Opinion

In his book Dispatches From the Front, the Christian ethicist Stanley Hauerwas describes a commercial produced by the National Association for Retarded Citizens. The film begins with a couple standing in a dark room and looking into a crib, the contents of which are kept from sight. Then the young mother looks up and into […]

The weekend edition of our local papers often carries interesting articles. One regular column provides advice on money matters, and usually features a successful individual dispensing know-how on managing one’s assets. One article that caught my attention a few weeks ago featured a young entrepreneur who stated that her goal was to retire by the […]

At the beginning of the 19th century, the English poet Percy Bysshe Shelley declared that obedience is the “bane of all genius, virtue, freedom, truth, “for it makes slaves of men, and of the human frame a mechanised automation.” A child of the European Enlightenment, Shelley waxed eloquent in echoing the disdain of many of […]

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:27) Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. And the Lord […]

In a recent trip to Copenhagen, Denmark, I was reminded of the story of The Little Match Girl. As the story goes, a poor little girl was selling matches in the streets on a very cold winter’s evening. She dreaded to go home to her father, who would beat her up for the unsold matches. […]

One of the most interesting concepts peculiar to Methodism is ‘connectionalism’, a neologism coined to describe how the Methodist Church is ordered and organised. At the practical level, connectionalism refers to the ways in which Methodist churches support each other by sharing their resources – pastors, leaders, and financial support – so that they may […]

Driven by desperation for the healing touch of Jesus for their mutual friend pinioned perniciously by paralysis, and caring little for the august assembly of pharisees and teachers of the law from every quarter of the land, who had gathered to see this spectacle, this man of miracles, they sought to bring their friend to […]

Have you ever wondered whether the hymns that we sing Sunday after Sunday have any real-world relevance for our lives? Or has it ever crossed your mind that the big, heavy hymnal you see in the wooden pews could help us to grow in our faith, just as a good Christian book or study guide […]

When King David numbered his fighting men in a census, he was punished for committing a grievous sin (2 Samuel 24). Today we count and announce numbers relating to church membership, worship attendance, and offerings. Are we then committing the same sin in making numbers the measure of our growth and spirituality? One of the […]

1. Formation of 4th District At the Special Session of the Chinese Annual Conference (CAC) held in July 2017, the Rev Dr Gregory Goh, CAC President, proposed the formation of four districts to replace the former three-district structure. This is to aid in strengthening collaborations among churches, and better position District Superintendents to oversee and […]

Picture of christian person praying to the GOD while holding a bible with crucifix symbol on the background The last three decades have seen a slew of books on basic Christianity. A simple search on Amazon.com would yield titles like Christianity 101 (1993), Basic Discipleship (1992), and Christianity: The Basics (2014). These books receive their […]

Bible Scripture with crown of thorns and nails over cloth – John 3:16 The act of saying “I believe” is a self-involving act, transcending mere intellectual acknowledgement and involving our disposition, our action, and most of all, an openness to be transformed by that which we believe. Given this is so, what constitutes the content […]