Write a reflection paper on your visit to a minimum of TWO churches of different traditions i.e.

reflection on churches other than your own. The visit should be to churches you may feel uncomfortable with e.g. if I am an evangelical free, than I may attend an Orthodox church and a high Catholic service. If I am an Orthodox, then try attending a hyper-Pentecostal. During travels on work assignments, I make it a point to attend church services from different denominational backgrounds in order to experience and learn how others express their Christian spirituality. The purpose of this assignment is to reflect on my visit to two contrasting churches that are somewhat different from the evangelical Presbyterian tradition in which I am situated. I would make some preliminary observations about the service, analyze distinctive emphases and ethos that emerge in each case and summarize both areas of strengths and weaknesses.

Social Justice Spirituality

Church A is a ministry that affirms lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual (LGBT) relationships located at the famous red light district of Geylang, Singapore. As I arrived early, I browsed around the small library which carried a few interesting titles by more progressive writers such as Marcus Borg and Bishop Spong (among others). A few church leaders introduced themselves and I came to know a retired minister and exbishop of a major denomination. He is still actively involved in promoting inter-faith dialogue and serves as pastoral advisor to the church. The conversations quickly flowed to the topic of homosexuality as the churchs position is in clear opposition to the stance

of the broader Christian community. When asked, I simply presented my view as welcoming but not affirming homosexuals. Another church leader clarified that her churchs position was welcoming and affirming them. She also shared with me about the egalitarian team-leadership of the church (i.e. no senior pastor), existing network of like-minded groups in Malaysia and introduced me to an articulate leader at a support group for Christians who happen to be gays. The group had vocally demanded a public apology from a popular preacher who made a joke about gays during a sermon not too long ago. One could have a sense that the church has a clear sense of her social activism.

The service began with a hip video presentation that worship is about God, not about us. Then a young team of musicians took over with some contemporary songs of worship not unlike those of most charismatic churches today. However, the similarity belies several important contrasts. Lectionary readings of Scripture were taken from Exodus 3 and Acts 17 following the liturgical calendar. There was an intentional effort not to abandon time-honored tradition. As I looked around, I could see a few gay couples amongst an urban and young congregation. A tudung-clad Malay university student sat next to me. It was her first visit to the church. It bespeaks the inclusive ethos of the church regardless of gender, religion and race. After that, the service proceeds to a more reflective Communion before offering collection and intercession. Holy Communion was held weekly following the Brethren tradition with focus on the cross, confession and solidarity with suffering around the world. A young lady administered the elements with care and poured out some wine over the other cups. Only later would I discover that the act is symbolic that our joy is never full until the final consummation of Christs kingdom

as we stand in solidarity with those who suffer. The intercessory prayer prepared by a lay leader reinforced that spirituality of social justice by asking God to use our bodies (i.e. ears, eyes, mouths, hands) as instruments to speak for the voiceless, see with compassion and act with mercy.

The sermon was delivered by a guest speaker from Florida. He observed that we all have our own ideas about God and try to put Him in a nice and neat container. The early Hebrews tried to put God in a box (Ark of the Covenant) but God cannot be bottled up. How do we put God in a box today? The preacher cited the example of certain writers in the church website recently who find security and comfort in the claim that Christianity is the only true way while others were not. He countered that God was called by many Names and Jesus had other sheep which were not of this fold. Another example was how the churches in America tried to contain God on the issue of slavery, racial segregation and gender discrimination by giving the unjust practices a biblical sanction. He extrapolated that narrative of liberation to the current cultural debate on gay rights as a similar struggle for equality and justice. So how do we let Gods Spirit out of the containers? We need to be careful of our language to anthropomorphicize God (making Him fit into human categories). The preacher had in mind patriarchal modes of addressing God as He, Father and King instead of more politically correct terms like Creator, Sovereign or Parent. In his view, we need to read our Bibles more in order to grow out of old, worn-out Sunday school views of God. After the sermon, the closing announcements highlighted a health education service to the sex workers in the

vicinity and a call for volunteers to serve food at a Muslim event to raise funds for charity.

In reflection, I was deeply impressed by the intentional efforts of the church to model social justice and inclusiveness regardless of religion, race, gender and economic status. The spiritual ethos is clearly communicated by different elements of the service including prayer, sermon and communion. Far too often, Christians offer prayers that focus on health, wealth or even a guilt-free conscience that can be ultimately self-serving. It is refreshing to see how worship moves outward to solidarity and service to others in need. Worship should not be insular, but embrace the wider world. How many churches would call for volunteers to serve at a Muslim charity event? However, for all its claims to theological diversity, I do not find a fair representation of views that differ from the religious pluralism and same-sex affirmative positions advocated by the sermon. I suspect that not every member share those views. For example, it would be unfair to attribute the wider Churchs moral opposition to homosexual behavior to mere bigotry without interacting with clear biblical passages that prohibit it (i.e. Romans 1). I share the hope for a just and caring society for everyone. Ethnicity has nothing to do with morality. With homosexuality we're talking about something different it is a particular behavior that is morally objectionable. And our moral objection against homosexuality per se no more fosters violence against homosexuals than our disapproval of adultery fosters violence against people who are unfaithful to their spouses. On pluralism, Acts 4:12 declared that Salvation is found in no one else for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." The other sheep actually refers to the Gentiles who were

brought into Gods fold through faith in the name of Christ. Therefore, I am gravely concerned that the integrity of the Christian faith may be choked to death by the time a liberal-minded church closes its inclusive embrace.

Word Centered Spirituality

The second church I visited was situated at a bungalow in a middle-class residential area. The worship service was sandwiched between two Bible study sessions. The first study started at 9 a.m. before service while the second Basic Bible Knowledge class followed right after it. Both the church library and bookroom ministry were open at 12 p.m. I could borrow books after registration as library member or purchase hymnals, Bibles, commentaries, Bible study tools and other resources from the book room. From a cursory look, I find many Banner of Truth resources in the book room. There were quite a number of titles written by John McArthur, a popular Bible teacher, but a disclaimer was printed on his books that the church did not endorse his pre-millennial views on eschatology. From the bulletin boards, I could find the availability of other Word-based ministries like cell groups (Tuesdays), Mid-week Bible study (Wednesdays), Prayer meeting and Bible Study (Thursdays) and another fortnightly Bible Study group (Saturdays). An evangelistic preaching ministry was held in the evenings on the second and fourth Sunday. Evidently the church treated adult education and biblical intake with earnest intentionality. Theological beliefs were taken seriously as the leadership saw the present times as a dangerous season of apostasy and doctrinal compromise. Therefore, the church required to be in constant vigilance in order to contend for the truth.

Worship service began on a reverential and solemn note with a welcoming note and the call to worship. God was addressed in formal language using terms like Thee or Thou. Older hymns were sung to the accompaniment of a piano. I appreciate the fact that time-honored spiritual songs were heartily sung instead of doctrinally-thin choruses. It was also refreshing that an aura of reverence and respect permeates the entire worship in contrast with an easy-going, almost-flippant approach of some contemporary style services. However, I wonder if a mix of old and new songs would give a more balanced perspective that contemporary songs could be theologically rich as well. Special focus was given to the reading and memorization of Scripture. The congregation would read the selected biblical passage repeatedly to memorize and recite it without referring to the text. I find the practice unique because I could not recall another church doing Bible memorization during worship service itself. It reflects on the Word-centered spirituality that permeates the ethos of its ministry. Over time, it could be a helpful practice to encourage the much-neglected discipline of Scripture memorization. The Word of God stored in the heart could be readily used by the Spirit for encouragement, instruction and spiritual warfare. Notably, only the King James Version (KJV) Bibles were used throughout the worship as other versions were considered to be unreliable.

The centerpiece of the worship service was the sermon entitled The Gospel of God based on 1 Corinthians 15:1-18. It began with a lament that many did not believe in the resurrection of Christ like certain Corinthians in the days of Paul. The preacher remarked that one should not be surprised to find a big number of Bible college

students, pastors and bishops who did not hold to this cardinal belief. Although the cross seemed to be a sign of failure and weakness, it was actually the completion of Gods work to redeem sinners. When Jesus rose from the grave, sin and death were defeated. The main focus of the sermon was biblical exposition and illustration. There was minimal elaboration on practical applications that can be drawn out from doctrinal explanations.

After some casual conversations with friendly members, I browsed through pamphlets and devotionals lying around the church lobby. There were mostly publications from the denominational flagship seminary. Senior founder-leaders maintained a strong influence on where theological boundaries were to be drawn. Apart from its Reformed theology and ecclesial polity led by elders, the church maintained a distinct fundamentalist stance that kept it separate from other churches, especially those of mainline and charismatic traditions.

In reflection, I admire the concerted effort of the church to submit every part of her worship service to the authority of Scripture in accordance with the regulative principle. Their commitment to truth in a culture of relativism should be emulated. Spirituality was nurtured through intentional biblical reading, meditation, memorization and study. The importance of theology was stressed rather than neglected in many Christian circles. Worship was permeated with an ethos of reverence and order. From a Reformed perspective, it was heartening to see the life of the mind being emphasized.

However, I am uncomfortable with its strong separatist stance which implicitly hinted that churches that practice speaking in tongues or use non-KJV Bible versions had compromised the faith. Fervor for truth could easily be distorted into arrogance and sectarianism that strained at theological gnats. Bible knowledge per se may not automatically bring about genuine spirituality. Equal emphasis is required on performing the truth, which certainly includes a measure of generosity towards fellow Christians who may disagree on doctrinal issues like eschatology (James 1:22). I felt that perhaps there would be a healthier balance of word and works if compassionate concerns for the poor and engagement with the wider society held a more prominent role in how Christian spirituality was expressed in the worship service.