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As hundreds of worshippers exited the historic All Saint`s

Church and hled onto the lawn for lunch, a pair of suicide
bombers walked into the crowd. ln place of church bells, the
sound of explosions ripped through the air in Peshawar, Paki!
stan, that Sunday morning, September zz, zc1!. lighty-hve
people lost their lives and countless others were injured in the
deadliest auack on Christians in the country`s history.
Afer the bombing, there was pressure to close the school, but
we didn`t close. Tat`s what the terrorists wanted us to do,"
explains Dr. James Tebbe, Rector (President) of lorman Christian
College in Lahore, Pakistan, approximately !zc miles southwest
of Peshawar. lnstead, we held a prayer service. Our auditorium,
which seats about c, was packed full, and about cc people
were Muslim. What an opportunity to talk about the love and
forgiveness of God."
Born and raised as a missionary kid in Pakistan, Jim developed
an interest in Pakistan and Pakistani lslam at a young agebut
was not always sure that he would return to the country of his
youth. By the time l was in college at lndiana University, l was
very active in lnterVarsity and knew l was interested in minis!
try. l thought it would probably be in the U.S., but as it turned
out, God led us elsewhere."
Knowing that he would enter ministry, Jim sought seminary
training. He learned of Gordon-Conwell through his father`s
friend and former co-worker, the late Dr. Addison Leitch, profes!
sor of theology at Gordon-Conwell. l admired him so much that
when l heard he had gone to Gordon-Conwell, that seuled it for
me," he says.
Shortly afer graduating from Gordon-Conwell with a Master of
Divinity in 1ve, Jim and his wife, Beth, returned to Pakistan as
missionaries with lnterserve. lor the next z years, he faithfully
served with lnterserveas a pastor in Pakistan and Bangladesh,
as a lecturer, writer and researcher in the Christian Study Centre
in Pakistan, as Area Director West in Cyprus, and eventually as
lnternational Director, overseeing operations around the world.
lrom zcczzc1c, Jim and Beth returned to the U.S., where Jim
served as Vice President of lnterVarsity, Director of the triennial
Urbana Missions Convention, and North American lnter-
national Deputy Director for the Lausanne Commiuee for
World lvangelization. During this time, Jim says, l really hadn`t
thought we would go overseas again. l had traveled quite a lot
in my previous jobs and thought, `l`d be glad if l never got on a
plane again!`"
Ten, the Tebbes learned that lorman Christian College was
searching for a new president. Tanks to Beth`s encouragement,
Jim, who also holds a M.A. in Near lastern Studies/lslamics from
Princeton University and a Ph.D. in Religious Studies from St.
John`s Nouingham/Open University, inquired about the position.
Shortly afer, Jim and Beth were on a plane to Pakistan, return!
ing to serve once again.
lorman Christian College, a chartered university, is home to
e,1cc students. lounded by missionaries, lCC was kept as a
Christian college even though the majority of faculty and stu!
dents would be Muslim," explains Jim. lt`s an umbrella, rather
than systemic, Christian organization.Tere is nothing like it in
the worldits opportunity and place are unique, its infuence in
Pakistan is enormous, its visibility is high, and it is uuerly and
openly Christian.
Pakistan is becoming increasingly intolerant. You read every!
day of sectarian violence. lveryday. Without exception. Being
able to model harmony, how to work with other people, and the
dignity of every person in the eyes of God as a Christian value is
really prized.
lt`s not just Christians that suner, it`s mostly other Muslims
that suner. One of our students wrote in a blog post about lCC
`l have concluded that if God is anywhere in Pakistan, he is with
the Christians here. We are hlled with hate and violence for each
other, and here they are reaching out to us. Te most important
lesson l learned is one of love.`
How do we get along with each other when violence and intol!
erance are so prevalent in the society`" Jim says, We provide an
umbrella of grace that shows love and forgiveness."
!"#$%& &% !()&*%+ ,&$ )-..- /0123
lxtending Grace in a Country
Riddled with Violence and lntolerance
!"#$%& & % !()& *%