Wesleyan University-Philippines (WUP), a premier Methodist higher education institution located in Cabanatuan City, in the Philippines, launched the Asia Center for Wesleyan Studies (ACWS) on June 3, 2023. The event was attended by nearly 5,000 participants, both in-person – gathered in the newly built University Chapel – and through live streaming. The keynote speaker was Dr. Jeffrey Kuan, who is retiring from his position as President of Claremont School of Theology in California. He spoke on how the Wesleyan quadrilateral may serve as a framework for addressing existing Asian concepts and realities.
The establishment of the Center is a historic occasion since it will provide the avenue where regular conversations among Wesleyan scholars in Asia may transpire. This is a need that is long overdue. It is time for the people and denominations of the Wesleyan-holiness traditions to band together in conversing and promoting Wesleyan theology in Asia. The Center aims to be a center of excellence dedicated to multi- and inter-disciplinary research that integrates Wesleyan theology with the arts and sciences. Its singular focus is research, particularly in the production and dissemination of new knowledge. In contrast to other Centers around the world, the ACWS highlights the important role of Wesleyan theology in understanding the precepts, principles, and practices in other fields of study.
The Center will complement and guide many other important research activities at Wesleyan University-Philippines. The institution was established in 1946 as the Philippine Wesleyan College and was accredited by the Filipino government in 1947 as a Liberal Arts institution of higher education, focused on Liberal Arts and Teachers’ Education. Today, the institution is recognized as a university, offering 45 degree programs. Deeply rooted in the Methodist tradition, the Wesleyan legacy of education includes the whole spectrum that goes from Primary and Secondary Education through Higher Education and Theological Education. The university has a Center for Child Development, Elementary, a School of Medicine, the Wesley Divinity School, a Graduate School, and the Asia Center for Wesleyan Studies, among many other teaching and research units. Wesleyan University-Philippines (WU-P) is accredited by the Federation of Accrediting Agencies of the Philippines (FAAP), which certifies all the university programs. The university is also a leading member of the International Association of Methodist Schools, Colleges, and Universities (IAMSCU) in Asia and has led many important initiatives on behalf od IAMSCU. For more information, please visit the university website: https://www.wesleyan.edu.ph/