Christians and the election: What?
I will not fork out money to buy The Star, I told myself after the dissapppointing episodes of dishonest journalism top-down ever since BERSIH 10/11.
But last Sunday, I did - RM1.50 to the coffer of The People's-as-if Paper, because the small caption on the front page was too interesting to be passed: Christians and the elections > F25 & 26
I bought the paper in the morning, but it was until late evening when I read the section - I didn't even bother to look at the news.
After reading it and rereading it (and rereading for the third time here today), I begin to hit my head to remind myself that there was a reason I didn't want to buy The Star, it's crappy.
The whole interviews, it had a good representations from national leaders and politicians from various church traditions and political parties, lacked the substance so much promised by the title.
Rev Wong Kim Kong's repeated “the Church is apolitical”, “the Church is spiritual” was such a dissappointment. To be sure, I understand that the Church ought not to be partisan, but I thought the issue was sort of settled in OHMSI's forum, Was Jesus Political? How can anything not be political when situated within the society of people? How can we say that we are biased towards truth, justice and righteousness AND be apolitical? Perhaps Rev. Wong meant “the Church ought NOT to be partisan in politics” or “Pastors should not get involved in party politics” but language is so crucial here. I am not nitpicking, but it reflects our mentality and sentiment. Apolitical is like an apathetic period to the whole issue. And I cannot bear with that, especially when an ordained minister who helm an umbrella Christian body claimed that the bible calls us to be apolitical and “not be involved directly in the political process”.
Again and again, we hear the call to spirituality, and Teresa was on the spot when she asked, “Why are not many Christians involved in politics?” and she answered her own question: “they are involved in evangelical activities [whatever that means]…they don't want to dirty their hands”. What a terrible indictment against us, no wonder people said, I don't want to have anything to do with religion.
If religion is about airy fairy kingdom with no concern for god's good earth and dear Creation, if religion is about what happens after death, about a closet relationship with some supreme being and does not give a heck about the rampant injustice, unrighteousness and evil that distort all the beauty of god's handiwork - Creation and human beings - who with a right and sensible mind would think religion is of much value?
My heart ached when Teresa said, “There are also Christians who ask me to leave politics and get involved in more spiritual work.” Rip the last of the good folks from this dirty work, what are we thinking?
I refused to believe that spirituality is not about the material world. I believe god did not call us to do “church”, but to live life, and that means relationship with one another, with the society around us, with Nature. And can we escape politics? Preaching spirituality without these elements is not the fullness of god's truth. Unless we say, Christian spirituality is like what the platonic or buddhist philosophers taught, a sort of soul-ish, immaterial afterlife and period. That our ultimate aim is to get rid of this prison body - that St. Paul called “god's temple” for goodness' sake - and go to heaven somewhere.
Our ultimate aim is to arrive at a point where the material becomes so much washed in god's redeeming truth that it will respond to god in worship at all time while we go on living. Our ultimate aim is the whole cosmos, the world, fully reconcilled to god and all human beings properly reflect his beauty, the beauty of his glory in worship and adoration - not by singing songs in immaterial existence, but by living a life, a resurrected life, in joyous and loving obedience to god's will. And while we await the day of redemption, it is our duty, the Church's duty to challenge the powers that sought to oppose the radical movement towards that day. The powers which distort human dignity by the oppressing acts of political hegemony, economics bullying and moral distortion. And when we speak the language of “the Church is to be apolitical”, what we managed to do is to reduce the spirit of being counter culture to an indifference “waiting for things to happen”.
I am not sure if the conversations are edited and if the articles really reflected the original interviews or even the full views of the participants, but I only say I was utterly dissappointed reading it.
Datuk Lee Hwa Beng, was surprisingly mature in his opinions and I respect him for that; making a stance about Malaysia not being a theocratic Islamic state (very careful though to reflect the PM and DPM's emphasis on the word “theocratic”), acknowledging the rights of Christian leaders to be be political and even partisan and attend rallies (although he added, “off the pulpit”) and acknowledging the paramount of freedom of religion among the concerns of the people.
Wong Chun Wai's concluding remark was really nothing but some sort of a textbook-like safe statements:
“In conclusion, the Christians make up a substantial chunk of votes in the elections and these are issues of concern to them. In the battle for hearts and minds, their voices and their votes certainly matter.”
Every votes matter, I do not think based on what we have read in the interviews, Christians have any so called “Christians voices”, after all we are said to be “apolitical”, whatever which was meant by that really confusing word (is it like “amoral”?). Without being aware and directly concerned about politics in the Country and even the political process, how can our voices matter. Any candidates can probably tipu their way into our “hearts and minds”
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I am interested to hear the views of other Church leaders now. Especially one Pastor Jeffrey Kumin from Sabah who was rumoured to be fielded as one of the candidates for coming General Election. I am trying to get his contacts from YB Teresa, if anyone has Ps. Kumin's contacts, I would appreciate if you can email me - just drop a msg at the comment in this post.
I got a call on Sunday from a pastor friend who wasn't too happy with Rev. Wong's comments. It's more like a we-kind-of-get-where's-he's-coming-from but somehow it didn't paint the Christian church in a good light. I'm hoping to let my thoughts settle and try an experimental virtual experimental piece. Wanna join me?
a thirty something pastor and a thirty something (You are thirty something right?) young adult leader?
I am appalled and greatly disturbed in reading what Kim King has to say. Of course, of course, perhaps the newspaper misquoted him (as he always says). I think its about time the evangelical churches hold him accountable for what he says. If this is the stand of the person who helms the evangelical umbrella, I am very worried and concerned for the future direction of NECF and the evangelical churches.
Sivin, if you would like to invite a 40-year old seminary lecturer…hahah, I'd be glad to come and join! Oh BTW, Steven is much younger than you think - so it would be nice to have a 20++, 30++ and 40 together!
Steven, I will link your post to my blog.
Kar Yong
one of the cahayanusantara contributors from sabah is a fren of ps jeffrey, they play guli while kids… u can send a mail to the forum and ps jubilie apin may reply if he is not in the interiors
Kim King? hahahaha…
Anyway, I was just thinking, this is a good opportunity for alternative voices to be heard in the Church. Let's do it!
Perhaps it's time for the leadership to take youth more seriously; I mean, I am not saying the older generation has nothing else to contribute, I still look up to a lot of mentors, but perhaps the Church ought to also listen low.
We need to buck up in a lot of areas, and I am sure Rev. Wong KK and the other senior leaders can play a more strategic and intentional mentoring role to younger generations who can also act as buttress decision makers. Something like DNA which FES is organizing, perhaps with some adaptation.
Seminarians can take up this role by promoting young seminarians (or not so young ones - in Political parties, you can be the Youth Chief while in 40s) into such programs.
Maybe some sort of a model like the Young Lawyers, i mean we already have all the youth thing, but why not intentional shapping our youth into future responsible AND informed leaders.
opps…typo error…Kim Kong!
I think you are right about mentoring - it's my passion too!
TO give WKK the benefit of doubt, I have written to him, seeking his clarification on the statements that he said. Let's also wait for his response.
Kar Yong
Yeah, I can't help but think it was heavily edited.
But on the other hand, Teresa Kok must have a big stake in the Star, she was painted in such good light? Or maybe it was a sabotage backfired?
Just thinking out loud…do let us know WKK's comment
Jack
I've boycotted the Star for sometime but sometimes I relapsed especially during the weekend. Well, I relapsed last Sunday and read the article. I was aghast and dumbfounded by Rev. Wong's statement. Not to long ago when I read in the Star that NECF was going to donate part of the proceeds collected from the 40 day fast to RELA, I immediately emailed Rev. Wong and asked for clarification and linked him to sites which documented RELA's atrocities against migrant workers. He replied with attaching a statement to all pastors and church leaders that he was misquoted. So I hope he has been misquoted too this time.
Just not too long ago I left a comment in Pastor Wong Fong Yang's blog that I believe the church should remain non partisan but never apolitical. I now believe the church may even have to be partisan. I believe the church can never justify the use of the ISA. It's the most immoral and inhumane law found in our statute book. The reason that it is still in our statute book according to our defective Law Minister Nazri is because the rakyat wants it to remain there and because of this the rakyat keep on returning the BN to power.
So shouldn't the church make a stand on this and tell its flock to reject the BN because as long as the BN is in power this immoral, unjust & inhumane law is going to remain as our law. Because a vote for BN is a vote for the ISA to remain.
Forgot to add. Perhaps NECF should call Christians nationwide to join some of our Hindu friends for hunger strike. We can just call it a fast. (Isaiah 58:6) More meaningful than the usual 40 day fast I think.
I just got an sms saying Uthayakumar of HINDRAF is down in hospital Taiping due to his hunger strike…dunno how true..hehehe
SP, watch out this space, I'll post something more later….and spread the word dude!
Jack
The Star is well… “beyond help”. With Vincent Tan buying over The Sun and The Edge, its the final nail in the coffin for free press and journalism in our country. very depressing indeed.
and about NECF, i'm sorry to say it but, in the words of someone i know, they “only know how to angkat the government”.
I beg to differ. The final nail was hammered in decades ago. It just gets occasionally loosened and this latest episode is merely another attempt to hammer tight the loosened nail.
Can someone use “scripture” that instructs Chrisitians to get involved in politics or to even vote for that matter.
What do you mean by that deb?
I do not think the christian scripture provide any clear political model or blueprint for us to follow wholesale, but it does give us a clear instruction to be bias towards justice, truth and peace.
That would be the values the Church based her life on. And whether in politics or economy where the power that be failed to demonstrate those values, the Church is called to play the role of the ancient prophets to be the voice of god to the world calling the world back to god and his values. This is non negotiable.
Jack.