For the second week of STEP, we get to visit cool places like Church of St. Mary of the Angels, Ministry of Home Affairs' Heritage Centre, Bethel Presbyterian Church and Orchard Road Presbyterian Church. These places are cool because of their rich history, architectural beauty and their prime location.
The building of Church of St. Mary of the Angels was stunning. It was all white and beautiful, and the main sanctuary was spacious. The first thing I noticed was a larger-than-life statue of Jesus Christ when He was crucified hanging off the ceiling and is in the centre. Well, I did not feel good looking at it, and wondered of the significance in hanging the statue there. I quickly compared that to many Presbyterian churches that I have been to and what was displayed instead was the cross. The cross is the reason why we are free from the hold of sin. That was one difference, and the rest were mainly in the order and style of service. The focus for the service then was on the sacraments and not so much on the word.
When I came to know the Lord many years ago, I did not bother with theology, and was just satisfied that I have been saved by Jesus, because I did not think it was necessary to know. However, as explained by Rev. Tan Tiong Ann, that it was also important that we study or at least read up a bit on the theology. It was important to know the reasons and the motivations behind everything we do today for our service or worship in church. Though we believe in God, the different denominations differ in their interpretation and understanding of the word, which led to the difference.
As students of the Singapore education system, we have been taught since young to respect and tolerate the people and practices of different faith, so as to maintain the religious harmony and unity in Singapore. Cases of racial and religious riots have been brought up time and time again to remind us of the dire consequences if we choose to be insensitive to the practices and customs of different faith groups. The setting up of the heritage centre to educate people is proof of the government’s efforts to preserve the peace in Singapore. In our efforts to reach out and evangelise to people of different faith, we need to be mindful and sensitive of the methods or the way in which we do so, so as to not appear as too overly offensive or aggressive in our proselytizing.
On Wednesday, we also have the privilege of having a speaker from Ravi Zacharias International Ministries to share with us on the topic of 'Christianity and Science'. It was certainly time well spent listening to him as we live in a world where people argue that a belief in a God is irrational and that any intelligent human being would look to science to answer any questions we have in life.
At the end of the second week, with all the useful sessions, I hope that I will be well equipped to answer the questions that anyone has on my faith!
Reuben Yap
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