A STUDY OF EVANGELICALISM BASED ON A CHURCH IN MALAYSIA
BY
NOR SURIANI BT NORDIN
A dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Heritage (Usul al-Din and Comparative Religion)
Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences International Islamic UniversityMalaysia
NOVEMBER 2014
ABSTRACT
The interest in the study of religion continues to flourish in this age of globalisation. The emergences of various religious beliefs and thoughts as well as the growth of new movements provide new materials for students and scholars of religion. In Christianity, many new modern movements have emerged, among them Evangelicalism. This study presents a historical view and description of activities of Evangelicalism in Malaysia. To limit its scope, this study focuses on only one evangelical church located in Petaling Jaya from all the evangelical churches in Malaysia. This church is called Harmony Church (not the real name) for confidentiality reasons. This study aims to highlight the mission and activities of the evangelical movement by referring to Harmony Church as well as its method in preaching the religion and its contributions to society. The study adopts the qualitative method in gathering as well as analysing data. The method is mainly based on library research, analysis of data, interviews and conversations with the leader of Harmony Church and secretary-general of National Evangelical Christian Fellowship (NECF) Malaysia. In addition, aspects of the followers, lives and thoughts are also studied. The study concludes that evangelicalism in Malaysia is very active in implementing its mission to expand its presence. Members of this movement are concerned with what they believe to be the true teachings of the Bible and to guide all Christians to this truth. They are also concerned with social problems and education and are prepared to provide financial and emotional support. Harmony Church adopts good missionary practices which appear to be successful in Malaysia. They are not belligerent and antagonistic towards other religions as commonly believed by most of the Muslim public in Malaysia. They do not force other religions to embrace their religion. However, it is also found that because Evangelical Christianity is a complex phenomenon, it seems very complicated. This is because there are various types of evangelical movements and it is difficult to understand the various beliefs and approaches. There are hundreds of churches that can be classified as Evangelical. However, Evangelical churches are rapidly growing because they are more autonomous and more modern in their approach which is often based on careful observation of contemporary society. As a movement, Evangelical churches really only grew in the 18th century in the US where they eventually gained followers formidable enough to make it the social and political force it is today. Moreover, Malaysian Evangelical churches are similar to their American Evangelical counterparts in their theology, message and approach.
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ABSTRACT IN ARABIC
iii APPROVAL PAGE
I certify that I have supervised and read this study and that in my opinion it conforms to acceptable standards of scholarly presentation and is fully adequate, in scope and quality, as a dissertation for the degree of Master of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Heritage (Usul al-Din and Comparative Religion).
……………………….………… Fadzilah Din Supervisor
I certify that I have read this study and that in my opinion it conforms to acceptable standards of scholarly presentation and is fully adequate, in scope and quality, as a dissertation for the degree of Master of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Heritage (Usul al-Din and Comparative Religion).
….…………………...…………. Haslina Ibrahim Examiner
This dissertation was submitted to the Department of Usul al-Din and Comparative Religion and is accepted as a fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Heritage (Usul al-Din and Comparative Religion).
….…………………...…………. Thameem Ushama Head, Department of Usul al-Din and Comparative Religion
This dissertation was submitted to the Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences and is accepted as a fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Heritage (Usul al-Din and Comparative Religion).
….…………………...…………. Ibrahim M. Zein Dean, Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences
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DECLARATION
I hereby declare that this dissertation is the result of my own investigations, except where otherwise stated. I also declare that it has not been previously or concurrently submitted as a whole for any other degrees at IIUM or other institutions.
Nor Suriani binti Nordin
Signature………………………………. Date…………………………
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INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY MALAYSIA
DECLARATION OF COPYRIGHT AND AFFIRMATION OF FAIR USE OF UNPUBLISHED RESEARCH
Copyright © 2014 Nor Suriani bt Nordin. All rights reserved.
A STUDY OF EVANGELICALISM BASED ON A CHURCH IN MALAYSIA
I hereby affirm that The International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) holds all rights in the copyright of this Work and henceforth any reproduction or use in any form or by means whatsoever is prohibited without the written consent of IIUM. No part of this unpublished research may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without prior written permission of the copyright holder.
Affirmed by Nor Suriani binti Nordin.
………………………….. ………………………. Singnature Date
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DEDICATION
To my parents who have always been my pillars of strength and my
number one supporters in my life.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, Most Compassionate. All praises and thanks to the Almighty Allah for His Mercy and Blessing in giving me an opportunity, strength and patience to initiate, to carry on, and to complete this humble dissertation.
First of all, I would like to express my deepest gratitude and thousand appreciations to my respective supervisor, Dr. Fadzilah Din who has sincerely supervised me until I completed this research. All the advices, suggestions and criticisms as well as the valuable time that had been spent together will be never forget and of course help me a lot in applying to my real academic career. I owe her much. To my examiner, Dr. Haslina bt. Ibrahim thanks for the assessment given and for always providing me useful tips and suggestions towards this dissertation.
Next, I would like to extend my appreciation to Mr. Chew Phye Keat, Leader of Harmony Church (not a real name) in Malaysia and Eugene Yapp a Secretary- General of National Evangelical Christian Fellowship (NECF), thousands of cheers to them for the support, cooperation and information that have been provided. My sincere gratitude also goes to the Department of Usul al-Din and Comparative Religion for its administrative assistance and all the lecturers who have taught, guided, and motivated me throughout my study in the International Islamic University Malaysia.
My deepest gratitude also goes to my beloved husband Mohd Syahmi Mohd Yusof for his support and understanding until completion of this research. Highest thankfulness to my beloved parents, Nordin bin Che Man and Rahimah binti Yusof for their tireless moral support, love, prayer, and advice given to me throughout my study and my life. They are the important people and inspiration behind my successful life as a servant of Allah and a khalifah in this earth. To all my beloved siblings; Nor Salwani, Mohd Shahrul, Mohd Shahrir, Nor Zuliana, Nor Syafiyah, Nor khalidah and Ahmad Abdul Hadi, thank you for your spiritual support, and understanding throughout my study. My gratitude also goes to my relatives for their understanding and support.
Finally, may Allah grant all of them who have helped and assisted me towards this dissertation. May Allah bless all of us with His mercy and love.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Abstract ...... ii Abstract in Arabic ...... iii Approval Page ...... iv Declaration ...... v Copyright Page ...... vi Dedication ...... vii Acknowledgements ...... viii List of Tables ...... xi
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ...... 1 1.1 Background of Study ...... 1 1.2 Statement of the Problem: ...... 6 1.3 Research Questions:...... 6 1.4 Objectives of the Research: ...... 7 1.5 Scope of the Research:...... 7 1.6 Methodology of Research: ...... 7 1.7 Justification of the Research: ...... 8 1.8 Literature Review: ...... 8
CHAPTER TWO: THE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF EVANGELICALISM ...... 15 2.1 The Historical Background of the Evangelical Movement...... 15 2.2 Overview of Evangelicalism in Malaysia ...... 19 2.3 The Meaning of Evangelicalism and its Constitution...... 25 2.3.1 Who is an Evangelical? ...... 32 2.3.2 The Population of the Evangelist in the world ...... 33 2.3.3 Denominations Involved...... 37 2.4 The Scholars of Evangelicalism...... 39 2.5 The differences between the Evangelical Church and other Churches...... 49
CHAPTER THREE: HARMONY CHURCH: ITS MISSION, STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES ...... 56 3.1 The Historical Background of the Harmony Church (HC)...... 56 3.2 The Mission and Strategies of the Harmony Church...... 59 3.2.1 The Mission of the Harmony Church ...... 59 3.2.2 The Strategies of the Harmony Church: ...... 60 3.3 The Activities of the Harmony Church (HC): ...... 61 3.3.1 The Annual Activities:...... 62 3.3.2 The Monthly Activities:...... 64 3.3.2.1 Ladies Meetings or known better as Ladies in-Touch (LIT)...... 65 3.3.2.2 Senior Citizens:...... 66 3.3.3 The Weekly Activities: ...... 67 3.3.3.1 Sunday Worship Meeting: ...... 67
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3.3.3.2 Sunday school: ...... 67 3.3.3.3 Saturday Meeting:...... 68 3.3.3.4 Care and share groups: ...... 69 3.3.4 Missionary activities: ...... 70 3.3.4.1 Evangelism: ...... 71 3.3.4.2 Family Life: ...... 71 3.3.4.3 Hospitality: ...... 73 3.4 The Methods of HC in Preaching their Doctrines...... 76 3.5 The Contribution of HC to Society ...... 77
CHAPTER FOUR: DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION ...... 80
BIBLIOGRAPHY: ...... 86
APPENDIX I: INTERVIEW QUESTIONS WITH THE LEADERS OF THE HARMONY CHURCH (HC) ...... 89 APPENDIX II: THE INTERVIEW QUESTIONS WITH THE NATIONAL EVANGELICAL CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP (NECF), MALAYSIA...... 91 APPENDIX III: THE ANSWERS OF THE INTERVIEW QUESTIONS WITH THE LEADERS OF THE HARMONY CHURCH (HC) ...... 93 APPENDIX IV: THE ANSWERS TO THE INTERVIEW WITH THE NATIONAL EVANGELICAL CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP (NECF), MALAYSIA...... 99 APPENDIX V: THE NEW MEMBERS OF NECF MALAYSIA...... 104 APPENDIX VI: RELIGIOUS ADHERENTS IN MALAYSIA...... 106
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LIST OF TABLES
Table No. Page No.
2.1 Number of Evangelicals Worldwide 35
2.2 Percentage of churches and churchgoers in England which are evangelical by denomination, 1989-2010 36
2.3 Percentage of evangelicals in the Christian community by continent 1970-2050 37
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CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF STUDY
Christianity is one of the world’s major religions and claims to be a monotheistic religion. Monotheism is the belief in one God. Christianity, like Buddhism and Islam, is a missionary1 religion.2 These three religions will propagate their teaching to all mankind and invite them to their religion. Christians are committed to sharing the glad tidings (‘the Gospel’) of God’s love as revealed in Jesus Christ.3 This religion regards itself as a universal religion which should be propagated to all mankind as stated in
Matthew 28: 18-19, Mark 10: 45, 16: 15-16, and Luke 24: 47-48.4 Christians believe in Jesus as both God and savior of mankind. The Christian mission is to ‘bring the world to Jesus’ and their ‘universal vision in which the love of God revealed in Christ cannot be completely fulfilled until all God’s creation has been reconciled’.5 In
Christianity, the main method to propagate religion is through the church.6 Churches are instrumental in spreading the belief of the holiness of Jesus. It can be seen through the history of the church and its role to propagate Christianity. The Church gave the world the Bible. The Bible does not exist apart from the church, nor does the Church exist apart from the Bible. The Church was established by Jesus Christ around 33 AD, and the New Testament was not finalized in its present form until 382 AD, about 350
1 Missionary is someone who has been sent to a foreign country to teach people about Christianity and persuade them to become Christians. (Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, England: Pearson Longman, 2011. 1117). 2 John Young, Christianity: An Introduction (London: Teach yourself, 2003), 194. 3 Ibid. 4 Ghazali Basri, Gerakan Kristian (Bangi: Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 1999), 37. 5 Lindsay Jones (ed.), Encyclopedia of Religion (Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2005), 1671. 6 The church is a building where Christians go to worship or the institution of the Christian religion, and all the priests and other minister who are part of it. See Longman Dictionary, 286.
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years later.7 To prove the establishment of the church by Jesus, In Matthew 16:18-19 states:
“And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."
Also, in Luke 10:16, Jesus tells the Church leaders the following:
"He who hears you hears me, and he who rejects you rejects me, and he who rejects me rejects him who sent me."8
From the above elaboration, it is seen that the church has an important role to teach the members in spreading Christianity. Jesus said for the Church to go forth and teach all nations. The Bible, of course, is the book that the Church uses to teach, but the authority of the Church must be taken into account when trying to understand its true meaning.
The major churches in Christianity are The Roman Catholic Church,9 The
Orthodox Churches,10 and The Protestant Churches.11 In these churches, there are many sects and different denominations and movements. There are approximately
38,000 reported Christian denominations. This statistic takes into consideration cultural distinctions of denominations in different countries.12Albeit there are more than 38,000 sects and denominations in Christianity, but the main basis for their belief
7 The role of the church according to the bible on
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is the same namely the divinity of Jesus. The doctrine that explains the divinity of
Jesus can be seen in many writings. All of them opine that God intervened in Human history in the person of Jesus Christ in a unique way, and that quickly became understood as the doctrine that Jesus Christ God became man.13
In this research, the researcher attempts to study evangelicalism as a modern
Christian movement.14 In the 1980s, church leaders began to consider appropriate ways of naming the new millennium with its 2000 years of Christian history. Pope
John Paul II suggested that the 1990s should be a Decade of Evangelization.
Following this, the 1988 Lambeth Conference of Anglican Bishops declared a Decade of Evangelism. Most mainstream churches supported these initiatives, with their vision of ‘a renewed and united effort to make Christ known to the peoples of the world’.15 Evangelical is a term applied to Protestant reformers from their claim to base their doctrines on the Gospel. From the time of the Methodist movement in the 18th century, the term ‘evangelical’ was applied to those who stressed conversion, experience, ‘evangelism’ and mission.16 In the 19th century, evangelicals were Low
Church,17 as opposed to Anglo-Catholics and High Church.18 In the 20th century,
‘evangelical’ often indicated fundamentalist interpretation of the Bible, as opposed to liberal or modernist interpretations.19
13 See on Ghazali Basri, Gerakan Kristian, 20. 14 The term Evangelicalism is a wide-reaching definitional "canopy" that covers a diverse number of Protestant groups. The term originates in the Greek word evangelion, meaning "the good news," or, more commonly, the gospel. Evangelicalism, theopedia an encyclopedia of Christianity on < http://www.theopedia.com/Evangelicalism> (accessed 23 April, 2012). 15 John Young, 194-195. 16 Geoffrey Parrinder, A Concise Encyclopedia of Christianity (Oxford: One world Publication, 2001), 97. 17 Low Church is part of the Church of England that believes in the importance of faith and studying the Bible rather than in religious ceremonies. (Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, England: Pearson Longman, 2011. 1043). 18 High Church is part of the Church of England that is closest in its belief to the Roman Catholic Church. (Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, England: Pearson Longman, 2011. 827). 19 Geoffrey Parrinder, A Concise Encyclopedia of Christianity, 97.
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In Malaysia, there are many churches with different denominations and movements included under the banner of evangelical churches. In 1948, the number of
Christian sects grew and registered under the umbrella of Malayan Christian Council
(MCC) based in Singapore. After 1965, the Malayan Christian Council (MCC) was renamed the Council of Churches of Malaysia (CCM). It is an ecumenical fellowship of Churches and Christian organizations in Malaysia and is one of the three constituent members of the Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM). The CFM has successfully united almost all the Christian sects in Malaysia including the National
Evangelical Christian Fellowship (Evangelicals) and the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Malaysia (Roman Catholic). Formed in April 1986, the CFM brought together the major expressions of Christianity in Malaysia in a broad-based ecumenical body and formed a unified voice in dealing with the government as well as other religious and secular bodies in the country.20
The evangelical church focuses on the spread of Christianity in various ways and often promotes their slogan ‘sharing the good news’. In Malaysia, the organization of Graduate Christian Fellowship is a body that is most active in the work of sharing the good news. It has a national level body named the National
Evangelical Christian Fellowship (NECF), and it is a member of the World
Evangelical Alliance (WEA), Evangelical Fellowship of Asia and one of the three component bodies of the Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM).21 In view of this, the researcher is interested to study evangelicalism as one of the most important contemporary movements in the Christian church. This movement is very active in the global spread of Christianity including in Malaysia. From the reported 2 billion
20 Ghazali Basri, Gerakan Kristan, 16-17. See also the Council of Churches of Malaysia on < http://ccmalaysia.org/index.php/about-ccm/history/> (accessed 16 April, 2012). 21 Ghazali Basri, Gerakan Kristan, 17.
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Christians in the world today, 648 million (11% of the world's population) are evangelicals or Bible believing Christians. Evangelicals have grown from only 3 million in AD 1500, to 648 million worldwide, with 54% being Non-Whites.22
This research focuses on a church in Petaling Jaya from among the many evangelical churches in Malaysia such as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
Malaysia (ELCM), The Assembly of God, Evangelical Free Church, Sidang Injil
Borneo Sabah, Sidang Injil Borneo Sarawak to name a few. This church will be called the Harmony Church (HC) for confidentiality.23 The researcher focuses on the HC as an evangelical brethren church24 in Malaysia with a current membership of more than
300. The study of evangelicalism based on the HC will focus on their activities as well as their mission and certain issues that describe their Christian doctrines. A review of the literature on evangelicalism in Malaysia will form part of this research.
The researcher is of the view that this study is an important step in informing the public regarding the evangelical movement and how it has developed in Malaysia.
This is particularly important to clarify to those who are not aware of the existence of the various Christian denominations and movements, especially among Malaysian
Muslims. This study also contributes towards better understanding the concept of ‘1
Malaysia’ by attempting to better understand other religions. In line with this, this research attempts to reveal the history of the evangelical movement in Malaysia along with its activities, objectives and modes of operation and approaches.
22 Mary Fairchild, “General Statistics and Facts of Christianity” Christianity Today,
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1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM:
The study attempts to explore and analyse issues related to evangelicalism based on the beliefs and practices of the Harmony Church (HC) as an evangelical brethren church in Malaysia. The emphasis of this research is to describe and understand their activities in addition to examine their mission, as well as understanding the implications of their doctrines.
This is due to the fact that many Malaysian Muslims are unaware of the activities of Christians, especially among the new denominations and movements in
Christianity. Some Muslims think that Christianity is a monolithic religion promoting the belief of Jesus as God and are ignorant of the missionary practices and how they manifest in Malaysia. Others think that Christianity is belligerent and antagonistic towards other religions.
Moreover, there is insufficient literature and materials on these topics. Many researchers have stopped short at mere introductions to Christianity and evangelicalism. Therefore, this research has selected one specific church in Malaysia to explore their beliefs and practices and relate them to the theological tenets of
Christianity and the global evangelical movement. By doing so, it is hoped that this study will present greater insight into how one particular Christian church functions in
Malaysia.
1.3 RESEARCH QUESTIONS:
This research attempts to answer the following questions:
1. What is the historical background of evangelicalism in Malaysia?
2. What is the mission of the Harmony Church?
3. What are the activities of the Harmony Church?
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1.4 OBJECTIVES OF THE RESEARCH:
The objectives of this research are:
1. To explore evangelicalism and understand its theological underpinnings.
2. To identify the mission of evangelists.
3. To examine the activities of evangelists especially in adapting themselves
to Islamic environments.
4. To add to the existing body of knowledge on evangelicalism with a special
focus on how it is practiced in Malaysia.
1.5 SCOPE OF THE RESEARCH:
The scope of the research focuses mainly on literature and materials related to the missionary activities of evangelicalism in Malaysia especially their mission on those activities. This study is limited to the examination of the Harmony Church as an evangelical brethren church in Malaysia.
1.6 METHODOLOGY OF RESEARCH:
This research has adopted a qualitative method that incorporates an extensive textual analysis. Thus, collection of data involves library research in which materials such as books, theses, articles, papers, journals, magazines and reliable websites are referred.
The data regarding the activities of evangelicalism and its mission will be gathered from the interviews and conversations with the leader of the Harmony Church (HC).
In addition, interviews will be conducted with the Secretary-General of NECF,
Eugene Yapp, to gather more information about evangelicalism in Malaysia.
In order to achieve the objectives of this thesis, two approaches will be used: descriptive and analytical. By using the descriptive approach, the researcher will
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review and describe the background of evangelicalism, definitions, missions and activities of evangelists especially in Malaysia.
An analytical approach is applied when analysing the belief, missions and activities of the Evangelical movements in Malaysia. Data analysis attempts to systematically analyse the missions of evangelicalism as well as their activities in
Malaysia especially in adapting themselves to the Islamic environment.
1.7 JUSTIFICATION OF THE RESEARCH:
Evangelicalism is an important Christian missionary movement. This movement is very active and has grown considerably in Malaysia. Therefore, an in depth study of evangelicalism and its mission, vision, and movement is an important undertaking.
Moreover, this research is needed due to a lack of relevant academic materials that address these issues. Studying evangelical activities and their missions in the attempt to increase the body of knowledge in this area is a suitable justification for undertaking this research. Additionally, this research seeks to inform the Muslim community in Malaysia about this Christian movement and how it affects their lives.
1.8 LITERATURE REVIEW:
In the course of completing this research, a wide spectrum of materials will be used.
Currently, there are numerous books and articles that can enlighten us on the historical background of Christianity in Malaysia including the development of Christian churches in Malaysia. However, the references and literature regarding the topic of evangelicalism in Malaysia remain limited with only a handful of academicians and
Muslim scholars having written and conducted research on this topic.
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The book titled Gerakan Kristian by Ghazali Basri25 describes Christianity in
Malaysia from the historical perspective. Adding to this book is Christian Mission and
Islamic Da’wah in Malaysia,26 which describes the history of the coming of
Christianity to Malaysia. This book focuses on the encounter of Christian missions with the ever increasing and affirming Islamic Da’wah of the present-day Islamic revivalism amongst the majority Malaysian population in the country. Ghazali raises the issue of Christian-Muslim dialogue and provides guidelines for such a dialogue.
These two books are important references in the study of the Christian mission in
Malaysia from a Muslim scholar. Accordingly, these books have been included as primary sources in this research.
Mat Zin bin Mat Kib in his book titled ‘Kristian di Sabah 1881-1994,27 discusses the development of Christianity in Sabah as well as other states and their charitable contributions whether in the form of moral guidance or material wealth.
The approaches, methods and strategies of preaching Christianity are also included in his book. Mat Zin concludes that Christians in Sabah grew throughout the ages because their preaching was effective and appears to have lifted the hearts of the people of Sabah.
For further understanding of the history of Christian church in Malaysia, there is a book titled Christianity in Malaysia: A Denominational History by Robert Hunt.28 the author describes the historical perspective of Christianity in Malaysia with a special focus on the churches and the denominations and movements that have grown in Malaysia such as The Roman Catholic Church, which is the largest church in
25 Ghazali Basri, Gerakan Kristian (Bangi: Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 1999). 26 Ghazali Basri, Christian Mission and Islamic Da’wah in Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur: Nurin Enterprise, 1992). 27 Mat Zin Mat Kib, Kristian di Sabah 1881-1994 (Bangi: Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 2003). 28 Robert Hunt, Christianity in Malaysia: A Denominational History (Petaling Jaya, Selangor: Pelanduk Publication, 1992).
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Malaysia, The Presbyterian Church, The Methodist Church, The Evangelical Lutheran
Church in Malaysia and Singapore, The Baptist Church in West Malaysia and others.
Hunt also mentions the social problems surrounding churches and explains the evolution of educational ministries and their political responses.
Another important book in the researcher’s opinion is Christianity by John
Young.29 In this book, the author identifies the main elements of Christianity in a clear and informative fashion and displays a thorough grasp of the faith. This book covers the teaching and impact of Jesus, the Christian experience of God, modern movements within the Church, their multi-faith world and a range of ethical issues. The author also mentions church statistics. The author explains the role of churches and provides a wealth of information for people who seek to know more about the Christian faith.
This book offers many ideas and views for this research regarding the modern movements in Christianity, especially evangelicalism.
Adding to the historical overview of evangelicalism is the book entitled
Understanding Fundamentalism and Evangelicalism by George M. Marsden.30 The author presents a historical overview of fundamentalism and evangelicalism in
America. He explains that evangelicalism has experienced diverse growth and expanded into a much broader category made up of numerous subgroups. Holiness churches, Pentecostals, traditionalist Methodists, Baptists, and Presbyterians, black churches, Mennonites, and Churches of Christ are just some of the most prevalent types. This book is particularly important to this research as it provides comprehensive definitions of fundamentalism and evangelicalism.
29 John Young, Christianity: An Introduction (London: Teach yourself, 2003). 30 George M. Marsden, Understanding Fundamentalism and Evangelicalism (Grand Rapids, Michigan: W.B. Eerdmans, 2000).
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James M. Penning and Corwin E. Smidt in their book Evangelicalism the Next
Generation,31 examine the theological, social, and political attitudes and behavior of students attending evangelical, Christian college. The authors’ findings help to illuminate an area of real concern about the changing religious and cultural worlds of young evangelicals. Although this book explains evangelicalism in American society, it provides a useful explanation of the problems, beliefs and practices of evangelical college students.
Another important book is No Other Name? A critical Survey of Christian
Attitudes toward the World Religions by Paul F. Knitter,32 this book is a clear and detailed guide to the complex question of the relationship between Christianity and other world religions. In chapter five, Knitter mentions the conservative evangelical model view that Christianity is the one true religion. He explains the development in evangelicalism, the distinction between evangelicals and fundamentalists, the types of evangelicalism since the beginning of the 17th century and also includes the views of
Karl Barth on evangelicalism.
Andrew F. Walls’ book entitled The Missionary Movement in Christian
History: Studies in the Transmission of Faith adds to the historical overview of evangelicalism.33 Walls discusses the Evangelical Revival and the missionary movement in chapter seven. Historic evangelicalism is a religion of protest against a
Christian society that is not sufficiently Christian. He also states that evangelical religion stands in a long tradition of protest movements against superficial Christian profession, going back at least as far as the fourth century.
31 James M. Penning, Evangelicalism the Next Generation (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Academic, 2002). 32 Paul F. Knitter, No Other Name? A Critical Survey of Christian Attitudes toward the World Religions. (London: SCM Press, 1985). 33 Andrew F. Walls, the Missionary Movement in Christian History: Studies in the Transmission of Faith. (Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis Books, 1996).
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The recently published book by National Evangelical Christian Fellowship
(NECF) Malaysia, An Evangelical Footprint: Leaving a Spiritual Legacy for Future
Generation34 is a compilation of 43 short interviews with Malaysian Christians from evangelical member churches who are prominent leaders in their respective spheres.
The book is divided into seven sections or spheres of influence: the church, government and politics, the arts, media, family, business and education. Each section carries a feature article exploring the history and present state of evangelicals’ contribution to nation building in a particular realm. This book offers rich information about the activities and the ideas of those spheres from Malaysian Evangelical
Christians.
Adding to the activities of the Evangelical movement in Malaysia, the berita
NECF magazine35 is a monthly newsletter for NECF. It is issued every 3 months. In this magazine or newsletter, their activities are discussed, major programs are announced, it includes motivational articles and advice for their members, as well as the development of this movement from time to time. This magazine helps the researcher to better understand this movement in terms of their perception and principles regarding politics, social problems, education and business, as well as track the progress of their missionary activities in Malaysia.
In this research, the researcher also reviewed the article from Peter Brierley,
“Evangelicals in the world of the 21st century”.36 This article discussed the two major changes in Christianity across the 20th century, which greatly influenced 21st century churches. These two major changes are the progress towards a Third World
34 Samuel Ang, Brendar Boler & Debbie Loh. An Evangelical Footprint: Leaving a Spiritual Legacy for Future Generations. (Petaling Jaya, Selangor: NECF Malaysia, 2012). 35 NECF Malaysia. Berita NECF. April-December 2012. 36 Peter Brierley. “Evangelicals in the world of the 21st century”, Article for 2004 Forum on World Evangelisation Programme, Lausanne Movement (3 May, 2004).
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domination of Christianity, and the progress towards a world Christianity dominated by evangelicals. These two trends are of course related to each other and impact upon each other. This article is primarily statistical and investigates the global Christian population by denomination and continent.
The “Christianity Today” magazine, a global media ministry37, as accessed through the internet, offers rich information about global issues affecting Christians. It is regarded as the foremost evangelical periodical for news and opinion started through the vision of Billy Graham.
“Billy Graham Evangelistic Association” (BGEA)38 is another important internet reference that keeps readers up-to-date with the activities of this prominent evangelic. Graham’s book entitled “the Faithful Christian: An Anthology of Billy
Graham”39 describes the nature of evangelism, the nature of God, the nature of man and discusses the teachings in the Gospel. It contains the evangelist’s thoughts on the many issues of the Gospels and Epistles in the New Testament.
In conclusion, a range of literature exists that have addressed the topic of evangelicalism from various perspectives and backgrounds. Among the important points raised are the historical backgrounds about the coming of Christianity to
Malaysia, the definitions of evangelicalism and the development of churches in
Malaysia. Although there are several materials which discuss Christianity in Malaysia, those materials focus on different aspects in which some focus on historical perspectives while others focus on the development of churches in Malaysia. There is limited literature that specifically focuses on evangelical churches in Malaysia and discusses their mission and activities. This research will discuss evangelicalism based
37 Christianity Today Magazine, see on < http://www.christianitytoday.com/>. 38 Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA),
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