The Star Reports on Crisis in Calvary Church

The Star today reports the on-going crisis that confronts Calvary Church in Kuala Lumpur. Looks like there is no solution for the crisis anytime soon (For further details of the crisis, see Calvary Today blog).

I have often questioned mega projects for the church. Over the past few years, we have witnessed numerous churches in the Klang Valley pumping millions of Ringgit into church building projects. I am not against building physical building for the church - but my question here is this: Is it necessary to have a mega building project just to house a single church?

For example, a church is willing to invest RM150 million in a building project. I wonder would it be better if that money is used to build a single large mega building or plant 75 churches nationwide, assuming that it would cost at average of RM2 million to acquire a 3- to 4-storey office block in various location in the country? Would the latter be a better strategy in reaching the community with the gospel?

And if a church is willing to invest that amount in physical building, would she be willing to invest the same amount for the training and equipping of the workers to serve the church?

Strangely though, I have heard of many large scale fund raising projects organised for the building of church buildings, but I have yet to hear a large scale fund raising project to raise money for theological education - funds for the libraries of our seminaries, for scholarships for faculty members in theological colleges to upgrade themselves, for scholarships for seminaries, for theological research and publication, and for improving the facilities of seminaries. Just imagine what would have happened if the Christian community is willing to invest RM150 million in theological education.

Is something wrong with the Christ believing community when we are only interested in building physical buildings for the church at the expense of neglecting theological education in the equipping and empowering the people of God to serve and pastor the church?

Invitation to My Ordination

To all readers of my blog:

For location map to the venue, please click here.

Signs and Wonders: Perspectives from Acts and Implications for the Church Today

This is a short article that I wrote for Kairos magazine some months ago. Since it has been requested, I decided to publish it here in my blog.

Signs and Wonders: Perspectives from Acts and the Implications for the Church Today

“Whatever sickness that you may have – migraine, backache, gastric problems, cancer – God wants to heal you. So, take that step of faith, get out of your seat and come to the altar….”

The invitation was given by the preacher in a healing meeting I attended some years ago. Many responded to the “altar call” to be prayed for healing. Subsequently, those who were healed publicly shared that their sufferings had ended and their material well-being had been restored.

I felt a little bit uneasy. It is not that I do not believe in signs and wonders - I take it for granted that God still performs them today. My uneasiness was with the reason given in encouraging one to seek for signs and wonders: that miracles were normative in the daily life of the early Christian community in Acts and so it should be the same today. After all, how would one otherwise account for the impressive amount of space given to the recording of signs and wonders?

But can this claim be substantiated with a close reading of Acts? Do signs and wonders exist merely for the sake of alleviating human pain and suffering? Are they to be sought and experienced as part of our spiritual experience? To help us address these concerns, I hope to explore two questions in this essay. First, what was the purpose of signs and wonders in the early Christian community? Second, what are their implications in the church today?

The Purpose of Signs and Wonders in Acts

Luke uses the unique phrase “signs and wonders” with higher frequencies in Acts compared to the rest of the New Testament (see 2:19, 22, 43; 4:30; 5:12; 6:8; 7:36; 14:3; 15:12). Apart from this phrase, the word commonly translated “sign” can be found in 4:16, 22; 8:6, 13 while the word frequently translated “miracle” or “power” appears ten times elsewhere (1:8; 2:22; 3:12; 4:7, 33; 6:8; 8:10, 13; 10:38; 19:11).

In addition to the frequent use of these words, approximately forty supernatural and miraculous stories are also recorded. These include healings (e.g., 3:1-10), exorcisms (e.g., 16:16-21), angelic and heavenly visions (e.g., 10:1-48), speaking in tongues (e.g., 2:5-12) and other similar occurrences with clear demonstration of God’s power. As such, it is undeniable that Luke’s emphasis on signs and wonders is remarkably impressive.

What could possibly be the purpose for the abundant reference to the supernatural? Firstly, Luke was undoubtedly conscious of the significant role signs and wonders play in the expansion of the kingdom of God as expressed in the rapid growth of the early church. In fact, Luke anticipates that these signs and wonders will characterize the ministry and witness of the church in the “last days” (2:16-21).

It is interesting to note that these supernatural events in Acts are not recorded merely for their own sake, nor are they recorded as isolated events. Rather, the primary emphasis for these narratives is the results of these occurrences. Almost without exception, the direct result of signs and wonders is the expansion of the kingdom of God. The empowering of the Holy Spirit enables the apostles to perform signs and wonders and to proclaim the gospel with increased boldness and renewed zeal. This results in the conversion of the masses and Luke makes numerous explicit references to the numerical growth of the early Christian community (see 2:47; 4:4; 5:14; 6:1; 8:4-6, 14; 9:31, 42; 11:19-21; 12:24; 13:42-43, 48-49; 14:1, 21; 16:5 17:4; 18:8; 19:10, 20). This pattern is constantly repeated throughout Acts (e.g., 2:1-41; 2:42-47; 3:1-4:44). As such, it would be hard to dispute the Luke is a strong advocate for signs and wonders.

While Luke’s attitude towards signs and wonders is positive, he is not uncritical about it. He is careful to warn against the preoccupation with signs and wonders for wrong motive, particularly those who seek it for personal gains. The story of Simon’s fascination with signs and wonders and his attempt to buy the ability to impart the gift of God (8:9-24) and the account of the seven sons of Sceva (19:13-16) serve as sober warnings against those who seek this power for selfish and corrupt motive. In this respect, Luke is not unaware of the potential abuses of signs and wonders.

Secondly, Luke also intimately links signs and wonders to intense opposition and persecution. The ability to bear bold witness for Christ in the face of persecution as a result of renewed faith and church growth is central to Luke’s understanding of divine empowerment. After the healing of the crippled beggar, Peter addressed the crowd, testifying that Jesus is the Christ. This led to his arrest (3:1-4:31). Again the pattern of performing signs and wonders and preaching the gospel followed by persecution can be found in 5:12-6:1. The experience of Apostle Paul is also similar (14:8-25).

The reality of suffering and hardships in the midst of our experience of God’s miraculous works remind us to avoid a superficial self-seeking perspective towards signs and wonders. It is unfortunate that modern charismatic signs of healing are often associated with the overall preoccupation with material well-being of granting some physical relief, a preoccupation that believers in biblical times would have found scandalous. It rightly cautions us that in our promotion of the ministry of signs and wonders, we should avoid the extreme danger of triumphalism.

Finally, the presence of signs and wonders also carries with it missiological implications in overcoming barriers and obstacles that might otherwise prevent those genuinely seeking God from coming to faith. In the narrative of Cornelius coming to faith, angelic visions appear to both Cornelius and Peter (10:1-48) resulting to the conversion of his household. In this incident, not only the gift of the Holy Spirit is given thereby enabling them to speak in tongues (10:45-46), it also serves as a sign for the Jewish believers that God does not show favoritism (cf. 10:34-35) - a sign needed to change their negative perception of the Gentiles. This subsequently led Peter to confess: “So if God gave them the same gift as he gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Chirst, who was I to think that I could stand in God’s way?” (11:17) As such, Luke places special emphasis that the conversions of the Gentiles would not have been made possible if not for the miraculous works of God that remove all barriers and obstacles that hinder them to faith.

From our discussion, we can conclude that the primary purpose of signs and wonders according to Acts is for the sake of the expansion of the kingdom of God. Signs and wonders are visible manifestations of the coming of the kingdom of God, resulting in the numerical growth of the early Christian community; the strengthening of their faith as they face intense persecution; and the removal of barriers and obstacles that might otherwise hinder others from coming to faith. As such, the primary purpose of signs and wonders are for the benefits of the church, and not for the individuals.

The Implications for the Church Today

Reading Acts is a timely reminder that the primary purpose of signs and wonders two thousand years ago is still the same today – it is for the expansion of the kingdom of God and a witness to the unbelieving world. They testify to the reality of God so that the faith of believers could be strengthened with renewed boldness and increased inspiration to the witness of the gospel. They are also a demonstration of the power of God to an unbelieving world so that those who have yet to believe may be persuaded to place their trust in God.

The direct result of signs and wonders resulting in the expansion of the church may inevitably leads to opposition and persecution, particularly in situations where Christians constitute a minority or live within a hostile environment to the gospel. Acts reminds us that in this life, suffering will often not be removed. Although signs and wonders have been the focal point particularly among Pentecostal and Charismatic churches, we need to be reminded that true biblical Pentecostal missions has always been the reliance on the divine enablement to remain faithful in the midst of suffering and persecution.

We must also not discount that God will continue to use signs and wonders to reach out to those who seek him, particularly those who may have been hindered from coming to faith as a result of the imposition of legal, religious and social restrictions. Like the incident of Peter and Cornelius (10:1-48), the church must be sensitive to the leading of the Lord in reaching out to this particular group of people.

It is unfortunate that some Christian circles have abused signs and wonders in an unbiblical way for personal benefits. At the same time, it is also regrettable that some circles have also discounted the possibility of signs and wonders by arguing that they have ended in the apostolic age. As such, Acts helpfully remind us that signs and wonders and the proclamation of the gospel are complementary, and they belong together in the missionary endeavour of the church – both in the apostolic age and in the church today.

Back from Gopeng

It was a very tiring weekend but a fulfilled one indeed. Spending the weekend with a bunch of college students who are eager to learn more about the New Testament is very encouraging for me. As I mentioned in my previous post, I was given 5 hours to do NT Survey - and needless to say, I only managed to cover NT background and a little bit of the Gospel of Mark. I decided to spend some time covering the Jewish and Greco-Roman background of the NT world as this is one area that many are least familiar with.

I did not manage to do a survey of the life of Paul - how can a Pauline scholar fail to do this? I better repent...

Anyway, it was not all work for me. I managed to have half a day off for myself just to enjoy the camp site and to rest.

Heading Off North: Step-Up Programme

This weekend, I will be heading north to Gopeng as one of the speakers for my church's vacation bible school, Step-Up Programme, designed for school leavers. I have been assigned to cover New Testament Survey in 5 hours - and I am still struggling how to do that within the time allocated.

I hope to have a good time with a group of 16 young people and trust that something good will come out of this training programme. May their intellectual mind be challenged, passion and zeal for the gospel renewed, and love for the Lord deepened.

Latest Issue of Kairos Magazine is Out

The latest issue (December 2008) of Understanding the Modern World through Christian Eyes published by Kairos is now available. The theme of this issue is 'The Church's Neglected Treasures.'

Interesting articles in this issue include:

• Forgotten Treasures: God's Prophets of the Old Testament
• 'O For A Thousand Tongues to Sing..."
• The Gift of Christian Doctrine
• Pastoral Visitation and Pastoral Care
• Have Christians Lost Their Minds?
• The Silent Retreat: Finding God in Stillness
• Food for Thought: The A-List of Spiritual Diets
• The Cost of Discipleship
• Free of Charge: Giving and Forgiving in a Culture Stripped of Grace
• The Sights and Sounds of Christmas
• The Darjeeling Limited

The article, Forgotten Treasures: God's Prophets of the Old Testament, written by my colleague the Reb, is available for free preview.

Church Sues Seminary for Disputable Doctrine

Sze Zeng highlighted this news in his blog today.

According to an article in Singapore's Christian Post on December 16, 2008, a church in Singapore (Life Bible Presbyterian Church) is taking the seminary (Far Eastern Bible College) that occupies its premises to court as the final attempt in asking the seminary to vacate the premises. At the centre of the dispute is the doctrine of Verbal Plenary Preservation (VPP). This doctrine refers to "the belief that the infallible and inerrant words of Scripture are found in the Traditional/Byzantine/Majority manuscripts and fully represented in the Printed and Received Text (Textus Receptus) that underlie the Reformation Bibles best represented by the King James Version." Hence those who hold on to this teaching believe that King James Version is the only Bible that is to be used in the church.

For a statement by the elders of Life Bible Presbyterian Church dated January 25, 2008 on its relationship with Far Eastern Bible College, please click here.

I am wondering whether this case can be used as a test case for my future 1 Corinthians exegesis class on Paul's teaching on lawsuits. But for my Exegetical Method class in the coming semester, I will certainly bring up this case as an example when I deal with textual criticism in the class.

Economic Downturn Hits Non-Profit Organisations

Over the last couple of weeks, I have lost count of the number of emails I received from non-profit faith-based organisations from the United States appealing for donations to cover the current year operating deficit. These emails are not really "spam mails" or unsolicited emails, for I subscribed to news updates from these organisations. A couple of these emails sounded really desperate.

The present economic downturn does not spare anyone. While I was in Singapore recently, I also took the opportunity to visit several churches, and the message from the pulpit centred around how to faithful in bad times, how to deal with the financial crisis, etc. Looks like churches in Singapore are bracing for the turbulent times ahead too.

What about Malaysia? The recent November-December issue of Berita NECF published by the National Evangelical Christian Fellowship of Malaysia also addressed the issue of global financial crisis, providing some reflections for both churches and individuals.

When it hits our pocket, we suddenly feel the pain. We suddenly fell desperate. And suddenly, there are avalanche of resources providing guidance of how we could sail through these hard times.

But when it comes to the suffering of the poor, the downtrodden, the outcasts, and the marginalised, such news never receive the airtime they deserve. We don't feel the pain. We don't feel desperate. And the church sometimes choose to remain silent.

Theology and Architecture

It has been said that you can take a property valuer out of the real estate industry but you can never take the interest in real estate out of him. That is so true of my personal experience. My fascination and interest in real estate continues on today even after having left the industry for more than 10 years already. I am still very interested in architectural design of buildings and conceptual and land use planning of property development.

Last Saturday, I decided to take some time off from working on my book project to satisfy my fascination, curiosity, and interest in some of the interesting architectural designs of some prominent religious buildings in Singapore.

I visited the Church of St Mary of the Angels, a Franciscan parish, in Bukit Batok. The design of the sanctuary has won the prestigious President’s Design Award, Singapore's highest recognition award, and has been favourably mentioned in numerous publications and exhibitions.



The sanctuary of the Church of St Mary of the Angels is one example where the creativity of the human mind, the simplicity of contemporary design, the indigenous use of sculptures and spaces, and the emphasis on spiritual awareness for both the congregation and visitors collide to create an architectural wonder, inviting a sense of awesomeness from those who step into the sanctuary, calling them to worship the Creator and issuing a call for them to pause and reflect on their existence in this world.



I am struck at the minute details that have gone into the design of the sanctuary. Not only is the concept contemporary, but what amazes me is that its simplicity does not rob the sanctuary from being reduced to a mere functional space, as seen in many construction and renovation of large church halls in the Klang Valley in Malaysia.



The strategically positioned gigantic crucifix hanging from the ceiling, and placed above the altar in the mid air, reminds me of Christ’s work of redemption. I can only imagine as I walk towards the altar to participate in the Eucharist, this sculpture would naturally evoke in me a reminder of the passion of Christ.



As this sculpture invites me to focus on Christ, it also draws my attention to gaze upon the ceiling of the sanctuary where the shape of the cross dominates my attention. The clever design of using glass panel in the shape of the cross allows natural lighting to penetrate the sanctuary, giving one a sense of warmth. As my attention focuses on the crucifix, my thought is drawn to the finished work on the cross. But as I lift up my head looking at the cross on the ceiling, I am reminded of the truth that it is God who initiates this work of redemption by sending his son for all humanity. At I reflect on this, it is only natural that it draws me to fall down on my knees in worship of the creator God, constantly being reminded of my sinfulness and wretchedness who is in need of God’s grace, mercy, love, and forgiveness that flows through Christ on the cross to me. My thoughts lead me from the earth to the cross, and from the cross to the heaven, and from the heaven back to the cross, and from the cross to the earth.


A visit to this church has not only reminded me of the work of the cross, it has also caused me to pause for a moment to ponder over the purpose of my existence in this world, to reflect on the calling of God in my life and to reorientate my focus on Christ and his cross.

This visit to the Church of St Mary of the Angels is truly unforgettable. This is one excellent example of how by paying close attention to architectural and conception design would go a long way in inviting those who walk into the sanctuary to rightly focus on God and to worship him and him only. It is a real beauty where theology and architectural design converge to make a powerful and dynamic statement concerning our vibrant faith.

I could only wish that more churches in Malaysia would not have compromised the fact that the architecture of the church does make a strong theological statement of our faith. It is unfortunately that many churches would rather settle for pragmatic design for the sanctuary, where in the end, we are being bequeathed with space which is merely functional as a place of meeting and not a place of worship.

Clergy Appreciation Day

October 12 is Clergy Appreciation Day. To all clergy and full-time workers in the church and other Christian organisations, and particularly the pastoral team of my church, I would like to thank God for all of you.

You work very hard and long hours, often to the extent of neglecting personal needs, in order to give us spiritual comfort and direction in our journey of faith. You do so much, care so much for us, yet you receive so little in return. You tried your best to guide us into deeper relationship with God, yet at times we choose not to listen to you.



Therefore on this Clergy Appreciation Day, I would like to take a moment of two to acknowledge and celebrate the efforts of your leadership and guidance. I thank God for calling you into his service and ministry, to shepherd his church, and to care for his flock.

May God bless you as you continue to guide us into a deeper relationship with him.

Speaking at JB Wesley Family Camp in Desaru

This year, I will be celebrating the nation's 51st Merdeka in a slightly different manner.

In a matter of minutes, I will be leaving for Johor Bahru, the southern gateway of Peninsular Malaysia. From JB (as it is popularly known), I will be making my way to the popular east coast beach, Desaru.

The Johor Bahru Wesley Methodist Church has graciously invited me to be their family camp speaker to be held at Pulai Desaru Beach Resort from August 30-September 1, 2008. Based on the theme of "We Live By Faith and Not By Sight", I will be speaking on a series of 3 messages in the camp.

For my messages, I will be focusing on Paul's letters to the Corinthians. Paul uses a host of imageries borrowed from the Greco-Roman world of his time to drive home the point that he would like the churches to learn. In this family camp, I hope to explore 3 powerful imageries that Paul uses in his letters to the Corinthians to unpack what it means to “live by faith, and not by sight.”

Session 1: We live by faith, not by sight: Our relationships - Lessons from the temple imagery

Session 2: We live by faith, not by sight: Our Story - Lessons from ancient physiognomy and the imagery of Paul's body

Session 3: We live by faith, not by sight: Our Legacy - Lessons from the athlete imagery

It will be a very packed weekend, and I would appreciate that readers of this blog could offer a prayer for me. Thank you.

Another Embarrassing Blunder By the Evangelicals?

NECF Malaysia recently launched its annual 40-day Fast and Prayer movement, leading up to the National Prayer Conference and the nation's Independence Day celebration. This year, the theme is based on "The Lord Revives."

As one who belongs to a church that holds membership in NECF Malaysia, I would occasionally follow the 40-day Fast and Pray booklet for my personal spiritual development.

Last week, I picked up the booklet and read through the short introductory reading on revival during the Reformation. I almost choked when I read the following:

"Luther was outlawed by the Pope in 1520, and then by Emperor Charles V in 1521. He spent the next 20 years expounding basic principles of the Protestant Reformation which, among others, were the Authority of the Scripture, Justification by Faith and Priesthood
of All Believers."

"The Luther’s movement gave rise to the churches known as Protestants with the emergence of three main traditions: Lutheran (in Germany and Scandinavia), Zwinglian and Calvinist (in Switzerland, France, Holland and Scotland); and the Church of England."

It is almost inconceivable for me to even imagine that the umbrella body of the evangelical churches in Malaysia could make such a serious blunder containing glaring errors in the description of the history of the Church. I wonder how my Lutheran, Presbyterian and Anglican friends would say when they read the above.

This is not the first time that such embarrassing blunder has been made by NECF or its representatives. I have highlighted in a previous post on the problematic statements that appears to be theological incorrect made by its then Secretary-General (now Executive Adviser) on the church being apolitical. Has it become a trait among the evangelicals that all we are concerned is our spiritual development and not being historically correct and theologically informed about our Christian heritage and existence?

I wonder whether I have to write in to NECF once again.

PJEFC Church Camp

I am off to Genting Highlands for my church's PJEFC Zone Camp for the weekend. This is a rather rare occasion where I am not a speaker but a participant for a church retreat. As such, I am looking forward to some fellowship with my church members, and also a time to rest as well - if there is anytime for rest!

Stations of the Cross — Without the Cross?

The following article appears in CT Online:

Stations of the Cross — Without the Cross
Episcopalian liturgy for Stations of the Millennium Development Goals truncates the gospel, critics say.
Susan Wunderink posted 3/06/2008 10:00AM

In this season of Lent, many Christians in liturgical traditions have been meditating on the Stations of the Cross, a series of events — biblical and traditional — depicting the story of Jesus' death.

This year, however, the Episcopal Church is promoting new devotional material for Lent: the Stations of the Millennium Development Goals. The church's Episcopal Relief and Development office created a liturgy based on the United Nations plan to eliminate extreme poverty and other global ills, and sent e-mail to church leaders encouraging its use "in lieu of the traditional Stations of the Cross service."

Mike Angell of the denomination's Office of Young Adult and Higher Education Ministries designed the stations for a September 2007 young adult conference. While the traditional Stations of the Cross meditation has 14 stations (though this has varied through church history), the Episcopalian Stations of the Millennium Development Goals liturgy has only eight stations, one for each goal.

Station four, on reducing child mortality, reads:

Every three seconds a child under the age of five dies. A disproportionate number of these children live in developing countries, without access to clean water or basic medical care.
For personal reflection and prayer: Lord, help us to love and care for little children—the least of these who are of your family. Protect and heal them with your divine power.

Each station includes "activities and worship experiences for the liturgy." For station four, the church's document suggests, "Provide black and white drawings or outlines of children's faces. Have pilgrims color the faces. While the group is coloring, ring a bell every fifteen seconds to recognize that another child died from a preventable water-borne illness."

At the end of each station, the group is to pray a modified version of the Eastern Orthodox prayer known as Trisagion in which "Have mercy on us" is changed to "Transform us / That we might transform the world."

"There has been a little controversy about the Stations of the MDGs," said Luke Fodor, network coordinator for the church's relief arm. "At Episcopal Relief and Development, we're here to just take care of problems. We're not interested in theological discussions or politics in the church. We're to take care of the least of these, and that's our mandate. We [at ERD] didn't create this; we produced it for churches to use as they see fit."

But critics say the liturgy and the church's promotion of it during Lent is idolatrous. The Anglican blog StandFirm posted excerpts from the liturgy under the introduction, "Gitcher fresh hell here."

Kendall Harmon, canon theologian of the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina and editor of The Anglican Digest, said the liturgy is based on a "terribly truncated version of the baptismal covenant" and reveals a theological mindset that is un-Trinitarian.

"It runs the risk of replacing Christ with the church and the activity of Christ with the activity of the church," Harmon said.

Edith Humphrey, William F. Orr professor of New Testament at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, criticized the document's theology for similar reasons.

"Like the song, "God Has No Hands But Our Hands," it forgets the sovereignty of God," she said. "God does use us, but he's the initiator. It's so sad to see the gospel diluted to simply being kind to others. I don't think that a gospel like that really communicates the grandeur of God and what he's done for us in Christ."

Continue reading the rest of the article here.

Financial Transparency

Transparency. Good governance. Integrity. These are buzz words not only in the Malaysian politics but also in churches today.

In the Malaysian scene, I have yet to see churches publicly display their financial statements (for obvious reasons - and I could be wrong here) although these are often made known to the church members/congregation during their annual general meetings.

But there is one mega church in the neighbouring country that has precisely done that - publicise the financial statements online for all to scrutinise. Many thanks to Blogpastor who highlighted this.

City Harvest Church makes it known publicly her detailed financial statements from 2003-2007. Even the church building construction cost is made known. Very impressive indeed. One may criticise or disagree with City Harvest Church for many things the church does, but certainly, the impressive transparency with finances and attendance details is one area that many churches need to emulate.

"Do Not Read the Bible Like the Theologians Do"

"Do not read the Bible like the theologians do!"

That statement in the sermon made me sit up. My first reaction was that perhaps I heard the preacher wrongly. But I did not. The person sitting next to me confirmed what was said over the pulpit.

This happened when I was attending a Sunday Service in a fairly large and well-known church in the Klang Valley some months ago. In this particular sermon, one of the pastors of this church was making a point concerning the importance of having a regular personal devotion if one wishes to grow towards maturity as a believer. One could hardly disagree with this. But in the midst of making his point, the pastor remarked, "But remember when you read the Bible in your personal devotion, do not read the Bible like the theologians do."

It is not very often that I reacted rather negatively to a Sunday sermon. Even if I do disagree with the preacher, more often than not, it has to do with issues of interpretation of scripture. After all, many of my own "si fu" (Gregory Beale, Walter Kaiser, William Mounce, Moises Silva, and Bruce Winter, amongst others) have thought me that as a budding NT scholar, I should practise charity when it comes to differing opinions concerning the interpretation of scripture. While we do exercise caution in interpreting the scripture, we must also acknowledge that we do not have all the full knowledge and wisdom to make a dogmatic statement, especially in interpreting the difficult passages in the Bible.

But this time, it was very different. I must confess I was stunned! Perhaps the preacher, who does not have any theological education, was trying to share a joke in the sermon. Perhaps he was trying to caution the congregation that, more often than not, theologians would argue on so many peripheral issues in the text, and yet they can never come to an agreement, and this is an area that should be avoided. Perhaps the preacher was trying to emphasise that one must not merely treat the Bible as a piece of literature subjected to scholarly research and scrutiny under the intellectual microscope. Perhaps he was reacting to the concern that some biblical scholars are investigating the scripture simply for some intellectual stimulation. Perhaps he was exhorting the congregation that we must allow the scripture to speak not only to the head but to the heart as well. Perhaps it was just a slip of tongue.

While I may not know the intention of the preacher for making this statement, I could not help but to wonder why theologians/biblical scholars have often received bad press in many sermons, particularly among the independent charismatic churches? This is not the first time that I hear such remark being made over the pulpit.

I thought that instead of arguing over the issue of whether one should or should not read the bible like the theologians do, perhaps it would be good for me to reflect and ask myself these questions as a budding NT scholar: As a follower of Christ, do I read the Bible differently from the "non-theologians"? In my teaching and preaching, have I failed to instruct the congregation concerning the truth of God? Have I failed to demonstrate that the scripture is relevant for all of us even in our present day? Or have I only caught up in the academic pursuit of biblical studies to the neglect of applying the scripture in my own personal life and professional life as a lecturer in a seminary?

Or, if I am not a theologian/biblical scholar and if I do not reflect or think through issues theologically, what difference would this make in my discipline of reading the scripture? What treasures would I not be able to mine? What theological insights would I not discover? What truths would I not understand? If I do not allow the scriptures to guide and instruct me in my understanding of ethical, moral and contemporary issues, what significant impact would this have in my appropriation of biblical truths in various aspects of my Christian life? What application of biblical truth in my Christian journey would I misappropriate?

I may not have all the answers to the above questions. But this I know. After all, isn't it Karl Barth, when asked about his Christian faith, responded by saying, "Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so"? I think this is a very sober reminder from a great theologian to all of us about how we understand and read the Bible - whether we are theologian or not!

Willow Creek Repents?

Alex highlighted an interesting blog post in ChristianityToday that I missed. It's about the recent evaluation carried out by Willow Creek on the effectiveness of their programme-driven church. The blog post is reproduced below.

What about us - do we dare to confront our own weaknesses in the way we do church, admit it, then do the necessary and rightful thing? What happen to the "age old spiritual disciplines of prayer, bible reading and relationships...(that) do not require multi-million dollar facilities and hundreds of staff to manage"?

Willow Creek Repents?
Why the most influential church in America now says "We made a mistake."

Few would disagree that Willow Creek Community Church has been one of the most influential churches in America over the last thirty years. Willow, through its association, has promoted a vision of church that is big, programmatic, and comprehensive. This vision has been heavily influenced by the methods of secular business. James Twitchell, in his new book Shopping for God, reports that outside Bill Hybels’ office hangs a poster that says: “What is our business? Who is our customer? What does the customer consider value?” Directly or indirectly, this philosophy of ministry—church should be a big box with programs for people at every level of spiritual maturity to consume and engage—has impacted every evangelical church in the country.

So what happens when leaders of Willow Creek stand up and say, “We made a mistake”?

Not long ago Willow released its findings from a multiple year qualitative study of its ministry. Basically, they wanted to know what programs and activities of the church were actually helping people mature spiritually and which were not. The results were published in a book, Reveal: Where Are You?, co-authored by Greg Hawkins, executive pastor of Willow Creek. Hybels called the findings “earth shaking,” “ground breaking,” and “mind blowing.”

If you’d like to get a synopsis of the research you can watch a video with Greg Hawkins here. And Bill Hybels’ reactions, recorded at last summer’s Leadership Summit, can be seen here. Both videos are worth watching in their entirety, but below are few highlights.

In the Hawkins’ video he says, “Participation is a big deal. We believe the more people participating in these sets of activities, with higher levels of frequency, it will produce disciples of Christ.” This has been Willow’s philosophy of ministry in a nutshell. The church creates programs/activities. People participate in these activities. The outcome is spiritual maturity. In a moment of stinging honesty Hawkins says, “I know it might sound crazy but that’s how we do it in churches. We measure levels of participation.”

Having put all of their eggs into the program-driven church basket you can understand their shock when the research revealed that “Increasing levels of participation in these sets of activities does NOT predict whether someone’s becoming more of a disciple of Christ. It does NOT predict whether they love God more or they love people more.”

Speaking at the Leadership Summit, Hybels summarized the findings this way:

"Some of the stuff that we have put millions of dollars into thinking it would really help our people grow and develop spiritually, when the data actually came back it wasn’t helping people that much. Other things that we didn’t put that much money into and didn’t put much staff against is stuff our people are crying out for."

Having spent thirty years creating and promoting a multi-million dollar organization driven by programs and measuring participation, and convincing other church leaders to do the same, you can see why Hybels called this research “the wake up call” of his adult life.

Hybels confesses:

"We made a mistake. What we should have done when people crossed the line of faith and become Christians, we should have started telling people and teaching people that they have to take responsibility to become ‘self feeders.’ We should have gotten people, taught people, how to read their bible between service, how to do the spiritual practices much more aggressively on their own."

In other words, spiritual growth doesn’t happen best by becoming dependent on elaborate church programs but through the age old spiritual practices of prayer, bible reading, and relationships. And, ironically, these basic disciplines do not require multi-million dollar facilities and hundreds of staff to manage.

Does this mark the end of Willow’s thirty years of influence over the American church? Not according to Hawkins:

"Our dream is that we fundamentally change the way we do church. That we take out a clean sheet of paper and we rethink all of our old assumptions. Replace it with new insights. Insights that are informed by research and rooted in Scripture. Our dream is really to discover what God is doing and how he’s asking us to transform this planet."

New Book: The Soul of Mission

Led by Dr Tan Kang San, a team of writers gathered together to contribute essays in appreciation of Dr David Gunaratnam. This results in a publication of the book in October 2007 entitled, "The Soul of Mission: Perspectives on Christian Leadership, Spirituality and Mission in East Asia: Essays in Appreciation of Dr David Gunaratnam."

I am privileged to be a part of this project, in which I contributed an essay, "Is There A Place For Suffering In Mission? Perspectives from Paul’s Sufferings in 2 Corinthians"

Kang San, the editor, describes the project in his introductory chapter:

"David Gunaratnam celebrates his seventieth birthday on October 3rd, 2007. In appreciation of David’s lifelong ministry to the church in Malaysia and commitment to cross-cultural mission in East Asia, a group of friends agreed to contribute a series of essays dealing with the theme of “spirituality, leadership and mission”. These three themes converged in David G’s (as David is affectionately called) life and ministry as a servant of the church, an advocate for global mission, and a disciple of Jesus Christ. Although most of the writers in this volume reflected on East Asian contexts, we hope these essays will contribute to the ongoing discussion on servanthood, mature leadership and genuine spirituality in the practice of Christian mission. The volume also offers a sampling of perspectives from both experienced mission leaders from the West and national leaders from different parts of Asia whereby issues on discipleship, suffering, leadership, growth of the church, and mission in East Asia are explored."

We trust the book will make a small contribute to the ongoing discussion concerning the issues of mission in East Asia. We also wish Dr David G God's rich blessings in his life and ministry.

The contents of the book:

Introduction
Tan Kang-San

Words of Appreciation
1) David Gunaratnam: Quiet Leadership
Wong Fong Yang

2) Spirituality: Some Thoughts on Culture, Context and History
Rose Dowsett

Biblical Perspectives: Leadership, Spirituality and the Corinthian Correspondences
3) No Mission Without Holiness
Allan Webb

4) The Servant of the Lord and Mission Leadership: Reflections from Isaiah 49:1-7

David Pickard

5) Mission and Spirituality: Lessons from 1 Corinthians
Jim Chew

6) Is There A Place For Suffering In Mission? Perspectives from Paul’s Sufferings in 2 Corinthians
Lim Kar Yong

7) Trying to Preach in Context – Some Reflections from 2 Corinthians
Matthew Grandage

Historical Perspectives: Past Models and Present Challenges
8) The Moravians: A Model of Spirituality and Mission for the Asian Church
Peter Rowan

9) Revitalization, Renewal and Missions: A Case Study on Sidang Injil Borneo

Gary Roosma

10) Mongolians: Their Journey of Faith
Kwai Lin Stephens

11) Robert Morrison – The Trailblazer and Beyond: Following One Trail of Christian Medical Service in China
James H. Taylor III

12) D. E. Hoste: The Spirituality of a Servant Leader
Patrick Fung

13) The Spirituality of Wang Mingdao
Paul Woods

Programmatic Proposals for the Future of East Asian Church and Mission
14) The Multicultural Congregation: A Critical Model for the Future of Asian Christianity
Bruce Milne

15) Leadership or Servanthood?
Hwa Yung

16) Transforming Conversion: From Conversion to Transformation of Culture
Tan Kang-San

17) Rethinking the Meaning of the Cross for Christian Discipleship
Tony Lim

Paul and the Amazing Race

How does a budding NT scholar attempt to make the studying of scriptures fun, rewarding and inspiring, all at the same time? This is a difficult and challenging question.

For instance, I have always wondered how to make the teaching of Paul's various missionary journeys as recorded in Acts of the Apostles come alive. For example, one could show a geographical map of the cities visited by Paul and give some background and historical information of each of these cities. However informative this approach might be, it can be rather boring and passive at best, with little or no participation from the audience. How can one expect the audience to appreciate or remember the highlights of Paul's missionary journeys in these cities?

I find some very helpful and interesting ideas for teaching Paul's missionary journeys in the book edited by Mark Roncace and Patrick Gray, Teaching the Bible: Practical Strategies for Classroom Instruction, Resources for Biblical Study 49 (Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature 2005) as highlighted in a previous post on Classroom Ideas for Teaching the Bible.

With some modifications to suit a younger and non-academic audience, and together with two other "partners-in-crime", we hope to try out the idea of "Paul and the Amazing Race" in one of the meetings of the College and University Group in my church in November.

The whole idea is to borrow from the CBS's show, The Amazing Race, and with the appropriate modifications and some creative imagination, we will run a competition among the participants in tracing one of Paul's missionary journeys (most like the 2nd missionary journey).

While this is not only an interesting but also challenging idea, it does get some of us excited. We have finally nailed down a date to test run this idea. Let's hope that this will present a very fresh and participatory approach to comprehend Paul's missionary journeys by utilising contemporary culture, modern technology and creative imagination.

Hopefully, this will make the teaching of Paul's Missionary journeys more exciting, fun, memorable, and engaging. Ultimately, it is our aim that learning and digging into the Scriptures can be fun and rewarding at the same time, and this project will be a small step to instill some excitement in the hearts of the young adults in wanting to explore further and to dig deeper into the Scriptures for themselves. Hopefully, this will make the Scripture comes alive too for them in a fresh and exciting way.

Evangelism and Matthew & Friends Project

The Celebration of Hope Malaysia recently introduces the Matthew & Friends project to churches in Malaysia. This project is described as "a plan to reach unbelievers with the message of salvation...It is a practical plan, based in Matthew. Our Lord Jesus called Matthew, who later invited his friends into his house to hear Jesus sharing the gospel."

So how does the Matthew and Friends project work? One can just follow the 5 simple steps:

1) Look Around

Notice who among your neighbours, friends, relatives and co-workers, need Christ, Write down their names.

2) Look Up

Pray everyday for the peoples on your list asking to Lord to bring opportunities to talk to them about the hope you have in Christ.

3) Look Out

Look for opportunities to deepen your friendship with those on your list.

4) Look Forward

Invite the people in your list to your house for coffee or snacks, and to watch with you the video programs of Billy Graham. Make them feel at home, and set a nice atmosphere for them to watch the programs. After the programs, explain to your guests how to receive Christ by faith, and guide them in a simple prayer inviting Jesus Christ to come into their lives.

5) Look After

Use the booklet "Living in Christ" and other materials provided by your pastor to guide the new believers in faith, and to help them pray, read and study the Bible. Also when they are ready, take them to your church, so they might grow in their new life with Christ.

While I think the Matthew and Friends project is a commendable attempt in encouraging churches in Malaysia to be active in sharing one's faith and as a meaningful way in reaching one's neighbours, I do have some concerns. Perhaps I am overtly sensitive here. I am not so sure that evangelism can simply be achieved through some programmatic strategies. I am not so sure also whether we should treat our friends, neighbours, relatives and colleagues simply as objects of evangelism. Do we love and care for them for a reason? Can't we love them because we have the love of Christ in us? What if they turn around and say that they are not interested in our gospel, will we still demonstrate the same love and care?

I think Pearlie has something excellent to say here, and I freely quote from her recent post: "I see evangelism as living a life as a community, sharing our lives with others...It is a giving of ourselves to one another, and that by living out Christ in us, our lives can rub off on others that they too will come to see and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Then our duty is to live a life of Christ - in our thoughts, speech and deeds. Please correct me if I am wrong, but I do not think that evangelism is making friends so that we can share the Gospel with them, as it is with certain teachings, training sessions, books and guides. It is making friends because we have the love of God; they are not the object, but the subject. There is no framework, formula or step-by-step-guide to do that. It is a real living out of our lives with the people around us. It is imitating Christ in all aspects of our lives, being his follower so that others may see and follow him too. Yes, we can talk about Christ but what we do speak louder than what we say."

Another nagging uncomfortable feeling in me is the "bottom line" of evangelism measurable in terms of target and numbers. While statistics are good, I get a bit concerned when we merely focus on numbers and reduce people to just another head count. What about subsequent follow-up, discipleship, and mentoring?

Having said that, I am not saying that I am not in favour of the Matthew and Friends project, nor am I questioning the nature, structure or implementation of the project. But it seems to me that perhaps further theological reflections are needed here. Maybe I am wrong here. Herein lies the confusion of the budding NT scholar...