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Towards a Model of Engagement in the Public Realm for the Methodist Church in Singapore

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Towards a Model of Engagement in the Public Realm for the Methodist Church in Singapore This material has been provided by Asbury Theological Seminary in good faith of following ethical procedures in its production and end use. The Copyright law of the united States (title 17, United States code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyright material. Under certain condition specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to finish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specific conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be “used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research.” If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of “fair use,” that user may be liable for copyright infringement. This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law. By using this material, you are consenting to abide by this copyright policy. Any duplication, reproduction, or modification of this material without express written consent from Asbury Theological Seminary and/or the original publisher is prohibited. Contact B.L. Fisher Library Asbury Theological Seminary 204 N. Lexington Ave. Wilmore, KY 40390 B.L. Fisher Library’s Digital Content place.asburyseminary.edu Asbury Theological Seminary 205 North Lexington Avenue 800.2ASBURY Wilmore, Kentucky 40390 asburyseminary.edu ABSTRACT TOWARDS A MODEL OF ENGAGEMENT IN THE PUBLIC REALM FOR THE METHODIST CHURCH IN SINGAPORE Kiem-Kiok Kwa This is a study of the Methodist Church in Singapore and how she engages in the pubhc square, using the framework of public theology. Three elements are identified as necessary for public theology. These are first, public theology is discourse on public issues, and second, that it is based on Scripture and tradition. Third, public theology is proclamation to those inside and outside the church which motivates people into action. The main case of public discourse studied here is a discussion, held between 2004 and 2005, on whether or not to have a casino in Singapore. A secondary case of discussion was the Christian community's objections to the film The Da Vinci Code and their request to the Singapore government to ban the film. Field work for this project was carried out in Singapore in April and May 2006 where clergy and laity from the Methodist Church in Singapore was issued questionnaires and interviewed about religion and society generally and the casino debate specifically. This data is placed against the background of a description of Singapore, and in particular how the government has historically interacted with the public. The Methodist Church in Singapore is also described, with emphasis on her role in education and in providing social services to the community. Since the Methodist Church in Singapore is a member of the National Council of Churches of Singapore, the actions of that body are also relevant to this study. Although Singapore Methodists are ambivalent about the government's openness in accepting views from the public, they are committed to engaging in the public square. This study suggests a variety of ways that they can do so, such as continuing engagement with the government, commencing interacting with other religious and civic groups in society, and considering ways of involvement in the arts. This study expands the application of public theology into an Asian, multicultural context where the church is in the minority. It shows that in this context, public theology can guide the church to fully engage society, and at the same time to proclaim her beliefs in appropriate ways. DISSERTATION APPROVAL SHEET This dissertation, entitled Towards a Model of Engagement in the Public Realm for the Methodist Church in Singapore written by Kiem-Kiok Kwa and submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy has been read and approved by the undersigned members of the Faculty of Asbury Theological Seminary ^ Dr. James R. Thobaben April 2007 TOWARDS A MODEL OF ENGAGEMENT IN THE PUBLIC REALM FOR THE METHODIST CHURCH IN SINGAPORE A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the E. Stanley Jones School of World Mission and Evangelism Asbury Theological Seminary Wilmore, Kentucky In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation Committee: Dr. Michael A. Rynkiewich, Mentor Dr. Terry C. Muck, Reader Dr. James R. Thobaben, Reader by Kiem-Kiok Kwa Defense Date: April 16, 2007 Copyright 2007 Kiem-Kiok Kwa ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Table of Contents List of Tables iv List of Figures v Acknowledgements vi Chapter 1. Singapore: Harmony in Control 1 Introduction 1 History of Singapore 3 The People of Singapore 4 Japanese Occupation 6 From Colony to Independent Nation 6 Organization of the State 9 Parliament and Cabinet 10 Judiciary 12 President 12 Civil Service and Military 13 Social Milieu 13 Ethnicity and Multiracialism 14 Meritocracy and Elitism 20 Primacy of Economics 22 The Management of Religion 23 Civil Society in Singapore 26 The Growth of Civil Society 27 2. Public Theology: Approaches, Imperatives and Elements 32 Introduction 32 Some Approaches to Public Theology 33 Public Theology is a Contextual Theology 38 The Imperative for Public Theology in Singapore 41 Church in Society: Society's Perspective 46 Elements in Public Theology 50 Public Theology Discusses Public Issues 51 Public Theology is Theologically Informed 53 Public Theology is Proclamation 64 3. The Methodist Church in Singapore 74 Introduction 74 Arrival of Christian Missionaries in Singapore 74 The Methodist Mission in Singapore 76 Formation of the Methodist Church 77 Theological Outlook 78 Structure of the Methodist Church in Singapore 79 Methodist Schools 82 The Methodist Social Principles and Social Creed 84 Methodist Welfare Services 85 Christian Unity and the National Council of Churches of Singapore 86 The Recent Rise of NCCS 89 Location of Church and Christians in Society 93 Other Voices in Society 97 4. The Church Gambles in the Casino Debate 99 Introduction 99 The Casino Debate: Chronology of a Public Discussion 100 Public Discussion on the Casino Proposal 101 Views Against the Casino 102 Views in Favor of the Casino 104 National Forum 105 "A Year-long Experiment in Active Citizenship" 105 Government's Final Decision 106 After the Armouncement 108 Participation and Efficacy in Policy Making in Singapore 109 Description of Field Research 110 Questiormaires 110 Interviews 112 Connecting with Clergy 1 12 Connecting with Laity 1 14 Church Administrators 116 Views on Methodist Institutions 118 The Methodist Social Principles in the Life of the Local Church 119 Caring for the Poor as a Reflection of the Social Principles 120 Views of Methodists on the Casino Debate 126 Participating in the Process of Discussion 127 Preaching on Social Issues 129 Views on the Process of Discussion 134 Influence Policy Only By Voting at a General Election 134 Openness of the Govenmient and Christian Participation 136 Influence of Christians in Society 139 Praying for the Goveniment 142 Making a Statement on a Social Issue 143 After the Casino Debate 146 Sunmiary 147 Singaporeans Look at Singapore Culture 148 5. A Public Theology for the Methodist Church in Singapore 150 Introduction 150 Singapore Culture 151 Political Culture 153 Public Theology Discusses Issues which are Public 160 Rules of the Games 162 ii Public Theology is Theologically Informed 162 Public Theology is Proclamation 165 Dialogue and Interacting with Others 1 67 Fielding and Strategizing 171 Summary of Recommendations 173 Public Theology Will Change Church and Society 176 Public Theology in a Plural Society 178 Appendix A 181 Appendix B 184 Appendix C 186 Appendix D 189 Appendix E 192 References Cited 194 iii List of Tables Table 1 Singapore population by race 14 2 Singapore population by religion 15 3 Responses by members of clergy 1 14 4 Responses from Lay Leaders 115 5 Profile of small group members 116 6 "In my church we recite the Methodist Social Principles at least once a year during corporate worship service." 119 7 "My local church is involved in some ways to care for the needs of the poor and vulnerable in the community." 121 8 "The motivation of the local church for involvement in caring for the poor and vulnerable is mainly because the bible says so." 122 9 "The motivation of the local church for involvement in caring of the poor and vulnerable is mainly to make converts." 123 10 "My church's present involvement in social concerns projects." 123 1 1 "With regard to an issue (such as the casino) which has implications for Christians and the church, Christians should..." 128 12 "It is important to preach about social issues (such as the casino debate) facing our country and the world." 129 1 3 "I am not familiar enough with social issues (such as the casino debate) and so do not preach about them." 130 14 "Pastors should not preach about social issues (such as the casino debate) because that would be mixing religion and politics." 131 1 5 "The only significant action that Singaporeans can do to influence government policy is to vote at a general election." 134 1 6 "The government has given enough space in the mass media. .for the public to air their views on social issues ." 135 1 7 "In the past five years, the government has become more open and accepting of the views of the public even when it is different from their 'official' view." 136 1 8 "The government takes seriously the views of Christians on social issues (like the casino debate) by responding to their concerns." 140 19 "In my church we pray regularly for the government and those in authority during our worship services / prayer meetings." 143 20 "The MCS should continue to speak up in public and issue statements about where she stands on social issues such as the casino debate." 144 IV List of Figures Figure 1 : The interaction between public theology, church and other disciplines 41 Figure 2: Organization of Methodist Church in Singapore 78 Figure 3: Stances of Rehgious Collectivities 94 V Acknowledgements When I first came to Asbury Theological Seminary in Fall 2003, 1 had no intention, desire or aspiration of pursuing a Ph.D.
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