Honor and Shame in Paul’s Message and Mission

Review: Reading Romans with Eastern Eyes: Honor and shame in Paul’s message and mission by Jackson Wu. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic Press, 2019

Eastern culture is a high context culture. What this usually means is that Eastern culture is very relational and communal, often described by the honor-shame framework. Within this framework, people in the East interacts with one another through the context of ‘face’ which is reciprocal and debt relationships within a power structure of hierarchy, loyalty, sacrifice, ascribed and achieved honor, and shame. This is often contrasted to the Western guilt-innocence framework. Jackson Wu (not his real name), a Westerner who have lived two decades in East Asia, examined Paul’s message and mission in Romans through the Eastern honor-shame framework. Jackson seeks to find “[h]ow did Paul’s theology serve the purpose of his mission within an honor-shame context?”(p.3).

Recent scholarship in ancient Near East (ANE) studies, and the new perspective on Paul (NPP) have placed Paul solidly in the Eastern honor-shame cultural context. East Mediterranean cultures are closer to the eastern cultures than to the present day Western cultures. The bible is rich with honor and shame narratives. Jackson’s project was to place Paul’s Romans into this honor-shame narrative. He identifies numerous passages that Paul’s overview of sin carries “far more honor-shame overtones than is often recognized.” (p.3). Jackson argues that it is the communal aspects of the Roman church that Paul is appealing to. And that in salvation “God’s reputation is at stake…if Christ did not die, God will be dishonored.” (p.3). Jackson argues that Christ is the filial son who restores honor to God’s kingdom and remove the shame from the human family.

While much of Romans can be understood from the aspect of relationship and community, and many passages do support that, the main concern is how Jackson deals with justification in Romans. Jackson suggests that justification may be explained by relationship as in the loyalty due to a king and to be justified means to restore back into the kingdom. However, in Romans 4-6, Paul’s understanding of justification was based on covenant keeping. Covenant is a metaphor more for a law court rather than a honor-shame setting. It will be difficult to understand justification in Romans without legal concepts of guilt and punishment. Credit must be given to Jackson for his attempt to explain justification as the process by which Christ regains God’s honor and glory. The honor-shame framework is based on privilege and power. To explain justification using the honor-shame framework is imply that Paul’s understanding of justification was just a process of manipulating privilege and power. Scot McKnight, in his contextual reading of Romans in Reading Romans Backwards, argues that Paul’s gospel was to deconstruct privilege and power in the lived theology of the church in Rome at that time.[1]

Jackson has contributed much to help the West to understand the Eastern worldview of honor-shame framework and his insights are invaluable. To study Paul and Romans through cultural and worldview perspectives are challenging.  Paul, though a well-trained Pharisee, grew up in a Greco-Roman world. He moves through both these totally different worlds with ease. The former are closer to honor-shame culture while the latter, guilt-innocence one. Paul addressed Romans to both Jews and Greek/Gentile. Jackson is helpful in guiding us to view Romans though the Eastern honor-shame lens. However, Paul’s message and mission in Romans, perhaps may be best understood only if we read it through both Eastern and Western eyes.

---

[1] Scot McKnight, Reading Romans Backwards: A gospel of peace in the midst of empire, Waco, TX: Baylor University Press, 2019 p.68-76.

Random Musings on Lunar Chinese New Year Celebration

This year will be the the ‘Year of the Rat’ according to the Chinese Zodiac.

The greatest annual human migration on earth often goes unnoticed by the world. Every year, between January 10 to February 18, billions of Chinese people will rush home to celebrate the Lunar New Year Spring Festival with their families. This year CNN estimated 3 billion people are making the trip by rail, cars, air, and sea. This tradition to spend the dinner with their families (reunion dinner) on Chinese Lunar New Year Eve is the major festive event on the Chinese calendar. Spring is a time of new birth, where the old year is left behind, and a new year is welcomed. The Chinese will make sure all debts are paid before the year ends. This is similar to the Jewish Passover and Jubilee festival.

The seasons of death and rebirth is deeply ingrained into the Chinese culture due to their close observation of the four seasons. The ancient Chinese are monotheistic. They worshipped a one god called Shang Di, whose attributes are very similar to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Unfortunately, under the Emperor Qin Huang Ti, the dragon replaced Shang Di as the centre of worship, and he himself became the ‘ancestral dragon’. The dragon in Chinese culture is regarded as good and beneficent, unlike the dragon/serpent in the West. Thus the Chinese people were deceived and underwent generations of intense suffering and pain under the Deceiver. We have only to look at their long history of suffering under their Dragon Emperors, warlords, and recent history under the Communists.

Every Lunar Chinese New Year brings a theme of hope. A new year with a fresh start. The possibility of being better than the previous year. That is why it is such an important Chinese festival, and why so many Chinese make their annual long journey home. Some will travel days or weeks. It is to be with family at the close of the old year and to welcome, hopefully, a better year with family. During the New Year day, the Chinese wish each other “Gong Hei Fat Choy” meaning “wishing you prosperity in health and wealth”.

Every New Year brings hope of spiritual renewals. Isaiah noted that the Messiah will deliver the people from darkness, including the Chinese people!

Isaiah 49:12 (NKJV)  “Surely these shall come from afar; Look! Those from the north and the west, And these from the land of Sinim.”

The Hebrew word Sinim in the Masoretic Text means Chinese. Most scholars found it strange that Isaiah mentioned Chinese, so they looked around for a similar sounding tribe. They found a tribe, the Syennites, who lived near the Aswan, which is in the  south.

Isaiah 49:12 (NIV) “See, they will come from afar—  some from the north, some from the west, some from the region of Aswan.”

The only reason Aswan was chosen is because the translators and scholars were trying to fit everything into the context of what Isaiah was saying. Isaiah mentioned north and west. It was the translators and scholars who chose the Syennites (south) instead of the Chinese (east). It is strange that they did not look east. Nevertheless, Jesus will deliver the Chinese people from the darkness and this new decade will see a powerful movement of the Holy Spirit among a country which is unleashing another level of persecution on Christians and other religious traditions. Out of this refining fire will come a stronger Church; one purified by suffering and pain. The Lunar Chinese New Year brings hope. Hope for new beginnings, new life, and a prosperous new year.

 

in Malaysia and Singapore, the Overseas/Diaspora Chinese celebrate Lunar Chinese New Year with their friends of other ethnic groups by tossing a salad called Yee Sang

Pain and Suicide

The suicide of American television celebrity, actor, chef and author Anthony Bourdain on June 8, 2018, shocked many people when the news hit the social media. It was a shock to us that Bourdain who was handsome, respected, successful, popular, and at the prime of his career would choose to commit suicide.  We often think that suicide occurs only in ‘other people’.  Likewise, it was not long ago that the suicide of popular actor-comedian Robin Williams raised similar existential questions but we were too busy in our fast-paced lives to search for the real hard answers. Kim Jong-Hyun, a popular member of the group SHINee, one of Korea’s top boy bands, shocked his young fans worldwide by his suicide in December 2017. In his suicide note, Kim cited loneliness and depression. Suicide is a taboo subject in our culture and is not discussed much in public except in high profile celebrity suicides. This article will discuss the prevalence and causes of suicide and how we as a church can help those who might view and contemplate suicide as the solution to their problems.

The World Health Organization (WHO) gives the statistics of 800,000 suicide occurrences per year which makes for one suicide in every 40 seconds! The highest suicide rate is in the 15-29 years and those above the 70 years old age range. In the last 45 years, the rate of suicide has increased by 65% worldwide. There are no reliable statistics for Malaysia as suicide is a crime here and hence not often reported. From the anecdotal accounts of NGOs such as The Befrienders and hospital sources, the prevalence of Malaysia suicide rates is increasing together with the rising suicide rates in the world.

The act of committing suicide is an act of desperation.

The act of committing suicide is an act of desperation. Ironic as it may seem, it is an act of self-preservation where the natural instinct is to kill oneself to escape from a situation where they cannot see any other way out. The pain they experience is so overwhelming and self-consuming that they see death as the only answer. Pastor Rick Warren who lost his son Matthew to suicide in 2013 noted, “Suicide is a permanent, irreversible attempt to solve a temporary problem. You don’t have to die to end your pain.” The pain they feel may be physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual.

• Some people who are suffering from intractable cancers or other chronic diseases may be in a constant state of never-ending physical pain where anti-pain medication has ceased to offer any relief from the pain.
• Depression is also an important cause of emotional pain that is often overlooked and missed by others. The pain is like a cloud of darkness that envelopes and suffocates the lives of those who suffer from it. Depression is all-consuming, leaving a numbing emptiness within. It is often impossible for one to come out of depression by willpower alone. The emotional pain of loss and abandonment caused by loss of children, spouses, and of divorce can also be crippling.
• Mental pain may come yet from financial disasters, addiction, and loss of self-esteem. People committing suicide to avoid paying a crippling loan from the ‘Ah Longs’ or moneylenders may not be as rare as we think.
• Spiritual pain is the existential pain of the loss of God’s presence that manifests as an emptiness in our lives. It is often confused with depression. The spiritual pain associated with celebrity suicides is only the tip of the iceberg.

As we look at suicide, it is important to remember that it is an act of desperation. We should view such people with compassion. Even the best of us may be driven by circumstances to the brink of this abyss.

As Christians, what should our thoughts be about suicide? Surprisingly, the Bible has little to say about suicide.  There are seven incidents of suicides in the Scriptures: Abimelech (Judges 9:52-54); Samson (Judges 16: 29-30); Saul and his armor-bearer (1Samuel 31: 3-5); Ahithophel (2 Samuel 15:31b); Zimri (1Kings 16:18-20); and Judas Iscariot (Matt 27:3-5)

It is interesting to note that of the seven suicides recorded in the Scriptures, the suicides of Abimelech, Saul and Zimri were recorded as a direct judgement of God on their sins, even going so far as to say that God killed Saul. The Scriptures were silent on the other four suicides through the ignoble context in each case speaks for themselves. Therefore the Scriptures thus offer no specific guidelines on suicide, allowing each situation to speak for itself.  Theologian Karl Barth noted the following in his multivolume Church Dogmatics : “a remarkable fact that in the Bible suicide is nowhere explicitly forbidden.”

In certain Christian traditions, suicide is regarded as an ‘unpardonable’ sin and those who commit suicide are not given the rites and burial in the church grounds. They are usually buried outside the church and are regarded as being condemned to hell. What is the origin of this belief? The root of this belief may be traced to Thomas Aquinas, one of the greatest theologians of the church. In his thesis, On Suicide, Thomas Aquinas argued that to commit suicide is to sin against God, family and community. God is sovereign, and He decides when we are born and when we die. To commit suicide is to usurp the sovereignty of God over our time of death. Suicide deprives children of their parents, and community of the contribution of that person. Thomas Aquinas never said that suicide is an unpardonable sin. Unfortunately, Church traditions made it into an unpardonable sin.  The unpardonable sin is stated in Mark 3:22–30 and Matthew 12:22–32 as sinning against the Holy Spirit; suicide, is not.

“Suicide is a permanent, irreversible attempt to solve a temporary problem. You don’t have to die to end your pain.”

Rick Warren who lost his son to suicide

Suicide is an act committed in sheer desperation.  What can we offer to those who are suicidal?  There are several ways in which we can help.

Firstly, Christians must be educated about suicide so as to remove the taboo associated with it. Education gives a clearer perspective and understanding of the utter hopelessness and despair that drive people to suicide; they need our help and are not to be shunned or rejected.

Secondly, Christians must be willing to walk alongside those in pain. Suicidal persons tend to withdraw from human contact. Often they are lonely and are entangled in their loneliness within. They need someone to talk to and to befriend them.  Befrienders and other such voluntary suicide hot-lines have proven effective in tackling and helping to get potential suicidal persons to abort their suicide attempts because they provide that much-needed listening ear.  That being said, the NGOs are mere frontlines who should be able to approach the church to help these broken persons. Help is not just the offering of platitudes but the offer to journey together for a period of time. It needs commitment. Unfortunately, not many churches are registered with them to offer such help at the present moment.

Thirdly, Christians have to learn to recognize the warning signs of a suicidal person. We need to be able to pick up on cues such as excessive talks and obsession with details on ways to kill themselves, the increasing use of alcohol or drugs, the sudden giving away of their favourite things. We should be extra vigilant of those in unbearable pain as described above, those withdrawn, or those who are experiencing extreme mood swings.

Fourthly, Christians should know when to call for further help. A suicidal person should not be left alone and may need to be committed to a psychiatric facility. The help of professionals such as psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, and counsellors may be required to deal with the person’s depression and other pain issues.

Finally, all the above actions must be saturated with prayers. There are many occasions where I have observed the power of prayer penetrating what often is an impenetrable hard shell that a suicidal person had built around him/her.

Suicide will become increasingly common in our high pressured society. Euthanasia or assisted suicide for the terminally ill has been successfully lobbied to become law in many countries recently. Any suicide, however, will have serious ramification to the immediate family, community, and society. Christians can do much to help people who are suicidal and prevent their suicide attempts.

The Peanuts Movie Review

Tags

Comic, Movie

 

The Peanuts Movie is the best-animated movie in 2015. Though the comic strips were written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz  from 1950-2000 and the America that is portrayed in the context no longer exist, the timelessness of children at play and of coming of age never become irrelevant. The animation rending using 3D texture, brought Peanuts into the Twenty-First Century, the aspiration, feelings and hopes of Charlie Brown and his bunch of friends not to mention his dog, Snoopy never feel dated.

This movie has enough for everyone. For a new generation who have never read the Peanuts comic strip as it was published daily and the larger Sunday strip, it is an entertaining introduction to Charlie Brown and his friends. For the older folks who grew up with Charlie Brown, this movie is a trip down memory lane. Each scene reminds one of a particular comic strip, storyline or background. The Great Pumpkin, the dark and stormy night beginning of Snoopy’s novel, the eternal air battle between a First World War flying ace (Snoopy) and his nemesis the Red Baron, and Charlie Brown’s Kite Eating Tree are all there as fertile fodder for our minds to remember our younger and more carefree days when the antics of wishy-washy Charlie Brown, the blanket carrying smart Linus, the pushy Lucy, the pragmatic Sally, the athletic Pettermint Patty, the intellectual Marcie, the Beethoven fanboy Schroeder, and Charlie Brown’s  infatuation the Red-Haired Girl, together with Snoopy and Woodstock are enough to keep us entertained.

Numerous books have been written about the religious/philosophical basis of Peanuts. Notable is The Gospel According to Peanuts (1965) and its sequel, The Parables according to Peanuts (1968) by Robert L. Short and recently, A Charlie Brown Religion (2015) by Stephen J. Lind which tried to examine what makes this comic strip so endearing. Personally, I feel these authors are overanalyzing the comic strip. This strip is about human nature and good character. The Peanut Movie has summarized admirably what Schulz tried to show us through his comic strip – the virtue of honesty, courage, integrity, having fun, friendship, and imagination. It has enabled us to see through the eyes of a child, the mess adults have made of the world and what a child sees as important. It reminds me of another comic strip, Calvin and Hobbes which is of another boy with his toy tiger.

I will highly recommend this as a movie that a family should see and enjoy together. There is no violence, gory scenes, and foul language. Unlike other children animated movies, there is no idealized version of a princess being frozen somewhere. This movie is based solidly in the environment of the child – home, school, and playground.

I will give this five stars (out of five).

 

.

The Banana Syndrome: Losing Our Cultural Identity

Tags

Culture

English-educated Chinese Christians in Malaysia and Singapore faces a unique quandary. Their mindset, worldview and culture are influenced by the Anglo-American influences that come with an English education system. Yet, these Christians are ethnic Chinese brought up with their Chinese cultural heritage whether they are aware of them or not. No wonder they are often called bananas – yellow on the outside but white in the inside. That is one of the reasons why mainland Chinese when China was forced open to the West were very resistant to Christianity. They see Christianity as a Western imperialist tool. They recognize that embracing the Western culture will threaten their Chinese identity. Early Chinese Christian converts were regarded as no longer Chinese.

Present day English-educated Chinese Christians still struggle with the issue of whether they are Chinese Christians or Christian Chinese. This is especially acute in families that no longer speak Chinese or any of its dialects. In many such families their lifestyles are closer to Anglo-Americans rather than to their Chinese-educated brethren. Yet intrinsic to their identity is their Chinese heritage. The pull to their roots become stronger as these English-educated Chinese becomes older. This highlights an important point. As Christians were are not only called by God to be his people (special calling), to be his agent in redemption (general calling) but also to embrace our cultural heritage (cultural calling). Our cultural heritage shows the diversity of God’s people. Revelation 7 shows a heavenly scene where there is a mighty multitude of God’s people from every nation, people, tribe and language.

As Christians, we are to incarnate our ethnicity and its culture. This is especially true in our Chinese English-speaking congregations in Malaysia and Singapore. I am sure this will be same with Chinese Christians elsewhere. There is much we can learn from our Chinese Chinese-speaking congregations in the way they have contextualized the gospel and Christian living within the Chinese heritage. In Chinese culture, the Chinese Lunar New Year is the most important event in the year. The reunion dinner where the whole family comes together is the social event of the year. Family members travel thousands of miles to attend.

I have observed over the years, for many English-speaking Chinese Christians, the Lunar New Year celebrations are becoming less and less important. Similar to the Harvest and other Chinese festivals. It is just another public holiday. More and more are taking the opportunity during this period to travel overseas for extended holidays. There is nothing wrong with not wanting to celebrate Chinese New Year. However this may be symptomatic of the loosening of our cultural identity. There is no running away from our cultural heritage and identity. We run away at our loss. Recently many churches in Malaysia and Singapore are engaged in emotionally mature spirituality. I believe it is time for us to embrace our cultural spirituality too.

 

.

What I learned from Calvin and Hobbes

The Gospel according to Calvin and Hobbes

Calvin and Hobbes is a daily newspaper comic strips series drawn by Bill Watterson in 1985 about a 6 year old boy with a toy tiger named Hobbes. In this script we are introduced to Calvin’s world or reality where Hobbes is a real wise-cracking tiger. We are also immersed into the life of his long-suffering parents, his school and school friends. After Peanuts by Charles Schulz, Calvin and Hobbes is my favorite cartoon strip series. My enjoyment of the series (which stopped in 1995 when Watterson decided to stop drawing the strips) comes from identifying with the worldview of this little boy and his pet tiger.
First, Calvin and Hobbes enjoy life. Every day is a wonderful adventure to them with new possibilities and wonders. Whether exploring the woods near their house, overdosing on sugar while watching Saturday morning cartoons on television or playing in his room, there is always place for creativity and enjoyment. They are not worried about consequences. Life is to be seized and every ounce of enjoyment squeezed out of it.
Second, Calvin has a very developed imagination. Watterson highlights this in the comic strip when Calvin and Hobbes are drawn in simple outline, Calvin’s imaginary worlds are very detailed and colorful. The fact that Calvin is not aware that Hobbes is a toy tiger is a tribute to the strength of his imagination. Calvin escape into his imagination when he is face with unpleasant situations such a boring lessons in school, eating vegetables in mealtime, doing homework (who likes homework anyway), and in the school principal’s office. In his imagination, he becomes a spaceman, a flesh eating dinosaur or have a machine that ‘trans-mogrifies’ things.
Third, Calvin and Hobbes has a unique way of looking to everyday things. They have a wonderful sense of wonder than transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary. A cardboard box becomes a time machine or spaceship, a packed lunch becomes a horror inducing stuff to scare girls, or the many unique ways of building snowman by producing panoramas.
Finally, the friendship and loyalty of Calvin towards Hobbes is heartwarming. Though they bicker and fight (note: never fight with a tiger with claws), the scenes when Calvin lost Hobbes (Hobbes was later found) was heart rendering.
The Gospel according to Calvin and Hobbes is about enjoying life. Life is to be enjoyed with gusto, imagination, wonder and friends. Yes, Calvin has to live in a limited world of a 6 years old with its rules and boundaries set by his parents and school. That to him was never an obstacle but a challenge. I wonder whether this applies in our Christian life.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ offers hope and life. Yet, when I look around, many of his followers live depressing, inhibited, mundane lives. Where is the joy, gusto and wonder? Reformed Pastor/Theologian John piper coined the word “Christian hedonist” in his 1986 book Desiring God. Usually we do not associate Christians with hedonists. Why, hedonists are supposed to have fun! Piper gave credit to Jonathan Edwards for the concept. He explains in God’s Passion for His Glory (1998),

The great goal of all Edward’s work was the glory of God. And the greatest thing I have ever learned from Edwards…is that God is glorified most not merely by being known, nor by merely being dutifully obeyed, but by being enjoyed in the knowing and the obeying

The Christian life is enjoyable when we know God and obey him. God is glorified when we enjoy life with him. Since then, many Christians have objected to the word ‘Christian hedonism’. Dictionary.com defines hedonism as “the doctrine that pleasure or happiness is the highest good”. If being with God is the highest good, and pleasure and happiness results from it, what is wrong with using the word? Hedonism is not a bad word if it is used to describe the joy of living our life in God. Is Christianity a dour religion with no enjoyment, gusto, wonder or relationships? Apparently some Christians seem to think so.
Me? I want to learn from Calvin and Hobbes! The last sentence in the last pane of the last comic strip scripted by Bill Watterson in 1995 summarizes it all. It read “…Let’s go exploring!”

 

Movie Review X-Men: Days of Future Past

X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) is the seventh installation of the movie series on the X-Men. The theme of this movie is loosely based on the 1981 Uncanny X-Men storyline “Days of Future Past” by Chris Claremont and John Byrne. Personally I prefer the comic storyline as it is more nuanced but this movie is worth watching on its own. Unlike the X-Men movie trilogy which ended with X-Men: The Last Stand, there is more character development and story telling in this movie. Though the action sequences are excellent, it is not as confusing as the Last Stand. This movie is a direct sequel to X-Men: The Last Stand and X-Men: First Class as it made references to both movies. I will suggest that you watch these two movies before watching this. This will make it more enjoyable.

[spoilers alert]

In the future, the war with the sentinels (these are giant robots, not the multiple eyed octopus thingy in the Matrix trilogy) has destroyed much of the cities. Mutants and human mutant sympathizers are being held in detention camps. A small group of mutants make their last stand against the sentinels in the apocalyptic scenario similar to the Terminator series. Why must artificial intelligence and humanoid robots be anti-humans, I wonder? Have no one heard of Asimov’s three laws of robotics anymore? The last remnant of mutants which include Professor X (Charles Xavier), Magneto (Erik Lehnsherr), Shadowcat (Kitty Pryde), Storm (Ororo Munroe) and Wolverine (James Logan) devised a plan to send the Wolverine into the past, specifically to 1973. They decided the pivotal moment in time when the war against normal or non-mutant humans began was when Mystique murdered Dr. Bolivar Trask (the designer of the sentinels) and was herself captured in 1973. The research on her DNA from her blood was used to upgrade the new class of sentinels.

Most superhero movies and comics has allegorical implications. These superheroes are our new mythology. X-Men: Days of Future Past, like the Avengers movie series and the Spiderman series have lessons for us today.

First, our actions have consequences that echo through time. Like the butterfly effect in chaos theory, one simple action may cause a ripple that may cause the destruction of a civilization. Driven by hate because of the murder of her fellow mutant, Mystique hunted down to murder Trask because Trask was the one who killed her friends in his scientific experiments. Trask on the other hand, fears for the survival of the human race. Fearing mutants will kill off non-mutants, as humans themselves had killed off the Neanderthals, Trask seeks to find a weapon which will destroy the mutants. His chosen weapon was the sentinels with mutant adaptive powers. Our everyday actions has consequences. A mechanic who was sloppy in installing a brake pad may cause a bus crash that may kill someone who may one day invent the source of limitless non-polluting energy power. A doctor who was sloppy in his work, taking short cuts and doing the minimal work may cause the death of a patient. Time travel may have a way of messing with or creating new consequences. An unforgettable scene in the movie has Hank (Beast) in 1973 watching Captain Kirk (Star Trek) explaining time travel on television. The scene is from the Star Trek: The Original Series episode ‘The Naked Now’.

Second, there is redemption when we are involved in a cause that is greater than ourselves. Both Charles Xavier and Erik (Magneto) believe in saving mutants. Charles believe that it is possible for human and mutants to coexist. Magneto, on the other hand, believe that only way mutants to survive is when humans are destroyed or subjugated. Charles, an idealist, believes in moral ethical rules to achieve their ends. Magneto believes that the end justifies the means. Logan finds a wimpy drug addicted Charles when he arrived in 1973. Charles was pining for his lady love (Mystique) which he lost to Magneto. He became addicted to a drug which allow him to walk (and sleep) but suppressed his mental powers. In other words, Professor Xavier was hitting rock bottom. In a stereotypical storytelling in the movie, his redemption came when he met his future self who revealed to him what his life purpose is. In a heroic messiah like moment, he discarded his drug habit and regained his mental powers to save the day. We often need a cause that is greater than ourselves if we are to live meaningful lives. People who live only for themselves often end up narcissistic and self-centered.

Finally, power is might but may not always be right. To demonstrate his power over magnetism, Magneto lifted and dropped a stadium over the White House and commandeered the sentinels. Magneto wanted to show humans how powerful he is and by doing that cow them into submission. While it is a powerful demonstration, Erik (Magneto) should have remembered his history lessons. History has shown that might as power may not always produce the desired effect. Instead of being cowed, the less powerful always find a way to strike back. The wars in Vietnam and Afghanistan should remind us that the most powerful armies do not always win. In many ways, our world is being divided into ‘us’ and ‘them’. The division may be along the line of skin color, economic status or religions. Instead of trying to annihilate one another, there may be place for peaceful coexistence as envisioned by Charles Xavier.

There is much to recommend for this movie. However there is an incredible amount of violence so parents are forewarned. The sentinels torn Colossus into two in a fight sequence. As he was in his metal state, there was no gore. The Wolverine was kebabed with many metal rods and thrown into the Potomac River by Magneto. The Wolverine starred in so many X-Men movies that we have no doubt that he will survive, as I have the sense that this movie was made as a pre-sequel to many more movies to come. Wait in your seat until the movie credits end and you will see what I mean.

.

Random musings and reflections on life, God and all that stuff (movies, comics, science fiction, spiritual formation, Christian education, biomedical ethics, post modern parenting, books, theology and philosophy)

Spiritual Formation Institute Seminar on Chinese Beliefs and Culture

SFI Seminar 2011/2

The Christian Approach to Chinese Beliefs and Culture

Date:             2.00pm – 9.30pm, Saturday 9 April 2011

Place:            Berea, Holy Light Church
                     11-C, Jalan Gertak Merah, 80100 Johor Bahru, Malaysia

Speaker:         Canon Daniel Tong

Cost :              RM 20.00 (inclusive of seminar materials, refreshment and dinner)

Registration:     Please register with Sister Grace Soon of HLCE (Tel:07-2243285)

Synopsis of seminar

Session 1: Chinese Traditions

Believers in Christ desire to honour and please Him, but do often struggle with doing so while yet respecting and continuing to uphold the ethnic cultural heritage that is ours as Chinese. This struggle between faith and culture is not something new. In this session, principles with which to evaluate the acceptability or not of a cultural belief and practice to the teaching of the Bible will be presented. A number of Chinese festivals will be explored so to help participants understand how these principles are to be applied. 

      Session 2: Ancestral Veneration

The call to honour our father and mother is universal. In Chinese tradition, this thought has been extended to the care of and obedience to our dearly departed. What does the Bible have to say about this? What are we to make of the traditional practices of venerating our departed ancestors? In this session, we will seek to better understand the Chinese perspective, and determine that which is acceptable or unacceptable for us who believe in Christ. 

                          Session 3: Feng Shui 

The Chinese have practiced Feng Shui for thousands of years, but how much do we really understand this practise? Is it really a science? Why do people engage in this practise? Feng Shui has enjoyed renewed interest in South East Asia in recent years. In this session, we will explore the origin of this practise and seek a deeper understand of its primary principles. This will provide us with a better basis with which to decide on whether or not we should engage in Feng Shui.

Biodata of speaker:

Canon Daniel Tong is Vicar of the Chapel of the Resurrection – a Parish under the Diocese of Singapore (Anglican), the Chaplain of the Saint Andrew’s Junior College and author of three books – A Biblical Approach to Chinese Traditions and Beliefs, A Biblical Approach to Feng Shui and Divination, and Praying Right

all are invited.

Other forthcoming SFI seminars

12 March 2011 – Spiritual Formation Seminar by Dr Alex Tang

14 May 2011 – Spiritual Formation in Children by Dr Alex Tang

20 August 2011 – Training for Teachers in Children Ministry by Mona Chia

Random musings and reflections on life, God and all that stuff (movies, comics, science fiction, spiritual formation, Christian education, biomedical ethics, post modern parenting, books, theology and philosophy)

The Best Yee Sang in Malaysia

The best Yee Sang I have tasted this year is a take-away Yee Sang from Ichiban-boshi in Great World Shopping Mall in Singapore! It was brought across the causeway to my dining table in Malaysia.

More about Yee Sang, read my post here

The 13 components in the Yee Sang each has its significance

1. Chuka kurage-Excellence
2. Red Sweetened Ginger-Luck
3. Peanut Crunch- Wealth
4. Pickled Leek-Divination
5. Sweetened Lime- Merit
6. Pickled Cucumber- Advancement
7. Winter melon- Harmony
8. Fried Sesame- Prosperity
9. Chuka Wakame- Youth
10. Pickled melon – Tanquility
11. Pok Chui Biscuits- Affluence
12. Five Spice, cinnamon and pepper Powder – Fortune
13. Salmon – Abundance

Random musings and reflections on life, God and all that stuff (movies, comics, science fiction, spiritual formation, Christian education, biomedical ethics, post modern parenting, books, theology and philosophy)

Hawaii Five O

Random musings and reflections on life, God and all that stuff (movies, comics, science fiction, spiritual formation, Christian education, biomedical ethics, post modern parenting, books, theology and philosophy)