Introduction
To many, globalisation appears to be a modern phenomenon unique to this day and age. Yet contrary to general public opinion, the meteoric rise of globalisation dates back to the past – in fact, as
Retief Müller and
Jose Casanova have pointed out, the apostle Paul, having travelled the empire of Rome repeatedly, can be regarded as one of the earliest agents of globalisation. To use a more precise definition of what it means to be a globaliser – a globaliser is one that actively engages in the micro and macro interactions and processes, and in the course of which bringing about an interconnected world. This is not limited to trade and economics; it is inclusive of the flow of ideas, modern science and technology, politics, human capital as well as other resources over increasingly porous barriers. Some might perceive globalisation as a largely secular process, but it may come as a surprise to them that Christianity has long been a potent influencer of globalisers all over the world. Most notably, Christianity in the 16th century sparked off the first contemporary missionary movement during the period of intensive European exploration and colonization, leading to the spread of Christianity worldwide.
Consider then the local context – what does globalisation have to do with Singapore? A nation-state plagued by the unfortunate lack of natural hinterland and antagonistic geopolitics, Singapore enterprisingly turned global in an attempt to ensure survival. 50 years from Independence, Singapore’s status as the region’s leading Global City and thriving hub is unparalleled; its economic successes acknowledged by political giants such as Henry Kissinger; its political successes raising ripples in its sphere of influence (Asian values debate). Admittedly, globalisation has and will always be the linchpin to keeping Singapore afloat – yet these seemingly overwhelming benefits derived from the global community seem small in comparison to the pervasive effects on local Christians, in particular, the Singapore youths.
In the following sections, this paper will explore the endemic side effects of globalisation on Christian youths in Singapore, as well as suggest an overarching framework for discipleship that will ideally keep these youths securely anchored to their faith.
Simply, the effects of globalisation can be broken down into the following: ease of access, consumerism, corporatization, postmodernism and skepticism of authority. Admittedly, this analysis is lacking, but for the purposes of the paper, these factors are sufficient.
Ease Of Access
As Singapore steps into its 50th year of independence, she has been observed to have grown into its role as the key trading hub for the region. Singapore is exceedingly well connected. In 2013, IDA statistics show that a stunning 88% of all households had access to Internet. According to the same source, 21% of households owned a computer at home, while a surprising 66% owned 2 or more computers.
With multiple sources of information consumption, the Church has little room but to acknowledge that they are no longer the sole arbiters of spiritual content. Increasingly, homegrown online magazines are providing their own take on Christian spirituality; parachurch organisations have extended their reach to within schools and universities – all while the traditional church passively takes a backseat.
Today, many youth leaders realize the distressing fact that youths now perceive and interpret reality through unfiltered media and screens. Unfortunately, a key source of worry lies in that while youths may be tech savvy, few are truth savvy. Postman (1995) goes as far as to argue that they have become ‘passive recepients’ of information. This is made ever more so pressing since the key purveyor of media content cannot be pinpointed to one authority. Youths are thus exposed to increasingly liberal tastes that have long since compromised traditional religious authority. Compounded by the lack of sound theological foundations and church-based virtual watchdogs, technological globalisation threatens to dismantle current stability and undermine the effects and teachings of Christianity.
Though technological globalisation has yet to affect Christianity directly, there are instances of other religions being impacted adversely. Take a long look at the current situation on the War on Terror against ISIS. Youths all over the world – most recently 2 youths aged 19 and 17 in Singapore – were self-radicalized simply through the internet.
Technological globalisation thus has the potential to dilute true teachings of the Bible and thus, in doing so, lead the youth away from the true churches they should worship at.
Consumerism
Affluent and prosperous, it is hard to live in Singapore and not be swayed by the power of consumerism. Defined in the Merriam Webster dictionary as the ‘increased consumption and preoccupation with consumer goods’, consumerism promotes a sense of instant gratification and urge for immediacy. Consumerism and materialism are undeniably the two greatest capitalist driving force of global culture. Dr Alex Tang puts forth the
argument that Singapore has been assimilating this culture uncritically in our tunnel-vision for economic success. This has the unintended effect of pushing the youth towards perceived autonomy, self-entitlement as well as aforementioned instant gratification. This has the deplorable consequence of leading the youth to pursue what is worldly – when they should instead be pursuing a Christ-like life and God.
Extensions of consumerism and materialism find themselves in the importation of the prosperity gospel. A heavily misconstrued perception of the Word, the prosperity gospel is not centered on the Trinitarian God but rather on the individual. It reeks of human selfishness and greed; yet it has been able to gain traction locally. The fact that these gospels find refuge within mega churches is all the more appalling – with such a massive reach over mega-church goers, it seems inevitable that impressionable youths may find themselves being spoon-fed falsified truths. This then leads to shaky foundations of their faith, leaving them skeptical and ever more so susceptible to external distractions and doubt, and eventually - increases the possibility of them leaving the church.
Corporation
In Singapore’s pursuit of being more business friendly, corporate values such as efficiency and pragmatism has taken centerstage in recent years – extending its hegemony past the corporate world and into the church. In the name of well-intentioned efficiency, pastors have begun to simplify sermons – ‘dumbing down’ sermons, in the words of Marva Dawn (1995) – to that of ‘sound bites’, whose concise delivery caterr to audiences with short attention spans.
Furthermore, churches have taken to importing ‘best practices’ from other countries, regardless of their relevance (or lack therof). Easily reproduced education programmes from the global community appear to be shortcuts by which the local pragmatic church should take. For instance, some of these courses are the Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren, or the Alpha Course – all of which are standardized and have yet to be adapted to the local Singaporean context. As Dr Alex Tang reiterates, the consequence of such ‘one-size-fits-all’ programmes forces the church into a position of irrelevance. Predictable, arguably shallow and irrelevant, pastors and teachers thus lose credibility amongst their congregation. This is extremely detrimental in disciple making, which is key to training up youths in the ways of Christian living.
Scepticism Towards Authority
Highly linked to the previous point is the issue of a breakdown of trust between youths and the authority. By authority I mean to say youth pastors, mentors, coaches, etc. As aforementioned, the digital age produces a whole new environment whereby the church is subject to scrutiny – both internally by the youths and externally, by secular watchdogs such as the Law. The current situation in Singapore hints at a disturbing undercurrent of mistrust and doubt at leaders of the church, especially so for those in charismatic mega-churches. This stems from the ongoing lawsuit about the City Harvest Church. This high profile case has not only broken the trust between the congregation and the church, It has the unfortunate effect of damaging and tarnishing the reputation of Christianity in the eyes of the general public. Arguably, this could
cause a loss in potential Christians, as they would be deterred by the hypocrisy of the church.
Postmodernism
As the late As the late Lee Kuan Yew once said, with reference to the topless cabaret show Crazy Horse, ‘Let the show in. It does not make sense to keep things out in this globalised age’. Indeed, as Singapore reaches our 50th year of Independence, LKY’s words seem to have rung true on many levels. With their economic needs suitably well-met, Singaporeans have grown increasingly concerned over issues of social justice and freedoms, or as some might claim, universal human rights. What we see instead is an increasingly tolerant society that has welcomed vice – physically manifested in the two casinos built in Marina Bay Sands and in Sentosa; a society that seeked to overthrow seemingly archaic laws such as 377A; a society that celebrated the normalization of homosexuality by the Health Promotion Board. As Christians, these practices are not in line with our faith and beliefs – and thus pose a huge cause for worry. As David Kinnaman observes in his book You Lost Me (Baker Books, 2011), youths of today are overprotected and easily swayed by public opinion. They perceive Christianity as rigid, archaic, inflexible and irrelevant – turning instead to supporting these causes. Examples of which include the observable exponential increase in supporters for Pink Dot, an event that supports and celebrates homosexuality.
Viewing this, we can conclude that the Singaporean youth appear to be interested in spirituality only on their own terms.
Considering the rapid changes made in a mere decade, the church has yet to adequately prepare for the next generation to follow Christ devotedly in this world full of complexity. There thus arises a necessity for the counter-cultural church – through which true discipleship is grounded in Christ’s likeness (1 John 2:6)
As Proverbs 22:6 states: Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it. Youths struggling with their faith can then return to their churches, back to the Word - and through the Bible, seek wisdom from God (Matthew 7:24-27). I would like to propose a two-pronged approach to disciple making. One aspect will be headed by the parents (Ephesians 6:4), and the other, by the church.
Parents
In 1 Kings 2, on his deathbed, King David tells Solomon to ‘walk in obedience to Him and keep His decrees and commands, his laws and regulations’. This concept is mentioned repeatedly in the Bible, where parents are meant to ‘bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord’ (Ephesians 6:4). Given that parents are the key mentors in the child’s life, parents are able to shape the child’s worldview from young. By exhibiting spiritual leadership with the end goal of deepening maturity of the child, parents can play an instrumental role in encouraging their child to ‘live by faith and not by sight’ (2 Corinthians 5:7).
Church
As Calvin reminded the medieval Church, God is the foundation of the Church. Dr Calvin Chong, an associate professor at the Singapore Bible College puts forth the following framework for discipleship.
Values, Vision, Vehicles
First, the church should derive basic values from the bible, rooted in the Word. Through understanding God’s will, the church then submits in obedience and formulates a vision based on His plan. This vision can then be achieved through different vehicles – or plans. In Ephesians 4:11, we are told that Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and the teachers. In 2 Timothy 2:2, we are further told that ‘And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses, entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others’.
Dr Jimmy Tan recommends that teachers and theologians educate and guide pastors, defending the church against corruption. Pastors then teach doctrines and scriptures to ordinary Christians. Notably, there are three pairs of mentor-mentee relationships that shed light on how these relationships should work. Moses and Joshua, Elijah and Elisha as well as Paul and Timothy. All three mentors believed staunchly in the Word, whose mentees then followed in their footsteps (Joshua 24:15). There are elements of encouragement in times of distress (2 Timothy 3:14-15) and endurance in suffering (2 Timothy 2:3) which are strongly relevant today. Given the aforementioned aspects of globalisation, the current youth have grown opinionated and brash, unafraid of harsh or open criticism - teachers and pastors can possibly look to Proverbs 27:17 for encouragement.
Scripture, Social, Self
On a more micro-perspective of lessons, Calvin recommends existential apprehension as a comprehensive way to go about our faith. Calvin points at a healthy balance between both heart (strengthened) and mind (illumined), where the theoretical can be backed up by experience – or ‘piety’. Meanwhile, Dean Borgman, author of Foundations for Youth Ministry (Baker Academic, 2013), recommends that pastors and mentors engage in disciple making through the exegesis of Scripture, Social and Self. One can argue that through experiencing the Holy Spirit, the exegesis of Self can be attained – through which the fruits of the Holy Spirit can be enjoyed (Galatians 5:22).
The exegesis of Scripture can be further broken down into the analysis of the Bible through the historical, linguistic, literary context as well as its theological implications. Through critical reading of Scripture, youths can thus ‘present yourself (themselves) to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth’ (2 Timothy 2:15).
Social exegesis, though constantly overlooked, is an essential part that helps pastors understand the culture in which the youths live in. The study of social sciences such as anthropology, sociology, political sciences etc are vital in helping pastors link biblical teachings to relevant life applications.
Conclusion
The pervasive effects of globalisation while undeniable, does not mean that globalisation in itself is inherently detrimental. Rather, like how a sword is useless on its own, it is the person who wields it that controls and exhibits power over it. Similarly, as Joseph Koh mentioned in his thesis on hipster culture, globalisation can be to our advantage should youths harness its power for the right reasons. One method he mentioned was the reclamation of media – much like what he and his friends have done with their Christian online magazine, Selah. With strong foundations in the Christian faith, youths and their proficient use of technology can help create inroads to cultures that have yet to receive the good news. As Roland Chia argues, Christians can and should enter the public square proudly – a sentiment echoed in Matthew 28:19-20 “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and Son and Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age”.
Tan Ting Yu
STEP 2015
