1 Gal
1:15-17 But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called
me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might
preach him among the Gentiles, my immediate response was not to consult
any human being. I did not go up to Jerusalem to see those who were
apostles before I was, but I went into Arabia. Later I returned to
Damascus.
The more liberal movement in Singapore (eg Yawning
Bread) often have had broad swipes at the Christian Right now linking
the recent insensitve comments of the Campus for Crusade in Singapore
with Love Singapore and the movement of churches with NCCS and COOS
Aware saga. They are too simplistic in their associations for
Christianity in Singapore is not made up of the Christian Right versus
Liberal Christianity. Instead, Christianity in Singapore have 4 main arms:-
a) Catholics
b) Evangelicals
c) Pentecostals/ independent Mega Churches
d) Para church (OMF, YWAM, YMCA, BS, CRU etc)
The first three groups form most of Christianity in
Singapore each with its distinct theology and emphasis. This is unlike
America where some of the historical mainline churches such as the
United Methodist, and the Episcopal can be very liberal and inclusive.
It is not a liberal versus conservative divide.
In Singapore, CRU is a para church organization
doing their own thing. The closest link to any churches is through the
East Asia School of theology established by CRU in 1992. The
liberals via the Catholics social outreaches have declined in the
80s/90s along with any strong campus mandate. In Singapore, we don't
have much of a balance because we don't have any strong/popular
alternative student christian movement with more "progressive" leanings
in Singapore. That is the sad part.
I had once debated with the founder of Campus
Crusade for Christ Bill Bright before (over email) in early 1990s as a
young student. Hence, was quite surprised at the strong terms used by
the zealous local CRU arm. Bill was much more ecumenical. Later, in
1996, he won the Templeton Prize for the Progress of religion. which is
kind of a nobel prize for religion. CRU is not like CHC or NCC.
The term Crusades used by CRU are a reference to
the mass tent evangelistic meetings in the US in the 50s and 60s.
However Crusades does have a negative historical connotation hence their
recent change of name to CRU.
Historically, the church and the state were one
with its political and military consideration. When Rome became
"Christian" in AD313, the heart of Christianity was lost to a political,
military, and wealth/power factors. Hence, the crusades are not
really "Christian" but the Western Roman Catholic Churches attempt to
conquer Jerusalem (for its own religious legitimacy) and later used
against the Orthodox Church in the sacking of Constantianople.
In the year AD 637, the Arabs actually triggered
the issue by conquering Jerusalem in the first place as Islam spread
throughout Arabia often through military conquest, and quickly
built a giant mosque at the site where Jesus was to return at the Temple
Mount. They were by most accounts benevolent until the Turks invaded in
AD1076 plunging Jerusalem into a wider war and the crusades.
A thousand years later, they are still fighting
albeit with different proxies. History is vague on what happened to the
Templar Knights who had fought in the battles and later operated in the
middle east controlling the vast money trade or the first banks and
later destroyed as they became a threat to the Catholic church itself.
It's much easier to take religion in the extreme
whether conservative or liberal insisting on religious laws, on
punishment for breaking the laws, or alternative solely focussing on the
social justice acts of Jesus. The core of evangelism of the good news
message is also perverted by our attempt to control all the mountains of
society - of power, wealth, business, etc, hence succumbing to Satan's
offer for Jesus to have the world if only He would bow down to Satan.
The kingdom of God is within our hearts because it is a matter of faith
in Christ and not external of how much money or property we have in this
earthly kingdom.
Evangelism is such a foul word to some that they
equate it to doing social justice and helping the poor. To its liberal
detractors like Yawning bread it is
akin to religious extremism eg terrorist actions, insisting on harsh
religious laws, strong punishment for breaking the laws. Such religious
atmosphere actually existed amongsts the Jews in 1st century Jerusalem,
and Jesus was offering a faith that so differs from the strict
insistence on religious laws and works. Instead, it is by faith through
grace in Jesus Christ, His death and resurrection. Extremism is what we
do for God, Grace is accepting what God has done for us without striving
for it. Hence, the Gospel message of the good news that we need not be
the legalistic extremist.
"Billy
Graham, a famous evangelist, once prophesised Singapore to be the
Antioch of Asia, a reference to the famous Christian city that was
ravaged by the crusades.", Yawning Bread "Crusades are a conflict by
another name", 18 Feb 2012.
Antioch was a famous port city in the
southern tip of Turkey, on the Syrian border. In the first 300 years of
Christianity, the Gospel was preached by missionarries from Jerusalem
and later this became a staging post to Asia Minor and Europe being a
mixing pot for Jews and Gentiles. Hence, the Gospel spread to the
Gentiles at Antioch who then took this message of grace to the Europe.
The role of Christian evangelism didn't result in
this city being ravaged by "crusades" as implied and in fact this city
prospered until the port was no longer usable a few hundred years hence
causing its demise. An earth quake in AD526 finally doomed the port of
the city. By then, Christianity was already firmly entrenched and
accepted in Rome two hundred years earlier. Antioch was conquered by the
Arabs in AD 637.
The staging point for the crusades starting in
AD1095 was Constantianople as they gathered the "Christian" armies from
all over Europe (a thousand years after
Antioch was used as an evangelistic outposts) to reconquer
the Holy Land ie in the opposite direction of the Gospel of Grace coming
out of Antioch. They went back in the opposite direction through Asia
minor and then Antioch in a savage battle in AD 1098. The Gospel of
Grace had brought prosperity to Antioch whilst State based
institutionalised religious legalism and wars brought destruction.
The Campus Crusade incident is just a red herring,
for the prophecy by Billy Graham in the 70s have already been fulfilled
in part with the ministries of City Harvest Church and New Creation
church. Their influence go much beyond Singapore and their ministries
Asia wide until they do not receive a salary from their respective
churches. The teachings, the books, tapes, and sermons have gone around
Asia birthing new churches and ministries. They have won the Gospel
mandate.
The ministries of CHC and NCC are very different
each with a different thread of the Gospel message to the nations. Is
coming out of Singapore a third wave of Christianity involving in a
different kind of Gospel emphasising Social justice, and God's love to
the outcasts? It is easy to criticise and be unkind to Campus Crusade
with its 25,000 missionaries, many of them living very simply with just
enough of a subsistence wage (unlike some mega churches). Where are the
missionaries of the more liberal and humane kind of Christianity?
There are many Gay Christians many whose calling to
the nations have been derailed because they were gay. Many have even
left the faith and church although still believing in Jesus Christ. I am
reminded by Gal 1:15-17, where Paul didn't go Jerusalem to start his
ministry and because of his background had to detour and find himself
and renew his faith in the deserts of Arabia and then later be found in
Damascus. There is a new move of God for a new crusade, not
armed with weapons but with Christ's love, compassion, inclusivity, and
humanity giving dignity to those whom politics, capitalism, religion,
and society have taken away. Where is your Antioch? Where is your
evangelism? whether the Gospel message of Salvation or a message of
social justice.
I like the Song standing up for Jesus, for it is so
ironical that in the bible Jesus didn't lift up the sword even though
they came to kill and crucify Him. The servant whose ear was cut off by
Peter was healed by Jesus in a demonstration of extreme grace. He showed
grace even to those who wanted to cause harm. Standing up for Jesus, is
to proclaim God's message of love, grace and mercy, the message of Joy
that reconciliation with God is found through Jesus Christ. He came to
die and to rise again because there was no other way, no other path to
heaven even of good works or just being people of faith beliefs. In
21st century Singapore, perhaps standing up for Jesus means standing up
for peoples no one would stand up for.
Standing up for Christ is therefore not going out
to kill, but sacrificing ourselves, our lives that others may be
blessed. And whether we agree with Campus for Crusade and others such as
OMF and YWAM, they have done a fantastic evangelistic work in their
simple ways and faith for the last 40 years in over 1,100 colleges in
the whole world. It is time we raised up our own Gospel banner that God
has set us apart.
1 Gal
1:15-17 But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called
me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might
preach him among the Gentiles, my immediate response was not to consult
any human being. I did not go up to Jerusalem to see those who were
apostles before I was, but I went into Arabia. Later I returned to
Damascus.