Isabelo Magalit | |
|---|---|
| Personal life | |
| Born | Isabelo F. Magalit |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Denomination | Evangelicalism |
| Church | Diliman Bible Church |
Isabelo F. "Bel" Magalit (1940 – 2018) was aFilipinoEvangelical pastor, theologian, and author known as one of the leading people of theEvangelical movement in the Philippines during the country'sMartial Law era underPresidentFerdinand Marcos.[1][2][3] Best known as pastor of Diliman Bible Church (DBC), he was also the first Filipino and Asian president ofAsian Theological Seminary (ATS).[2][4]
Magalit studied at the University of the Philippines College of Medicine, earning his degree in 1964. After graduating, Magalit served as General Secretary ofIntervarsity Christian Fellowship of the Philippines (IVCFP) from 1966 to 1973[5] and Associate General Secretary in East Asia for theInternational Fellowship of Evangelical Students (IFES) from 1973 to 1983.[4]
Magalit was a Philippine representative to theFirst International Congress on World Evangelization atLausanne,Switzerland in 1974, where theLausanne Covenant, anecumenicalconfession which has become one of the major documents of modern evangelical Christianity, was signed.[6]
AfterFerdinand Marcos placed the Philippines under Martial Law in 1972, Magalit was one of the few Evangelical leaders who openly questioned Marcos' authority in theological terms,[2][3][7] particularly in releasing the 1973 "We Believe" document alongside Rev. Cirilo Rigos of theUCCP Cosmopolitan Church and opposition leaderJovito Salonga.[6]
Magalit prominently led the Diliman Bible Church (DBC) in joining the 1986People Power Revolution which toppled Marcos,[2][8]: 256 earlier than other churches and organizations such as thePhilippine Council of Evangelical Churches.[9]
Magalit's DBC andMelba Padilla Maggay's Institute for Studies in Asian Church and Culture (ISACC) were the main groups that came together to form Konsensiya ng Febrero Siete (KONFES).[3] It was one of the early groups to man the barricades at Gate 2 ofCamp Aguinaldo, which the Marcos milatary had identified as an entry point for storming the camp.[10]
Magalit's essay “Rightful Rule: Romans 13 for the Philippines Today” is noted as an important examination of the People Power Revolution from the perspecgtive of evangelical theology.[2]
From 1989 to 2005, Magalit served as president ofAsian Theological Seminary (ATS), the first Filipino and Asian to hold the position.[2] In light of his theological scholarship and his ministry leadership, he was chosen as ATS president even without a seminary degree.[4]
Isabelo Magalit died in 2018.[citation needed]
  | This Filipino biographical article is astub. You can help Wikipedia byexpanding it. |