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Timothy Tow Siang Hui (28 December 1920 – 20 April 2009) was a Singaporean pastor who founded the Bible-Presbyterian Church. He was also founding principal of the Far Eastern Bible College.

Personal life

Tow was educated at the Anglo-Chinese School. He was influenced first by John Sung, and later by Carl McIntire. He studied at Faith Theological Seminary and was ordained in Geneva in 1950 at a special meeting of the Philadelphia Presbytery of the Bible Presbyterian Church. Tow returned to Singapore and became pastor of the Life Church English Service at "Say Mia Tng Teck Khah" or Life Church Teck Khah (located at 144 Prinsep Street) which was later renamed Singapore Life Church. In 1955, he led a group out of the Chinese Presbyterian Synod to form the Bible-Presbyterian Church. Tow's congregation became known as Life Bible-Presbyterian Church (Life BPC). He later returned to Faith Theological Seminary and completed a Master of Sacred Theology degree.

In 2003, Tow resigned from Life BPC and founded True Life Bible-Presbyterian Church. He had been criticized for holding to the doctrine of Verbal Plenary Preservation (VPP) and, together with the other directors of the Far Eastern Bible College (FEBC), was sued in 2008 by Life BPC for teaching this doctrine in the Church's attempt to evict the College from the Gilstead Road premises which had been shared by the two institutions from the outset. However the Church failed as the Court of Appeal of Singapore, the apex court in the Singapore legal system, ruled on 26 April 2011 that (i)“the VPP doctrine is actually closely related to the VPI doctrine which both parties adhere to,” (rejecting Life BPC’s contention in of the Court of Appeal Judgement that it is “an entirely different creature from the VPI doctrine");” (ii) “the College, in adopting the VPP doctrine, has not deviated from the fundamental principles which guide and inform the work of the College right from its inception, and as expressed in the Westminster Confession;” (iii) “t is not inconsistent for a Christian who believes fully in the principles contained within the Westminster Confession (and the VPI doctrine) to also subscribe to the VPP doctrine;” and (iv) “n the absence of anything in the Westminster Confession that deals with the status of the apographs, we hesitate to find that the verbal plenary preservation doctrine is a deviation from the principles contained within the Westminster Confession."

Publications

• John Sung My Teacher (1985) ISBN 9971-991-13-6
• The Law of Moses and of Jesus (1986) ISBN 9971-991-15-2
• Asian Awakening (1988) ISBN 981-05-3257-1
• A Glimpse of the Life and Works of John Calvin (1993) ISBN 9971-991-29-2
• William C. Burns: Grandfather of Bible-Presbyterians (1994) ISBN 9971-991-34-9
• Pattern for Church Growth and Missions (1996) ISBN 981-00-7539-1
• An Abridgement of Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion Book I-IV (1997) ISBN 981-00-9335-7
• A Theology for Every Christian Book I: Knowing God and His Word (1998) co-authored with Jeffrey Khoo ISBN 981-04-0076-4
• Theology for Every Christian: A Systematic Theology in the Reformed and Premillennial Tradition of J Oliver Buswell (2007) co-authored with Jeffrey Khoo ISBN 978-981-05-9034-5

Further reading

• Born Again in the Singapore Pentecost (1993) ISBN 9971-991-30-6
• The Singapore B-P Church Story (1995) ISBN 978-9810070571
• The Story of My Bible-Presbyterian Faith (1999) ISBN 981-04-1071-9
• Son of A Mother’s Vow (2001) (Autobiography) ISBN 981-04-2907-X

References

1. Tow, Timothy. "A Word from the Founding Principal". Far Eastern Bible College. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
2. "In Memoriam: Rev Dr Timothy Tow (1920 - 2009)". Hope Bible-Presbyterian Church. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
3. "Brief History of Singapore Life Church". Singapore Life Church. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
4. Quek Suan Yew. "Our History". Calvary Pandan Bible-Presbyterian Church. Archived from the original on 29 March 2015. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
5. John, Arul (18 December 2008). "Church sues Bible college directors". The New Paper. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
6. "Life Bible-Presbyterian Church v Khoo Eng Teck Jeffrey and others and another suit [2010] SGHC 187". Archived from the original on 27 August 2016. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
7. "Khoo Jeffrey and others v Life Bible-Presbyterian Church and others [2011] SGCA 18". Singapore Academy of Law, paras 94, 95 and 98. Archived from the original on 10 January 2017. Retrieved 24 September 2016.
8. See also Misplaced Pages's Khoo Jeffrey and others v Life Bible-Presbyterian Church and others.
9. Tow, Timothy (1985). John Sung My Teacher (PDF). Christian Life Publishers, 1985. ISBN 9971-991-13-6. Retrieved 24 September 2016.
10. Tow, Timothy (1986). The Law of Moses and Jesus (PDF). Christian Life Publishers, 1986. ISBN 9971-991-15-2. Retrieved 24 September 2016.
11. Tow, Timothy (2005). Asian Awakening (PDF). Far Eastern Bible College Press, 1988. ISBN 981-05-3257-1. Retrieved 24 September 2016.
12. Tow, Timothy (1993). A Glimpse of the Life and Works of John Calvin (PDF). Christian Life Publishers, 1993. ISBN 9971-991-29-2. Retrieved 24 September 2016.
13. Tow, Timothy (1994). William C. Burns: Grandfather of Bible-Presbyterians (PDF). Christian Life Publishers, 1994. ISBN 9971-991-34-9. Retrieved 24 September 2016.
14. Tow, Timothy. (1996). Pattern for Church Growth and Missions (PDF). Far Eastern Bible College Press, 1996. ISBN 981-00-7539-1. Retrieved 24 September 2016.
15. Tow, Timothy. (1997). An Abridgement of Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion Book I-IV (PDF). Far Eastern Bible College Press, 1997. ISBN 981-00-9335-7. Retrieved 24 September 2016.
16. Tow, Timothy & Khoo, Jeffrey (1998). A Theology for Every Christian Book I: Knowing God and His Word (PDF). Far Eastern Bible College Press, 1998. ISBN 981-04-0076-4. Retrieved 24 September 2016.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
17. Tow, Timothy & Khoo, Jeffrey (2007). Theology for Every Christian: A Systematic Theology in the Reformed and Premillennial Tradition of J Oliver Buswell (PDF). Far Eastern Bible College Press, 2007. ISBN 978-981-05-9034-5. Retrieved 24 September 2016.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
18. Tow, Timothy. Born Again in the Singapore Pentecost (PDF). Christian Life Publishers, 1993. ISBN 9971-991-30-6. Retrieved 24 September 2016.
19. Tow, Timothy (1995). The Singapore B-P Church Story (PDF). Life Book Centre, 1995. ISBN 978-9810070571. Retrieved 24 September 2016.
20. Tow, Timothy (1999). The Story of My Bible-Presbyterian Faith (PDF). Far Eastern Bible College Press, 1999. ISBN 981-04-1071-9. Retrieved 24 September 2016.
21. Tow, Timothy (2001). Son of A Mother's Vow (PDF). FEBC Bookroom, 2001. ISBN 981-04-2907-X. Retrieved 24 September 2016.

• 1920 births
• 2009 deaths
• Singaporean Presbyterians
• Singaporean Christian clergy
• Anglo-Chinese School alumni
• Faith Theological Seminary alumni
• University and college founders
• Seminary presidents
• Presidents of Calvinist and Reformed seminaries
• 20th-century Calvinist and Reformed theologians
• 21st-century Calvinist and Reformed theologians
• Christian hymnwriters
• Calvinist and Reformed hymnwriters
• Christian fundamentalists