An excerpt from the website of the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA):

Preparations are on for the joint consultation "Asian Movement for Christian Unity (AMCU)". The program is coordinated by Dr Hope Antone and will be held from June 11-14, 2007 at Archdiocesan Pastoral Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Around thirty participants representing Christian Conference of Asia (CCA), Federation of Asian Bishop's Conferences (FABC) and Evangelical Fellowship in Asia (EFA) will take part in the event.

Dr Hope reflects that the theme "Our Common Witness in Contemporary Asia" echoes the theme of the GCF in Asia ("Affirming Our One Savior in Common Witness") while being conscious of our grounding in our regional context in Asia where we are called to witness to our one Saviour. Our context presents to us challenging realities in socio-economic, religious-spiritual and political-cultural dimensions. All these call for our response as Christians in Asia. You may read more about this in the CCA website.

What is interesting about this forthcoming AMCU IV is the participation of friends from the Evangelical and Pentecostal churches under the EFA which reflects our hope for unity of the whole Christian family that we are all parts of the one body of Christ.

I'm slotted to represent the Christian Conference of Asia to share a brief paper on "Living Our Faith in Asia's Social Context". The very first problem in this consideration is the definition of Asia's social context itself, which is frightfully varied.

But this is, on all accounts, an effort worth making, for it concerns the unity of the church. A participation of such nature reflects one's desire to partake in the prayer of our Lord Jesus that those people who follow him "may be one".

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This is a dispatch from the Junior apprentice. And the following is a reply:

Beloved Junior Apprentice,

My heart is filled with overwhelming gladness when I hear of your desire to participate in the dance of life through a recovery of the rhythm of the Master. It must be an even deeper joy for our Master, who truly and deeply feels for you.

Have I told you, that the “rhythm” that we frequently speak about is actually his heartbeat? Our dancing to his rhythm goes deeper than a mere emulation of his actions – it’s about living in accordance with his heartbeat, in resonance with the depth of his being. I know this sounds rather abstract, but you have tasted it in concrete dimensions through our life together; so I know you understand.

This dance which we are doing is not groundless or directionless. You know how we have been taught that the Master dances over his creation. In fact, creation itself is a result of the artistic explosion emerging from the dance of life in which our Master engages. He created, and he continues to dance over creation.

At some point, we know that creation has lost some significant part of that rhythm. There is no part of creation that has not been, in one way or another, tainted by the loss of that rhythm. But the Master’s dance is a redemptive dance which brings a sort of progressive restoration to all creation. There will come a day when all creation will once again participate in that perfect dance of life, not just as an action, but as a manner of partaking in the Master’s being. This is a promise; remember, we may now be engaging in certain minute battles, but the war is over and the victory has been won. So ours is a call to participate in the victory by engaging in the minor battles rather than fighting a war which we’re trying to win.

Hence, our participation in the dance of life is not a pointless participation. It is a participation through which we partake of the Master’s essence, and in the process, dancing together with him to redeem all of creation back into his fold. Dancing is more than just something we do as people devoted to the Master; it is characteristic of life, and life is an art.

When the Master’s Kingdom is established in all its fullness, then all of life will form an intricate pattern as all of creation participates in this perfect dance of life. Until then, we have to keep dancing towards that vision of the Master’s Kingdom. We fall once in a while when we unknowingly dance in clumsy steps. But we are, after all, mere apprentices. Besides, this is why the Master has put you and me together – so that when either of us falls, we have each other.

Your life, my dear junior apprentice, is an art. Both yours and mine.

Yours most affectionally,
Senior Apprentice

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For the 12-year old playmate of my 5-year old nephew, who has just passed away from a terminal illness through which he has suffered much.

And for my 5-year old nephew who has lost his 12-year old friend. It is right that you should grieve and cry, dear one. Just don't forget, the day will come when your friend will rise again in glory, for he belongs to the One who has trampled down death by death. You just wait and see.

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Lord of the traveller, you are indeed a divine companion to those who cruise on the highway of life. All throughout the journey, you provide facilities better than those I pay for on the North-South Highway.

In the midst of hours of driving, you provide water to quench my thirst. And unlike the overpriced water I pay for at the Restoran Jejantas, your water is fresh and springs up from the fountain of life. Unlike the water sold there which merely causes me to need one more drink later on at another kawasan perhentian, I drink your water and I thirst no more.

Unlike those authorities who build me a highway promising a comfortable travel, and yet make me feel absolutely cheated when I get caught in several traffic congestions on the highway and when I find potholes and uneven patches all over at almost every stage of my journey, you build me a smooth highway made of gold that shows the abundant generosity of your being.

Unlike those guys who hide behind bushes and wait to pounce on me when I speed just so they can offer mercy in exchange for some duit kopi, your mercy is like an honest traffic policeman who, in all kindness, says “Go and speed no more”.

Unlike the public toilets at the stopovers that offer me relief at the pungent detriment of my nasal sense, the relief you offer is total and has no pungent side effects.

Right before me, amidst the potholes and stinking toilets and traffic policemen squatting behind bushes, I see an astounding backdrop of hills placed there by your very hand. I lift up my eyes to the hills, where does my toll fare come from? My toll fare comes from the Lord, maker of heaven and earth.

Surely, your goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life on the highway. I and my fellow travellers shall worship you on the highway in one Accord.

Posted by SK at 10:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I don't usually say much about my workload in my posts, primarily because I have a schedule page that's frequently updated. Funnily, since I don't have a sort of permanent office to sit in and I don't work based on prescribed office hours, many people think I don't work. Some secretly wonder but don't dare to ask. The bolder ones never fail to ask.

So here's the official press statement: I work more than 8 hours a day, honest to God. It's just that most of the time, I work from home (room-office, office-room, what's the difference). Sometimes I work so hard I forget I'm at home.

The middle of the year (May, June, and July) is usually the season which drains me out tremendously. It's when my gravest weaknesses usually threaten to show up most furiously, and my stress level shoots beyond an alarming limit. So if my blog posts don't seem quite frequent enough and I don't seem to be saying quite enough things, please just take a moment to pray for me.

One major "shift" in my recent ministerial direction is that of the scope of my work. It seems very much like there's an invisible "force" shifting me towards a concern for Christian unity among the various streams of the Christian faith. I've always held this concern very close to my heart, but never realised that I'd one day be a part of a generation that participates in this concern so radically and forcefully. I don't know how far this endeavour will take me, but for now, it's just beginning.

I'm listing here a portion of my schedule for the next couple of months so you'll know what I'm up to (I know not everyone frequently visits my schedule page).

MAY 2007
Preparation for Lectures in Asian Theologies
Seminari Theoloji Malaysia, Seremban

Preparation for the Fourth Seminar of the Asian Movement for Christian Unity (AMCU IV)
Christian Conference of Asia, Kuala Lumpur - Malaysia

04 (Friday)
Inaugural Meeting, Revolution of Hope (R.O.H)
Seremban, Malaysia

06 (Sunday)
Preaching at Sunday Worship Service
Taman Ujong Methodist Church, Seremban - Malaysia

10 (Thursday)
Speaking at Holy Communion Service
Seminari Theoloji Malaysia, Seremban

18 (Friday)
Academic Research & Personal Consultation
Singapore

22 - 26 (Tuesday - Saturday)
Speaking at Camp Cameron
Fellowship of Evangelical Students
Cameron Highlands - Malaysia

30 - [02 Jun] (Wednesday - Saturday)
Lectures in Christian Theology I
Theological Education by Extension
Seminari Theoloji Malaysia, Seremban

JUNE 2007
Writing of article for publication
Asian Beacon (Christian Magazine), August 2007 issue

Preparation for Lectures in Ecclesiology & Eschatology
Seminari Theoloji Malaysia, Seremban

(30 May) - 02 (Wednesday - Saturday)
Lectures in Christian Theology I
Theological Education by Extension
Seminari Theoloji Malaysia, Seremban

07 - 10 (Thursday - Sunday)
TUMC Church Camp
Port Dickson - Malaysia

11 - 14 (Monday - Thursday)
Fourth Seminar of the Asian Movement for Christian Unity (AMCU IV)
Christian Conference of Asia, Kuala Lumpur - Malaysia

20 (Wednesday)
Commencement of Lectures in Asian Theologies
Seminari Theoloji Malaysia, Seremban

22 (Friday)
Commencement of Lectures in Ecclesiology & Eschatology
Seminari Theoloji Malaysia, Seremban

24 (Sunday)
Preaching at Sunday Worship Service
Grace Presbyterian Church Batu Pahat, Johor - Malaysia

30 (Saturday)
Academic Research & Personal Consultation
Singapore

And after that, in July, five consecutive Sundays of speaking in different congregations.

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Throughout my experience of having been in a seminary environment for almost eight years thus far, I have come to observe three kinds of seminary students.

Firstly, there are the wondering students. These are the students who don't know what they're doing here. Initially they "knew" they wanted to become pastors; allegedly they had a "calling" (whatever that means anymore). So their denominational leaders instructed for them to be enrolled at the seminary for a bachelors or a masters degree, because that's required for ordination purposes. But the process of being in the seminary frustrates them, and in fact, they're not even sure they're cut out to be Christian ministers in the first place. They've hardly unlearned or learned anything after these two or three years, and it's unlikely that they've experienced anything that's deeply life-transforming either. They're just... here; and waiting to go.

Secondly, there are the good students. These are those who study hard, do their required readings, perform all their allocated duties, are never late for meetings, are present at every single chapel service, adhere to all instructions, submit all their assignments on time to meet their due dates, and are seen at every lecture. And who never question any rule or policy. They simply abide, because they tell themselves it's just for three or four years, and then they'll be moving on anyway; so what's the use of rocking the boat. Leave things as they are, abide by the rules, and move on peacefully. Don't get into the system's bad books because they're the ones who'll have everything to lose in the end. These are the students who're well-loved by the authorities, because they never create trouble.

Then thirdly, there are the maverick students who consider critically just about every rule imposed upon them. Of course, they find some rules reasonable for the greater good of the seminary population, but there are others which are uncalled-for, obsolete, or just purely legalistic. They speak up against some of these rules which seem to promote injustice. But these students are never liked. Unfortunately, they're blacklisted and eventually never make it as "respectable" people in the ministry because they're too vocal. They're seen as a threat to the system and to the authorities. These students are few, but they're sharp thorns in the flesh of those in charge. At best, people say, "They're too intelligent, they don't belong here"; at worst, people say, "They lack submission, they can't possibly have a calling".

This observation makes me ask some questions about the future of the church:

Which of these students form the vast majority of the seminary population? Why?

Which of these students are least liked by the system? Why?

Which of these students are good for the future of the people of God? Why?

Which of these students are those who eventually become denominational leaders? Why?

It'd take quite a miracle for us to witness the emergence of one more Augustine, one more Chrysostom, one more Athanasius, one more Aquinas, one more Luther, one more Calvin, one more Cranmer, one more Wesley, one more Bonhoeffer... one more voice which speaks of the compelling realities that the church needs most to hear.

Everything we admire about these people who've reformed the church, we don't want to be. So most of us in the ministry will just be busy keeping ourselves out of trouble.

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Below is a letter sent through Malaysiakini from Dr Sheela Moorthy:

Dr Sheela Moorthy
May 2, 07 2:52pm

I am a Malaysian currently living in the USA. I am supporting the education of my sister who is enrolled at CalPoly, California.

The reason I am writing this letter is to express my disgust and anger regarding comments passed by the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Jamaludin Jarjis during a working visit to California recently.

He was present at a gathering organised by the Malaysian Consulate for the students to meet him. The purpose of this meeting was for them to address any concerns or queries they had. Being away from home, we all know that we love to meet our fellow-countrymen regardless of what color or creed they may be.

And being brought up in the true Malaysian way, we were thought to respect each other and look beyond the shallowness of skin color.

This was not the case with our minister. He made several derogatory remarks about Indians in general, about how they were brought in as 'buruh kasar' and at one point asked my sister about how many Indians were in her batch of students.

My sister answered him saying there were two of them. The other Indian student was fair-skinned and was actually sitting at the same table as the minister.

He did not realize that this student was also an Indian and went on saying that he must be a 'high class’ Indian and then pointed at my sister and said that she must be a ‘low class’ Indian as she was darker skinned.

I am appalled that we have people like this sitting at the helm and trying to run a multi-racial country. I urge all Malaysian to stand together and voice out against weeds like this who give our country a bad image.

I demand an apology from him and I want him to take responsibility for his words and I believe that malaysiakini is one of the venues to voice my dissatisfaction.

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Link: Massachusetts floats $1 bln stem cell research plan

So it's not okay to support uranium enrichment work for fear of the loss of human lives through violence, but it's okay to rake in billions of dollars for stem cell research. One is more moral and less violent than the other?

One would've thought you were striving for the betterment of humankind through a commitment to sound ethics. You're just a bunch of hypocrites playing God. It would've been easier to have some decent respect for you if you had the guts to come out and say "it's all about the money and the power".

Go ahead, keep wallowing in your self-righteousness... we here have little regard for you. You're the greatest villains.

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It seems like most of my thoughts in the past couple of days have dwelt much on the issue of church and a host of other ecclesial considerations. But I’ve been talking mostly about the church universal – or at the most specific points, the Protestant Church in general. So in this post, I want to talk about my own local church community. I don’t think I’ve said much about my own local church community before in this blog.

Over a year ago, I relocated to this town for vocational reasons. And of course, I had to settle down in a new local church community here. I’m not all the time at my local church services because of the physical mobility required by the nature of my work, but I’m there whenever I’m around in town. After having experienced the way life is in this local church community for over a year, there are things I can affirm about her with a reasonable sense of confidence.

So what’s my local church community like?

We don’t have the most vibrant worship ministry in town. We usually sing older songs and are mostly accompanied by an old piano and a guitar. Nothing impressive. But when the people sing, they sing (provided they know the song, of course). When I see the elderly ladies and some men lifting their hands in all kinds of postures as they sing, I think it must touch the heart of God, because they need no voluminously embellished accompaniment to charge them up just so they can sing sincerely.

We don’t have the best preachers in town (absolutely, since I’m one of the preachers!) Our preachers have nothing new to say, really. And they don’t have the most convincing power of rhetorics compared to many other preachers I’ve seen before. But I’ve yet to hear a slipshod delivery of a sermon from our preachers before. Every single sermon I’ve heard so far has been the result of serious study and the weaving of intricately written points to be delivered to the listeners. The sermons have never been bad. But more than that, the efforts under-girding those sermons have spoken even louder than their sermons themselves.

We don’t have hundreds upon hundreds of people queuing up each week to participate in the services. We’re a very small community. In fact, most often, when the service starts, most of the seats are still vacant and people eventually start trickling in (okay, that is a bad habit). But it’s deeply heart-warming when I see how people seem to just surround someone when he/she faces a crisis or has an urgent need for assistance. It’s also strangely unfamiliar to see how the small community actually takes the trouble to get to know visitors in their midst on a more personal level. It just puts a smile on the face (and maybe some hidden drops of happy tears) to see that people care.

We don’t have leaders full of charisma. Most our leaders are actually seen smiling more than they’re talking, which is a strange sight in a church. Most church leaders I know can’t wait to be heard, whilst mine are happy being silent unnoticed workers. But I’ve honestly never seen leaders who’re so open to embracing groups of people in the larger community beyond the local church that may be in need. It strikes a Kingdomic chord within the heart when we see how they’re concerned for the welfare of people like foreign labourers and refugees in the society. It’s not that they’re not worried that our church budget can’t carry us that far, but rather, that they try their utter best to work something out despite the church budget not being able to carry us that far – yes, even at their own financial expense, silently. I’ve seen them doing things “unbecoming” of church leaders – like driving vans to fetch people and carrying heavy chairs and tables for the benefit of others. I’ve seen them reaching out to listen earnestly to voices of dissent which might have previously hurt them deeply with cutting words. And in all this, I’ve never heard them making a claim of perfection regarding themselves. There’s utterly not a single speck of self-righteousness about them. (*pause to salute*)

Yeah, this is my local church community. There’s nothing very spectacular about this church, because they’re mostly just doing their best to be followers of Jesus in the best way they know how, and they don’t make a big deal out of it. It’s the kind of community I’m happy being in (short of saying it’s the best church I’ve ever seen).

I don't come from a rich church with a captivating preacher standing behind a transparent pulpit under glittering stage lightings in a multi-million auditorium speaking to a crowd of thousands that has just sung a series of songs from the international Christian charts accompanied by a spectacular band of musicians which puts the Eagles to shame. And I'm proud I belong here.

Posted by SK at 12:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Lord, I love your church. My church.

At times when I'm critical of her, it's only because she's worth being critical about.

And at such times, remind me always that everything I say about her, I say about myself. For I am a part of her. For eternity.

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I’m so flattered to have been given a Thinking Blogger Award although I’m not so sure how much I deserve it. But thanks, Bob, for thinking that I’m thinking! It’s nice to know at least someone thinks so. And apparently, I’m a:

Theologian and stand-up comedian with an intense interest in contextual theology and lately, I heard, Asian theology (but that's probably more imposed upon him). The same intensity is seen in the way in which he shares these ideas and thoughts.

Well, with my intense interest in contextual theology and my being Asian, I guess I can’t escape any of my theological construction being categorised as Asian theologies – and of course, being tainted with humungous Western fingerprints because of my colonialised family background (sigh, I agonise over that).

There are just four other people I'd like to pass this award on to, since several others have already been tagged together with me:

1. Very Lord Alwyn Lau the Poster of Great Moderns
I have no better way to describe Alwyn than calling him a brother who's an "ally". He talks of the most unlikely things and identifies the most unsightly things of life. Sheer brilliance. Definitely PhD material. If you have a million buckaroos and are on a lookout for a PhD scholarship candidate, he's the one. Here's a secret: he even talks some theological stuff I have no idea about! He's the reason why I think I'm not overtly intellectual.

2. Her Grace Willful Sunflower, the Princess of Wails
Now, this girl is something. Okay, yes, she wails. A LOT. But that doesn't mean she's not thinking. It just means she thinks coherently but doesn't act upon her thoughts (the greater decisive factor for her daily behaviour pattern is her feelings). And yet, read the way she analyses issues - you go, girl.

3. His Most Serene Highness Lord Hedonese the Proclaimer of Divine Intervention
Hedonese used to post his thoughts and academic writings but has been rather quiet recently, save for some publicity material for conferences which he frequently posts up. I enjoy reading the stuff he writes; having different theological positions on certain issues doesn't deter me from enjoying the deep reflections of another brother. So, Hedonese, where have you been? I've been waiting to read more...

4. His Imperial Majesty Justbk the Idle of London
Okay, he's not exactly idle. I think he can get pretty busy, judging by the frequency of his posts (or lack thereof). But when he does post something, it's always worth a read and ceaselessly thoughtful. I certainly think he should post more, but I think he's got a life.

Anyway, guys (and gal), here's what you need to do in acceptance of this friendly award:

1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think;

2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme,

3. Optional: Proudly display the 'Thinking Blogger Award' (like the one above) with a link to the post that you wrote (here is an alternative gold version if silver doesn't fit your blog).

Also, please make sure you pass this list of rules to the blogs you are tagging.

Posted by SK at 3:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBacks (0)

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is: Very Sir Lord Sherman the Implacable of Dicken St Charles Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title

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The way in which the Spirit of unity brings his people to a level of maturity where they are able to look beyond themselves, laugh at their differences, and dwell on the importance of listening to one another continues to amaze me.

Have you heard a pastor of a church emerging from a Classical Pentecostal tradition asking questions about spiritual formation? Have you seen the words of Henri Nouwen printed on the bulletins of such churches? I saw all that this past weekend. For me, there was a phenomenal beating of the heart.

I am witnessing a tremendous coming together of various streams of Christian spirituality, which I never saw when I was younger in my ministerial journey. I never thought that a “mainline Christian” like myself would one day be found preaching amidst the people who jump, who play loud music, and who lift their hands when they hear the preacher say something that “speaks to them” – the people who love God.

And for all the “depth” my mainstream tradition claims to possess, I see these people, and I observe a passion to rekindle in my own journey towards the partaking of the divine. I hear the stories they tell one another, as if God was working in their midst in the here-and-now, and I realise how this dimension of the Spirit’s work has often been missing in the circles I’m familiar with. And it dawns on me, how dull it would have been if everyone’s spirituality had looked exactly like mine.

The spirit of self-critique is one that speaks of humility, one which brings us into a greater magnitude of depth. It speaks of self-awareness, understanding where we have come from that we may know how to move forward in our spiritual journey. And it is empowering when we meet others like ourselves who, in being different, also ask questions which reflect the same concern about things that matter in the Christian journey.

True unity is not about reducing everything to a lowest common denominator. It is also not about avoiding discussions on our differences when we come together. True unity is when we are at real liberty to express the richness of our diversity in contribution to the beauty of the larger whole. It is when we are able to come together and perform the different and yet magnificent expressions of our dance of life together, so that all of these expressions result in the artistic reflection of what the divine dance of life must look like.

Posted by SK at 7:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Most mothers in this part of the world, if not all, nag (although mine doesn’t, glory to God, hallelujah). One of the things I frequently hear mothers nag over is the fact that their lazy children are too much of slugs to source for more nutritious food other than instant noodles; for some, it’s a daily diet (both the noodles and the nagging). Thus the oft-heard line: “Don’t keep on eating instant noodles! It’s not good for your health, you know! Can get cancer, you know!”, followed by the rattling off of a story of a young man in a distant land feeding on instant noodles every day and his consequential sudden demise.

I don’t know the science of instant noodles and how dangerous they may be. But there are two things I know about instant noodles: 1) They are fast to cook, which makes people keep opting for instant noodles when they have neither the patience nor the motivation to whip up a good meal; and 2) They are good to eat, which makes people keep wanting to eat them. And as we appetise ourselves over a bowl of instant noodles, the last thing on our minds is how detrimental each pack of these noodles may be for our health. As the Chinese community here often says (translated), “Eat first, consider later”.

Instant noodles are a quick fix for a hungry appetite. And on the same token, I’m afraid we have many such quick fixes in our Christian communities today. We have a quick way of fixing our church institutional mechanisms through the host of church models available in the Christian market today. If you have the model franchised and the numbers to prove it, you’ll be a millionaire. If you’re the pastor of the church and that franchise belongs to you, you’ll become an international household name who needs no salary from your church anymore.

We have a quick way of fixing our discipleship. We have the different training programmes in our churches which “produce disciples” through mere two- or three-hour training classes or weekend training camps.

We have a quick way of fixing our broken spirituality. We have professional live bands “leading worship” in the church which arouse the emotions to the fullest of their abilities, making us feel more spiritual than before we began singing and waving our hands in the air. This also leaves us wondering when the effect might start wearing off before we may need new doses of spiritual morphine again.

We have a quick way of fixing our inabilities to do theological reflection. We have rhetorically competent preachers (or at least preachers who try to be so) giving us very concise and clear instructions on how we should live our lives in a way that “pleases God”, drawing black and white to the very precise boundaries of their margins. They’re so precise and sure in their instructions, the listeners practically do not need to think any further.

And amidst all this frenzy over “instant noodle spirituality”, we’re still going about looking for quicker ways to be quick, so that we might be quicker than those who are already quick. One of the pressures of being a leader of a Christian community is that of reckoning with what the people want, and most often, they want instant noodles. And we give it to them because we need people in the church. Well, thus says the wisdom of the mothers:

“Don’t keep on eating instant noodles! It’s not good for your health, you know! Can get cancer, you know!”

Posted by SK at 2:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)