripisyo, at katatagan na humubog sa bansang ito.

Sa Pingkian Family Worship at sa pamamagitan ng South East Asian Theological Schools, Inc.(SEATS), lubos kaming pinagpala ng mga Pilipino at mga komunidad na nagbukas ng kanilang buhay, mga simbahan, silid-aralan, at tahanan sa amin sa loob ng maraming taon ng magkatuwang na ministeryo.

Sa ating pagninilay ngayon, naaalala natin na ang malusog na mga komunidad ay napapalakas kapag ang magandang balita ay ipinapahayag, ang pakikipagkapwa ay pinagyayaman, ang paglilingkod ay isinasabuhay, at ang tapat na patotoo ay sama-samang ipinamumuhay. Ang mga ito ay hindi lamang mahalaga para sa Simbahan, kundi pati na rin sa pag-unlad ng lipunan.

Dalangin namin na ang Pilipinas ay patuloy na lumago sa pagiging maka-Diyos, katarungan, malasakit, karunungan, at pag-asa para sa mga susunod na henerasyon.

Maligayang Araw ng Kalayaan ng Pilipinas.

11/06/2026

Enjoyed attending the two sessions for the ICHE/CCCU online conference yesterday. I was privileged to bring some welcoming remarks from SEATS. Here is a video of my comments as well as transcript. 

Good day. My name is Dr. Michael Fast and I am the academic Dean and vice president of the South East Asian Theological Schools, Inc. We had hoped that we’d be hosting you in person for this conference, but as we all know circumstances beyond our control conspired against us.

SEATS has integration at its very core, which may seem odd for a theological school. Integration as commonly thought seems more appropriate for universities and colleges. However, SEATS works at integrating in the opposite direction. Rather than trying to figure out how to connect faith with STEM or social sciences or humanities or business, or other courses of study, SEATS emphasizes the church that intentionally engages society.

One of the challenges that churches face is whether we develop a fortress mentality, where we protect what we have against the onslaught of the world around us, or whether we seek to bring the message of the gospel to that world by proclaiming Jesus as our one and only King, by declaring that Jesus’ kingdom has values that are important for the entire world, by encouraging love for God and love for neighbour, and by standing up in speaking truth into the world around us.

Just immediately prior to our gathering last August in Anapolis, Brazil, SEATS had the privilege of conducting two graduations for 48 rural church leaders in the central Philippines. Earlier this year in January, we graduated another 50 students, most of whom also work in churches in the southern Philippines. It was a joy to listen to their capstone presentations as they outlined their detailed plans of how to integrate their church ministries with society.

This past May — just a few weeks ago — we had 13 students at our new Bataan campus’ inaugural class. This campus is an innovative blend of business with theological education and church ministry that we’ve been developing in the Philippines for the past 40 years — a shared space as it were. This class in particular continued this integration by inviting church workers, school teachers, office staff, and power engineers to discuss how the church in particular connects with their worlds. To our great joy, some students said they couldn’t sleep at night thinking about how this new vision of church impacted their long-standing worldview!

Future plans for the facility include it serving as a hub for training Jesus followers from nations that are Jesus-averse by giving them a safe space to conduct training on a meaningful level.

We’re disappointed that you weren’t all able to join us in our launching of this facility. However, we are excited that God is using this for his kingdom. We look forward to seeing you here in 2028.

09/06/2026

Tomorrow (June 10) is the online ICHE Alternative conference. There are two options — depending on your time zone. Please DM for the Zoom link.

16/04/2026

Important update about the ICHE // CCCU Conference in Manila 2026.

In light of the ongoing global circumstances and the continued challenges affecting travel and stability in the Philippines, we have made the difficult decision to adjust our plans for the June 2026 ICHE conference. Rather than gathering in person this year, we will host two one-hour virtual meetings on June 10, 2026, to accommodate participants across different time zones.
Further details regarding these virtual meetings will be shared in the coming days.

While this is not what we had hoped for, we believe it is the most responsible path forward under the present conditions. We remain grateful for your understanding flexibility, and continued partnership, and, with hope, we look forward to gathering together in person in Manila in 2028.

May God grant you His peace and steady hope, even as we walk through uncertain and troubled times in our world today.