Opinion

The great ecumenical creeds of the Christian Church—the Nicene Creed and the Apostles’ Creed—begin with the declaration that the Church believes in God, the Father. The fatherhood of God is the fundamental tenet of Christianity that not only distinguishes it from other religions, but also from other versions of theism. Yet as theologian Thomas Smail […]

ETAC Board on Missions Thanksgiving Service 2021 The Emmanuel Tamil Annual Conference (ETAC) Board on Missions held a thanksgiving service on 10 April 2021: “Missions Then, Missions Now”. It was a hybrid service with some participants on-site and others on Zoom. It was a time to praise God for His faithfulness to ETAC and to […]

A father’s reflections on suffering My wife and I have three children born between 1991 and 1996. They were all born healthy and developed normally in their early years. They were also very bubbly and bright. However, between the ages of five and seven, they started showing signs of degeneration. Two years after I went […]

John Wesley’s “Aldersgate experience” of 1738 is a constant reminder of just how important it is for those who call themselves Christians to have a vital faith in Jesus Christ. On the flip side, it also alerts us to the fact that there are people in our churches today who have all the outward appearances […]

“Soundings” is a series of essays that, like the waves of a sonogram, explore issues in society, culture and the church in light of the Gospel and Christian understanding. For many, the prominent biblical theme and practice of sacrifice first appeared in the Bible in Genesis 4, which records the sacrifices of Cain and Abel. […]

“For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.” (Col 1:19-20) The story of Lent and the need for creation care are intricately intertwined. When God first created the […]

One of the most beloved fathers of the early Church is St Ephrem the Syrian. Born in the city of Nisibis (Turkey) in approximately AD 306, Ephrem was a deacon and a hermit who made enduring contributions to the theology and spirituality of the Christian East. His voluminous writings include theological treatises, spiritual works and […]

The arrest of a 16-year-old Protestant Christian for planning a terrorist attack has sparked conversations about religious radicalisation in Singapore. The overwhelming narrative is that religious radicalism is bad and should be avoided. However, Christianity is an innately radical faith. To be radical means to push for fundamental changes in the status quo. It is […]

We thank God for another season of Lent to be observed. It starts on Ash Wednesday and ends the day before Resurrection Sunday (Easter). Sundays are not counted as it was the day our Lord was resurrected. It is a day of celebration. During Lent, we remember the sufferings of Christ on the cross, the […]

A refrain often heard in our world plagued with unceasing conflict is “let’s agree to disagree”. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, to agree to disagree is to decide “not to argue anymore about the difference in opinion”. It is a declaration of a truce of sorts—a resolution by the parties concerned to leave the unsettled […]

Chinese New Year (CNY), also known as the Lunar New Year or the Spring Festival, is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. The date of Chinese New Year is determined by the Chinese calendar, based on a combination of lunar and solar movements. This is why CNY falls on a different date each year.

Kwok Wan Yee (middle) with incoming Conference Lay Leaders From 2014–16, I was Vice President of the Chinese Annual Conference (CAC) of The Methodist Church in Singapore (MCS), and subsequently was elected as the 2017­–20 CAC Conference Lay Leader. I have just stepped down as Conference Lay Leader for the next Quadrennium. During my tenure […]