Introduction
Over the past decades, Singapore has been blessed with rapid economic growth development. 21st century Singapore is often portrayed as an idealistic developed city with little to no mention of poverty. A closer look at various features of the Singaporean society exposes the common yet misleading depiction of Singapore as a wealthy country with an eradication of absolute poverty1.
Over the past decades, Singapore has been blessed with rapid economic growth development. 21st century Singapore is often portrayed as an idealistic developed city with little to no mention of poverty. A closer look at various features of the Singaporean society exposes the common yet misleading depiction of Singapore as a wealthy country with an eradication of absolute poverty1.
I will discuss the concurrence of materialism and absolute poverty in Singapore, as well as biblical perspectives of the issue of poverty.
The poor in Singapore
Amidst the economic growth and relatively low unemployment rate in Singapore, it is easy to overlook the existence of those living in absolute poverty. There are, in fact, over 100,000 households earning below $1500 per month in 20132. These people, are unable to afford basic necessities like food and healthcare, and they include those who are unable to work due to chronic diseases, the elderly with depleted savings, low-income families and migrant workers. Some may receive assistance from the government (which in some cases, are insufficient), others are “over-qualified” and are unable to receive assistance from the government3.
The bible mentions the poor in numerous occasions. The Epistle of James warns us against the preferential treatment of the rich and the poor (James 2:1-3). The act of helping the poor include the instructions given to Israelites to leave some of the harvest for the poor (Leviticus 19:9-10), Jesus telling the rich young man to sell his possessions and give to the poor (Mark 10:21-22) and believers selling their possessions to give to those in need (Acts 2:44-45).
Serving the needs of the community
God graciously extends His love to the poor in Singapore through the various Christian voluntary welfare organisations. During the STEP programme, we were introduced to the Presbyterian Community Services (PCS), one of the ministries of the synod, which runs services to meet the needs of the underprivileged members of the Singapore society. We were fortunate to visit the Sarah Activity Centre for Senior Citizens run by the PCS. In the visit, we learnt from Rev David Lim that the services provided by the PCS include financial support to those in need of financial assistance and meals-on-wheels services to provide meals for the Elderly. Healthserve, which we also visited, provides aid to the migrant workers cheated by their employers, or are unable to afford medical fees with the meagre salaries they receive. One of the aims of Healthserve is to treat migrant workers in Singapore, regularly treated as second class citizens, with dignity and respect. Both PCS and Healthserve are able to and reach out to the different communities in the Singaporean society and meet their corresponding needs.
Rise of affluence & materialism in Singapore
Materialism may be understood to be the importance a consumer attaches to worldly possessions4. A materialistic mindset manifests itself in the form of spending, sometimes excessively, time and effort in the pursuit of material possesions. With a rise in the income levels5, comes an increase in the ability of the present-day Singaporean to spend on goods to improve their lives. Being fed continuously with advertisements through the television and social media gives a growing pressure to have the latest brands. According to Russell Belk, nongenerosity, envy and possessiveness are the traits of materialism. As Christians, we are called to put the interests of others above our own, and not to value earthly possessions. One may allow materialism to insidiously enter his/her life. When this happens, instead of pursuing God, the person goes after material posessions.
Materialism may be understood to be the importance a consumer attaches to worldly possessions4. A materialistic mindset manifests itself in the form of spending, sometimes excessively, time and effort in the pursuit of material possesions. With a rise in the income levels5, comes an increase in the ability of the present-day Singaporean to spend on goods to improve their lives. Being fed continuously with advertisements through the television and social media gives a growing pressure to have the latest brands. According to Russell Belk, nongenerosity, envy and possessiveness are the traits of materialism. As Christians, we are called to put the interests of others above our own, and not to value earthly possessions. One may allow materialism to insidiously enter his/her life. When this happens, instead of pursuing God, the person goes after material posessions.
The bible commands us to adopt an attitude opposing materialism. Psalm 62:10 gives invaluable advice for our behaviour toward money, “…If riches increase, do not set your heart upon them”. Similarly, the writer in Proverbs 30:8 (“Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread”) is content with having his needs met, and does not desire material wealth. In addition, it is clearly stated in Matthew 6:24 that it is impossible for one to serve both God and money.
In an increasingly materialistic world, the understanding of scripture with regards to money is crucial in preventing us from falling into the temptation of pouring our time and energy into trying to obtain wealth instead of serving God. We must therefore beware of the allure of materialism and its distraction from God and His Word.
Conclusion
Although wealth is not necessarily evil, it is important for us to be wise in the management of wealth and not fall into temptation of living a materialistic lifestyle. According to John Wesley, "(Money) is an excellent gift of God, answering the noblest ends. In the hands of his children, it is food for the hungry, drink for the thirsty, raiment for the naked.”7. As followers of Christ, we have a responsibility to remember and take care of those in need among us.
Proverbs 4:23(NASB) says, “Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.”. My prayer for Christians is for God to help us as we guard our hearts from materialism, to share with the poor what God has blessed us with, and remember our identity is in Christ Jesus, not in the amount of possessions we have.
References
1http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2013/11/singapore-poverty-spotlight-20131178362669442.html
*bible verses taken from ESV, unless otherwise stated
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