Title: An exploration of the major Protestant denominations in Singapore and their origins - Daniel Lim

This essay aims to shed some light on the 3 major Protestant denominations in Singapore, namely the Presbyterians, Anglicans and Methodists. It will give an introduction of their origins, followed by their founding fathers and how they ended up in Singapore.

A Little History…

A peek into history might give us some clues as to why Protestants ended up in various denominations.

Back in the Biblical ages, Jesus’s crucifixion dated back to a range between AD 29-33 based on various interpretations and scholarly analysis. The spread of the Gospel can be seen from Acts 1:8, from Jerusalem, till Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the Earth.

The years from 30-100 AD were named as the apostolic ages, marked from the day of the Pentecost till the day apostle John died.

This was followed by the period of the council of Nicaea from 100 – 325 AD. Significantly, Emperor Constantine rose to power and declared Christianity to be a state religion (Nicol & Matthews, 2016). The Emperor himself called in the council of Nicaea to first refute the heresy that Christ was a created being. It later issued orders on consecrating Bishops and many other matters pertaining the church and its leadership. Famously, a creed known as the Nicene Creed was first written to “signify the absolute equality of the Son and the Father”. (The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica, 2017) It was eventually revised multiple times and a final version published in 381 AD.

Next came the period of the fall of the Roman Empire from 325-590 AD. German barbarian tribes constantly attacked the western Roman Empire and eventually brought it down. The bishop of Rome began to rule, who claimed primacy and supreme leadership over the church and state.

The years of 590 – 1517 AD became marked as the middle ages. Missionaries facilitated the spread of Christianity even to the barbarians. It was in this period that Medieval Catholicism started to lose grip and modern Christianity built traction, accelerated also by the invention of the printing press. It was the dawn of the Reformation and forerunners included Martin Luther, John Knox and John Calvin.

The period of Reformation (1517-1648) was a significant moment in history where the Protestants distinguished themselves from the Catholics. Martin Luther stood up openly against the system of indulgences and good works which were against the Biblical teachings of God’s free-gift of Grace. John Calvin and John Knox further established Protestant teachings like divine election and through writings, like the Institutes of the Christian Religion and The Scots Confession, provided comprehensive statements of Christian beliefs (Rev Peter Chan, 2017). It was after this period that reformed churches branched out into various denominations. 

Origins of Presbyterianism and its spread to Singapore

Birthed out of the reformation and the teachings of John Calvin, the Presbyterian church was first established in Scotland. John Knox led the reformation in Scotland based on Calvin’s principles. Eventually, the Presbyterian led church became the national Church of Scotland in 1690 and remained so till today (Fairchild, Presbyterian Church History, 2016). Subsequently, Presbyterianism spread to the United States of America from the East Coast, pushing inland to the West since 1630s (Presbyterian Historical Society , n.d.). Presbyterianism, hence, is the name given to the group that represent Protestantism lined out by John Calvin. In 1842 , the Nanjing treaty was signed and it forced China to open its trade to the rest of the world. Benjamin Keasberry was sent as a missionary there, but stopped by Singapore enroute, and as a member of the London Missionary Society, started the first Presbyterian church in Singapore, Prinsep Street Presbyterian Church. (Presbyterian Church in Singapore, n.d.)

Origins of Anglicanism and its spread to Singapore

Anglicans are also known as the “Church of England”. Anglicanism is “ a worldwide family of religious bodies that represent the offspring of the Church of England and the archbishop of Canterbury” (Sachs & Dean, 2017). The Church of England existed long ago since the early 3^rd Century, but they too caught up with the reformation era. Archbishop Thomas Cranmer wrote the book “The Book of Common Prayer” to align Anglicans with Reformation ideas. Anglicans were missions driven and the Church Missionary Society was set up in 1799, ministering to the locals and Colonies of the British (Sachs & Dean, 2017). In 1819, settlers from the British India Company were the first to spread Anglicanism to Singapore and the first Anglican church was founded in 1826 (Diocese of Singapore, n.d.).

Origins of Methodism and its spread to Singapore

Methodism is an 18^th Century movement initiated by John Wesley. Wesley’s initial plan was to seek Reformation of the Church of England from within, but his movement separated from the Anglicans and eventually became a denomination on its own. Methodism originated from the critic of the way Methodists use “rules and methods to go about their religious affairs” (Fairchild, Methodist Church History, 2016). The movement gained popularity in 1738, under also the influence of George Whitefield. These events marked the early Methodist movements. It was not till 1885 that James Thoburn and William Oldham brought the movement to Singapore. The first Methodist church was established in 1885 and works which included church planting, schools and medical institutions began (The Methodist Church in Singapore, 2014). 

References

Diocese of Singapore. (n.d.). Our HIstory. Retrieved from The Diocese of Singapore.

Fairchild, M. (4 December, 2016). Methodist Church History. Retrieved from ThoughtCo.: https://www.thoughtco.com/methodist-church-history-700976

Fairchild, M. (4 December, 2016). Presbyterian Church History. Retrieved from ThoughtCo.: https://www.thoughtco.com/presbyterian-church-history-701365

Nicol, D. M., & Matthews, J. (15 December, 2016). Constantine I. Retrieved from Encyclopædia Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Constantine-I-Roman-emperor

Presbyterian Church in Singapore. (n.d.). Brief History of the Presbyterian Church in Singapore. Retrieved from The Presbyterian Church in Singapore.

Presbyterian Historical Society . (n.d.). History of the Church. Retrieved from Presbyterian History.

Sachs, W. L., & Dean, R. S. (7 February, 2017). Anglicanism. Retrieved from Encyclopædia Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Anglicanism

The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. (19 April, 2017). Council of Nicaea. Retrieved from Encyclopædia Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/event/Council-of-Nicaea-Christianity-325

The Methodist Church in Singapore. (14 December, 2014). Wesleyan Heritage. Retrieved from The Methodist Church in Singapore: http://www.methodist.org.sg/index.php/about-us/heritage-history/methodist-history?id=17