Soundings
Dialogue key to understanding science-theology relationship
What should be the proper way of understanding the relationship between science and the Christian faith? ALTHOUGH significant progress is being made in the interaction between science and Christianity in this century, there remains a residual hostility between them that can be traced to the 19th century. When modern science as we know it first appeared in […]
Film / Book Reviews
Unique volume of new Wesleyan sermons
Two new books about the thoughts of two Johns – highly recommended to the people called Methodists, and indeed, other Christians as well – have just been published. One is a collection of themes and biblical texts of Methodism founder John Wesley’s 44 sermons adapted and reinterpreted by today’s leading Methodist scholars, and the other […]
Soundings
There are some similarities between the Christian and Islamic concepts of God, but … We can’t conclude that Christians and Muslims worship the same God
Do Christians and Muslims worship the same God? THIS question has become pressing in some circles, especially after 9/11 and in the wake of strenuous attempts in the West not to demonise Islam. An affirmative answer to this question is well supported by some of the most powerful political and religious voices in the world. In […]
Think
THE GOLDEN RULE
SOME years ago, Duke University gave an honorary degree to High Thompson. On March 16, 1968, Thompson, a young helicopter pilot, was flying on patrol over the countryside of Vietnam. When he and his crew flew over the village of My Lai, they saw a nightmare below them. The United States Army troops, under the constant pressure of danger and the madness of war, […]
Soundings
Atheism will never succeed in undermining the Christian Faith
Who are the “New Atheists”? Do their proposals threaten to undermine the Christian Faith? IN RECENT years there has been a rash of books challenging Christianity in particular and religion in general. The authors of these books are sometimes referred to as the “New Atheists” and they are a motley crew of scientists, philosophers and freelance […]
Think
Further reflections on global warming
Global Warning: Local Acting WHEN we were preparing to leave the United States after completing our studies, our friends asked us, “What will you miss about the States when you return to Singapore?” Our reply was, “Apart from friends and the four seasons, we will miss the recycling bins!” We had developed the practice of […]
Think
What is a Christian school?
ON ONE occasion when John Wesley was feeling particularly exasperated at the way things had developed at Kingswood, the school he founded near Bristol, he exclaimed: “I will have a Christian school or I will have no school at all.” What is a Christian school? When we describe the ACS schools as Christian schools what […]
Think
Second commandment does not prohibit use of images in worship
It simply warns against confounding these images with God Are Roman Catholics and Orthodox Christians disobeying the second commandment when they use images and icons in worship? THERE is no consensus on the interpretation of Exodus 20:4-6. Roman Catholics and Orthodox Christians maintain that these verses refer not to Christian icons but pagan idols. According to […]
Soundings
Most scientists reject the one-gene-one-trait theory as naïve
Have scientists discovered the gay gene? PERHAPS the most frequently cited study that maintains the connection between genetics and homosexuality is that conducted by molecular biologists at the National Institutes of Health under the direction of Dean Hamer in 1993. By examining DNA samples from self-identified gay men and other gay male family members, Hamer […]
Soundings
Sabbath and the Lord’s Day stress Lordship of God over all creation
What is the relationship between the Jewish Sabbath and the Lord’s Day (Sunday)? THERE is considerable consensus among scholars of Ancient Near East civilisation that the division of the week into seven days was not the invention of the people of Israel. The origins can be traced to Babylonian religion in which each day of […]
Soundings
Demon possession a reality to be reckoned with
What is demon possession? Can a Christian be demon possessed? DEMON POSSESSION is a phenomenon that is increasingly dismissed not only by secular psychiatrists and psychologists but also by some Christian counsellors. The reasons for this are the influence of the scientific worldview, and the anti-supernaturalism that has subtly clouded the thinking of some Christians. […]
Soundings
Christians can conclude that … Bible ‘does not prohibit organ donation and transplantation’
Should Christians support organ donations and transplantation? SINCE medical doctors Joseph Murray and David Hume performed the first successful living-related kidney transplant from identical twins in 1954, the science of organ transplantation has advanced by leaps and bounds. About 50 years later, there have been successful heart, pancreas, pancreas islet cell, intestine, lung, liver and […]
Think
The passion of church-based youth workers
CHURCHES that are growing and dynamic almost always have a strong culture and history of youth ministry. With this thought in mind I set out to understand the youth ministry in Singapore through the eyes of paid church youth workers. In the second half of 2006 I conducted formal interviews with 35 stipendiary church-based youth […]
Soundings
Church does not prohibit abortion under all circumstances
It is clear that the Christian Tradition opposes abortion because it is the wilful killing of another human being. But are there no exceptions? What about pregnancies that result from rape? Should abortion be allowed in order to save the life of the pregnant woman? WHILE the Christian faith opposes abortion for reasons spelt out […]
