Am I a Racist?
Recent conversations with youths locally have shown heightened interest in race related issues. Local political discussions and decisions (even election) often have to face such issues too. Dr Lewis Winkler, an EAST resident faculty who teaches theological studies, shares his thoughts as our resident Theologian.
Growing up in the USA in the 1960’s, because of men like Martin Luther King, Jr., there was a lot of talk about racial equality and the Civil Rights Movement. I’m deeply grateful that my parents and the church we attended repeatedly and insistently taught that all people are made in God’s image and are of infinite value and fully (not separately) equal. More than fifty years later, it’s easy to forget that those were also times of deep anger, unrest, and social upheaval. Looking back now, it feels like in some ways like we have made real progress while in others, we have only come full circle.
Alumni: We came to the right place
When Baatarsuren “Baataraa” Buyanmandakh (Mongolia), came to Singapore in Dec 2012, he was “heart-broken.” His younger son, Munhuul, three and a half, had passed away the year before. He and his wife Zulaa have another son, Odko, 12. Before the tragedy, the former Mongolia Campus Crusade campus leader had already planned to go for theological training. “We want to build future church-planters for the 200 unreached villages and towns in my country,” he says.
At first, the Buyanmandakhs were offered places, with free housing, to study in the USA. “But after visiting two schools there, we felt that their teaching contexts may not be relevant to our future ministries,” says Baataraa. “So we came to EAST. As soon as we settled down, we knew we’d come to the right place.”
Above all else, Guard your heart
This week, we are showcasing a devotional clip from Cru Singapore, narrated by the National Director Lam Kok Hiang who is also on the Board of Directors at East Asia School of Theology. He reminds us to, “Above all else, guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life” (Proverbs 4:23). View his short devotional on video below or click here.
#SaturdayGoodClip this week is about Heart Renovation which can be messy and inconvenient. Clutter like distractions in life can choke our hearts. Take time this weekend to remove clutter, rest, reflect on everything excellent, praiseworthy and noble (Philippians 4:8), and renovate your heart.
Alumnus: I hope to build others the way he built me
“At EAST, God confirmed His calling for me to serve Him in full-time ministry,” said Samuel Linn. This call was the result of convictions built through classes such as Bible, evangelism, and movement building, and extended times alone with God. He also reminisced, “Dr Keith’s Bible Study Methods’ class taught me the most important skills of studying and teaching God’s Word accurately. Janice Chuang’s training on evangelism pulled me out of my introverted shell to reach out to others.”
Reflection on recent elections
It has been just a week since Singapore held its General Elections and the dust of who won and lost in the various constituencies are slowly settling down. A local Christian website, Salt & Light, has a blog post which serves to remind us of our Christian civic duty to reflect, confess and repent in view of all that has been done and said. The author of the article said, “We do not put our trust in political systems, parties or personalities … Our charge is to honour the authorities (Romans 13:1-8)” and to “teach the next generation how to make sense of the topics of passion of their day through the lens of Scripture.”
Have a good read of today’s #SaturdayGoodRead and a blessed weekend!
The author, Ng Zhiwen, “is a connector. His passion is to see the Church united for the mission of God.” Read the article here.
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