1. Singapore
CBN News.com(http://www.cbn.com)
Singapore Takes on a World Mission, 5 March 2008
By George Thomas (CBN News Senior Reporter)
CBNNews.com - Singapore is a small country with some of the fastest growing Christian communities in Asia.
Now the island nation is making waves for world evangelism.
Sandwiched between Malaysia and Indonesia, Singapore was once counted as a Third World country.
But since it's independence in 1965, Singapore has risen to become a rich and thriving Asian metropolis.
It not only has the busiest port of trade, best airport with the world's number one airline, but also the world's fourth-highest per capita income at $23,000.
Singapore is also a major financial and high-tech hub.
Joseph Prince, senior pastor of New Creation Church, one of the largest churches there in the country, says there's a reason why his nation is so blessed.
"In terms of a small country, with no natural resources, it is amazing that God has prospered our country, for this purpose: so that the Gospel of Jesus Christ can go forth from this tiny island," he said.
And today church leaders and mission groups are taking advantage of Singapore's strategic location to reach major countries like China, India and Indonesia with the Gospel.
"We are positioned to be major sea-routes, air route, where within a seven-hour flight; we can actually reach to most of the populated cities and nations around us," Rev. Stanley Ow of Singapore Centre for Evangelism & Mission said.
His group plays a vital role in encouraging churches on the island to get more involved with mission work. As a result, a large majority of churches have active missions programs.
"And that's exciting because we are not only talking about individuals or groups, but we are actually taking nations for Jesus," he said.
It's all part of what Christians there say is Singapore's calling to be a spiritual hub and stepping stone into Asia.
"We've had wonderful prophesies from different ministers, genuine ministers of God that have said in times past that Singapore is going to be an Antioch of Asia and it has come to pass. When they said that we didn't have mega-churches, we didn't have many missions work," Pastor Prince added.
Singapore maybe a small country, home to some four million people. But today, the tiny island has some two thousand short-term and long-term missionaries scattered around the world.
And not only are churches sending out missionaries from the shores of Singapore, they're also giving generously to the work of world evangelism.
Pastor Prince has set aside 10 percent of his annual church budget for missions.
"Last year we gave about 4 million US dollars for the mission work...And we are not the only ones," he proclaimed.
And while Singapore serves as a strategic base for missions in the region, it also boasts one of the fastest-growing Christian communities in Asia. Christians makeup some 17 percent of the population here. The rest are mix of Buddists, Muslims and Taoists.
One of those congregations is Pastor Prince's, New Creation Church. Every Sunday, some 16,000 people pack into the Rock Auditorium in the heart of Singapore's business district.
Founded in 1983, New Creation Church has witnessed explosive growth in recent years. Prince says that as Asia's economies have grown, so too has the demand for faith.
"I was at a point in my life where I had pretty much everything I could ask for," said Ken, a member of New Creation Church. "I had my own house, I had a job ready for me, I had money, doing things I'd love but I still felt empty. So in the end, once you have everything, it doesn't mean that you have everything."
So much of life here in Singapore is built around wealth, and the five C's of career, cash, credit cards, condo, car, and country club.
"People are crying out for grace. The world is full of religion and what we have is the grace of God to offer to people," said Pastor Prince.
Prince and others also realize that the world is coming to Singapore. The nation has a diverse mix of cultures.
"We have as many as 400,000 mainland Chinese among us, 80,000 Indonesians, 80,000 Filipinos," explained Rev. Ow. "The latest I heard is that there are thousands upon thousands of Mongolians are here, Russians are coming here. So this is basically a place where the Lord is bringing them right into our doorstep."
Today, the trends show that in Asian countries like Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and mainland China, Christianity is growing so fast that experts predict this region will be home to the largest Christian population in the world.
"There is a time and season for Asia," concluded Pastor Prince.
2.Indonesia
Common Ground News（http://www.commongroundnews.org.)
Indonesia’s interfaith exchanges, 8 February 2008
by Arian Fariborz
Bonn, Germany - The Catholic cathedral in Jakarta is just across the road from the city's largest Muslim place of worship, the Istiqal mosque. The church is often full, with hundreds of Christians gathered in its inner courtyard for prayer. But only a few weeks ago, the scene was not quite so peaceful.
During the Christmas period, the cathedral, like many other churches throughout the country, had to be protected by a large police presence as a result of fears of possible attacks by radical political Islamic groups. The fear is not unjustified. Over the last three years, according to the leadership of the Protestant and Catholic churches in the country, at least 108 church and community buildings have been looted, burnt down or been subjected to threats, especially in West Java.
Gomar Gultom is a pastor and an executive of the Protestant Church in Indonesia. He believes that there are many reasons for the increase in this violence.
"Some of the Muslims see the presence of Christians or churches in Indonesia in the context of Christianisation," he says. "If we build a church, it means that it will be a centre for Christianisation – this is how some Muslims understand it. And they worry that most of the uneducated Muslims will become Christian."
Many of the attacks, not just on Christians, but also on Muslim sects like the Ahmadis, are the result of ignorance of religious principles, incitement to intolerance and violence, as well as the increasing poverty in the country. Many Christians criticise the Indonesian state for capitulating before religious violence, and not doing enough to uphold the constitutional guarantee of religious freedom.
The security forces are often accused of standing by and doing nothing when they see attacks by religious extremists. But, in spite of the conflict, liberal Muslim organisations and committed Christian leaders continue to promote inter-religious dialogue.
"Every year we hold a programme called Seminar of Religions," says Dr. Erick Barus of the Batak Community in Northern Sumatra. "We invite all the participants – multi-religious – and also we invite Muslim scholars."
They discuss how to improve relations between the religious communities and they have Muslim scholars teaching Christian pastors about Islam, dealing with issues like the meaning of jihad, or the Muslim attitude towards terrorism. "We need to learn more and more about the other religion," says Barus. "It's important for democracy."
As well as these national initiatives, there are also activities that take place at the local level. In Central Java, for example, Christians visit Muslims to study the principles of Islam together. For a month, they live in pesantren, or Muslim boarding schools. Young Muslims and Christians also join together to carry out social and charitable volunteer work in the countryside. And cooperation with liberal Muslim groups and with the "Nadlathul Ulama" – the largest Muslim mass movement in the country – has improved considerably since the 1990s.
But Franz Magnis-Suseno, a German Jesuit who is a long-time Jakarta resident, says that while relations with the Muslim mass movements have improved and there's plenty of dialogue going on, there are still problems. Some liberal Muslims speak out, he says, but other Muslims see them as so far on the margin that they don't have much influence. In general, it's the extremists who increasingly influential.
"Ever since the fall of President Suharto, extremist groups have been exploiting the country's democratic freedom," he says. "They've been the ones who've been making all the noise in public, while the moderates tend to remain silent."
・Arian Fariborz is a writer and frequent Qantara.de contributor based in Germany. This article is distributed by the Common Ground News Service (CGNews) and can be accessed at www.commongroundnews.org.
Source: Qantara.de(www.qantara.de)
Copyright permission is granted for publication.
3. Malaysia
(1) David BC Tan “On the shoulders of giants” (http://dbctan.blogspot.com)
Politics comes to church , 4 March 2008
There can be no redemption unless the truth about the world is told and justice is done.
Miroslav Volf
This year’s election must be a sort of watershed for the church in Malaysia. Going by the number of reports online (such as this one , this and this one) Malaysia’s 2.8 million Christians have suddenly become an important voting bloc. But this Malaysiakini report characterizing the church as ‘normally sanguine’ doesn’t quite fit as Sook Ching rightly pointed out.
The truth is - if I may be permitted to generalize - the church in Malaysia has been either indifferent or phlegmatic with regard to politics for the longest time, at least in Protestant circles. Historically, the Roman Catholic Church, thankfully, has always been perceived to be aware and involved, although its socio-political inclinations have sometimes been unfairly dismissed as theologically misinformed, or worse, an expression of ‘salvation by works.’
Ironically, the tables have been turned as evidenced by outrage at a protestant church leader’s statement that the church should be apolitical as its primary concern is spiritual. Suddenly, taking the middle ground was seen as a cop-out and a lesson in missing the point of Jesus’ politically charged earthly ministry. Protestant or Catholic, church leaders, pastors, priests, and academics, have by and large led the way (and rightly so), and by taking the path that angels fear to tread they have galvanized less-assured saints to follow. Whether the response was out of love for their neighbour, or in response to Islamist encroachments on religious liberty, or both, is moot. Well, at least something is stirring.
I think it is not far wrong to say that traditionally the church has been casting its vote in the direction of stability and security, meaning BN, with scant regards for the bigger picture. Now this is what upsets me. I know it’s not a peculiarly Christian shortcoming, since in the main, bread-and-butter issues rank pretty high for most ordinary Malaysians too. But how tragic if all a Christian got out of his Bible is therapeutic tripe and not the radical implications of discipleship. This world is not my home and I’m just a-passing through, so goes an old gospel favourite. The point is made, though I have no excuse to close my eyes and ears nor shut my mouth when along the way cries for peace and justice are raised. (On another note, see NT Wright’s counter argument about God’s kingdom coming on earth as in heaven).
Anyways. If politicians are beginning to take notice of the church, then it’s high time Christians return the favour by paying attention to politicians.
Say NO to BN!
(2) BBC NEWS（http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/asia-pacific/7265404.stm）
Malaysian voters wooed with Islam , 3 March 2008
As Malaysians prepare to vote in a general election on 8 March, the BBC's Robin Brant, in Kota Bharu, finds Islam to be an increasingly dominant issue in the campaign.
When customers come to pay at the new Tesco supermarket in Kota Bharu they have to queue separately - one till for men, another for women. It is one of the regulations to ensure the sexes are kept apart in Kelantan - the only state in Malaysia run by the opposition Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS). Enforcement of the rule is patchy - but as the election approaches, Kelantan's chief minister and PAS spiritual adviser, Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, has been demanding a stricter approach.
Meanwhile, the neighbouring state of Terengganu has a new Islamic "edutainment" park where visitors can walk among miniature copies of some of the world's best known mosques.
It is far from finished but Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi officially opened it just ahead of the election.
Both these examples show just how important Islam - and in particular the ability to demonstrate Islamic credentials - will be as Malaysians prepare to vote.
Ethnic Malays - who are all regarded as Muslim by the state - make up about 65% of the population, while ethnic Chinese and Indians - mostly Buddhist, Christian or Hindu - account for most of the other 35%. Kelantan is a conservative state where political control is decided by a single seat.
The PAS has run Kelantan since 1990 - the only state where the Barisan Nasional (National Front) coalition is not in power.
The National Front has dominated Malaysian politics since the country won independence 51 years ago. It will win the forthcoming election, as it has all previous general elections.
But crucially, it wants to win back Kelantan.
Both sides have shifted ground.
The PAS needs to broaden its appeal so it has dropped any mention of its 2004 pledge to introduce a theocratic government, focusing instead on healthcare reform, racial equality and keeping prices down. The National Front, meanwhile, is tempting people with promises of huge investment - more mosques are on the cards.
But it is what has happened in the months before the campaign started which is more important.
The government reignited a row with a Christian Church by saying only Muslims could use the word Allah. And there has been a renewed spate of Bible confiscations by customs officials at the border.
A recent divorce case involving a Hindu woman and her Muslim-convert husband ended ambiguously - he was allowed to go to the Islamic courts, she was allowed to go to the civil courts.
Professor Muddathir Abdel-Rahim, from Kuala Lumpur's International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilisation, says the current debate in Malaysia involves "very many different points of view". "It is basically healthy and is bound sooner or later to give rise to something more coherent, more rationally understandable." Many non-Muslims do not see it like that.
Some of the 35% of Malaysians who are not Muslim see a worrying trend of dominance, eroding Malaysia's constitutional guarantee of equal treatment irrespective of religion.
Prime Minister Badawi, an Islamic scholar, has promoted a philosophy of government called Islam Hadhari, which translates as Civilisation Islam. The philosophy promotes a system of moderate government based on 10 principles ranging from the overtly religious "having faith in Allah" to the more broad encouragement of "cultural and moral integrity".
The PAS rejects the philosophy wholeheartedly. Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat labelled it as "empty" with "no substance". He defends PAS policies on keeping men and women apart, including clamping down on bars which attract tourists. "From childhood you are groomed about the danger of being together," he said.
Islam is the dominant religion here. It is also increasingly the dominant culture. It influences the lives of everyone, Muslim or non-Muslim.
But whatever the rows about the extent to which Malaysia should embrace Islam, this is a country where the most conservative state has just welcomed the western retail behemoth that is Tesco. There is no going back from that.
© BBC MMVIII
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