Alumni & Students Stories: Steven Toon

“I started to look for courses while doing my business diploma. I figured that the cheapest way to learn was to read extensively, since I was still paying back my tuition fee (for university).

At first, I started with secular self-help books, then I also picked up Christian books. But the Christian books I picked up at that time weren’t really deep and not Christ-and-gospel-centred.

Later, I found out about the resources from The Gospel Coalition, and began to read solid writers who had a really deep theological grasp of the Bible. The authorship of the books I read started to shift. I stopped reading the shallower books and moved on to solid food, so to speak. It was a slow process, and honestly, a rather lonely journey for me, as few around me were reading the books I was reading. But I began to discover and relish the theological depth and spiritual wisdom of these authors.

Quite soon after, I started my studies at BGST. … I really want to learn how to read and study the Bible for the glory of God and not take verses out of its biblical context and thus make God say or mean things He didn’t say or mean. I would also want to equip myself biblically and theologically so that I can be a better witness for Jesus.

I had a deep burden to help my church people, especially my cell group mates, to learn the Word of God rightly. My desire for the Word deepened as I took on courses at BGST. I am still clarifying this call to serve God full time.

I enrolled in the Graduate Diploma in Christian Studies, with the view of progressing to the Master of Divinity (MDiv) programme at BGST, and have met many wonderful lecturers. I hope to talk to them towards the end of my programme, and seek their advice as to how I can pursue this full-time calling, based on what they know about me and my attitude towards my theological studies.

I am taking quite a number of courses in Biblical and also Interdisciplinary studies, and Biblical Hebrew. I believe that, in order for me to contribute to the conversation at my church, I must make sure that my understanding of the Bible is theologically sound and biblically accurate. In short, I want to make sure I really understand what the biblical authors are saying, and to rightly divide the Word of God.

As I would still be doing the MDiv for the next 4 years, I will be in my current job in the meantime. But already, the way I see my current career is very different. I am no longer climbing the corporate ladder for the sake of worldly prestige and success.

I am a Process Engineer. I oversee a particular section of the manufacturing chain as well as some other job specifications. I find that these are actually more ‘me’ than engineering. For example, I am an ambassador for my workplace and I perform this role in terms of internal and external relations. I’m currently also the Chairman of the company’s Young Professionals chapter in Singapore. So, God has been opening doors for me to interact more with people.

My objective in my current job is to make the workplace more human – and Jesus Christ is the only perfect human being i.e. He is the ideal and goal. Specifically, I want to bring Christlike humanity to the workplace I am in. This is how I want to live counter-culturally to how the corporate culture around me operates. I find that when people work for money, they tend to see other people in utilitarian terms, and their competitors as threats. I don’t want that. I believe this is what it means to live as salt and light. As Christians in a secular workplace, our security is in Christ. We don’t worship our career advancement or job security or any accomplishments. There are people who live like that, always worried about losing favour with their boss, or losing their jobs. This results in insecurity and fear. We have nothing to lose. So, we can value our colleagues and even our competitors as fellow human beings, with intrinsic dignity and worth. And we can love them by serving them. Even when I speak with people who are way higher up than me, I don’t have to fear or succumb to bootlicking. My conscience is clear.

This is the kind of legacy I want to leave at my workplace, should I step into full-time ministry one day. The kind of counter-cultural life that shows others that there is a different way to live, that we don’t have to live in fear and insecurity, but with the confidence that we are perfectly secure in Christ.”

Contributor: Steven Toon
Presented by: BGST