Steven Sim

Words are more treacherous and powerful than we think - Jean-Paul Sartre

Post archive for ‘Religion’

Co-Suffering(4)

If there is a common denominator of human experience, it must be the experience of pain and suffering.
 
I used to think alot about the “why” question when it comes to the issue of suffering. I think this is really a western philosophy-sort of thinking. Eastern traditions such as buddhism, taoism and confuciusism were concern with the more existential [...]

Sleeves Rolled Up(4)

I wrote the below last year 2007 for FES's World Students' Day…
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“Sleeves Rolled Up”
Again and again, during my times in PKV (Persaudaraan Kristian Varsiti - UM's CF) we were challenged with these strong words: The Church is becoming irrelevant. It was as though the statement was hammered hard into my head, making me ask myself, [...]

There is Power Here(0)

I was having a casual meal with a friend a few days back, and we talked about politics and power. My well meaning friend (he's a very successful businessman) gave me some advise about the “reality” of being in politics and about accumulating powers. This got me thinking again, what is power (?) and I [...]

A Church which is more than church(1)

I love to say, we are not called to “do church” but to live life.
Yesterday, I bought a great book by Jurgen Moltmann, “Experiences in Theology”. He say it better than I did:

What the church is about is something more than the church. The church is about life in proximity to the kingdom of God, [...]

Christians and the election: What?(13)

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 [...]

Dr. Khong's Sermon Today: Love and Change(0)

One of my elders, Dr. Khong preached a real good sermon today, simply titled “Love and Change”.
He challenged us to see that while God is eternal, the world is not, human beings are not and definitely church traditions, however cherished, are not. These are all subjected inevitably to changes.
He was questioning, without mentioning the [...]

Righteousness and Justice(4)

I wonder what goes in the minds of worshippers as we raised our hands, jumpily sing,
“He is enthroned on righteousness,He is enthroned on justice…”
I have been taught that righteousness is the unattainable moral perfection which god magically credited to christians when we believe in Jesus Christ.
And justice, more often than not means suffer-now-reward-later or he-will-rot-in-hell.
I [...]

Let My People Go!(3)

by Jack and JR
what if the sky is red?from the colours of the sun at dusklike an artist splattering bloodcarelessly across heavenly canvas.
do you feel heaven's anger?
spread by the soft winds of the dimming sky
that sky red, yes, but the earth redder
soaked in the blood of those who died.
 
what if trembling hands
of tortured minds (or what was left),
forgotten they [...]

Yesterday at OMHSI forum, "Was Jesus Political?"(4)

…Goh Keat Peng thundered the newly renovated auditorium of PJ Gospel Hall yesterday with strong indictments against the Church of Malaysia: We have chosen to close an ear to socio-political agenda! And even if we are political, we are selfishly selective in our political concern. Do we only care about religious freedom when we cannot get [...]

Reading the Bible(1)

But the Bible is so clear!
 
How many times do we hear our church friends exclaiming to our horrible conscience for not taking a strong stance on a particular issue due to our lack of understanding of passages which strangely seemed so clear to others.
 
The truth is, the bible may be clear (at least to its original [...]