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A Call to the Church in Malaysia to be a Peacemaker (Part 2)

Soon-Hock Lim Leave a comment

by Lim Soon Hock

A critical book review of Peter Rowan’s Proclaiming the Peacemaker: Malaysian Church as an Agent of Reconciliation in a Multicultural Society (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2012).

Click her for Part 1

  1. The Malaysian Church and the Theology of Reconciliation

From a survey among Malaysian Christians, the author concludes that while the respondents see peace-building as part of the church’s mission, there is, however, a gap between belief and practice.1 Empirical evidence from the reviewer’s observation bear out the foregoing.

Malaysian Christian national leaders,2 pastors, and church leaders are yet to have a handle on a theology of reconciliation, much less ordinary Malaysian Christians.

Moreover, living out the implications of the biblical expectation is challenging because of the demand of the Malay-Muslim majority to keep Islam dominant in Malaysia. Rowan is aware that Muslims in Malaysia consider Islam to be above other religions.3 For example, Islam is not part of the MCCBCHST.4 Discussions addressing common issues affecting religious sensitivities are not held on equal footing, often prejudiced against non-Muslim religions, and dialogues are not encouraged by some Muslim clerics.5

One of Rowan’s seven key themes for missiological reflection6 is “interfaith co-operation.”7 Living Lee calls for dialogues.8 However, it does not appear that CFM9 or its component bodies have used MCCBCHST as a platform to pursue peacemaking.10

In fact, the other religions perceive Christians to be divisive rather than reconciliatory because of the latter’s evangelistic efforts to convert adherents from other faiths.11 On the flip-side, Malaysian Christians are suspicious of other religions.12

Indeed, reconciliation should begin within the church. Rowan’s second theme is “multiracial congregations.”13 The author advocates for a multi-ethnic expression of the church.14 The reality in the Malaysian church is that congregations are defined by language and ethnicity.

The author seems to imply that the foregoing reality is due to church planting strategies.15 While it may be so, the strategies are likely to be influenced by two other significant factors that are peculiar to Malaysia.

One, the diversity in the language of preference for worship, teaching, and communication in the church. Two, the impact of ethnic separation in Malaysian society on the church. If the latter is to promote a theology of reconciliation in the public square, it has to first practise it within the church.

  1. The Identity of Malaysian Church and the Willingness to Suffer

Rowan hinges his thesis on the Malaysian Christian’s perception of his or her identity.16 The author understands that Malaysian Christians generally do not have a kingdom identity nor a Malaysian identity;17 rather, they lean toward a Western-Christian identity.18

The reviewer contends that the influence of a Western-shaped Christianity is inevitable since it was missionaries from the West who planted the first churches for most, if not all, denominations (including the vernacular churches).

Second, churches in Malaysia are shaped by teaching from the more developed Western church. Malaysian theologians, teachers, and pastors are yet to provide a distinctive Malaysian-shaped Christianity.19

For there to be a Malaysian Christian identity there must first be a definitive Malaysian identity. However, there isn’t one—a bangsa Malaysia.20 Hence, the former is a difficult task to prescribe.

A second challenge stems from the multi-ethnic composition of the national Malaysian church. Rowan writes that Christian identity is inseparable from who we are in our cultures and societies. That is, kingdom identity should not make us culturally less Chinese or Indian.21

The qualifier for kingdom identity must also be a qualifier for a Malaysian Christian identity.  That is, having a Malaysian Christian identity should not make an Iban Christian any less Iban, or a Kadazan Christian any less Kadazan.  The concept of a Malaysian Christian identity that does not take away anything of an individual’s ethnic particularities needs to be explored.22

The author cites Hwa Yung who describes Malaysian Christians as having “no clear sense of who they are in Christ,”24

However, the lack of boldness among Malaysian Christians is not because they do not have kingdom identity, rather it is because they fear the consequence of thus living out their identity in a Malay-Muslim dominant country that has shown significant hostility towards the church. Rowan quotes Lim Kar Yong that Malaysian Christians are not prepared to suffer for the sake of the kingdom of God and the gospel.25 The foregoing is evident from emigration statistics.26 There are few like Pastor Raymond Koh who are willing to pay the price for a mission of reconciliation.

Conclusion

Rowan’s Proclaiming the Peacemaker is an important read for all Malaysian Christians, especially pastors and church leaders. The theme of reconciliation and peacemaking as kingdom agenda that is inseparable from the gospel needs to be understood by all Christians.

However, it needs to go further—beyond the theological level.  The implications and the applications have to carefully worked out and fleshed out so that Malaysian Christians (and churches) know how to live and act as peacemakers in a multi-ethnic and fragmented Malaysia.

A Call to the Church in Malaysia to be a Peacemaker (Part 1)

Soon-Hock Lim Leave a comment

by Lim Soon Hock

A critical book review of Peter Rowan’s Proclaiming the Peacemaker: Malaysian Church as an Agent of Reconciliation in a Multicultural Society (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2012).

The book review was an assignment for a course on Christian Theology, Culture and Church which I did as part of my DMin studies in 2022. Please forgive me for the academic style in which it is written. I hope reading my review will whet your appetite to read the book yourself.

Thesis of the Book

Proclaiming the Peacemaker is about the church’s mission to proclaim Jesus as the Peacemaker and to act as an agent of reconciliation.27

It includes both vertical reconciliation with God and horizontal reconciliation with people28 (and ultimately with all things).29

The church’s effectiveness to fulfil the mission is predicated on its self-identity30 and readiness to suffer.31 Rowan’s thesis is discussed in the context of the multicultural but divided society of Malaysia.32 The author has a personal interest in the subject because of his life-experience in Northern Ireland where society is deeply divided.33

Secondly, he had lived and worked in Malaysia for about ten years as a seminarian, and had seen the relevance of the subject for Malaysia.34

Critical Review of Issues Raised in the Book

  1. The Theology of Mission and Reconciliation

In Chapter 1, the author concludes that reconciliation is a central theme in the New Testament35 that has both vertical and horizontal dimensions; with God and man respectively.36 He contends that theologians and missiologists have tended to emphasise on the former but failed to explore the latter.37

He explicates the foregoing with relevant Scripture,38 especially, from the Pauline epistles.39 His study of terms, such as “peace,” “forgiveness,” and “salvation,” further underscores their connectedness with “reconciliation.”40

Rowan states that reconciliation with God must necessarily mean reconciliation with people.41 His point is supported by public theologians, such as Paul S. Chung.42

Reconciliation, then, is first, vertically with God, and second, horizontally with His people.  In Ephesians 2:14-18, Paul teaches that peace between Jewish and Gentile believers is only made possible because what used to be two peoples have become one new man in Christ.43 Hence, while peacemaking by Christians with non-Christians may be attempted, it may not, however, be easily achieved; simply because the primary vertical reconciliation with God is missing in one party.

The author, quoting Howard Marshall, is aware of the difficulty.44 Marshall’s answer is for Christians to acknowledge their shortcomings in promoting reconciliation, to repent of their hostile attitudes and actions toward others, to speak out against revenge, to know that they have the gospel of peace that the world needs, and to know that there are non-Christians who value reconciliation.45

Nonetheless, the reviewer maintains that in the context of Malaysia’s cultural diversity and dominance of Islam, the pursuit of reconciliation without compromising the gospel is challenging.

Click here for Part 2

What Will You Write for Your First Book?

Soon-Hock Lim 4 Comments

If you were writing your first book, what would you write about?

I can’t claim to have a lot of experience in writing books since I’ve only recently published my first book. Prior to this I had written two booklets, but You Walk, He Leads would be my first book-size publication. As I’ve already shared the reasons that led me to write on the topic in the book’s preface, I will not repeat it here.

Let me give you four factors that will help you determine what you may write about, especially if it’s your first book.

  1. Knowledge. 

It seems redundant to say, we can’t write about something we have little knowledge about. You may argue that we can do a study to gain the knowledge. That, however, is like starting with the wrong foot forward if your goal is to write a book. All the more, if this is your first book. It is best to write about something you already know quite a lot and have loads of material at hand. The research is largely to verify and improve on the body of information you already have.

Furthermore, this knowledge should have already been processed in your mind and life. That is to say, you have already worked through the information and you have a good understanding of the topic. Perhaps you have even developed strong opinions and clear conclusions about the subject. In other words, the knowledge you possess about the subject matter has become your own, even if you may have learnt much of it from others.

So, here’s the first question to ask yourself if you’re writing your first book, What am I knowledgeable about?

  1. Passion

If you have no passion for something you are trying to write about, one or both of the following will happen. One, you’ll never complete your book project. If you don’t feel for what you are writing it’ll become a chore—not a delight. If by some miracle you do complete it, it’ll not only be a painful journey for you—it will be a painful read for your readers! Your passion, or rather, a lack of it, will be evident in the way you share your thoughts and ideas with your readers.

Passion for what you are writing about is important because it will give you the drive to write. You write not because you have to, but because you want to. You have something you want to share with your readers. In addition, a passion to put your thoughts in a book will make you want to improve on your writing and communication skills because you want to share as effectively as you can with your readers about what you feel and believe.

So, question two, What am I passionate about?

  1. Life Experience

One of the most powerful subjects to write about is our own life stories. The reasons are very simple—our stories are unique and real. And also because everyone loves a good story.

However, I doubt the average Joe (or Joanne) like us will have a store-full of gripping stories to fill a book. Even if we do, we may not interest many people, beyond our immediate circle of relatives and friends, to part with their money to read the stories of someone who is not well-known.

Despite the foregoing, stories from your life experiences may nonetheless be used as personal illustrations for the points in your book. They tell readers that you don’t only have theoretical knowledge of your subject but also experiential knowledge. Your life experiences give you as the writer credibility with your readers, and your stories help your readers to identify with you.

Question three, What have been my life experiences?

If you keep these three questions in mind I don’t think it’s too difficult to narrow down the subject of your first book. Here’s a simple exercise you can immediately do. Take three pieces of paper and separately list down what you are knowledgeable in, what you are passionate about, and what life experiences you have gone through. Compare the three lists and look for commonality between them. Pick the subject that best meets all three criteria—and wallah! you have the subject for your first book!

  1. Message

To knowledge, passion, and life experience I want to add one more important factor—the message. I don’t believe that it is sufficient to just write a book simply for the sake of publication. I believe we must write with a purpose—to share a message. I suppose this reveals the preacher in me.

In one sense the message is a factor to help you determine the subject of your book. What is the message I want to share with my readers? Your intended purpose together with the other three factors will help you define your topic of interest. On the other hand, the message may be put aside until you have decided on the subject for your book; based on what you know, what you’re passionate about, and from your life experience. Diagrammatically, it will look something like this.

I believe if you include all these elements into your book you’re on your way to writing something that is worth reading.

You Walk, He Leads

Soon-Hock Lim Leave a comment

I’m so glad that my book You Walk, He Leads: Discerning, Aligning & Waking in God’s Will is finally printed and published. The delay was because my printer had to temporary shutdown its operations due to Covid-19 pandemic and the country’s Movement Control Order.

The event that sparked the writing of the book was a seminar I did for a young people’s church in October 2019. It was not my first time teaching the material. However, an evaluation the seminar made me realise that there was just too much material for the participants to digest. I decided that it would be better for me to put the teaching into a book so that people can read it at their own pace. They can also take time to think through the principles and apply them into their lives.

A second reason for the book is because the teaching I have to offer on the subject is really important. I should make it available to a wider audience. I concluded that publishing a book would be the best thing to do. (Besides, writing a book has been one of my ambitions in life.)

Since I already had my seminar notes I didn’t have to start from scratch, which made things much easier. Nonetheless, the journey to publish a book was still a long and challenging process. My seminar notes that were written in bullet points for oral presentation had to be reconfigured for a written publication. While I had the general Christian readership in mind I also wanted to make the language and writing style suitable for the younger generation. That took great effort and submissions for feedback from different people—old and young, mature Christians and pastors. This led to revisions of the draft.

The process of publishing a book has many steps and even layers. They include the hard work of editing, proof-reading, page layout and cover design. I am thankful to the Lord for the people who came around me to help me with these. They made the book look and read so much better than it would otherwise have been.

Then, the final part—printing the book. A slot for early March had been set with the printer to print the book. It was rush time for the layout artist to get everything print ready by the deadline. We managed to do that by a whisker. The printer sent me a mock-up of the book for one final check. And even at that final stage there were still typo-errors. Corrections were made and the file was sent to the printers again with a go-ahead. Then came the MCO!…and a wait of nearly three months!

But now, when it’s all done and the book is finally published—what a thrill! My first book. Hallelujah!

Now, I’ve got to market it, when churches are not physically meeting due to government restrictions to curb the pandemic! That’s another challenge. Nonetheless, I am absolutely certain that as the Lord has caused me to write the book He will also ensure the book will get into the hands of many Christians to bless them. My thanks and praise to the Lord for giving me this privilege to write You Walk, He Leads.