Monday 16 June 2014

Public Theology And Politics - Lim Min

I was not aware of a systematic study or area of public theology until we had a conversation with Dr. Roland Chia on public theology. One of my main takeaways was that language on the pulpit has to be translated on a public square to properly engage the public. He mentioned and discussed some recent controversial news including abortion and Health Promotion Board’s Homosexual FAQs and these helped me in my personal engagement with the community around me. I do have friends who are interested in the Christian’s perspective of social issues, and yet I am often unable to provide a convincing and substantiated answer which led me to seek answers from friends and mentors who are actively involved in such ministries. 

Another point brought up was that the government is necessary and is given by the grace of God to maintain order and peace in a country. The following extract states John Calvin’s view on the civil government:
“Calvin’s views regarding government stemmed from his belief in the necessity of civil authority because of the depravity of man, his belief in providence, and his uncompromising certainty that God is sovereign over all things, including governments. His views regarding the corrupt nature of mankind as a result of Adam’s disobedience to God are well documented. He believed that man’s entire being was utterly sinful.” (Extracted from John Calvin on Civil Government by Garry Z. Cole) 
I agree with Calvin’s views on the civil government but I also hope that the church may influence the government in a manner that pleases and honours God. We should be shaping our society with values that are delighted by God. I also feel that churches should not resort to violence or riots when faced with political conflicts but submit with obedience and pray for God’s providence. Dr. Roland Chia mentioned that, “Where the church community is cornered and forced into obedience to the government, in situations where obedience to government means disobedience to God, it is always valid for Christian obedience and accept persecution by governments.” 

Hence, it is always so important for Christians to submit to God and not succumb despite difficult circumstances, reminding me to continue being a salt and light of this world, shining the light of Jesus Christ my Saviour and my Lord.

Lim Min

Active Participation In Missions - Lim Min

This week, we had a fair bit of learning about missions in a comfortable setting and also participating in missions through our visits to Onesimus Garden and Healthserve. The sharings by various pastors and lecturers helped us to understand the mission of God on a broader perspective by remembering that we are all called to share the good news of Jesus Christ. I also learnt that we need not become a full-time missionary in order to participate actively in the work of God but we can also proactively reach out to the neglected communities within our midst and serve them according to their needs.

Pastor Andrew Choo shared an impactful story with us about how he prayed for the Lord’s guidance in his ministries and the Lord opened his eyes to see the needs of the people in Singapore. He saw the poor, rejected and neglected and took action to help them while being sensitive to God’s calling and direction. It was amazing to see how much his ministries have developed over the past decade. 

I personally feel that we always use the excuse of "ignorance" to the answer of why are we not participating in community service and evangelistic work. This is a sign of laziness, that we are unwilling to work actively for the Lord, to actually observe and be sensitive to the needs of others and serve them. 

The visit to HealthServe exposed me to a community that I only hear about and yet do not dare to approach. The sharing by various volunteers of HealthServe led me to question the obstacles that prevented me from reaching out to these communities and I came to the conclusion that societal perspectives and judgment are the main causes. Almost every society despises the poor, especially the capitalist society and it is the same for prostitutes, the lepers and others who are ostracized. Jesus was a radical man, eating with tax collectors, speaking with prostitutes and healing all who were spiritually sick. 

I wish to become Iike Him, a person that reaches out to the helpless and bring the gospel into their lives.

Lim Min

Some Thoughts - Nicholas Khaw

So it has come to pass that time ticked past these three weeks. Another three weeks of my life consumed by the relentless march of time. But that shall not be the attitude. It was three weeks well spent.

This past week was namely missions. What is missions, why missions, how to do missions, who to do missions so on and so forth. I felt that the topic was well covered by the various speakers in that it was very hard hitting on the individual participants, challenging them on action (with the right rationale of course) instead of merely talk and head knowledge.

The underlying point was that missions were part of God’s mission that all believers have a responsibility to participate in. Well is like taken as a given by me and perhaps many second generation Christians. If someone were to tell me that I would go like “uh, and then?” Understanding something to be true is not enough if we do not act on it, I guess. I keep harping on this point because it is the main struggle I face. This can actually be traced back to the whole Christians not being Christians (possibly due to the lack of persecution). When Timothy and HealthServe said that he did not like the term Christians and instead preferred to call himself a follower of Christ I do empathise (I have wrote about the baggage that comes with the term Christians before). Except that perhaps I am not acting like a follower of Christ yet.

Ok, enough of that. Another poignant point was raised in response to one of the questions; when churches fail to do what they are supposed to do, there comes a rise of para-church organisations. It is sad that churches fail even though it is a given that they are not perfect. That was my initial thought. Upon further reflection, I thought that it was perhaps God’s provision that these organisations were springing up to plug in the gaps left by the church. Even though it is not the church’s work, it is at least the work of members of the church. After all, in response to my question on global government, the invited politician-speaker answered that it was not feasible for such a large government to be effective (loosely paraphrased). Obviously a church faces such practical limitations as well, in administration and all that load of economic theory. But a church is different from a global government, while those in a collective government would share the identity of humanity, the church is united in Christ called by God. We have an infallible divine leadership that will someday lead us directly in heaven! I guess the conclusion here is to keep striving and praying despite the imperfections with the hope of a better age (what what).

The talk by Prof. Roland Chia was decent, good for practical Christian living in the public sphere though it should not be taken as the gospel truth. I think he gives very sound suggestions and reasons. For example, I think a place where we should all work on is to purge individualist thinking and the secular humanist viewpoint from our own thinking and then perhaps we will be able to live more like what we profess. I found Bishop Emeritus Robert Solomon’s usage of the 10 commandments refreshing. It helps in some sense to show this ancient document’s relevance to today. Several points that stood out: Do not think of yourself as a leader of men, rather a follower of God. God can speak more to others than to us. All the points about idolatry.

So to conclude the whole program, I am affirmed that I should sort out my theology and then everything else will fall into place naturally. Stemming forth from the vine.

I find it really hard to just reflect on one item. I usually do it as a whole life experience. If any of my reflections thus far have been confusing and you would like to know more I guess you could drop me a text or something.

Nicholas Khaw

Sunday 15 June 2014

My Many Thousands Words - Marie Toh

A picture’s worth a thousand words; so here are some pages from my sketchbook from the lectures I attended with some notes.

I did not go expecting too much from it, but the whole experience was really a timely blessing from Him. Being dry and far the past few years, I felt God drawing close to me through this experience.

Being more equipped with certain knowledge, arousing my curiosity for His word, seeing so many people, especially the young people my age, so on fire for God really inspired me to take a step back and view how I’ve been living my life thus far, and it was a grim outlook. But with this realisation, I know that I can put my hope in a God who transcends all time and space, whose love is far too deep to uproot, and a Father who wants to purify us in and out and use us, no matter how small we feel, for His glory and kingdom.

Thank you STEP 2014. 

Marie Toh

Prof. Simon Chan on theological education and social engagement.

Dr. Maggie Low on Old Testament study and Eld. Eunice Low on New Testament study.

Rev. Tan Tiong Ann on various theological topics.

Mr. Jose Philips on science and Christianity.

Ms. Kuik Shiao-Yin on faith, vocation, and social enterprise.

Prof. Roland Chia and Pr. Joshua Woo conversing on public theology.

Bishop Emeritus Robert Solomon on Christian leadership.

Pr. Gideon Teo on Biblical Counseling.

'Weeding' Process - Marie Toh

From the rich to the poor, the disparity between the two is massive and so prevalent even in such a developed country as Singapore. Being an ignorant Singaporean, God used these examples to open my eyes and think carefully about how I viewed money, and which did I actually serve.

Visiting a mega-church and the huge crowds worshipping in a well-constructed hall with air-condition, high ceiling and with every high technology available today, the experience was definitely impressive and ‘awesome’. The atmosphere boomed with excellence and the timing of the whole service was perfect. The passion that the worshippers have for God was very much felt and one can only be moved by their outward praise. However, the message seemed so swayed towards ‘the self’, that blessings only come in material and physical form, making the whole building seem to the embodiment of this message. 

Within the same week, we visited HealthServe and Onesimus Garden. From the humble exterior, one will not even take a second glance. These places never got headlines, never won any architectural design awards, yet after visiting these places, they embodied different riches that we cannot see.

As a somewhat semi-fresh graduate, I have realised a subconscious belief that how much money I could earn would equivalent to how stable and happy I would be. Having not entered the working world yet, I can only imagine this thought taking deeper roots in my heart if I do not ‘weed’ it out when it is still just a shoot. But this isn’t the only thing that I felt God was speaking to me this week.

Going to the Onesimus Garden was something I was not exactly looking forward to, due to being a sucker for outdoor and physical activities. However, God knew and He prepared a way to change my pampered mindset. Pastor Andrew Choo and his wife humbly welcomed us into the farm and began animatingly telling us how and why they started this farm. I loved how they used the weeding analogy to help ex-convicts during their therapy; it felt like a parable coming to life. After that, we went down to the real weeding and I just wanted to get my hands dirty, and I did. As everyone worked and reminded each other to think about all the weeds in our lives, I caught myself genuinely doing it and I knew that it could only have been God who placed all the thoughts I had at that time in my heart.

It wasn’t just money or a stable income, it was all the material comfort I craved, the ‘control’ I had over my own life and the fact that I have yet to surrender so many things that I held onto as my identity, more than being a child of God.

Now that I am at a strange point in my life, I would like to challenge myself to be more rooted in God’s word, focus more on what is around me and to let the ‘weeding’ process begin.

Marie Toh