A Seminar on:

Biomedical Ethical Issues in the

Contemporary Malaysian Church
Speaker: Dr. Alex Tang, Senior Consultant Pediatrician, Johor Specialist Hospital
and Elder of Holy Light Church (Presbyterian), JB

Dates: 17th February 2011 (Thursday) – 19th February 2011 (Saturday)

Tentative Venue: Kota Bharu Baptist Church

Course Description

Advances in medical treatment modalities, biotechnological innovations, and genetic-

molecular manipulations have brought about a set of unique challenges to issues not
faced by the Church before. In this course, a pastoral-theological approach will be used to
examine, reflect and develop responses to these difficult moral and ethical issues – test
tube and designer babies, facts and fallacies of stem cell therapies, cloning, reproductive
issues, abortion, mercy-killing, allocation of scarce healthcare resources, living will, gene
therapy, prenatal diagnosis, aesthetic surgery- facing the contemporary Malaysian
Church. This course is relevant to pastors, theologians, church leaders, counsellors,
seminarians, doctors, and all Christians who are committed to living ethically in these
changing times.

Intended Learning Outcomes

The desired outcome of this course is that participants will demonstrate analytical and
evaluative skills in their approach to biomedical ethical issues in their own ecclesiastical
and cultural context.

By the end of this course, it is hoped that participants will

1. have an enlarged knowledge base of

a. the foundations of bioethics
b. pastoral-theological decision making
c. bioethical issues at the beginning of life, and reproductive medicine
d. bioethical issues of genetics; stem cells, cloning, and gene therapy
e. bioethical issues at end of life, death and dying, and organ transplantation
2. have improved their ability to critically reflect on the continuing dialogue of
theology, culture and bioethics
3. be able to offer pastoral help and counsel on biomedical ethical issues
SEVEN SESSIONS:

Session 1: Introduction to Biomedical Ethics

Session 2: Issues in the Beginning of Life

Session 3: Issues in Reproduction

Session 4: Issues about genes and cells

Session 5: Issues about the end of life (Part 1)

Session 6: Issues about the end of life (Part 2)

Session 7: Developing a Christian pastoral-theological approach to Biomedical

Ethics

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE

17 FEBRUARY 2011 18 FEBRUARY 2011 19 FEBRUARY 2011

(Thursday) (Friday) (Saturday)
Church service: 9.00 – 10.30 am
Sharing in Kota Bharu Session 3
Baptist Church (9.30 am)
11.00 am – 12.30 pm
Session 4

12.30 pm – 1.30 pm
Lunch Break

1.30 pm – 3.00 pm
Session 5

3.15 pm – 4.45 pm
Session 6

8.00 pm – 10.30 pm 8.00 pm – 10.30 pm 8.00 pm – 10.30 pm

Session 1 Session 2 Closing session

Dr. Alex’s websites:

http://www.kairos2.com/
http://draltang.blogspot.com/
http://draltang01.blogspot.com/
About Dr. Alex:

“I am a Senior Consultant Paediatrician at the Johor Specialist Hospital, Johor Bahru and
is an adjunct teaching faculty of Monash University School of Medicine in Malaysia. I
obtained my basic medical degree from the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (National
University of Malaysia) and did my postgraduate training in Singapore, the United
Kingdom and the United States. My specialty is in General Paediatrics with special
interest in neonatology, respiratory medicine and biomedical ethics. I am a member of
many professional bodies, and of the International Child Health Group. I am the
chairman of the Johor Branch of the Malaysian Paediatric Association.

While as a student I started the Medical Christian Fellowship in the medical campus of
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and the Christian Fellowship in the Bangi campus in
Selangor, Malaysia. After graduation, I joined the Johor Bahru General Hospital in Johor.
I am actively involved in church ministries; as preacher, teacher, cell group coordinator,
leadership trainer, church board member and was acting pastor for a year. I studied and
graduated with a Masters in Ministry from the Malaysia Bible Seminary. In addition I
have a Certificate in Spirituality Studies from St. Thomas University, Miami, USA.
Presently I am a Doctor of Philosophy candidate with the Asia Graduate School of
Theology Alliance.

Aside from a ministry in preaching and teaching the Word in churches, camps, seminars
and Bible seminary, I also contributed numerous articles to the Asian Beacon, Kairos’
Understanding the Modern World Through Christian Eyes magazine and a series of
devotions on 1 Chronicles for Asian Notes (2002). I have written a number of books:
Random Musings from a Doctor's Chair: A Christian Doctor reflects on life and all that
stuff (2005), A Good Day to Die: A Christian perspective on mercy killing (2005), Live
and Let Live: A Christian perspective on biotechnology (2006) and Spiritual Formation
on the Run (2009).

In 2003, I started the Spiritual Formation Institute at the Holy Light Church in Johor
Bahru. The mission of the Spiritual Formation Institute is to nurture disciples of Jesus
Christ with informed mind, hearts on fire and contemplative in action. My special interest
is in theology, philosophy, spiritual formation, Christian spirituality and biomedical
ethics.
In community work, I am very active in Rotary, was a member of Rotary Club of Johor
Bahru, Rotary Club of Tebrau and chartered member of the Rotary Club of Puteri
Lagoon. In the Rotary Club of Tebrau, I started the Rotary Club of Tebrau Heart Fund to
sponsor children with congenital heart diseases for corrective surgery in the Madras
Medical Mission in India and developed the Calvary Autistic Centre project for Autistic
children in Johor Bahru.

I am listed in the Who's Who in Science and Engineering, and in Asia's 500.

My family and I worship with the Holy Light Church (English) where I am an elder.
Holy Light Church is a Presbyterian church in Johor Bharu, Malaysia.