Sunday, July 31, 2005

All Creation Joins in Sacred Praise!

I feel very blessed to be able to participate in Emmanuel Methodist Church’s Sacred Music Sunday this morning. Every year, the church holds this special service, where the church choir, instead of the usual worship leader, leads the congregation in worship. We all followed the liturgy printed on the handouts, allowing the choir to present their beautiful voices to God during their parts, and joining in majestically when it says ‘congregation joins in’ on the handouts. We sang throughout, in the beginning, after the offering, before the reading of Scripture, after the sermon, before we left. Between each song, one of the church leaders would enlighten us on the background of the song as well as its composer. It gave so much more meaning to those songs. And we only sang hymns (my favorite)! These were hymns that spoke of the glory of God in all His majesty. Many of them speak of all creation joining in praise of God the Creator. And none can be as magnificent as the one written in the 13th century by our brother St. Francis of Assisi, lover of nature - All Creatures of Our God and King!

All creatures of our God and King
Lift up your voice and with us sing,
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Thou burning sun with golden beam,
Thou silver moon with softer gleam!
O praise Him! O praise Him!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Thou rushing wind that art so strong
Ye clouds that sail in Heaven along,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Thou rising moon, in praise rejoice,
Ye lights of evening, find a voice!
O praise Him! O praise Him!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Thou flowing water, pure and clear,
Make music for thy Lord to hear,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Thou fire so masterful and bright,
That givest man both warmth and light.
O praise Him! O praise Him!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Dear mother earth, who day by day
Unfoldest blessings on our way,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
The flowers and fruits that in thee grow,
Let them His glory also show.
O praise Him! O praise Him!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

And all ye men of tender heart,
Forgiving others, take your part,
O sing ye! Alleluia!
Ye who long pain and sorrow bear,
Praise God and on Him cast your care!
O praise Him! O praise Him!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

And thou most kind and gentle Death,
Waiting to hush our latest breath,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Thou leadest home the child of God,
And Christ our Lord the way hath trod.
O praise Him! O praise Him!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Let all things their Creator bless,
And worship Him in humbleness,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son,
And praise the Spirit, Three in One!
O praise Him! O praise Him!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

During those moments, it really felt as if we were ‘halfway to Heaven’, as the pastor joked during the sermon. Even now, I am still in awe of the whole experience. I can still remember the electronic organs playing in grand accompaniment; the powerful voices of the entire congregation when we sang our hearts out; the choir conductor joining in with her lovely soprano counter-melodies to lift the songs up another level; the tears that I shed when we sang ‘My Jesus I Love Thee’, a hymn written by a sixteen year old. Worshipping God, of course, is not about our own experiences, but I guess experiences like these are an added bonus!

My Jesus, I love Thee, I know Thou art mine;
For Thee all the follies of sin I resign.
My gracious Redeemer, my Savior art Thou;
If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now.

I love Thee because Thou has first loved me,
And purchased my pardon on Calvary’s tree.
I love Thee for wearing the thorns on Thy brow;
If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now.

I’ll love Thee in life, I will love Thee in death,
And praise Thee as long as Thou lendest me breath;
And say when the death dew lies cold on my brow,
If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now.

In mansions of glory and endless delight,
I’ll ever adore Thee in heaven so bright;
I’ll sing with the glittering crown on my brow;
If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now.
~ William Featherston, 1864


Let all things now living a song of thanksgiving
To God the creator triumphantly raise.
Who fashioned and made us, protected and stayed us,
Who still guides us on to the end of our days.
God's banners are o'er us, His light goes before us,
A pillar of fire shining forth in the night.
Till shadows have vanished and darkness is banished
As forward we travel from light into light.
His law he enforces, the stars in their courses
And sun in its orbit obediently shine;
The hills and the mountains, the rivers and fountains,
The deeps of the ocean proclaim him divine.
We too should be voicing our love and rejoicing;
With glad adoration a song let us raise
Till all things now living unite in thanksgiving:
"To God in the highest, Hosanna and praise!"
~ Katherine Davis, 1892


Praise the LORD.
Praise the LORD from the heavens,
praise him in the heights above.
Praise him, all his angels,
praise him, all his heavenly hosts.
Praise him, sun and moon,
praise him, all you shining stars.
Praise him, you highest heavens
and you waters above the skies.
Let them praise the name of the LORD,
for he commanded and they were created.
He set them in place for ever and ever;
he gave a decree that will never pass away.

Praise the LORD from the earth,
you great sea creatures and all ocean depths,
lightning and hail, snow and clouds,
stormy winds that do his bidding,
you mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars,
wild animals and all cattle,
small creatures and flying birds,
kings of the earth and all nations,
you princes and all rulers on earth,
young men and maidens,
old men and children.
Let them praise the name of the LORD,
for his name alone is exalted;
his splendor is above the earth and the heavens.
~ Psalm 148: 1-13

Saturday, July 30, 2005

The Island


A friend gave me a call in the morning to watch ‘The Island’ with him, so I called Tehka along as well. I liked the premise of the show, not to mention the cool spacey-new-age soundtrack and beautiful futuristic gadgets and structures. The movie raises some questions on questioning what we have always believed to be true. Who knows, we may find something beyond our rigid and limited knowledge. I have always been the curious type, wanting to find out more about our universe and the world in which we live.

The movie also brings to the fore the issues of cloning. Personally, I think the process of human cloning is too complex an issue for us Christians to say forth-rightly that it is wrong because of this and that. I have chosen not to get involved in such on-going debates. I think the more important ethical issue is this: how are we going to treat human clones if and when (I have a feeling it is going to be ‘when’ rather than ‘if’) they are beginning to live among us; as products, or as human beings? I wished that the director had focused more on this rather than the action sequences (which I feel were a little too much). One of the premises that he could have explored: What would Jordan (the lead female clone character) have done if she had met her counterpart in the real world whose DNA she had been cloned from? Would looking at the sick condition of the beautiful model and mother of a cute, baby boy have moved her to sacrifice herself (and her organs, which was what she was originally created for) for her counterpart? And if she had done so, would she have been more human than many other human beings?

I enjoyed spending some time in my car today, praying for our nation. I drove to this spot overlooking a forest near my house. It had been partially cleared to enable the development of more houses. I am not against development of course, but this scene prompted me to pray that we humans (Christians especially) will be more aware of our responsibilities towards the environment.

I managed to get some rest, prepare for the up-coming missions training, and clean up my house. It felt quite weird to be alone at home again when night came. Peace and quiet… time to reflect and think. I listened to some music, looked at some pictures. The day is gone. Time to sleep. A new day begins tomorrow, if I live to see tomorrow…

Friday, July 29, 2005

A Generous Orthodoxy



I finished my reading of ‘A Generous Orthodoxy’ by Brian McLaren today. I think it’s been quite an interesting journey through the different traditions of the Christian faith. McLaren does quite a good job in this book drawing out the strengths of some of these traditions, while giving fair criticisms when they are due. I particularly liked one of the first chapters in the book which he entitled ‘The Seven Jesuses I Have Known’. McLaren writes about the different views of Jesus in different traditions, drawing out perceptions of Jesus within conservative protestant circles, charismatic/Pentecostal circles, Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Liberal Protestantism, Anabaptist groups, and Liberation Theology. He does this not so that we can argue about who has the ‘correct’ picture of Jesus, or so that we can set up competing, independent portraits of Jesus, but so that we can celebrate them all! Perhaps, all these different views come together to form a richer and fuller image of the real Jesus? I like the way McLaren uses the metaphor of different kinds of foods to represent the different traditions of our faith.

What if we enjoy them all, the way we enjoy foods from differing cultures? Isn’t there nourishment and joy to be had from each tradition? No, I am not recommending we throw each offering in a blender, press the ‘liquefy’ button, and try to create a gray porridge of all cuisines. That doesn’t sound appetizing at all. Neither would it be helpful. Rather I’m recommending that we acknowledge that Christians of each tradition bring their distinctive and wonderful gifts to the table, so we can all enjoy the feast of generous orthodoxy – and spread that same feast for the whole world. ~ Brian McLaren, A Generous Orthodoxy

I also found an interesting quote from Lesslie Newbigin in the book, about how we can be generous towards those outside the Christian faith. And after months of having struggled with the issue of Hell, I think I can say that I am satisfied with Newbigin’s stand for now, together with some of the conclusions I came to recently through
reading N. T. Wright. And I have come to accept that ‘I don’t really know for sure’ could be the wisest answer that I can give on this issue for now!

Exclusive in the sense of affirming the unique truth of the revelation in Jesus Christ, but not in the sense of denying the possibility of salvation to those outside the Christian faith; inclusive in the sense of refusing to limit the saving grace of God to Christians, but not in the sense of viewing other religions as salvific; pluralist in the sense of acknowledging the gracious work of God in the lives of all human beings, but not in the sense of denying the unique and decisive nature of what God has done in Jesus Christ ~ Lesslie Newbigin, The Gospel in a Pluralist Society

In his ‘
A New Kind of Christian’ series, McLaren suggested that we look at the Bible as God’s story; the story we all find ourselves in, instead of looking at it as an infallible, inerrant, authoritative answer-book to all our questions on morality and theology. Instead of turning our Bibles into paper popes through ‘sola scriptura’, McLaren suggests how we can look at both scripture and tradition:

The Protestant Reformation separated two brothers: Scripture and tradition. The older brother tells the story that leads up to and through Christ, and the younger brother remembers what has happened since. These brothers aren’t the same, but neither should they be enemies. ~ Brian McLaren, A Generous Orthodoxy

Maybe neither of them are authoritative. Can we just let them both tell our story in God’s unfolding plan for the world, allowing them to be useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17), instead of as our theology answer book to prove ourselves right and others wrong in every tiny detail?

Some of us tend to look down on earlier Christian traditions and beliefs, as if ours are better than theirs. But Brian McLaren uses the analogy of a cross section of a tree trunk particularly well to describe the different Christian traditions emerging from previous traditions and beliefs.

Each ring represents not a replacement of the previous rings, not a rejection of them, but an embracing of them, a comprising of them and inclusion of them in something bigger. The tree’s previous growth is integrated into, and in fact is essential to, the tree’s continuing growth and strength.

God is the air that surrounds the tree, the soil in which it is rooted, the sunlight and rainfall that beckon it to grow and become, season by season, ring by ring. In God we live and grow and have our being. In God’s wind we sway and our leaves dance. ~ Brian McLaren, A Generous Orthodoxy

Will I Rest?

It’s been quite a hectic week. I thank God for bringing me through the week. I thank God for the wonderful Bible study we had on Monday. I thank God for helping me to complete the program for my colleague. I also would like to thank God for giving us such a wonderful Bible study tonight. Annette and I actually went into the kitchen to give thanks after the Bible study! She did give me a few comments and pointers too. I appreciate it very much, because I really believe that God has given me this gift to teach and lead Bible studies. And I want to improve on it so that I can continue to be an instrument of God in this manner. I really felt quite anxious about the whole session, especially when more and more people just kept drifting into the house. I think about 25 people came for the study! And here I was; this guy who has a problem speaking to large crowds! ‘Oh no!’ I thought. I got quite stuck as well, when some of them began asking tough questions. I had no answers to some of them, so I just said I didn’t know. But thank God for Annette also, as she did chip in with some of her wise insights. I thank God for all these opportunities to serve Him this week. There were so much more opportunities that He gave me that I don’t think I can remember them all. I’ve had friends sharing about some difficulties that they are going through at the moment. I can only listen to them and pray for them for now.

After the Bible study, I attended the CF committee meeting for the evaluation of the first half of the semester. I arrived home at about 2 am! After a long week, I am looking forward to a weekend of rest. For once, I won’t be traveling outstations this weekend. I just feel like staying home to clean up the house, loiter around, and maybe catch up on some reading. Oh, I also need to prepare for a missions training next week. Three nights of sessions! That’s a lot! I haven’t really done this sort of thing before. So God, help me!

Wednesday, July 27, 2005

When We Try Too Hard...

Colin spoke about us Christians putting on masks in CF’s ‘Masquerade’ yesterday. Yes, we all have masks. And I have been struggling with mine too... inconsistencies in my character. Do I treat certain people differently compared to others? I think I do. But I think we wear one of the biggest masks when we meet non-Christian friends and colleagues. In our sincere efforts to try to reach out to them, we try to portray what we call a ‘good testimony’ by attempting to show them a good image of ourselves. We believe that by holding on to high moral standards, treating others exceptionally well, and putting on an I-am-happy-and-I-have-no-problems-because-I-am-a-Christian face, others will be amazed at how good we Christians are and how Jesus has changed our life. Well, I have no doubt that as Christians, we must obey the command of Jesus to love, and that we have a reason to be joyful… but I think sometimes ‘we try too hard’ (a phrase Colin used in the sermon). We are afraid to show others that we Christians also get angry; that we go through disappointments too; that we often fail to love our neighbors as much as we love ourselves; that we are humans too. And because of this, we feel pressurized, to try to be as ‘perfect’ as possible. We have been freed from the guilt of sin, only to be enslaved by the fear of being a ‘bad testimony’.

This has resulted in us losing authenticity. Worse, some of our friends are beginning to have the impression that Christianity is for super-holy people and that they will never be able to become a Christian. On the other hand, there are also those who criticize Christians because we did something wrong or made a mistake, as if Christians will never sin. But I do wonder if it is our fault that these people are looking at us fallible Christians instead of looking at Christ. Have we, in our attempt to be a reflection of Christ, led people to ourselves and our ‘testimony’ rather than to Jesus the Christ?

Instead of trying to act perfect, can we just be ourselves? Can we accept that even though we are Christians, we are just sinners saved by grace? As we stumble along this journey of life, trying to follow Jesus in loving God and people (with God’s help), to be a beacon of hope in this world, can we admit that we sometimes fail miserably? As a new creation in Christ, can we admit that we are yet to be consummated? As the Spirit of God continues to mold us in His image, can we also have the humility to recognize that He is not done with us yet, that we are not there yet? Instead of showing others how good we are after we became Christians (because we will never be good enough for some people), can we just show others how wonderful Jesus is, in that he accepts us hypocrites, failures, sinners and imperfect people just as we are? Will this help to lead others to Jesus rather than to ourselves? I just wonder…

"Love takes off masks that we fear we cannot live without and know we cannot live within." ~ James Arthur Baldwin (American essayist, novelist, and playwright, 1924-1987)

Tuesday, July 26, 2005

A Little Morning Rain...


It has been raining for the past few mornings. I like it when I wake up and it is drizzling slightly. The sky is gray, the weather is cool, and the air smells like wet grass. It just puts me in a quiet and reflective mood. In moments like these, having ‘After the Rain’ by Michael Jones playing in the background would be exquisite, with its soft piano tunes combining with gentle woodwinds. I saw a few poems on the Internet today, thanks to Charis. We had a short chat about poetry and nature, while forwarding nature poems and photos around. Poetry really does say so much more than ordinary prose can express.


Life, believe, is not a dream
So dark as sages say;
Oft a little morning rain
Foretells a pleasant day.
Sometimes there are clouds of gloom,
But these are transient all;
If the shower will make the roses bloom,
O why lament its fall?
Rapidly, merrily,
Life's sunny hours flit by,
Gratefully, cheerily,
Enjoy them as they fly!
What though Death at times steps in
And calls our Best away?
What though sorrow seems to win,
O'er hope, a heavy sway?
Yet hope again elastic springs,
Unconquered, though she fell;
Still buoyant are her golden wings,
Still strong to bear us well.
Manfully, fearlessly,
The day of trial bear,
For gloriously, victoriously,
Can courage quell despair!
~ Charlotte Bronte

Have you ever heard the stars sing;
Beheld a brilliant moon when it beams?
Or seen the gazelle leap for joy,
As if a tightly wound up toy?
I've seen clouds dancing with the breeze,
Kept in time by the directing trees.
Sunlight floods every fiber and pore,
As plants raise their heads to ask for more.
Birds add their voice to the orchestration,
Playing every day, in every nation.
Have you ever heard the twinkling stars sing,
Praises and honor to an All-Wise King?
~ Judith Bronte

What is life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.
No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.
No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.
No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.
No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.
A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
~ William Henry Davies

Friday, July 22, 2005

The Cry for the Kingdom

Today, I will begin a short journey; a 40-day journey of praying for our nation as well as for the world. For the first time, I have decided to participate in the NECF’s 40 day fast and pray program. In previous years, I have stepped aside to let others do the praying. I didn’t particularly feel any desire to pray for this country (except for God to bring more people to Christ), being more concerned about ‘saving souls for Heaven’. I shied away from politics, and preferred to remain ignorant about the matters of the country. I guess I am a different person now. God has taught me a lot in the last six months or so. This time, I can say that my concern for the country has increased in leaps and bounds. There is this desire to see God’s Kingdom come on earth, here in Malaysia, where His justice, righteousness and love will reign.

Yesterday’s Bible study on Nehemiah chapters 1 and 2 came at just the right time again. The first time I studied the book with a group of friends was at a time when my walk with God was down in the dumps, and the call for a personal reform came exceedingly clear to me. Now I am studying this book together with the group in CF, and I hear another call. This time, it is a call to cry out for our nation, just as Nehemiah cried out for his. It is a call not only to cry out and pray, but to do something about it. Nehemiah was a man of prayer and action. We have been called to do the same; to be missional Christians.

I have to admit that prayer (especially those of the intercessory kind) is a weakness of mine. I seldom take time off to pray for my family, friends, CF, the country, and the world. I only pray for friends when they ask me too, and sometimes, I forget to pray for them after promising to do so! Most of my prayers are of the ‘friendly conversation with God’ kinds of prayer, where I just talk to God about life, thanking Him for this and that, telling Him what I feel about Him, asking for His help when I have to preach and lead Bible studies. Maybe it’s because I have always felt that if God really wanted to do something (eg. Help someone, heal someone) He would have done it whether I prayed or not. Another reason is that I haven’t been disciplined enough (in other words, just too lazy) to actually take some time off to pray! Maybe it is time I start to talk to God more about the needs of others, and for His Kingdom to come. A book that I saw at MPH One Utama a few days ago caught my eye: Stanley Grenz’s ‘Prayer: The Cry for the Kingdom’ (I’ve heard so much about Stanley Grenz recently, but I’ve never read any of his books yet). I just thought that this book would be a good accompaniment to this program that I am participating in. Maybe God will teach me a few things about intercessory prayer even as I begin on this journey. I’ll drop by over there and get it one of these days.

Thursday, July 21, 2005

A Journey Through Books...

Sivinkit commented about balancing what we read on one of my recent posts. I couldn't help but think about the books that I used to read, so maybe I will just let my mind wander a little and ponder about it. Maybe I should begin from my childhood years, and perhaps form a sort of timeline. I have this hunch that the books I have read are going to follow themes; themes that change as I grow older. And the journey begins…

I can remember the books I would always ask my dad to get for me; anything that had the word ‘Dinosaur’ on it! I loved those creatures, partly due to the wonder that they inspired. The mysteries that surrounded these extinct creatures, as well as the thought that we will never fully comprehend them, that we can always let our imagination run wild when we think of them, would cast their spell on me. Then came the Enid Blytons (many of those from my generation will remember ‘The Enchanted Wood’ series very well!), the ‘Famous Fives’, the ‘Hardy Boys’ and ‘the Three Investigators’. Again, it’s the wonder and the mystery. ‘Jurassic Park’ would become my favorite book in Standard 6.

I began reading Christian books in secondary school. The first Christian books that I read (if I don’t count the Bible) would be on the end times (mostly speculation material), and on the occult. I would be so interested in what kind of music was ‘satanic’ and how credit cards will be the mark of the beast in the future. Looking back, I wonder why I even opened those books! I also loved to read on apologetics, hoping that I could learn to defend my faith better. I bought books that offered historical and scientific evidences for Christianity. I began reading a few fantasy novels at the end of secondary school, notably ‘The Lord of the Rings’ and the ‘Deathgate Cycle’ series.

It was in university that I began reading more. I began to spend more money on books too! Since I was a CG leader, I would buy a lot of resources for CG leaders. ‘Leading Life-Changing Small Groups’, ‘Ideas for Small Groups’, ‘How to be a Small Group Leader’, and lots of Bible study materials. I would also read a lot about leadership, the most notable ones being ‘In the Name of Jesus’ by Henri Nouwen and ‘Spiritual Leadership’ by Oswald Sanders. Being very passionate about evangelism then, I read ‘Becoming a Contagious Christian’ by Bill Hybels. My love for mystery and wonder would lead me on forays into the realms of cosmology and quantum mechanics with ‘A Brief History of Time’ and other works by Stephen Hawking. Science fiction also came into the picture. My favorites include works by Philip K. Dick, the ‘Dune’ saga by Frank Herbert, and ‘Flowers for Algernon’ by Daniel Keyes. I was exposed to really weird but ingenious ideas then, and I realized how science fiction often brought out the best in writers, especially those who came up with very original ideas. Somewhere in between, Annette inspired me to enjoy studying the Bible through her Bible study sessions, and that had me buying Bible commentaries, Bible dictionaries and other references. Hermeneutics and exegesis became my obsession! Three books that have helped me greatly (and continues to do so) are ‘How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth’, ‘How to Read the Bible Book by Book’ and ‘Jesus the Messiah’.

By the time I graduated, there was already a shift in my book tastes. I began to enjoy books that helped me in my spiritual formation. Phillip Yancey’s ‘I was Just Wondering’ and ‘Finding God in Unexpected Places’, as well as Ken Gire’s ‘The Reflective Life’ challenged me to live a more contemplative life, as well as to be aware of God in circumstances, people and my surroundings. Ravi Zacharias’ ‘Recapture the Wonder’ and Ruth McGinnis’ autobiography ‘Breathing Freely’ taught me to appreciate this gift of life. I then began to show interest in Catholic writings after reading Henri Nouwen’s ‘Road to Daybreak’, and ‘The Greatest Gift’ so I decided to listen to people like Thomas Merton for awhile.

Then came the ‘A New Kind of Christian’ trilogy (and McLaren’s other writings), which challenged my thinking and aroused my curiosity so much that I began to move into the area of theology and Christian history as I tried to find out more. ‘The Story of Christianity: 2000 years of faith’ was a good introduction. But it only made me even more curious to find out about this rich heritage.

So where will the journey take me next? There are already books that I am targeting. Richard Foster’s ‘Streams of Living Water’, Walter Brueggemann’s ‘The Prophetic Imagination’ and Stanley Grenz’s ‘Prayer: The Cry for the Kingdom’. Oh yes, not to forget Henri Nouwen’s ‘the Wounded Healer’ and ‘The Way of the Heart’ (my birthday is coming soon… ahem, ahem!).

Now that I’ve had the opportunity to show off my books and brag about how much I’ve read (I just couldn’t resist it!), I wonder if someone is going to come along and say something like: Couldn’t you have used your money on something else; like giving it to the poor and needy? Hmmm… Well… No! I’m a selfish, materialistic and narcissistic guy who just loves to read! May God have mercy on me! :P hahaha… jokes aside, I do wonder…

Tuesday, July 19, 2005

He & She, Us & Them

The theme for CF tonight was ‘Get REAL: He & She’. ‘Get REAL’ is a new thing in CF (maybe it’s just for this year) where the members are encouraged to invite their non-CF friends along for the meeting, so that they can join us in a topical discussion/forum/Q&A session. For tonight, the topic of discussion was ‘He & She’, focusing on what we’ve always wanted to know about the opposite gender (and why we can never fully understand them!).

During the session, however, things threatened to boil over when some of us spoke quite harshly about the opposite gender. I’m so glad Pastor Joanne, who was chairing the meeting, handled them well. If it was me doing it, I think I would have been stunned into paralysis! I felt quite uncomfortable during certain parts of the meeting, especially when either one of two Middle-Eastern friends who came spoke. But after reflecting on it, I learnt a few things from the experience.

Why did we feel uncomfortable? Cultural differences did contribute to it. We Malaysians tend to be more careful about what we say (just in case we hurt someone else) compared to those from more Western countries where they prefer to be more direct. Another reason, I suspect, is that we have grown up with this impression that people are supposed to speak differently in 'Christian meetings'. Maybe we have been in our 'Christian' bubbles for too long, so that when another person doesn't think like us, speak like us, and act like us, our alarm systems go off... and I think this is a problem for churches and Christian groups generally. 'Outsiders' don't feel comfortable going to church because people look at them funny when they don't act right, don't talk right and don't think right (where ‘right’ has more to do with conforming to the group rather than what Jesus thinks is right). Most of churches nowadays do not create an atmosphere where people like them can just be real, yet still be accepted into the group.

It wasn’t that the rules of the discussion were not emphasized enough or not clear enough. They were quite clear to me. It's just that maybe some people do not know how to go about it, because they were not raised like us in Christian circles. And we really can't blame them! Unlike us Christians, they haven't been trained to put on a 'Christian' mask when attending Christian meetings! And this is a good thing! Some of us were quite quick to judge others about sex before marriage, but we have forgotten that the idea of 'having sex before marriage is wrong' is very Christian! And that some of those friends of ours may not have been brought up with that belief!

So if there was anything wrong about the session last night, in my opinion, it would be that we Christians were not really prepared to engage with people who are different from us. Maybe we (myself included) have been stuck in our bubbles for too long. Maybe we need to prepare ourselves more to converse with people like these, and accept them into our community. If we look at Jesus, He had no problems mixing with those who did not ‘think right, speak right and act right’. I remember reading something about this in ‘More Ready than You Realize’.

The whole session became a real eye-opener for me, not in the sense of how non-CF people act, but how we can be stunned and do not know how to react to them! I think the session was fruitful in that non-Christians actually came and participated. I think it gave them an opportunity to 'get REAL' by allowing them to be themselves, without being told that their ideas were not wanted (at least, I hope we didn’t give them such signals). Maybe we Christians just need to be reminded before such meetings that people are going come and they are not going to fit into our 'mold' and we need to be ready for it. We not only need to accept them, but to actually allow them to be a part of our community; to learn to look at these friends of ours as ‘us’, rather than ‘them’.

This is why I like the CF theme for this year so much: Live it REAL!

The theme on its own means to live life real - to be real to ourselves, realizing the reality of events that are taking place around us, to stop being engrossed with our own problems, and to take up our position as Christ's real followers. ~ Charis Liew, our dear CF president

I’m looking forward to next week’s ‘Masquerade’, which will touch on the ‘masks’ that we Christians have the habit of putting up. We’re all supposed to dress up as someone we are not. I wonder what I’ll be wearing… I’m also definitely looking forward to Get REAL 2: Question a Christian, where people can just come and ask questions about Christianity and Christians.

Thursday, July 14, 2005

More Ready Than You Realize

After reading a lot about Christian thought and theology recently, I felt that I needed a sort of break from it. So instead of trying to finish ‘The History of Christian Thought’, I decided to read something more practical. I picked up ‘More Ready than You Realize’, by Brian McLaren, and started reading it about one week ago. Now that I’ve finished it, there are a few insights that I would like to note down.

Firstly, McLaren points out that when we do evangelism (or disciple-making), we Christians are converted too; as much as we think that we are trying to convert another person. We learn and we grow even as we share the good news with others. McLaren points to the example of the conversion of Cornelius, where Peter experienced a conversion himself when God showed him that He accepted the Gentiles.

Secondly, we need to learn to view the conversion experience as a process rather than an event. We always talk about ‘accepting Christ as personal Savior’. This event is determined by a specific point in time when a person utters the sinner’s prayer or something similar. We classify people into two groups, either they are ‘in’ (saved, born-again, Christian etc), or out, based on whether the person went through this event. However, things might not be so obvious for certain people. Some people just end up following Christ slowly, after a long process. For people like these (including me), it is difficult to determine when they moved from being a non-Christian to a Christian. And it is not always clear whether a person fits into our categories of ‘saved’ or ‘unsaved’, because there are many in betweens as well. I think this is a good way of looking at conversion, where it is part of the continual process of discipleship and growth, rather than a specific event.

Some interesting quotes from McLaren in ‘More Ready than You Realize’:

I wonder if apologetics should take a different approach. Instead of defending, perhaps apologetics should begin with an old-fashioned apology: I’m sorry we Christians have so often put roadblocks up for spiritual seekers through our narrow-mindedness, our failure to bridge racial and cultural and class barriers, and our lack of acceptance. I’m sincerely sorry. Please don’t blame Jesus for our failure to live up to his teaching and example. And be assured that we’ll try to do better, with God’s help.

To be spiritual friends, I think we will find ourselves attending a lot more recitals, soccer games, movies, festivals, parties, and concerts, which will mean we might have to cut back on some of our church activities. But then again (don’t tell your pastor I said this, okay?), I think a lot of us would become a lot better Christians if we spent less time at church.


And his summary of the entire book:

1. Count conversations, not conversions
2. Listen to their story, share your story, and share God’s story, not just propositions and formulas
3. Expect conversion to normally occur in the context of authentic Christian community, not just in the context of information
4. See disciple-making as a holistic process and unending journey, not just a conversion event
5. Believe that God is at work ‘out there’ in everyone, not just ‘in here’ in the church
6. See evangelism as part of your own discipleship – not just the other person’s
7. See evangelism as recruiting people for God’s mission on earth, not just people for heaven
8. See evangelism as one facet of our identity as servants to all

Whenever we converse about God, we must remember that we are just human beings trembling between an ox and an ass, beholding mysteries too wonderful for words, too wonderful for minds, so wonderful that they threaten to make our hearts explode with wonder. And so we dance. We dance in service, in gratitude, in hard work well done, in prayer, in game, in tilling the soil and crafting the poem, in hiking and sailing and flying, in hanging out, in sharing a drink of coffee or beer or wine or cold water, in joy, in sorrow, in hope, in disappointment. We dance. Sometimes, we dance with our eyes closed, dizzy, spinning, with tears streaming down our faces. Sometimes we dance with such joy that we feel like our hearts are going to explode! And when we open our eyes, we see that we do not dance alone, but that others have joined us, and the dance we share is beautiful, because the music that moves us resounds with the holiest mystery of all. So shall we dance?

Tuesday, July 12, 2005

Opportunities and Priorities in the Midst of Busyness


I’ve been getting very busy lately; preparing for presentations, preparing for a workshop in CF, and doing my research at the same time. I was just reminded yesterday that I am supposed to lead the Bible study on Joel 2 next Monday. But somehow, the past week has been a week of opportunities. I have had so many opportunities to serve others, to engage in conversations, to help others, and to give. The strange thing is that I find myself having more of such opportunities now than when I was the president in the CF and a student. Now that I do not have to worry so much about the CF activities, I can just focus on the people, which is what I’ve always loved to do. And since I do not have to study for exams anymore, I’ve had more time to chat with friends and get involved in the lives of others. That’s strange. It must be the nature of my work, since most people complain about having less time once they start working. I thank God for all these opportunities, as well as for the people around me.

I conducted the workshop on ‘Priorities of a Student’ in CF. Some of the preparations were really done last minute, and I wonder if they got the wrong person to speak on this topic! We did a life-check to look at the relationships, roles, responsibilities and activities in our lives. I shared on a few misconceptions that we Christians have about life; where we sometimes equate God with church activities; where we divide our activities into the spiritual and secular; and how setting priorities are not really as simple, clear and rigid as we think it is. We then broke ourselves into groups for discussion and role-play. I gave each group a scenario in which they had to make decisions where priorities would be involved. I closed the session with a reading of Psalm 90, and pointed out a few things that we could keep in mind when setting priorities; the sovereignty of God and looking at how we fit into God’s story, learning to number our days, asking God for wisdom, as well as letting God be involved in whatever we do. So that is what I prepared and did. These are my five loaves and 2 fishes. I give it to God and let Him do whatever He wants with it (I actually told Him that before the session!). May He continue to do the work in the lives of these student friends of mine!

But during the preparation, when I thought about the recent opportunities that God gave to me, I was reminded about how opportunities can sometimes override our priorities; that sometimes, opportunities will arise that we need to grab hold of, because they may never come again. This lesson appeared in one of the points I shared during the workshop. I’m glad I took the recent opportunities to share the gospel with a friend, help others, and listen to others even in the midst of being caught up with more important priorities.

Lord, help me to be sensitive to Your Spirit. I know that I have failed you many times before when I have turned down opportunities like these to serve others. Help me to be aware of these opportunities in the future. Help me to resist turning them down because of busyness, like the priest and Levite who walked by in the parable of the Good Samaritan. Help me to learn to help people not only when it is convenient for me. Thank you. All glory be unto You. Amen!

Monday, July 11, 2005

From Theory to Practice

It’s quite amazing how so many people these days are really interested to talk about God, faith and meaning in life. I’ve experienced it in my own interactions with many friends who seem to be so curious about my beliefs as a Christian and just want to know more. I’ve also noticed how the issue of God and morality is continually raised in the office where I work. People are so open these days and want to talk about God, if only we would initiate the conversation sometimes.

I was quite skeptical about what Brian McLaren said in his book ‘Finding Faith’, that: people want to know not "Is Christianity true?" but rather, "Will buying into the Christian faith make me into a better person?" I mean, don’t people believe in something because they are convinced that it is true? But a conversation with a colleague (on yahoo messenger) today proved my skepticism wrong. There are people in the world today who are more concerned if Christianity will make them a better person more than if Christianity is true or not. So maybe here we have an example of a person with ‘postmodern’ perspectives. For him, he wouldn’t accept any religion because he felt that religion would only make him worse: I know that at it's core, religion promotes good things....but my concern is, has enough good been done to outweigh the atrocities of all religions? Could we not do good things without the guidance of religion, and hence be free of it's vices?

We had a good discussion together about it, like where our moral standards come from, how we determine what is good and what is bad if not from God’s standards. I even had the opportunity to share with him a different version of the gospel that I learnt from Brian McLaren’s ‘The Story We Find Ourselves In’, by telling God’s story instead of the reductionist 3 steps to salvation. This is the first time that I’ve actually shared about my faith this way. It’s been theory all this while, and I’ve never really tried it, so now it becomes a practice! And I have to say it works! I have to acknowledge that God was very much involved in the conversation as well, and I have to thank Him for giving us this good discussion! Coincidentally (or should I say, through God’s inexplicable knack for doing things like this), I have been reading McLaren’s ‘More Ready than You Realize’, and have been learning a lot about evangelism in the postmodern context. It just helped me so much in the conversation with this friend of mine.

He used to be an atheist, and still called himself one when we began the conversation. But I told him that his beliefs were more ‘agnostic’ rather than ‘atheistic’. He agreed: You're right! I've been using the old label for too long....you see, I started out not believing....then I became agnostic....but didn't realize it! My first thought was: Wow! That’s a good move in a positive direction! God was already working within him before we started! The conversation ended with him saying: hmmmmmm....I never thought of it that way.... Is this a general view amongst Christians? I think that's a good way to view life.... I guess in the end, it is the nature of humans that's the problem....they will always find some way to corrupt all that is good, whether religion or science, with their greed and pride....

I had to leave. But I really hope that we will be able to continue this conversation. I believe that God used the conversation to continue to work in him, and will continue to do so. Maybe he will be more open to religions now. For me, this is a good place to start moving from theory to practice.

Friday, July 08, 2005

Bombs in London and the Cry for Justice

I heard news of buses and subway trains exploding in London yesterday. I had no notion about the graveness or the significance of the news and just brushed it aside. I was taken aback this morning to learn that terrorists had been involved again. Another planned attack. The media are having a field day. They must be earning so much more because of these attacks. Newspaper headlines scream out ‘Injustice’! 37 killed so far. 700 injured. World leaders, including British Prime Minister Tony Blair, rise up to condemn the terrorists. Blogs everywhere are now filled with condemnation of Muslim extremists and religious violence. Christians all over the world and in Malaysia are calling for justice.

I believe that this is good. The new things that I have learned about the Kingdom of God and His justice on earth are beginning to change the way I think. The word ‘Missional’ is now already firmly rooted in my mind and heart and soul. But there are a few questions that came to me as I pondered upon all the blogs of Christians writing about the injustice in London. Why weren’t there as many Christians who spoke up against the Americans and British when they invaded Iraq? I’m sure more civilians died there. I also echo Brian McLaren’s cry: Why aren’t the media and people in general screaming out ‘Injustice’ at the situation in Darfur, where hundreds of thousands are dying? The biggest question of all for me is this: As a Christian who has been called to be missional, what can I do about it? What am I going to do about it?

Thursday, July 07, 2005

Flaunting My Knowledge?

Personally, I find theological discussions very interesting. I know that sometimes these discussions can be pointless. A lot of people feel that we should be spending more time loving others and acting out our Christian beliefs instead of arguing about them. And I cannot agree more with them. Nevertheless, I also feel that such discussions are needed and do have their place in the Church. This is because what we believe really does affect how we live! We know what happened when St. Augustine theologized that it was alright for Christians to torture and kill heretics – it inadvertently led to the Crusades. If life is just about finding the way to heaven, then I can forget about the world once I accept Jesus as my Savior. I don’t even have to care about what is happening in the world anymore.

And sometimes, certain people DO ask questions. Some people do have intellectual tendencies and need that facet of spirituality to be fulfilled. Jesus did not condemn Nicodemus who came in the night to ask theological questions. Jesus met his needs by engaging in a conversation with him. So we are still loving our neighbors when we engage in theological discussions, especially when we know that the person is going through doubts, or asking questions about the faith. This is one way we care for that person!

So here I was, riding on the wave of theological discussions with different groups of people, when it hit me. It hit me real hard. We have our yahoo groups for ex-CF members of MMU through which all of us would keep in touch. The group had been quiet previously, until someone brought up the issue of ‘Misconceptions of Christianity’, and then scores of people just replied. Theological discussions ensued. I joined in as well. Colin, who was the one who usually tried to get us to be active in the groups, and a really wise Christian friend, had something to say about it when we were chatting. He, of course, stayed out of the discussion.

colinpal (11:47:55 AM): notice how everyone started posting after there is something like this
colinpal (11:48:09 AM): they are only interested to post if they can show/share their knowledge
colinpal (11:48:30 AM): otherwise, they couldn't be bothered if everyone else were dead or alive


I felt the full force of his words. I was stunned into thinking about what I have been doing. Do I engage in theological discussions to help someone, to find out how we should live, or to show how much I know? Have I been going around flaunting my knowledge? I have to be honest and admit that I have. Indeed, it is time to be more careful about what I get involved in, and why I do it. Point taken, Colin. Thanks!

Wednesday, July 06, 2005

Genius in Town

Today is the day: that Prof. Jin Au Kong from MIT visits MMU. When I was informed last week that I had to prepare a presentation about my research to him, I was already anxious! Our data don’t match! He is THE expert in the field that I’m involved in. His books have become some of our reference books. He’s reviewed thousands of papers. He is the editor of international journals and books. He chairs research conferences. In short, a super genius! What if he asks questions? What if he says that all that I’ve been doing is wrong?

My fears were allayed when I started presenting. He did butt in with a lot of questions. He is definitely a genius. Just by looking at graphs, dots and equations that are almost a page long, he can tell what is wrong with the data, what is happening. We tried to explain things away. When we couldn’t, he tried to explain. In the end, it became a sort of an informal discussion. He was a funny guy as well, always cracking some ‘intellectual jokes’. I think it was a good session for all of us. We managed to discuss the results and data of our research. He commented that we made really good progress in our research since the last time he came. What a compliment! He also gave us some good suggestions for our research.

I felt so relieved after it was over. I have been preparing for this session for the past few days. I’ve been so busy that I have had to put a lot of things aside. Now that it’s over, I can go back to those other things. Agnes and I had dinner with Shiau Wen. It was good to catch up with her again.

Tuesday, July 05, 2005

The History of Christian Thought: The Reformation Part 2

John Calvin’s ideas about Christ’s atonement would also change the whole Church. For Irenaeus, it was Christ’s life that would bring about salvation by living a holy life to cleanse the sinful human lives. Anselm thought that Christ’s death was a gift given to God so that humanity did not need to be punished. Since Calvin lived in a world with a different legal system, his idea would be that Christ took humanity’s place on the cross, and that He died for our sins.

Like Anselm and the other medieval theologians, then, Calvin’s understanding of the atonement is centered on the death of Christ, rather than his life, as it was for Irenaeus and the church fathers. Calvin does stress that Christ’s resurrection is as important as his death, but more emphasis is laid on the latter – and this has been the case in Reformed tradition ever since.

It is important to recognize that Calvin’s doctrine of the atonement was a development of what had come before him. Today Christians all over the world, and in every denomination and tradition, believe that Christ was punished in their place. Many are even unaware that any alternative Christian doctrine of the atonement has ever existed. This may be partly due to the fact that the legal system in which Calvin was trained has largely remained in place in the Western world, so the doctrine is easily understandable in a way that Irenaeus’ or Anselm’s is not. ~ Jonathan Hill, the History of Christian Thought

Calvin’s view of the atonement, though can be easily understood by modern Christians, is not without its own problems. For example, if the punishment for sin is eternal torment in Hell, then if Jesus were to take humanity’s place, shouldn’t Jesus be tormenting in Hell for eternity? How then can we say that Jesus took our place when the suffering Jesus endured on the cross is incomparable to the suffering certain people will endure in Hell for eternity?

I think that it is after the Reformation where the balance of the Church was tipped in favor of Christ’s death, to put it in a crude way. After that, we Christians became so engrossed with Christ’s death, that we have pushed His life below it. Jesus’ death became more important than his life. Believing that Jesus died for our sins and saving souls to go to Heaven became more important than how we lived our lives in the world. Is it possible that Jesus’ life was as important as His death? Do we need a balance here?

The History of Christian Thought: The Reformation Part 1

Looking at the condition of the church at the end of the Middle Ages, as well as Martin Luther’s own spiritual journey, we can see why he came up with his reformed ideas. Luther was someone who struggled in his faith, tormented by guilt and doubts about his own salvation. He often went into bouts of depression and gloominess. At the same time, the Church was getting more and more corrupt with the selling of indulgences. It was believed that the dead saints had so much goodness in them and led such a holy life, that there was a storehouse of extra goodness in Heaven that people could actually purchase (for themselves or their relatives) so that their time in purgatory would be shortened. Priests and bishops were fighting for positions in the Church. And thus, the five ‘solas’ came to be, in response to the Church and his own doubts.

Sola Scriptura: that the Bible should be the only source for theology, and should be interpreted only by itself
Sola Fide: that justification comes by faith alone, not works
Solus Christus: Christ is the exclusive mediator between God and man; neither Mary, the saints nor the priests can be the mediator
Solus Gratia: salvation comes by grace alone, not human merit
Soli Deo Gloria: all the glory is due to God alone, not the pope, priests, Mary or the saints.

Why Sola Scriptura?

In part, he was inspired by the humanists, who were calling for European culture, including Christianity, to return to its roots. His stress on scripture alone was in part an extension of this humanist principle, allied to the Augustinian and Scholastic reverence for the Bible that he learned in the monastery of Erfurt. ~ Jonathan Hill, the History of Christian Thought

Why Sola Fide?

What was new was the claim that salvation comes through faith alone, and the raising of this principle as the linchpin of the Christian faith. He believed that when Paul speaks in Romans about the righteousness of God and salvation by faith, he means a personal, individual relationship between God and the believer. This interpretation of Paul is disputed by modern New Testament scholars; what is certain, however, is that while Paul speaks of ‘salvation by faith’ he never speaks explicitly of ‘salvation by faith alone’. Luther was well aware of this, of course, but argued that his interpretation was what Paul had meant.

Luther’s belief in the supremacy of scripture will seem familiar to modern Protestants and evangelicals, but Luther did not use the Bible quite as many of his spiritual descendents do today. Although he denied that the pope or the church had any authority over and against the Bible, he was aware that the content of the canon had been decided by the church. This meant that he could cast a critical eye over the canon and judge it according to the true supreme authority, Christ himself. So the printed page of the Bible has no authority in itself, not even if we take it as God’s Word; it has authority only inasmuch as it points to Christ. For this reason, Luther’s translation of the New Testament consigned the books of Hebrews, James and Revelation to a sort of appendix, because in his opinion they failed to meet this strict criterion. James, in particular, Luther had little time for, since he recognized that the book contradicted his doctrine of salvation by faith alone. ~ Jonathan Hill, the History of Christian Thought

Whatever reasons Luther had, whatever influenced him, I personally believe that God had a hand in it, for the good of the Church and the world. Yes, Luther’s ideas would lead to wars and atrocities being committed between Protestants and Catholics in the following decades, but I believe that his ideas were necessary at that particular moment in history. But we ‘Protestants’ in this era need to be aware that these ‘solas’ are not the only way of looking at Christianity. We should not judge the Catholics because ‘they do not follow the Bible’ or ‘they believe that salvation comes from works too’. Who are we to say that we are right and they are wrong? We need to be aware also, that our ways of looking at Christianity may change yet again. Who are we to say that what we have and what we believe in is already the finished product? I am open to the possibility that God may move the Church in another direction in the future. We need the humility to admit that we as a Church are not there yet. God will do whatever needs to be done at any particular point in history, and He will continue to do so now and in the future.

Monday, July 04, 2005

Finding God in the Ordinary

A related issue, renewal tends to relegate spirituality to the mountain-top experience, and neglects the spirituality of the ordinary. Yet 99% of our lives as believers are lived in the everday, mundane work-a-day world in the valley. CS Lewis wrote that, "There is no good trying to be more spiritual than God. God never meant man to be a purely spiritual creature. That is why he uses material things like bread and wine to get the new life into us. We may think this rather crude and unspiritual. God does not: He invented eating. He likes matter. He invented it.” In fact, ministry and Christian growth are more about ordinary everyday life than about the mountaintop experiences. ~Len Hjalmarson, Renewal: the Hype, the Hope and the Reality

We often notice God and experience Him when something extra-ordinary occurs; a divine healing or a miracle; when we are at a camp or retreat, at revival meetings and Christian conferences. When we went for the mission trip to Sarawak recently, many of us saw how God worked in us and in the lives of the Iban people. However, do we notice Him and experience Him in the mundane and in the ordinary? Do we see God each time a mother carries her baby in her arms? Do we remember God each time we see the sun rising above the hills? Do we notice God in the people we meet at the office everyday? Is our spirituality limited to mountain-top experiences at camps, retreats, conferences and mission trips? Do we exalt the more miraculous spiritual gifts like speaking in tongues, prophecy, and healing more than the gifts that are less visible such as knowledge, administration and helps? We need to learn to notice God in the mundane, everyday experiences of life. He is indeed the God of the extraordinary, but He is the God of the ordinary as well.

Sunday, July 03, 2005

Our God, the Servant King

We went to PJ Gospel Hall today for worship. For many in the committee, it would be their first exposure to a more conservative form of worship. I wonder what they thought of it. But during the worship, we sang this song called ‘The Servant King’. It was only the second time that I heard it, but for the second time, tears welled up in my eyes as I sang the song. What a paradox the Christian faith is! And as leaders, we are called to follow Christ in living out this paradox – to be a servant leader, willing to lay down our lives for others. A timely reminder and closing for me as we end our leaders’ retreat.

From heaven You came, helpless babe
Entered our world, Your glory veiled
Not to be served but to serve
And give Your life that we might live

This is our God, the servant king
He calls us now to follow Him
To bring our lives as a daily offering
Of worship to the servant King

There in the garden of tears
My heavy load He chose to bear
His heart with sorrow was torn
'Yet not My will but Yours,' He said

Come see His hands And His feet
The scars that speak of sacrifice
Hands that flung stars into space
To cruel nails surrendered

So let us learn how to serve
And in our lives enthrone Him
Each other's needs to prefer
For it is Christ we're serving

Saturday, July 02, 2005

The Seriousness of Leadership

I sat on a wooden deck extended over the lake at Taman Jaya, leaning on the railing. With a pen in my hand, reflection material and a Bible on my lap, I looked around me. It was weird. Here I was in the middle of a park in the middle of a city. I was surrounded by water, trees and grass. Every now and then, a fish would swim to the surface, splashing and creating ripples to disturb the otherwise calm water surface, before disappearing back down into the murky depths of the lake. There were a few crows hopping from branch to branch. Yet, if I looked beyond the trees, I could see high-rise buildings. Endless streams of cars were zooming past the park on all sides going who-knows-where. Occasionally, an LRT train would screech by. The sirens of a police car would wail and then fade away as it went past the park on the highway. It felt as if time had stopped for me, and that I was stuck in a different dimension, while the world passed me by in all its hurriedness and busyness.

I’m thankful for this little time of reflection. As part of the leadership training retreat for the CF committee, we had been asked to reflect on a few things like: Why did you agree to serve as a leader? What qualities do you think a leader should have? What personal fears do you have? What are your dreams as a leader? What hinders you from serving? I think it was a good time for me to reevaluate myself as a leader, not just as the CF advisor, but in a broader context; to look back at what I had been doing and to see if I have been faithful to God’s calling; to look again at my strengths and weaknesses and to see how far God has brought me. Lian Chui, the FES staff who conducted the sessions, reminded us leaders about the seriousness of the task that had been given to us. Whatever we plan and decide on; whatever we do and say in public and in private, will affect one’s walk with God, whether it is our own or that of the people we lead. We are all responsible for the growth of the people around us. Using Acts 20:28, Lian Chui reminded us that the people we lead belong to God. God made us overseers of them, and thus we are only stewards. Have I been a good steward?

In the afternoon, we had some fun during the group dynamics session, driving around Jalan Gasing and walking around Amcorp mall trying to answer questions and perform tasks. After the night session, some of the CF committee members saw the book that I had been reading (The History of Christian Thought), and it actually sparked off a conversation about Christianity and some of the questions that I had been asking. It seems that some of them are also asking similar questions!

Friday, July 01, 2005

N. T. Wright on Hell and the Afterlife

Hell, of course, has been lavishly described by thousands of theologians, preachers and poets, notably Dante. The New Testament, interestingly, doesn’t have nearly as much to say about it, though there are plenty of warnings of judgment to come, couched in apocalyptic language which first century Jews would have found easier to decode than later Greek and Latin theologians. In particular, the warnings about Gehenna – which in Jesus’ day was the name of the smoldering rubbish heap outside the south-west corner of Jerusalem – must be read not so much as warnings about a fiery hell after death, but as warnings about catastrophes that might overwhelm the city and its inhabitants within the present world order.

We should remember especially that the use of the word ‘heaven’ to denote the ultimate goal of the redeemed, though hugely emphasized by medieval piety, mystery plays, and the like, and still almost universal at a popular level, is severely misleading and does not begin to do justice to the Christian hope. I am repeatedly frustrated by how hard it is to get this point through the thick wall of traditional thought and language that most Christians put up. ‘Going to Heaven when you die’ is not held out in the New Testament as the main goal. The main goal is to be bodily raised into the transformed, glorious likeness of Jesus Christ.

We have been fooled, not for the first time, by a view of death, and life beyond, in which the really important thing is the ‘soul’ – something which, to many people’s surprise, hardly features at all in the New Testament. We have allowed our view of the saving of souls to loom so large that we have failed to realize that the Bible is much more concerned about bodies.

The New Testament does indeed hold out great promises for a glorious future. Romans 5 and Romans 8 speak of the great sweep of God’s mercy, reconciling and freeing the whole cosmos. This doesn’t sound like a small group of people snatched away to salvation while the great majority faces destruction. Somehow, we have to hold all this together without cutting any knots. We should note, for instance, that even in the astonishing and moving vision of the New Jerusalem, the renewed heaven and earth, there are some still ‘outside’: the dogs, sorcerers, fornicators, murderers, idolaters and liars. It is hard to see how we can ignore such passages – and many similar ones in Paul and elsewhere – without being accused of trimming our theology to suit the prevailing desire to be nice to everybody, never to say anything which implies that someone might be in danger. There are mysteries here we should not reduce to simplistic formulae.

We should of course always stress that the question of who shall eventually be saved is up to God and God alone. I stress again that it is not up to us to say who’s in and who’s out. There is such a thing as a fundamentalist arrogance that declares that only its own type of Christian is the real thing, and that all others are a sham and heading for hell. But it is equally arrogant to insist that, because we must indeed be reticent at this point, we can cheerfully assume that everyone must be ‘in’.

These are some interesting thoughts by N. T Wright in his book ‘For All the Saints?: Remembering the Christian Departed’. I’ve been wanting to copy down some of what he wrote since I read it a few weeks back, but I haven’t had the time. With the mission trip now over, I can finally do it. Though this is not the main focus of the book, I would like to make a few conclusions here after reading and struggling about the issue of hell in recent months:-

1. The Bible is not as clear about hell and the afterlife as many of us have been brought up to think. There are mysteries here that we should not reduce to simple formulas. God is so much greater than we think He is!
2. I agree with N. T. Wright that it is not for us to say who is saved and who is not. Yes, I believe that as followers of Jesus, we can have the assurance that we will have that ‘everlasting life’ and eternal hope that the Bible talks about, whatever it is like. However, we cannot know for sure who is in or out, based on formulas like whether a person accepted Christ as personal Savior or not. We should just let God be God.