Malaysia to host International Christian Creative Arts Conference

Wow, Malaysia is chosen to host the 6th International Christian Creative Arts Conference. This is exciting. Did you know there is a Malaysia has a Christian Dance Fellowship? Find out more at their website.

Christian Dance Fellowship Malaysia & International Christian Dance Fellowship invite you to join us at the:

6th INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN CREATIVE ARTS CONFERENCE

July 10—16, 2006
Genting International Convention Centre
Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia

Joyous Greetings from Christian Dance Fellowship of Malaysia (CDFM).

We are proud to inform you that Malaysia has been chosen to host the 6th International Christian Creative Arts Conference. This conference is the global event of the International Christian Dance Fellowship (ICDF) with which CDFM is affiliated. It is held every 3 years, co-hosted by the local charter CDF of a particular country. The previous 5 conferences were successfully held in Israe , UK, South Africa, Australia and USA respectively. Next year, it will be held in July 10-16, 2006 at Genting International Convention Centre, Kuala Lumpur.

Conference Objectives

• To present a biblical worldview of the arts related to worship, ministry and mission
• To celebrate life, hope and beauty through diversity of multi-genres, cross-cultural evangelism and international exchange of ideas relevant to a fast-changing world.
• To develop a unity of artistic expression by reclaiming the arts for the glory of God and His purpose.
• To provide a globe networking, encouragement, vision and fellowship for the body of Christ involved in the creative arts and dance ministries.

An exciting international program is in store for all participants. There will be live performances plus a variety of educational activities such as worship celebrations, concerts, workshops, arts exhibition and an outreach dance project titled The Dance Village. These will address dance in different ways and explore its diverse roles, elements and forms, catering to the interests of the participants, performers, choreographers, academics, enthusiasts, audiences and community beyond the church walls.

International speakers, teachers and delegates from approximately 35 to 45 nations will be attending the conference. We also hope to draw an attractive crowd from our own nation and neighbouring Asian countries.

As Malaysia is the host country, we have the advantage of savings on airfare, travelling expenses and forex exchange rates.

Why don't we practice what we preach?

No on lives up to the ideal, Dostoevsky admits. No one can perfectly love his neighbour as himself. No one can fulfill the law of Christ. God cannot ask so much and be satisfied with so little. We are made for that which is too big for us. It is for this very reason, he concludes, that he must believe in afterlife. Without such a belief, he concludes, our futile struggle to fulfill the law of Christ would have no point. It is our very longing, our failure, our sense of incompleteness that focrces us to throw ourselves on God's mercy. Our imperfection in this life calls for another, more complete realization of that ideal.

There is only one way for any of us to resolve the tension between the high ideals of the gospel and the grim reality of ourselves: to accept that we will never measure up, but that we do not have to. Absolute ideals and absolute grace... Grace announces that that not only is the kingdom of God within me, God himself dwells there.

I read the New Testament, especially the Sermon on the Mount, with a different spirit now... Jesus did not proclaim these exalted words so that we would, Tolstoy-like, furrow our brows in despair over our failure to achieve perfection. He proclaimed them to impart to us God's ideal toward which we should never stop striving, and also to show that none of us will ever reach that ideal. The Sermon on the Mount forces us to recognise that distance between God and us, and any attempt to reduce that distance by somehow moderating its demands misses the point altogether. We are all desperate, and that is in fact the only state appropriate to a human being who wants to know God. Having fallen from the absolute ideal, as Tolstoy did, we have nowhere to land but with Dostoevsky, in the safety net of absolute grace.

Soul Survivor by Philip Yancey

The Sermon on the Mount has always troubled me and the above passage voices some of my own struggles with its demands. I guess I would describe myself as an idealistic person, and while I've been tempted many times, I am thankful I've not given up on the ideals nor tried to moderate its demands to silence my conscience. Reading this book has helped me address many issues that I have struggled with through the years. The timing simply can't be better.

Yancey has helped me once again come to terms with the paradox of absolute ideals and absolute grace. I admit my mind which prefers answers in black and white find it hard to register paradox, and the Bible is full of them. I am grateful for them nevertheless. It is comforting to know that others have struggled with the same distance between Christianity that is often practiced and these ideals. How then should I live? I believe this is the mandate ...

The gospel of grace inflitrates this world not primarily through words and rational arguments, but through deeds. through love. I (Yancey) found humble people who each day faced human problems more extreme than I could imagine, and yet who responded not with paralysis or resentment but with compassion and love. Dostoevsky showed me the logical consequences of a life based on nihilism and doubt; living Christian servants showed me the logical consequences of a life based on faith and love. To follow Jesus, I learned, does not mean to solve every human problem - Christ himself did not attempt that - but rather to respond as he did, against all reason to dispense grace and love to those who deserve it least.

Which gospel? What good news?

Caution: This is not a theological exposition or a thesis. Just some thoughts and food for thought.

I've been struggling with how some share the gospel. One thing that sometimes bug me is that I don't think my life is good enough for me to proclaim the gospel. This reveals my underlying assumption that I believe my life must show for what I'm proclaiming. Today I'm reminded that I'm not sharing a human gospel but preaching Christ. While my life is a witness for Christ, it is not by virtue of my being a perfect witness. If that's the criterion, then I'll never qualify. Not sure if anyone will. I want to be able to point to my life and show the transformation that's taken place. Then I look at Paul's example and is reminded that Paul kept pointing people to his weaknesses, rejoicing in them. I go like what??? What kind of 'marketing' strategy is that? The right kind I suppose. The focus is on Christ and His work in my life. His word is true regardless if I can prove it. It is interesting that the early Christians did not point to their 'perfect' life but demonstrated the power of God at work through signs and wonders. There the attention was turned to His work their lives. Even then, the signs and wonders were not the focus! It is possible for people to witness and even experience a miracle, but still fail to believe or follow Christ.

When we offer the gospel, we offer Christ. Period. Nothing more, nothing less. If we try to sell the gospel too hard, we'd be tempted to highlight the blessings and play down on the sufferings and persecution. This is misrepresentation and misleading advertisement. It's wrong, unethical and by right, liable for legal suit! OK, you can see I feel quite strongly about this. We don't talk about the cost of discipleship, or that the call of Christ is to "Take up the Cross and follow Me". Simple reason being this tagline doesn't sell! I think it's no harm to point out the cost of following Christ, and that persecution, pain and suffering, even imperfection, are very much part of the life as a Christian. We are not immuned to the blows that life dishes out. In the midst of all that, the Lord promises His abiding presence, unconditional Love and eternal Hope.

Can you imagine the gospel the early Christians were 'selling'? Not unlike the persecuted church today in China and some other parts of the world, the choice to follow Christ is as good as signing up your life as a martyr. That's a sobering thought. I know we want to reach as many people with the gospel as possible, but we should not have to compromise on the message of the gospel in the process. We are not to water it down or make grace cheap. It's noted that despite the obvious cost, many chose to become Christians and the church grew in the midst of persecution. It's probably not evangelism explosion and mass conversion, but you bet the conversions were absolutely serious.

I have been involved in a campus ministry doing Alpha to reach out to international students here. I am careful in how I present the gospel because I am very aware that I can't overpromise and risk them crash with disappointment when things don't always turn out the way they want. I am aware that when they go home (many of them come from China) they will have to face the reality of the consequences of these decisions. I can't pay the price for them, thus it's not for me to judge them for how they decide. This is not to say I don't desire for them to be saved or pray God will draw them by His Spirit to put their faith in Christ. I do and that's why I am there faithfully every week to share this truth with them. I guess I want to do my part to present Christ through His word and hopefully, His presence through mine.

I am calling for authentic faith and honest representation of the gospel. I'm cautious about use of excellent marketing strategy, sleek packaging, high tech gadgets, manipulating emotions or bullying tactics, like threatening them with dramatic representations of Hell! I'm not saying that good planning and modern technology is bad. Not at all. I think we need to watch our motives and consider the manner in which we are using them.

Thanks for bearing with me as I process my thoughts. These are some of my initial ideas for the paper I will be writing on Conversion. I know I am not the first one to bring up these issues and most certainly won't be the last.

Reading and Reflection

This season of Lent has been a period of reading and reflection. I can see the goodness of God so real; it’s almost scary. It is as if He’s given me an answer for every question that ran through my mind, almost randomly (to me at least).

In my previous blog I mentioned that the Lord has been dealing with the issue of unresolved anger and only to find myself in a talk addressing this very topic. Another thing that has been bugging me is the whole process of conversion and evaluating my own salvation, and I've been asking myself some hard questions about the disparity I see in myself. I guess this has been something that has been playing on my mind for a while, and it kind of hit me hard again these few weeks. My readings lead me to C. S. Lewis, the Pilgrim’s Regress, where he shares of his own conversion journey. I had questions about the church and tried to reconcile what I see in church and how the Bible describes us. It’s painful looking at the failures of the church as a whole and I wondered if there’s hope. I am currently reading Philip Yancey’s Soul Survivor: How Thirteen Unlikely Mentors Helped My Faith Survive the Church! It’s has been very uplifting and helps me reconsider the questions I have been asking and the basis from which I form my questions and evaluations of these issues. Sometimes it feels kind of lonely in the face of such self-doubts and I wonder if I’m the only one mad enough to be bothered by such questions and trying to search for meaning. Only to find the Lord bringing me to a hosts of writers and thinkers who’ve gone before me, struggled with similar issues and left notes of their musings. I am indebted to their honesty and thoughtful insights… and there are no simplistic answers.

Most of the closest friends I’ve made here will be leaving at the end of this term, or at the end of summer. Can’t help feeling a hint of loneliness, even though I remind myself there are still others who are around. Again, guess what? Last week, I attended a lecture given by Dr James Houston on ‘Surviving the Continent of Loneliness’! Not only that, the Lord allowed me to spend a few hours with a like-minded friend, going for a long walk, good conversation and having tea together. To be able spend such extended time sharing with a friend for me is a real luxury and priceless gift. I feel as if the Lord’s telling me He knows every thought that troubles me, hears all my unuttered prayers and understands my needs and deepest longings. He is as close to me as my breath. And just to make sure I don't miss it, He’s made it loud and clear on several occasions just in the span of these past few weeks! How do you say Thank You to such an attentive and loving Heavenly Father? Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!

Soul Survivor

Excerpts from Soul Survivor to whet your appetites.

G. K. Chesterton

The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult; and left untried.
The worst moment for the atheist is when he is really thankful and has no one to thank.
The real question is no "Why is Christianity so bad when it claims to be so good?" but "Why are all things so bad when they claim to be so good?"

When London Times asked a number of writers for essays on the topic: "What's Wrong with the World?" Chesterton sent in the reply shortest and most to the point:
Dear Sirs,
I am.
Sincerely yours,
G. K. Chesterton

We always ponder the problem of pain, but have you ever pondered on the problem of pleasure? Why is sex fun? Reproduction surely does not require pleasure - some animals simply split in half to reproduce and even humans use methods of aritifical insemination that involve no pleasure. Why is eating enjoyable? Plants and the lower animals manage to obtain their quota of nutrients without the luxury of tastebuds. Why are there colours? Some people get along fine without the ability to detect colour. Why complicate vision for all the rest of us?


Dr Paul Brand
- Reflecting on the Gift of Pain, one of the excellent books he co-authored with Yancey.

He (Brand) insisted on pain's great value, holding up as proof the terrible results of leprosy - damaged faces, blindness, and loss of fingers, toes, and limbs - all of which occurs as side-effects of painlessness. Brand had made the groundbreaking medical discovery that leprosy does its damage merely by destroying nerve endings. People who lose pain sensation then damage themselves by such simple actions as gripping a splintered rake or wearing tight shoes. Pressure sores form, infections set in, and no pain signals alert them to tend to the wounded area.

I thank God for pain. I cannot think of a greater gift I could give to my leprosy patients.
He went on to describe the intricacies of the pain system that protects the human body. It takes firm pressure of a very sharp needle for the sole of the foot to feel pain, whereas the cornea of the eye senses one-thousandth as much pressure, calling for a blink reflex when a thin eyelash or speck of dust brushes the surface. Intestines do not sense pain from being cut or burned - dangers these internal organs do not normally confront - yet they send out the urgent pain signal of colic when distended.

When he first start working as a doctor in a hospital:
I noticed that the symptoms of illness my patients complained about were actually a display of bodily healing at work. Virtually every response of our bodies that we view with irritation or disgust - blister, callus, swelling, fever, sneeze, cough, vomiting and especially pain - demonstrates a reflex toward health. In all these things normally considered enemies, we can find a reason to be grateful.

Brand responded to the dilemma of the marvel of the natural world and its apparent flaws with a twin spirit of gratitude and trust - gratitude for those things he could see and appreciate, and trust regarding those things he could not. To Brand's surprise, faith in God's trustworthiness deepened even as he worked among people least likely to feel gratitude, leprosy victims in India, because he saw transformation in the lowest of the low resulting from simple compassion and a healing touch.

What about birth defects? He launched into a description of the complex biochemistry involved in producing one healthy child. The great wonder is not that birth defects occur but that millions more do not. Could a mistake-proof world have been created so that the human genome with its billions of variables would never err in transmission? No scientist could envision such an error-free system in our world of fixed physical laws.

(In today's world where people spend a lot of money to eliminate and seek to avoid pain at all cost, this is a counter-culture message.)


Robert Coles
- Trained medically, Coles was a psychiatrist, Harvard lecturer, wrote voluminous works from his study of the poor and even championed against racism, for civil rights. Finally he taught spiritual literature in Harvard, challenging the brightest minds in business, medicine, law and etc to think about the more important questions of life.

The poor had no answers for the unfairness of life. Had a mere accident of birth condemned them to a cycle of suffering and poverty? They had little time or leisure to contemplate such questions. But when asked about the source of strength in their lives, they often pointed to Jesus. Religion for them was no crutch but rather a source of inspiration. They found in Jesus, and in the image of the cross, a ray of hope that convinced them God knew their sufferings.

Coles reflected on the peculiar circumstances of life that God had chose in coming to earth, as a carpenter who associated with peasants and fishermen, his mother used to remind him, not as a doctor or lawyer or college professor.

Among the poor he had expected defeat and despair; he found some, yes, but he also found strength and hope and courage. Among the rich, he expected satisfaction and instead found boredom, alienation and decadence.

Expressing Anger

I attended a talk this week in College on ‘The Arrogance of Expectations: Reflections on Anger’. The speaker was Dr Rod Wilson, the President of Regent College, who’s a trained and experienced psychologist, who has written 2 books on this topic. This was one of the most enlightening talks on this topic I’ve attended – the sad truth is I’ve not heard many address this topic in the Christian circle. Or perhaps I should say, I’ve not many positive things said about this topic in the Christian circle. Another reason why I found this session particularly is probably due to the fact that the Lord has been dealing with me in this area.

The first thing that struck me was the strong affirmation that there is a place for anger and even the proper expression of anger. He emphasised that this to be true especially for women, for Christians and for Christian leaders – which I can identify with all 3 categories. A lot of times, the signal given to women is that it is inappropriate for women to express anger, and all sorts of labels are attached to a woman who is angry, which is not attributed to the male counterpart. That explains why a lot more women are depressed, a sign of anger turned inwards. The real issue behind anger is power, and we often resort to anger to render the other person powerless. Sometimes anger is used against those in authority, because those who are under authority feel powerless in the relationship and seek to regain power by showing one’s anger. However since it is deemed inappropriate for women to express her anger in such a manner, she will resort to tears both as a means to express her anger and to regain power in a relationship. This is most often played out in marriage relationships, or between mother and her son, especially if he's a married adult son. Many men readily admit that they can handle and deal with anger anytime but find themselves quite powerless against tears. Therefore it is important for both men and women to correct this notion about the propriety of women to express an emotion that is very much part of being angry.

The other category is Christian and this have been so misconceived. Bible say in your anger do not sin, and do not let the sun go down on your anger. The former is at times interpreted as it is ok to feel some anger but it’s not right to express it and we simply have to forgive the other party. Some read the latter as we should try to talk late into the night and try to resolve every issue before we go to bed. Not that that’s a bad idea, but it is neat to be reminded that, even there, the sun has long set while you are trying to talk things through! God expresses this emotion and I believe it is a valid emotion to be expressed. God’s anger is a righteous anger and thus it is right to be angry at injustice, and allow that anger to propel us to action because anger itself is loaded with energy. But I’m cautious when we mask our anger, which we feel has no appropriate outlet of expression, and channel to these causes. It is an attempt to express anger through a channel which may have nothing to do with the real source of our anger that we have not dealt with. This can result in a hugely disproportionate amount of anger manifested for the cause we support. For example a mum whose child has been killed by a drunk driver may channel her anger by joining a group for moms in similar situations. This is an activist organisation which propagates against drunk driving. However if she does not deal with her own anger and seek to forgive the person who killed her child, she may react with a disproportionate level of anger when she comes across another teenager who’s guilty of drunk driving. On the contrary, she may experience the release of forgiveness by ‘forgiving’ this particular teenager.

Very often in the Asian culture, the expression of anger, especially against a person who is in authority, more senior in age, rank and financial or social status is wholly inappropriate. Thus anger is often turned inward or expressed by cold, detached and silent treatment. The latter is very harmful but powerful because it spells rejection. Thus instead of ‘connecting’ by proper expression of anger, we withdraw and hope the other person would give in, playing on their fear of rejection. This again is a manipulation technique trying to ‘overpower’ the other person. Another thing is there’s a lot of rage and disproportionate display of anger on the roads, when anger is continually suppressed against perhaps bosses and situations at work or at home.

There’s a lot more I can share about owning our anger, taking responsibility for our response and how our expectations set us up. This is especially true when the person is close to us, as the closer we are in relationship with someone, the more expectations we have. We can also learn to read how our body signals to us when are feeling angry. But for now I think it is sufficient to look at just the issue of expressing anger, an emotion that we often fail to validate. Sometimes we hide and suppress it so well, we might not be conscious that this issue is bothering us. This has helped me to see how my own anger has sometimes been so deeply suppressed that the only time they emerge is through my dreams. I recently had a dream of a full-scale confrontation with someone in authority, whom I dearly love and respect but have never had the courage to confront. The whole scenario was so real and the pain was very real too. On other occasions I have dreamt that someone close to me, again in authority, had passed away and I was unable to grieve. I pray for the Lord’s mercy as He helps me work through these different issues.

p/s: Drop me a line if you want to know more of some of these thoughts which I have not been able to cover with more detail.

Seminar on Da Vinci Code

KAIROS RESEARCH CENTRE SEMINAR ON DA VINCI CODE
Venue: Petaling Jaya Evangelical Free Church
Time: 4 May 2006, 8.30 – 10.30 pm

Everybody loves a conspiracy, especially one that involves a fast pace murder thriller and promises to challenge the historical foundations of Christian origins and exposes secrets that will scandalize the Church.
Without doubt, the best seller Da Vinci Code has generated questions that demand a vigorous intellectual response.
Kairos Research Centre will be organizing a public talk to refute the claims of Da Vinci Code with a presentation of the true history of Christian origins and the trustworthiness of the Gospels.

Issues addressed include the following:
- Fiction and Truth in a Post-Modern age
- The Historical Jesus and the Reliability of the Gospels
- The Development of Early Christian Doctrines and the Challenge of Gnosticism

The Panel Speakers are:
Ms Wong Ming Yook – Formerly Lecturer in the English Department of University Malaya and currently a free lance writer.
Rev. Wong Fong Yang – Pastor of City Discipleship Presbyterian Church
Dr. Ng Kam Weng – Research Director of Kairos Research Centre.

Admission Free. All Welcomed.
See link to Kairos Research on the right panel.