Just How Different Are We?

1 Peter 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people, that ye should show forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. (KJV)

 

Titus 2:11-14 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,¹² Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;¹⁴ Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. (KJV)

 

I have a long standing interest in determining how different Christians are from the rest of the population. About a decade ago, when I started my academic journey, I examined the case of race relations within the Christian church. My conclusion from that project was that the Singaporean church was really a microcosm of the larger society. What happens in the wider society affects us within the church.

 

I moved from examining race relations and spent a while researching Christian clergy and mental healthcare. I was particularly curious about how Singaporean clergy integrate two fields – a theology based on Scripture and secular humanistic psychology, fields which seem on some fronts to be contradictory. Using data from a survey which was successfully completed by more than 200 Singapore church leaders, it was apparent that many church leaders were comfortable in using whatever the “Egyptians” had developed but integrate it within the Biblical worldview. While they were interested in using tools that psychology could provide, they were more wary of psychological practitioners and were concerned of whether they would undermine their member’s faith.

About the same time I also began to survey young people within our tertiary system. In one of these surveys when I asked about a thousand of these students who they would turn to for a variety of mental and emotional problems, I was surprised with how different Protestant Christians were in terms of their help-seeking strategies. The research showed that for students from all the other religious groups, the more religious they were, the more they alleged that they would seek help from the mental health professional rather than their religious leaders. Young Protestant Christians however strongly believed that their clergy would be the most appropriate person to seek help from when they go through various mental health challenges. This result was a strong indication of how committed young Christians viewed the church - with great respect especially to the leadership who was seen as a repository of great wisdom.

Other attitudinal and perception studies similarly showed that Christians were generally conservative, hold up traditional morality and institutions and to some extent were different from their non-Christian counterpart. It does seem that they rub against the grain in some domains with some segments of society.

In 2008, the local press carried some of my research on Christian clergy and their views on inter-religious relations. The results revealed the apprehension that Christians have about collaborations with leaders of other faiths. Other instances in more recent years – insensitive statements by Christian religious leaders about the beliefs of other religions, and the attempt by some Christian groups to moralise society has caused the general non-Christian population view Christians as arrogant. They have apprehensions about the intentions of Christians and wonder whether they have ulterior motives in many of their actions. This puts Christians in negative light.

Where do we stand as a Christian community with our distinctiveness, traditional values and beliefs? How will the rest of the nation see Christians in the years to come? How can the Christian community continue to be the salt and light of the earth?

The Christian community has still much to offer society. For one, survey data seems to show that religious people are more civic-conscious. They have greater concern for societal breakdown, and are more concerned about ensuring the well-being of society. The church in Singapore has had a long tradition of caring for the broader community through many social service initiatives. These efforts have stemmed from an ethic of mercy and grace. The church has also maintained the importance of traditional social institutions such as the family and not only preaches about it but does its best to aid ailing families.

If you consider some of the pressing problems of our society, it is evident that the church is well poised to be a help to the nation. The concern of integrating locals and foreigners in Singapore has been challenging. The church however has a longstanding tradition of inviting immigrants into the church and according them fellowship, love and care and making them feel one with the body. When it comes to the problems of the declining fertility, the church again has been a great proponent of marriage and raising children, not only advocating for it but also providing the opportunities for many singles to find love and the needed education and values for good parenthood. The concerns of an ageing population is again something the church addresses with its positive embrace of older age, and Christian values which encourage the younger to serve the older.

While the church can be a great help to broader society, it is increasingly challenging for the church to have its voice heard in the public square. Census data shows that the growth in Christianity is plateauing. Christianity is no longer as attractive to a population hoping to find a rational basis for faith, an important drawing point for the better educated in the 1980s and 1990s. We are not living a post modern era where logic is no longer important in how people embrace faith.

At the same time, as mentioned earlier the church is looked upon with some suspicion. In talking to undergraduates, it is evident that many unchurched young adults perceive the church as “just after our money”. Recent events which have taken media centre stage such as the City Harvest case seem to suggest that Christianity is not as clean as it purports itself to be but is very much wrapped up in personal greed and aggrandizement.

In response to the increased difficulty the church faces in reaching broader society, some segments of the Christian church has begun to dilute its message of separation to make Christianity more palatable. Christianity is popularized in these pockets as a convenient form of religion. The cost of discipleship no longer features as important but a focus on individual wants is condoned. The church in fact provides a ballast to live guilt-free which counters the social and moral ethic that has characterized it through the ages.

There are evident challenges for the church in the coming years as it deals with an increasingly skeptical environment which is less and less receptive to its message. However that should not detract us from pursuing our call as Christians!

This season our country is in the midst of a National Conversation. The state leadership is talking about the aspirations of Singaporeans in the years to come. The themes, Home, Heart, Hope have been popularised in this endeavour.

I propose that as Christians we reflect on the words Home, Heart, Hope from our distinctively Christian worldview. 

Heart - The Bible emphasizes the importance of the heart - A heart of purity, sincerity and a heart that has a true love for God; a heart which is seriously intent to serve other people, not for our personal interests but for the glory of God; a heart that demonstrates love even when people do not accept our faith. The church is called to have such a heart, one which has been touched by the love of Christ, the source for pure motivations.

Home - the Christian community is called upon when the ideals of the family are increasingly challenged. There are fewer conservative forces holding to strong beliefs in the traditional family unit. International trends reveal that people are questioning the definition of the family and much more open to alternate ways of doing family.

God has called the church to show and exemplify the kind of home where commitment, sacrifice and true love exists. The home is that setting where Christians are able to impart values. It seems that more Christian families are neglecting this important task. We place much less emphasis on imparting Christian values to our children but are more keen on filling time with the demands of the rat race, ensuring that our children have sufficient help to excel in their studies and extra-curricular activities.

Hope - We treasure the hope that God has given us. The church is called to bring that hope beyond its confines to others. There are many people even in Singapore who are hurting. Their marriages, finances, health and relationships have greatly disappointed them. The Christian church has the great opportunity to bring hope to these communities even when life seems bleak.

In closing, let me once again remind you about the call that God has on our lives to be a peculiar people zealous for good works. While we hold these aspirations, we also realise that as a Christian community we have not always been what God wants us to be. We therefore implore God’s divine grace to help us with our weaknesses. Only through his divine grace can we continue to impact our society with the uniquely Christian way.

(This message was given at the GCF 57th Annual Thanksgiving Dinner on 14 September 2012 at the NUSS Guild House at Kent Ridge)