Being reminded of my conviction

While reading Alister McGrath's The Science of God yesterday, I came across the paragraph which describes his vision behind his formulation of a scientific theology, which reminded me of my conviction. This is what McGrath says:

This leads to one of the major themes of the vision that lies behind a scientific theology — my deep longing to develop a public theology, capable of interacting with other disciplines on its own terms. A public theology is able to stand its own ground, while engaging in dialogue with others. I have intense misgivings concerning the insular approaches to theology that I discern in some theological quarters, which prevents theology from dialoguing, debating and learning.... The approach I set out, having placed the theological enterprise on a secure footing, encourages public debate and dialogue.

The roots of a scientific theology are thoroughly evangelical, resting on a deep and passionate conviction that 'theology must be nourished and governed at all points by Holy Scripture, and that it seeks to offer a faithful and coherent account of what it finds there.' This task of rendering Scripture faithfully is, in my view, best carried out in dialogue with the 'great tradition' of Christian theology and in response to the challenges to the Christian faith which are raised by other disciplines... (Alister E. McGrath, The Science of God: An Introduction to Scientific Theology, London: T&T Clark International, 2004, pp. 13-14)

Coincidentally, I also came across a similar line by Pee-Seng Kang two years ago. His article (Theology is dialogue/神学就是对谈) conveys my conviction so strongly that I brought the whole book with the article from Singapore to Boston with me. It is written in Chinese, so I will attempt to provide an English translation for my non-Chinese readers.

如果基督教确实相信一位 “全能的父，创造天地与一切可见、不可见之物的主宰”，以及认识那位“出自上帝的上帝，出自真光的真光，... ... 万有藉着祂而造”的耶稣基督，那么对所有事物的探讨就不应该在基督教信仰的范畴之外了。信仰的思考就必须包括神学与自然科学、社会科学或人文科学等的积极对谈。

神学对谈范畴应包括一切的意识形态及价值观，因为这才能反映当代神学的多元文化与多元价值的处境。也只有在这样一个积极而全面的对谈基础上，正确的神学（宗教）对谈理论才可以确立。更重要的是，基督教的信仰本质与神学使命才可以清晰地表露出来。（江丕盛，“神学就是对谈：兼论神学的身份与使命”。在信仰之思的途中：一群年轻神学人的神学告白，鄧绍光主编， 香港: 基道出版社, 2000, pp. 220)

My translation:
If Christianity truly believes in "Almighty Father, who creates heaven, earth, and all those that are visible and invisible", and truly knows "God who is begotten of God, true light of true light, ... ... through whom all things are made" i.e. the Christ, then critical investigation of any matter should not be outside the sphere of Christianity. Critical reflection of Christian faith should encompass active dialogue with natural science, sociology and humanities.

Theological dialogue should include partners such as all forms of ideologies and the construction of values, because this will more accurately reflect the challenges of contemporary theologian in a multicultural and pluralistic environment. It is only through this form of active and comprehensive dialogue that the foundation is laid for the development of authentic theological (religious) dialogue. More importantly, this spells out the essence of Christianity and the mission of theology. (Pee-Seng Kang, “Theology is dialogue: On the identity and mission of theology.” Taken from On the Way of Faith Thinking: Theological Confession of a group of young theologians, edited by Andres S K Tang. Hong Kong: LOGOS Publishers, 2000, pp. 220)

MY REFLECTION:
I don't think I have translated well, but I hope it conveys the essence of the multi-dimensional facets of Christian faith. If we do acknowledge God as our Father, our Creator, and our Savior, there is no sphere of knowledge that is outside the influence of Christian faith. Christian faith has a relationship with every form of academic discipline that contributes to the betterment of human society.

I brought the above mentioned Chinese book (在信仰之思的途中) with me, so that I can remind myself regularly of my own conviction. It is my conviction that brought me here to Boston U Sch of Theo, and it is the same conviction that urges me to switch from Master of Theological Studies to Master of Divinity.

I think the enterprise of theological education is first of all, to explore the relationship of oneself with God. In that process, one knows oneself better, and how one is relating to God. This involves an understanding of how the Holy Scripture has been interpreted in the past, critical examination of one's faith tradition, a regular application of exegesis in one's context, and acquiring knowledge of other disciplines. Beyond that framework comes a larger picture of how to build a theological base that is faithful to one's tradition, to the community one is ministering to, and the academia one has to answer to. These elementary foundations together with suitable methodology should develop an appropriate framework to dialogue with other disciplines. The lifelong process of dialoguing should continue to enrich one's relationship with God; deepen understanding of herself; enlarge one's wisdom in applying exegesis in context; live in more fruitful relationships in one's community; and to further a more robust framework for constructive dialogue with other disciplines.

Hans Küng's On Being a Christian provides a strong argument for me to believe in Christian humanist as the most adequate form of humanist among secular humanist, Marxist, other faiths and ideologies. Rev Stephen Tong's sermon on the cross-intersection of Christian faith, Confucius, other philosophers and politics, opened the world where I could see how God's sovereignty should extend into other disciplines. Pee-Seng Kang's articulation of the sovereignty of God in all forms of knowledge convinced me of the need to study theology in relation with other academic disciplines. Alister McGrath's vision reminded me once again of my rationale and purpose of studying here. To echo Kang's article, theology is dialogue indeed.

Teaching conversational English in ACCESS, Boston Chinatown

I am now currently teaching conversational English to a group of Chinese immigrants, at American Chinese Christian Educational & Social Services Inc. (ACCESS), in Boston Chinatown in the morning. It is through working in this organization that I know more about the Chinese immigrants, the Chinese community in America, the American Chinese, and the local Chinese churches in Boston. I have been teaching here since the end of May and will be teaching till mid-August.



I had to petition with my school's foreign student office in order to convince the representative officer that this is ministry is related to my degree, before she could give me an official approval to teach the Chinese immigrants. I have been teaching them for six weeks, and I thoroughly enjoyed teaching them. I got to know more about American pronunciation, some of the terms used in China, as well as my own identity. I used to think that my native dialect is Hokkien which I thought means "福建话"。It is from my students that I realize Fujian province is so big, and when I use the term "福建话", it is too vague. To be more precise, my dialect is "闽南语", which I can hardly speak now. Currently, I have fifteen students, most are from Fujian province, and they speak mainly Foo Chow and Mandarin (and a little bit of English now). Their ages range from 20 to 49. Majority have no English background, but all of them are very hardworking and they are trying their best to survive well in the US.

Compared to teaching secondary school students back in Singapore, I do not have to deal with any discipline problem as all of them are adults. I could apply some of the pedagogy I learned in Singapore. It is easier to relate to them, and to engage them in a two-way interaction. It is important for one to teach from the heart, in Chinese "用心来教"。 I have to provide a Chinese translation for almost all the new terms I taught them. Some of the students have been very helpful in assisting me to write some of the Chinese characters I have forgotten. It is through this process that I discovered some of the terms I used in Singapore are used differently in China. For e.g. in S'pore, cinema (in the US, it is called movie theater) is known as "戏院"。 But in China, "戏院" could mean opera house. The more precise term should be "电影院"。In other words, not only are they learning from me, I am also learning from them. In fact, we are teaching each other.

It has been a very fruitful experience teaching them in the last six weeks. There were times that my lessons did not go as well as planned. One of them was an outdoor activity when I sent them to the neighborhood stores to identify the name and address of the store, and the items they could purchase within ten dollars from the store. In the end, I spent more time teaching them new words on grocery items. I have learned from my mistake ever since.

This is one of the presentations where I was a facilitator.


Recently, I have incorporated classic English songs into the lesson. I tried finding an appropriate translation for "What a wonderful world" on the Internet, but in the end, I have to do some of the translation myself.

Extract from "What a wonderful world" (Louis Armstrong) 何等美妙的世界
I hear babies crying, I watch them grow 我听见婴儿们哭泣， 我看着他们长大
They'll learn much more than I'll ever know 他们学的会比我所懂得更多
And I think to myself what a wonderful world 我认为这是何等美妙的世界
Yes I think to myself what a wonderful world. 真的，我认为这是何等美妙的世界

I can't translate the lyrics literally, or it loses the meaning in Chinese language. I realized the difficulties in translation. I don't think I translated well, but I hope my students will understand the meaning of the song after my explanation.

I have also met other great teachers and a wonderful coordinator here. Some of them have taught me how to add more varieties to the lesson. It is been a pleasure and privilege to work with them, and I thank God for giving me this form of exposure.


This is a photo taken together while we were on a trip to Boston Harbor Islands with our students. From left to right: me, Austin, Joanna, and Anne (our coordinator).


Not forgetting Sue, who is our ACCESS administrator. She is efficient, and a terrific sister-in-Christ. She is the one who shared with me more about the Chinese community in Boston.

An alternative to abortion?

I saw this notice on a wall of New England Medical Center, somewhere around orange line New England Medical Center T-station. What caught my attention is the offer to take in any unwanted baby without any question asked. I think this is a viable alternative that will discourage abortion. In the past, I always thought that giving up a child for adoption is a realistic way out of unwanted pregnancy, is an ideal practice. Now, I have finally witnessed a live example of an organization that puts it into practice. I believe Tufts-NEMC offers a convenient alternative to protects the anonymity of the parents. Due to the established reputation of the medical center, the anonymous parents' guilt could also be mitigated.

However, this does not solve the problem of premarital sex or unwanted pregnancy (I am assuming that most unwanted pregnancies are results of premarital sex). This alternative could only decrease the likelihood of abortion. To reduce the tendency of premarital sex or unwanted pregnancy, I think we have to fall back on sex education, and to provide convenient ways for couples to obtain various forms of artificial contraception.

I anticipate many would object to that suggestion and insist that we should put all hands on deck to discourage the idea of sex in the first place. Unless we can monopolize our media, and our culture to such an extent that all citizens would agree to draft "premarital sex or unwanted pregnancy to be an act punishable by death or equitable to a prison term" as part of our civil law, I would say that we can only influence people's choice and not coerce them. To this end, I would suggest that when incorporating materials in sex education, we should strive to help the participants to:

1) be conscious of the fact that all of us are sensuous creatures;

2) be aware that there are temptations around us. Given the influence of mass media, it is easy to interpret pre-marital sex as something essential to one's ego or image. We have a choice in deconstructing that image;

3) know that we can prevent unwanted pregnancy from taking place in the first place, if we take the necessary precaution;

4) raise their consciousness to a level where they could identify their temptations so that they can learn to avoid putting themselves in situation that fosters their temptations;

5) know that there are many fine examples of young men and women who believe and practice safe sex within the context of a marriage life;

6) believe that we have the choice to choose sex after marriage, and to choose safe sex.


Having said that, I must acknowledge that premarital sex or unwanted pregnancy is a phenomenon that is gradually being accepted in the society. As a citizen who believes in the value of human life, my moral duty is to help myself and others recognize that abortion is not the only alternative.

Memorial to Martin Luther King Jr. and prominent social problems in US

I consider these two landmarks to be very unique part of Boston University: a memorial to Martin Luther King Jr. and the Marsh Chapel.



The building on the left of the memorial is my school, the School of Theology, which is the founding school of Boston University. The tall building behind my school is the law faculty.



On the opposite side of School of Theology is the College of Arts and Social Science.




As you stand in front of the memorial, you will see these words inscribed: "To the memory of MARTIN LUTHER KING JR., 1929-1968, Distinguished Alumnus, Nobel Laureate For Peace." MLK graduated from Boston University in 1955.



On the left hand side of the memorial: "We must come to see that the end we seek is a society of peace. That will be the day not of the white man, not of the black man, that will be the day of man as man."

This is the dream of MLK, and I think US has made a significant progress in granting full civil rights of all races constitutionally. However, I think the colored people, esp. the blacks are not benefiting much from the system at the moment.

SOCIAL PROBLEM: Health Care System
One out of three black men has a prison record. The poor and homeless people are more likely to be the blacks. Once you are poor, you can't afford the education system, and eventually, couldn't get a well-paid job. That puts you on the street. When you are unemployed, you could not afford the health insurance. If you are admitted to hospital without health insurance, you will be bankrupt. The US system props up prices of health care and insurance. The US citizens are paying way too much for the health care benefits, compared to other developed countries like UK, Japan, Germany, Taiwan, and Switzerland. Watch PBS Frontline's Sick Around the World, for more information. This is something the US must look into.

SOCIAL PROBLEM: Mortgage Loan Crisis
The recent mortgage loan crisis affects the blacks more than the whites. Why is there a mortgage loan crisis in the first place? To put it short, there are banks or institutions who do not require a minimum sum of down payment for the mortgage loan, and they do not bother to counter-check the credit history of their borrowers. Hence, this type of loan has higher accrual interest (and is also called sub-prime loan), but the monthly installment tends to look less intimidating once the loan period is stretched over a long term, as high as 30-year. Those without adequate education might not see the danger implied or their agents did not explain the inherent risk involved. They are in fact paying twice the amount they are borrowing.

Once the borrower is out of job, he/she could not afford to pay for the high-interest loan anymore, and will default on their loan. Either they sell off their mortgage or borrow from another institution at an even higher interest, probably from the credit card companies. Once significant number of people are caught up in this cycle and if they are out of job, it creates a social problem. This problem is escalated if the housing price is inflated to an artificial level, esp. in 2005-6.

When the bubble burst, in 2007, most houses bought in the 2005-6 cost much less than its original sales price, and the owners are still paying for the interest plus the price of the inflated sales price. They might have to sell off their house at a loss or continue to pay for the mortgage loan at a loss. And in some cases, some just vacate the house and abandon their loans. A number of loans have been re-packaged and sold to other foreign financial institutions. As a result, US sub-prime mortgage loan implicates many countries as well.

In a report from Singapore Investor, SIAS eMagazine, Mar 2008 issue, it is reported that
"There are a handful of financial institutions with relatively significant exposures, namely Bank of China Ltd. (A-/Stable/A-2), Mega International Commercial Bank Co. Ltd. (Mega Bank; foreign currency A/Stable/A-1), and DBS Bank Ltd. (AA-/Stable/A-1+). "
DBS Bank Ltd is considered the Singapore national bank. As you can see, even my own country is not spared. I pray and hope that the affected countries could make up the losses from their gains in investment from other sectors, and learn from their mistakes.


A phenomenon but unsure whether to classify it as a social problem: Christians focused on personal salvation and neglect social dimension of the gospel
I have recently read that there are six basic values enshrined in the American culture: individual freedom, self-reliance, equality of opportunity, competition, material wealth, and hard work (Datesman, Maryanne Kearny. The American Ways: An Introduction to American Culture, 2nd ed. Prentice-Hall: New Jersey, 1997. pp. 29).

No doubt, these values are generally espoused by the Americans, I am not sure whether it sufficiently explains why most evangelical white Christians tend to turn a blind eye towards the plights of the blacks. If everyone truly espouses these values, do we recognize that those of us from less privileged families or environment do not have equality of opportunity in the first place? Even if we claim to understand Jesus Christ's imperatives to love one's neighbor, or to feed the hungry or clothe the homeless, why do we seldom react to the plights of the poor regardless of their race? Aren't all of us made in the image of God? Shouldn't the cries of any human for mercy, justice, or equality of opportunity sear the conscience of everyone of us, esp. if we claim to have a relationship with God the Creator and Savior? Why are there so much outcry against homosexuality in the name of God's justice, and yet so little whimper against the unjust and for the poor in the society?

I have also visited a number of Chinese churches in the Boston area. So far, none has addressed social issues in the American society. Most American-born Chinese (ABC) Christians are focused on evangelism, discipleship training, fellowship, Bible study, just like the paradigm I have been exposed to back in Singapore. Eventually, the ABC Christians must ask who their neighbors are. They can't just focus on education for the Chinese or social benefits for their own race and turn a blind eye towards the more needy in the society. Christ-love is "trans-racial".




On the right hand side, you will see: "I submit that an individual who breaks a law, that conscience tells him is unjust and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment, in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice is in reality expressing the highest respect for law."



Finally, these are written behind: "Far from being the pious injunction of autopian dreamer, the command to love one's enemy is an absolute necessity for our survival.
-This sculpture by Sergio Castillo was dedicated on behalf of the Boston University Community. John R. Silber, President, May 16, 1975."

I believe "the dreamer" John Silber refers to is Jesus Christ. I absolutely agree that loving our enemies is essential for the well-being of our society, whether it is in US or in Singapore. But, there is so much pride within me to learn to love others (even my enemies) as I love myself. "God, have mercy on me and increase my capacity to encompass love for others." Whatever changes we anticipate in others, we have to start off within ourselves, i.e. we have to start with the "man in the mirror" (an echo of Michael Jackson).

Social dimension of the Christian gospel

All along, I have always associated the Christian gospel with personal salvation, i.e. Jesus Christ died on the cross for my sins and to reconcile me back to God. Recently, as I read more about the different dimension of the Christian gospel, I have come to realize that it has a serious social dimension as well.

In this summer, I have been reading:
1) Bryan McLaren's Everything Must Change: Jesus, Global Crises, and a Revolution of Hope;
2) N.T. Wright's Evil and the Justice of God;
3) Tracy Kidder's Mountains beyond mountains.

All three books illustrate how our gospel message is more than just personal salvation. The first book examines the system which we live in, and McLaren points out that we are living in a suicidal machine. The rate at which we destroy our environment to sustain our living will lead us to our death one day. The second book is about how we might search for a clue to evil from the Old Testament and New Testament. And one thing is for sure, we are parts of the problem and we are also parts of the solution. The gospel story tells us how God co-opts us as part of the whole BIG story in the solution. The third book has the most impact on me. It is a true story of Dr. Paul Farmer, who started his work on tuberculosis (TB) in Haiti (a very poor Caribbean country whose economy was sabotaged by US foreign policy), and how his organization evolved to become one of the international organizations to tackle TB and another type of mutant TB known as MDR, on a global scale. Farmer challenges how I should interpret "Who is my neighbor?" and how I conceive poverty and health.

There are such things called the poor man's disease such as TB, and AIDS; and rich man's disease such as cancer, and heart attack. The public health policy adopted by every country will determine what type of disease the citizens are more vulnerable to. And sometimes, unfortunately, the policy of another more powerful foreign country will introduce a new type of disease into one's country. Now, you know why the South Koreans protested so strongly against the import of beef more than 30-month old from the US into their country.

Last time, when I listened to the gospel message, I interpreted it as my personal salvation. But now, I realize that it goes beyond personal salvation. In the story of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37, Jesus is responding to a lawyer's question on "who is my neighbor?" after the lawyer iterates the two most important commandment, i.e. "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself." (NRSV Luke 10:27) Jesus relates the story of a man being beaten up and left to die, when he was on his way from Jerusalem to Jericho. Jericho is supposed to be a dwelling place for Jewish priests when they are not on temple duty. A priest passed by, followed by a Levite. Both serve in the temple, and are supposed to "do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow." (Isa 1:17) Yet, it is a Samaritan, a hostile enemy of Jews, who shows kindness to the victim. The person who shows kindness to me is my neighbor. But what if I reverse the role, I am not the victim, and I am the passer-by. My neighbor is the one whom I should not only show kindness to, but to love them as myself.

In Singapore, my neighbors, i.e. those whom I could show kindness to, include other races such as the Malays/Indians/ etc. How could I show kindness to them? By being involved in their tuition center such as the Mendaki (for Malays) and Sinda (for Indians), and not just CDAC (for Chinese). If I can do social visit, why shouldn't I put Malay/Indian old folks home on my list? In the global village that we live in, as the needs of the African children are brought to my awareness, and I do possess the means to help them, I have to ask myself anew: "Are they my neighbor?" (It is a resounding YES.) This mindset changes the way I perceive the gospel. If we take the gospel message seriously, we could change the whole society.

Kidder highlights how Farmer lives out the verse "for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me." (NRSV, Matt 25:35-36) Farmer interprets it literally and even visits his friend's son in Haiti's prison. When I read commentary on Matt 25:31-46, Jesus Christ refers the kindness performed on "one of the least of these who are members of my family" (NRSV Mt 25:40-41), to mean any disciples of Christ. At least, my conscience does not feel so bad as I could definitely not measure up to Farmer's standard. But, minimally, did I offer any help within my means to the Christians around me? At least, I could say that I have helped the Korean and Japanese brothers and sisters in their paper writing. But did I give food to those who are hungry, to those who needed minimal means of subsistence? I couldn't answer to that.

The books above reminded me once again of the cry of the prophet Isaiah:

"What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices?says the Lord; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats." (Isa 1:11)

"Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings; from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow. " (Isa 1:16-17)

Farmer has given me hope that the something can be done about world poverty, and Christian gospel has something to offer those in need of hope. The gospel is not an opium portrayed by Karl Marx. Though I am not a Marxist, I believe that the cause of the neglected and poor must be spoken. Hope lies not just in the afterlife, but in seeing everything as creation of God and humans made in God's image imply that I have a duty and role in making this world a better place, not just for me, or my descendants, or my race or for my country, but for the whole of humanity. I believe the the blood of Jesus Christ redeems the whole of human race and certainly demands every preacher to shoulder the global responsibility of tackling the sins and wickedness of the whole humanity, starting at the local level. However, the source of evil is in each and everyone of us. We are part of the problems in the system, but we are also the solution. The gospel story co-opts us as part of the solution, who will eventually see the full fruit in the last days, and we have to act now based on faith.