Opinion

Is democracy the best system of government, according to the Christian view? IT IS IMPORTANT to state at the outset that the Christian faith neither provides an ethos for, nor does it have a stake in any form of political ideology or order, including democracy. Christianity is fundamentally concerned with justice and would support any […]

What is the proper relationship between the Church and the State? IN ORDER TO ANSWER THIS QUESTION we have to inquire what the Bible and the teaching of the Church have to say about the role and purpose of both these institutions. Let us begin with the State. In my article for Methodist Message on […]

  TREASURES OF THE HEART Author: Jessie Wee Illustrations by Geoffrey Chew Publisher: Landmark Books 128 pages, $15 (All proceeds to Christ Methodist Church Missions) Available at Christ Methodist Church tel: 6345-3934   I AM SURE many of you have, at one time or another, treated yourself to the 2-in-1 or 3-in-1 coffee or tea […]

THE ORIGIN OF PENTECOSTALISM is usually traced to Topeka, Kansas, where under the leadership of Charles Parham, a former Methodist preacher, a group of Christians experienced an outbreak of tongue-speaking in 1901. In 1906, William J. Seymour, a black Holiness preacher and student of Parham, led a revival in an abandoned African Episcopalian church in […]

SOCIAL HOLINESS “For Wesley, the true Christian “knows of no religion but social; no holiness but social holiness”.” METHODISM IS ASSOCIATED WITH JOHN AND CHARLES WESLEY, sons of an Anglican rector and his wife, Susannah. Together at Oxford, the Wesley brothers formed the Holy Club (ca 1725), and gathered around them students who were concerned […]

  IN MY GROWING YEARS I looked up to my father as my hero and model. Many people in our neighbourhood knew that he was a very serious person who did not tolerate nonsense. Interestingly, after I became a father myself, people said the same thing about me, especially the friends of our children. But […]

Mention “YEO HIAP SENG” to people in Singapore, and most would rightly associate it with soy sauce, beverages and canned curry chicken. But little is known about the person who built up one of Singapore’s most well-known brands – Mr Yeo Thian In, a first-generation Chinese immigrant from Fujian Province, China who arrived on our shores in 1938 with his wife and young sons in tow.

In what ways can nationalism or patriotism become idolatrous? MANY PHILOSOPHERS AND SOCIOLOGISTS have observed that the rise of modern secularism has not erased man’s need for religion. Although it is perfectly true to say that modern man has by and large lost faith in the traditional religions, his need for religion – which is […]

WORD FROM THE EDITOR IF THERE IS ONE TOPIC that is generally valued, it is education, if possible, universal. Different countries may place either greater or lesser emphasis, but all the same, it is something that is now considered a human right, and quite rightly so. In this country, since the first Methodist school was […]

What is your assessment of the position of the Singapore Government concerning the relationship between religion and politics? THE SINGAPORE GOVERNMENT’S position on the relationship between religion and politics is delineated in the Maintenance of Religious Harmony White Paper (MRHWP) published on Dec 26, 1989. is document is the precursor to the Maintenance of Religious […]

A three-month intensive discipleship programme organised by the Trinity Annual Conference Board of Youth Ministries (TRAC BOYM), saw three youths coming together for an experience they will never forget. Here are some of the highlights of their journey. Daniel Tay (above) from Sengkang Methodist Church writes: “THE FIRST MONTH of Trackers is a ‘Learning and […]

WORD FROM THE EDITOR THE PHENOMENAL RISE of spectator sports played by an army of professional sportsmen has changed the nature of the activity – from simple enjoyment of the game to an obsession for winning. The Olympic motto of going “faster, higher & stronger” seems paramount with a premium on winning medals. To quote […]