Theory and Practice of Public Theology - Shawn Eng

In the last week of STEP, the greatest impression I had was of understanding the theory and practice of public theology. As a lay member of a church, I believe this was the most helpful in allowing me to put my faith and what I have learnt through my time in the church into practice. The exposure to various Christians who had figured out their unique way of navigating the public square has been eye opening and inspiring.

The main struggle I had as a Christian was in figuring out how to engage others in discourse over things like morality and philisophy without coming across as 'preachy'. Being in Singapore, I want to respect and maintain the delicate 'harmony' of race and religion yet how can I still be a witness for Christ? One sentence by Dr. Roland Chia in his talk on Public Theology brought a ray of enlightenment to my mind, that the language of the pulpit is not suitable for the public square. 

That made me realise that all my life, the primary way I was exposed to the Gospel was through the pulpit ministry. I had been subconsciously conditioned to accept the underlying conditions for the pulpit ministry in my churchand this had influenced the attitude I had in engaging with others with regard to Christianity. I assumed a shared understanding of the basic Christian worldview, of Christian lingo, of a captive audience that would not interject or interrupt my message with tangential questions, whose only active participation was to choose whether or not to receive Christ as Saviour, and when these assumptions are not realised I would get frustrated.

However, hearing from people like Kuik Shiao Yin, a Cabinet Minister and Dr. Goh Wei Leong about how they integrate their identity as Christians with their engagement in the public square has given me a new perspective of what it means to live as a witness for Christ. In each of their lives, I saw how they denied themselves, carried their cross and followed Jesus and how God has used them in their positions in society to be a blessing to the world. My prayer is that I will be able to do the same, holding fast to God, letting Him use me, that in the decades to come others may be inspired to follow after God as well because of my example.

Shawn Eng