Thomas Hale Jr.

Last updated

Dr. Thomas Hale Jr. (born October 10, 1937) is an American physician and author who is best known for his 25 years of missionary work in the Himalayan Mountains of Nepal.[ citation needed ] Self-described as "deeply Christian", Hale was driven to become a missionary due to his strong faith and devotion to God. Shortly after returning from his first trip, Hale began writing books, some of which have received critical acclaim, about Christianity and life as a missionary. [1] [ page needed ] After his permanent settlement back in the United States, he served as a board member for both the International Nepal Fellowship (INF) North America and the MedSend organization. [2] [3] [ better source needed ]

Contents

Early life and family

Hale was born in New Haven, Connecticut. He grew up in Slingerlands, a suburb of Albany, New York, with aspirations of becoming a politician. As an adolescent, he attended the Phillips Academy boarding school in Andover, Massachusetts, where he experienced a spiritual epiphany that led him to believe God wanted him to become a medical missionary. In his search to find his missionary home, Hale stumbled upon a pamphlet that described the ongoing medical need in Nepal. After reading this brochure, he chose Nepal as his future missionary destination. [1] [ page needed ] Hale attended Arizona State University. [4]

Hale's father, Dr. Thomas Hale Sr., was a hospital administrator. Thomas Hale Jr. met his wife, Dr. Cynthia Hale, during their first year attending Albany Medical College. [4] They bonded over their shared commitment to Jesus Christ and missionary service. The couple married in 1959 and had two sons, Thomas III and Christopher.[ citation needed ] Thomas and Cynthia Hale received their respective medical degrees in June 1962. [4]

Career

After graduating from Albany Medical College, Hale was trained in general surgery.[ citation needed ] Cynthia Hale became a pediatrician. Thomas Hale served as a major in the U.S. Army Medical Corps; the family was stationed at Sandia Base in New Mexico. While there, the Hales were assigned by the United Mission to Nepal to a rural hospital. [4] Hale collected surgical supplies in the form of donations from his hospital and the Brooke Army Medical Center. [1] [ page needed ] [4]

Missionary work

Hale moved to Nepal with Cynthia and their sons Tommy (age four) and Christopher (age 1). The family brought with them sufficient food and supplies for four years. [4] The family arrived in the capital city of Kathmandu in August 1970. In Nepal, Hale was assigned to work in a small, newly constructed hospital in Amppipal, a tiny village in the Himalayas in Gorkha District. The Amppipal Mission Hospital was built in 1969 by the United Mission to Nepal (UNM), the missionary organization that was responsible for placing the Hales.[ citation needed ]

The Amppipal Hospital provided medical services for an area approximately the size of Rhode Island, that included about half a million people. Throughout his years at the hospital, Hale acted as the head surgeon, while treating other general injuries and common diseases that faced the Nepalese people. After several years, Hale was appointed medical director of the Amppipal Hospital. [1] [ page needed ]

In 1996, Thomas and Cynthia returned to the United States. Following their return, Thomas Hale served as the president of the North America Board of the International Nepal Fellowship and as a board of reference member for the MedSend organization. With these two organizations, as well as their sending mission, Interserve USA, the Doctors Hale worked together to provide opportunities for medical professionals to travel to other countries to contribute medical services, and they coauthored a study guide on medical missions for the Christian Medical & Dental Society. [2] [3] [ better source needed ]

Published works

Hale is also known for his published works:

In 1993, Hale wrote Nayaa Karaarko Tippani in the Nepalese language.[ citation needed ] The book is a commentary on the New Testament, with general articles contributed by Dr. Stephen Thorson. The two doctors then re-wrote the commentary in English under the title The Applied New Testament Commentary (1996) [14] and it has been translated into more than 30 different languages, including Amharic, Malagasy, Marathi, Serbian, Sinhalese and Yoruba. [2] [ better source needed ]

Hale and Thorson also wrote The Applied Old Testament Commentary in English (2007). [15]

Related Research Articles

Moisés Silva is a Cuban-born American biblical scholar and translator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas C. Oden</span> American theologian and author (1931–2016)

Thomas Clark Oden (1931–2016) was an American Methodist theologian and religious author. He is often regarded as the father of the paleo-orthodox theological movement and is considered to be one of the most influential theologians of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century. He was Henry Anson Buttz Professor of Theology and Ethics at Drew University in New Jersey from 1980 until his retirement in 2004.

Walter C. Kaiser Jr. is an American Evangelical Old Testament scholar, writer, public speaker, and educator. Kaiser is the Colman M. Mockler distinguished Professor of Old Testament and former President of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, Massachusetts, retired June 30, 2006. He was succeeded by James Emery White.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dorcas</span> Early female disciple of Jesus

Dorcas, or Tabitha, was an early disciple of Jesus mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles. She lived in the port city of Joppa, today absorbed by Tel Aviv. Acts describes her as being known for her "good works and acts of mercy", sewing clothes for the poor. When she died, the widows of her community mourned her and sent urgently for Peter, who was in nearby Lydda. As evidence of her charity, they showed him some of the clothes she had sewn, and according to the biblical account he raised her from the dead.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Grattan Guinness</span> Irish Protestant Christian preacher, evangelist and author

Henry Grattan Guinness was an Irish Nonconformist Protestant preacher, evangelist and author. He was the great evangelist of the Third Evangelical awakening and preached during the Ulster Revival of 1859 which drew thousands to hear him. He was responsible for training and sending hundreds of "faith missionaries" all over the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scot McKnight</span> American New Testament scholar, historian, theologian and author

Scot McKnight is an American New Testament scholar, historian of early Christianity, theologian, and author who has written widely on the historical Jesus, early Christianity and Christian living. He is currently Professor of New Testament at Northern Baptist Theological Seminary in Lisle, Illinois. McKnight is an ordained Anglican deacon and canon theologian for the Diocese of Churches for the Sake of Others with anabaptist leanings, and has also written frequently on issues in modern anabaptism.

The expression rice Christian is a derogatory slur used to describe someone who has formally converted to Christianity for material benefits rather than for religious reasons. Merriam-Webster dictionary defines it as "a convert to Christianity who accepts baptism not on the basis of personal conviction but out of a desire for food, medical services, or other benefits".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christianity in Nepal</span> Minority religion in Nepal

Christianity is, according to the 2011 census, the fifth most practiced religion in Nepal, with 375,699 adherents, or 1.4% of the population. Many informed observers have estimated that there are at least 1 million Nepali Christians. According to some Christian groups, there may be as many as 3 million Christians in Nepal, constituting up to 10% of the country's population. A report by Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary identified the Nepali church the fastest growing in the world. The vast majority of Nepali Christians are evangelical Protestants ; there is also a small Catholic population of roughly 10,000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johannes Avetaranian</span> Turkish sayyid, mullah, and Protestant missionary (1861–1919)

Johannes Avetaranian, born Mehmet Şükri was originally a mullah in Turkey who converted from Islam to Christianity, and later became a missionary for the Swedish Mission Covenant Church in Southern Xinjiang (1892–1938). He translated the New Testament into the Uyghur language. He preached Christianity in Xinjiang and at a Swedish Protestant mission. He died in 1919, aged 58, in Wiesbaden.

Edward Musgrave Blaiklock was chair of classics at the University of Auckland from 1947 to 1968, and champion of Christian apologetic literature in New Zealand from the 1950s until his death in 1983.

Tremper Longman III is an Old Testament scholar, theologian, professor and author of several books, including 2009 ECPA Christian Book Award winner Dictionary of the Old Testament: Wisdom, Poetry & Writings.

David E. Garland served as the interim president of Baylor University in Waco, Texas. His term began in June 2016 amid the Baylor sexual assault scandal and resignation of former president Ken Starr. Garland's term concluded on May 31, 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">C. Peter Wagner</span> American missionary and author

Charles Peter Wagner was an American missionary, writer, teacher and founder of several Christian organizations. In his earlier years, Wagner was known as a key leader of the Church Growth Movement and later for his writings on spiritual warfare.

Hemang Dixit is a Nepalese educator, author, and consultant paediatrician. He uses the pseudonyms Mani Acharya and Mani Dixit for his written works. He worked as the Dean and Professor of Children's Health of the Tribhuvan University Institute of Medicine. He has written various medical textbooks, novels, children's books and poems.

Robert Clark (1825–1900), and his colleague Thomas Henry Fitzpatrick, were the first English Church Mission Society (CMS) missionaries in the Punjab. Clark was the first missionary to the Afghans, and was the first agent of the Church to enter the city of Leh.

Peter Thomas O'Brien is an Australian clergyman, missionary and New Testament scholar. He has written commentaries on Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, and Hebrews as well as books and articles on aspects of the thought the apostle Paul.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edmund Kalau</span> German Protestant missionary

Edmund J. Kalau was a German aviator, missionary, and pastor. He was a member of the Hitler Youth during his childhood prior to his conversion to Christianity. As an adult, Kalau served as a missionary in Micronesia with his wife, Elizabeth. They founded the Pacific Missionary Aviation (PMA) to facilitate air travel throughout Micronesia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willem A. VanGemeren</span> Dutch-American theologian and academic

Willem A. VanGemeren is Professor Emeritus of Old Testament and Semitic Languages at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He is the author of a number of books, including Interpreting the Prophetic Word (Zondervan) and a commentary on Psalms in the Expositor's Bible Commentary series (Zondervan). He was a senior editor of the five-volume work The New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis in which ten essays have been compiled to thoroughly explain proper hermeneutics and Biblical interpretation. He is a member of the Society of Biblical Literature, the Evangelical Theological Society, and the Institute for Biblical Research.

Eckhard J. Schnabel is a German evangelical theologian and professor of the New Testament. He is the author of numerous scholarly books, Bible commentaries, specialist articles and lexical contributions.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Hale, Thomas Jr. Don't Let the Goats Eat the Loquat Trees: Adventures of an American Surgeon in Nepal. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1986.
  2. 1 2 3 "MEDSEND TEAM" Archived December 26, 2013, at the Wayback Machine , October 15, 2013.
  3. 1 2 "Leadership Team." Children Rescue Mission website. December 19, 2013.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Looking Back". Times Union. June 4, 2020.
  5. ↑ Hale, Thomas (August 3, 2010). Don't Let the Goats Eat the Loquat Trees: The Adventures of an American Surgeon in Nepal. Zondervan. ISBN   9780310877585 – via Google Books.
  6. ↑ Hale, Thomas (January 22, 1989). On the Far Side of Liglig Mountain: The Adventures of an American Family in Nepal. Harper Collins. ISBN   9780310216711 – via Google Books.
  7. ↑ Living Stones of the Himalayas , Barnes & Noble.
  8. ↑ Hale, Thomas (January 22, 1993). Living Stones of the Himalayas: Adventures of an American Couple in Nepal. Zondervan. ISBN   9780310385110 – via Google Books.
  9. ↑ Hale, Thomas (January 22, 1995). On Being a Missionary. William Carey Library. ISBN   9780878082551 – via Google Books.
  10. ↑ Phillips, Johnathan, "Review: On Being a Missionary", Engage magazine, August 14, 2009. Archived March 27, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
  11. ↑ Hale, Thomas (January 22, 2000). A Light Shines in Central Asia: A Journey Into the Tibetan Buddhist World. William Carey Library. ISBN   9780878083503 – via Google Books.
  12. ↑ Hale, Thomas (January 22, 2012). "Light Dawns in Nepal: A Story about Ordinary People Used by God to Do the Impossible : the Story of the International Nepal Fellowship". International Nepal Fellowship – via Google Books.
  13. ↑ Hale, Thomas (January 22, 2012). On Being a Missionary. William Carey Library. ISBN   9780878083985 – via Google Books.
  14. ↑ Hale, Tom; Thorson, Stephen (September 15, 1997). The Applied New Testament Commentary. David C. Cook. ISBN   9781564766755 – via Google Books.
  15. ↑ Hale, Tom; Thorson, Stephen (January 22, 2007). The Applied Old Testament Commentary: Applying God's Word to Your Life. David C Cook. ISBN   9780781448642 – via Google Books.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.