REASONS FOR STARTING AN ONLINE THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
Due to lack
of organized Traditional and Theological schools, Ethiopian Orthodox
Christians could not be able to get well-educated preachers and
priests in diasporas. This has diminished the historical role the
Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church has been playing in the lives of
Abyssinians for 2000 years. Lack of well-educated ministers has also
caused religious controversies and that has become a menace for
future divisions. These concerns necessitated the establishment of
Debre Tsion St. Mary Ethiopian O.T. Church Portland Oregon's Academy which has goals and missions demonstrated
below.
THE ULTIMATE GOAL
The ultimate goal and purpose of this school is to accomplish the
spiritual mission of the church, and that is expanding the Kingdome
of God through the Gospel, making Christians live according to the
words of Jesus Christ and be morally excellent and peaceful to their
neighborhoods. For the Kingdome of God is "living a life of goodness
and peace" (Rom 14:17).
THE SECOND GOAL
The second grassroots factor enforcing us to establish this seminary
is to create a scholastic center containing an assembly of
distinguished theologians who have a common background and to defend
Orthodoxy against falsified teachings of uncertified preachers who
have been trying to confuse the Church's straight doctrines without
any formal education.
MISSION AND VISION
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To maintain the Christian value that the
Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church has established and preserved
for 2000 years in the land of Abyssinian.
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To maintain the unconfused dogmatic teachings of
the Orthodox Church, apostolic canons, and the beautiful
Ethiopian hymnology originated in the land of Abyssinians in the
fifth century.
-
To empower the youth to maintain their identity,
refrain from any substance abuse by means of socio-cultural
education such as Christian Ethics, Ethiopic language (Geez and
Amharic) and spiritual counseling.
-
To narrow acculturation dissonance, minimize
family conflict among Ethiopian immigrants and their families in
particular and create assimilation, enabling members of the new
generation participate in comminute meetings and attend
religious services.
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To train clergymen with theological and
ecclesiological educations so that they can be qualified in
their ministry and be able to provide appropriate cervices in
the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church.
To train Sunday school teachers and preachers
with homiletics to be able to teach the Bible to the youth and
congregations.
"Though thy beginning was small,
yet thy latter end should greatly increase" (Job 8:7)
.
"ጅማሬህ ታናሽ ቢሆንም እንኳ ፍጻሜህ እጅግ ይበዛል" ( ኢዮብ)።
