Rev. Wendell Karsen, born in Illinois in 1936, holds degrees from Wheaton College, Fuller Theological Seminary, and Western Theological Seminary.
After serving as a pastor in Michigan, he spent 25 years as a Reformed Church missionary in Taiwan (1969-73), Hong Kong (1974-84, 1990-98), and Indonesia (1998-2000).
He also taught at Ying Wa College in Hong Kong. At that time, the Biblical Knowledge textbooks in use were uninspiring and focused primarily on rote memorisation and repetition for examinations. Seeking to make the subject more interesting and relevant to students’ lives, he began creating his own teaching materials and trialling them in his classes.
He also helped establish a Teachers of Religious Education organisation aimed at offering further training and sharing ideas among Biblical Knowledge teachers.
Encouraged to expand his work, he authored textbooks for Hong Kong’s secondary schools, which were widely adopted. By that stage, he was serving as Education Secretary for the Hong Kong Christian Council. He wrote additional volumes for revised curricula. The books were subsequently authorised by the Hong Kong Government’s Education Department, published in both Chinese and English, and widely adopted over the following decade.
During his time in Hong Kong, Karsen lived in a house on Cheung Chau (House #2).
Post-retirement to the USA in 2000, he directed the Master of Theology program at Western Seminary.
Dr Karsen received awards for his contributions to democracy in Taiwan and religious education.
He has published thirteen books and numerous articles, with a focus on China, and remains active in teaching and writing in Florida.
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