syriacbible.jpg
 

FoMENTS

Foundation for Middle Eastern New Testament Studies

Kenneth Bailey founded an institute for Middle Eastern New Testament Studies while teaching at the Near East School of Theology in Beirut, Lebanon, from 1965 to 1985.  In his retirement in the United States, this initiative continued as the Foundation of Middle Eastern New Testament Studies, or FoMENTS. In Dr. Bailey's words, the purpose of FoMENTS has always been "to search for a more culturally informed understanding of the life and ministry of Jesus for the nurture and renewal of the worldwide church.”  His founding goals for FoMENTS included:

  • Promoting the creation of an archival and distribution center for Middle Eastern New Testament Resources, which distributed Dr. Bailey's recorded lectures and books for many years

  • Working closely with the Center for the Study of Middle Eastern Christianity at Cairo Evangelical Seminary, Egypt, whose founding was inspired by our vision

  • Supporting scholarships for American pastors to participate in special short-term courses at Cairo Seminary that focus on the Foundation's goals

  • Supporting research and writing in the area of Middle Eastern New Testament Studies in both English and Arabic

  • Supporting the translation and publication of great New Testament commentaries from the Arabic Christian past, like the works of Abdallah Ibn al-Tayyib, Hibitallah Ibn al-Assal, Ibn al-Salibi, Ibrahim Sa'id and Matta al-Miskin

  • Producing commentaries on New Testament books from the Middle Eastern tradition that can benefit the great emerging church of the majority world

✢

Today the foundation devotes its resources to funding programs and projects that honor Dr. Bailey’s vision for recovering Middle Eastern understanding of Jesus and his message for the benefit of the global catholic church. Such efforts have included:

  • transportation of the late Dr. Bailey’s theological and biblical library to the Center for Middle Eastern Christianity in Cairo, Egypt

  • donation of Dr. Bailey’s papers and materials to the Day Missions Library at Yale Divinity School in New Haven, Connecticut

  • development of this website as an online portal for digital resources related to Dr. Bailey's life and work

  • financial support of the Center for the Study of Middle Eastern Christianity at Cairo Evangelical Seminary, Egypt

  • support for a forthcoming biography of Dr. Bailey’s life and ministry

FoMENTS’ current board of overseers consists of Beth Creekpaum, Thomas Mansell, Pamela Maloney, Adam Rodgers, Rich Kinney, Ralph Hawkins (webmaster), David Dawson (president), William Crooks (vice president and secretary), and William McKnight (treasurer).

You can support the work of FoMENTS with a tax deductible contribution sent to

FoMENTS
823 Latonka Drive
Mercer, PA 16137 USA

Use the Inquires page to contact us for more information about FoMENTS. Also, be sure to like and follow our Facebook page.