The Micah 6.8 Centre takes its name from Micah's articulation of the mandate God has given his people to "do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with God."  The Centre will provide a rich opportunity for individuals to study the significance of the calling to integral mission.  As gross injustice and inequity are present, the Centre is devoted to deepening the understanding of relevant biblical teaching, exploring what it means to apply the biblical principles of justice and mercy in the work of the church, and examining the implications of relief, development and justice ministries.

TEAR Australia, which stands for Transformation, Empowerment, Advocacy and Relief, is a movement of Christians in Australia responding to the needs of poor communities around the world.  Tabor College Victoria, a multi-denominational Christian education centre founded in Melbourne in 1988, exists to empower God's people to serve in God's mission to transform the world. 

Eastern University has developed institutional partnerships with these organizations to offer the Master's program, given the shared focus on empowering Australian Christians to make a Biblical response to issues of justice and poverty.  Below is an interview with Steve Bradbury (SB), the Director of the Micah 6.8 Centre, Chairman of Micah Challenge International, and Chairman of the Micah Network; and Thomas Ridington (TR) Senior Vice President at Eastern University.

Q:  What is the primary objective of the program?
SB: The primary objective of the program is to create a space where experienced practitioners can together: a) evaluate and assess traditional ways of responding to the needs of vulnerable, oppressed and exploited communities, and explore together new  ideas and methodologies, and do all of this within b) a robust theological framework.  Theological questioning and reflection is woven carefully into each module of study, rather than being treated separately.
TR:  The program is similar to Eastern University's MA in International Development, but with an Australian accent.  We permit our partners to add cultural relevancy to the program.  So the program will anticipate issues of Australia and South East Asia, which will include Aboriginal, human trafficking, disaster relief and the impact of autocratic regimes on populations.

Q:  What was the appeal for these organizations to collaborate?
SB:  Tabor and Eastern share the same ethos and values, and the Justice/Mercy/Faith mandate God has given his people is at the heart of Tabor's vision and mission. Eastern has provided some helpful input into the development of our new graduate program in aid, development and justice ministries, and our hope and expectation is that our future collaboration will be mutually enriching.  

Q:  How does this initiative fall into line with Eastern's mandate to promote faith, reason, and justice?
TR:  We bring to bear our faith as Christians, with the tools of reason, in the service of justice to address the Lord's call to His people as outlined in passages such as Micah 6:8 and Luke 4.  This is where Jesus announces that He came to stand up for the oppressed and take care of the poor.  This primary mandate for this initiative is not to deliver a significant monetary return to Eastern, but rather to expand our global footprint in a region that desperately needs what we have to offer.  Plus no one else is doing this in Australia, otherwise we wouldn't be there.  There are places offering development programs or theology degrees, but none of them integrate the three aspects of faith, reason, and justice in a program that develops skills for fleshing out the Micah and Luke passages among Australasia's marginalized peoples. 

Q:  Eastern has a focus on making programs accessible to people of various walks of life; who is this program accessible to?
TR:  Accessibility accrues to program design and cost.  The licensing addresses cost because it permits local rates - so people will not find the fees unusual to their experiences.  Also, because Tabor is offering the program and not us, Australian students may qualify for 50% grant support from the government.  From a finance perspective, this increases accessibility.  From a timing perspective, students will spend one week every semester together as a learning community in a practitioner context, perhaps with a non-governmental organization (NGO) accompanied by an instructor and a development practitioner.  So the students only need to take two weeks off a year in total, so that it's accessible to people who need to work.  The balance of the time will be spent in cohort and online instruction during times that suit their schedules.  We'll have cohorts arranged so that if there are three students flying in from Sydney,  when they return to Sydney they'll meet once weekly in a coffee shop, church or office.  If there are students who are too far apart from each other for this, then we will set up virtual gathering spaces for them.  We're also trying to raise money for scholarships, which non-Australian students may require.

Tabor College is a multidenominational charismatic Christian Education Centre offering government-accredited courses. The College seeks to equip people for Christian life and ministry by providing teaching which is Christ-centered, biblically based, ministry-oriented, academically sound, positively expressed and spiritually empowered.  For more information about Tabor, visit www.tabor.edu/au/

Eastern University is a Christian university of the arts and sciences located at 1300 Eagle Road, St. Davids, PA.  Eastern enrolls approximately 4,000 students in its undergraduate, graduate, professional, urban, Seminary and international programs.  With sites in Philadelphia and Harrisburg, Eastern University offers classes at multiple locations throughout Eastern Pennsylvania.  Through international partnerships, Eastern University programs are offered overseas.  Eastern University integrates Faith, Reason and Justice into all of its academic program. For more information about Eastern University, call 1.800.452.0996 or visit www.eastern.edu.

For information about TEAR Australia, visit www.tear.org/au/