Lesslie Newbigin is one of the most influential 20th-century Christian thinkers in the field of missions. He was a missionary to India, but made the greatest impact in the West as a theologian. As a Christian statesman, active in the World Council of Churches, he gained the hearing of liberals, Catholics and a legion of evangelicals deeply impressed with his works. 
Leaning on Michael Polanyi’s philosophy, he asserted that there is no knowing without believing or personal commitment. All knowledge, including scientific ones, is based on a measure of faith and tradition. As such, the Enlightenment ideal of pure objectivity and neutrality is an unattainable myth. Ironically, the quest for indubitable certainty rooted in man’s rationality resulted in nihilism and agnosticism which eventually put science itself in jeopardy. 
Since much has been said about an emerging postmodern culture, it may be worthwhile to explore Newbigin’s view on this issue. Undeniably, truth does not hang in thin air apart from history, language and particular human culture. However, he would insist that this does not entail the false assertion that no culturally-embodied truth claim “makes contact with a reality beyond the human mind”. While he agrees with the postmodern replacement of ahistorical, disembodied truth with a Story, he denies the postmodern skepticism that there is no overarching truth among the many ‘mere’ stories. Again, he wrote, “The church’s affirmation is that the story it tells, embodies and enacts is the true story and that others are to be evaluated by reference to it.” 
Some Christians avoid dialogue because of their own misconceptions. It is therefore appropriate for us to analyze how the meaning and goals of true dialogue could realistically be set in Malaysia. In the first place Christians should enter into the national debate about what common society we should work towards. The absence of a Christian voice results in a de facto surrendering of the public sphere to the dominant majority. Surely, this is an irresponsible act and an unconditional surrender to the hegemonic majority. Our failure to respond vigorously has resulted in a continual erosion of our Constitutional rights by many undebated legislations.
Modus Operandi of the Roundtable Dialogue
A brother said to Abba Poemen: “If I give my brother a little bread or something else, what happens when the demons spoil these gifts by telling me that it was only done in order to please people?” The old man said to him: “Even if it is done to please people, we are still obliged to offer what we can.” He told him the following parable.
Soo Inn's Biblical Preaching Workshop will kick off on 20 Jan 2007 (Saturday). We will explore the key facets of preaching from the bible in the 21st century. As a result of taking this seminar, participants will know both the theology of biblical preaching and a methodology for doing it.
Over the course of 2007, KJ John (First Baptist Church), Kong Beng (Subang Jaya Gospel Center), Fong Yang (City Discipleship Presbyterian) and Phil DeHart (St Andrews Presbyterian) will facilitate a small group each, exploring different dimensions of the Christian faith in relation to politics, science, gender roles, social isssues etc. 
In collaboration with the Christian Fellowship UM, I will also be sharing to a group of students about following Jesus in their areas of studies/research/work next two Fridays. We hope to explore how Jesus himself skillfully and reasonably answered critics, and how He asked questions that open up assumptions and reveal motives. 
In their book “Changing the Mind of Missions: Where Have We Gone Wrong?” James F. Engel and William A. Dyrness sound the alarm that the modern missionary movement is in crisis. The signs of crisis can be detected in the church’s captivity in modern worldview, steady decline of financial support and withdrawal into monastic ghettos that disengages from the world. There is also widespread skepticism about whether Christian lifestyles are any different from others, prompting what Ron Sider dubbed as ‘the scandal of the evangelical conscience’. Instead of purveying pessimism, the authors see it as an opportunity for rethinking missions with a Kingdom perspective today. 
Diagnosis without recommending a cure makes for light work. To their credit, Engel and Dyrness prescribe several directions for decisive transformation. They contend that Scriptures make a parody of the ‘center-periphery’ model. The book of Acts recorded how the gospel made its way from Jerusalem, an insignificant backwater of the Roman Empire to the very household of Caesar. Today, churches in the so-called Two-Thirds World have emerged as significant missionary-sending contributors. They are demanding a Paul-Barnabas type of partnership with Western mission agencies rather than a Paul-Timothy partnership . Expertise, resources and knowledge to develop indigenous leaders should be imparted without using them as leverage for control. Vinoth Ramachandran described a cross-cultural, mutual-listening relationship today as indispensable for faithful witness to Jesus Christ. 
Course sypnosis: A literary and historical analysis of 1 Corinthians. Certain passages will be selected for exegetical purposes to identify the main theological themes of the book, particularly on 1 Corinthians 8-10, because of its relevance in the Asian context. The importance of applying Paul’s teaching to contemporary Christian living will be highlighted throughout the course.
Course Synopsis: 
Discordant Dude's post "Can You Hear The Gen Y Sing?" is in the running for the People's Choice Award. Read the other 4 contestant articles and VOTE HERE 
Kairos has therefore decided to make available online—with free access—the full text of our legal handbook, Doing the Right Thing. Our hope is that the book will help readers to gain confidence to defend their right to profess, practice and propagate their religion and to remain vigilant in defending their religious rights. 
It is a small group that meets together to discuss transition from a student life to the working world. Topics includes dealing with work pressure, office politics, work culture and lifestyle changes, relating to parents, adopting back to church life, true Christian community, being salt and light in the marketplace and finding true friends…
Archaeology is the study of antiquity by examining material remains of past human life and activities. It uses modern scientific methods to recover these material remains and infer the meaning of the past, of ancient humans, and his environment. But archaeology is not an exact science – in fact, no science is an exact science. The only exact field of inquiry is mathematics, and that is not strictly speaking, a science.
Old Testament archaeology is the selection of evidence for these regions and periods in which the peoples of the times lived. Why is archaeology important to Old Testament studies? They provide extra-biblical confirmation of many details of biblical history and acts as correctives to many erroneous interpretations. This means that the art and science of biblical exegesis and hermeneutics relies a great deal on inferences we draw from archaeology. Hence, our understanding of the sciences as well as the artistic imagination of the human mind shapes the way we interpret archaeological evidence. This in turn shapes our interpretation of the Bible itself.
In Palestine, of the 6000+ archaeological sites that have been surveyed only about 200 have been excavated to some extent, with around 30 sites excavated to any major extent. Of the estimated 1 million documents recovered from OT times, less than 10% have been published. The typical time between recovery and publication is 10 years since almost all archaeologists work only during the summer months, when they are not teaching. The precise locations of many OT places remain in dispute because of uncertainty and changing local names.
I suspect you've experienced some really bad days at work-the kind that made you wonder why you even got out of bed that morning. Perhaps it's the loss of a sales opportunity you've been working on or the demise of a critical project. On other occasions, bad days may arise from conflicts with coworkers, bosses and clients. Needless to say, after nearly 20 years in the technology arena, I've had my share of "bad days".
Raj and Margaret SinghOn the 22-25th of November, I had the privilege of joining a group of great young people making an impact in the Klang Valley, worshipping Jesus through serving the underprivileged and homeless. At the end of it all, I managed to interview the man, Ps. Raj Singh, the big guy behind Soul Survivor Malaysia who also happen to be the Senior Pastor of Christian Life Gospel Centre. Here I include the transcript of our conversation (Note : It is a recollection of the interview. The accuracy of the words and information may be disputed, but the content is almost similar to our conversation).
"If we truly want to be an authentic church, we need to show to the society that although we are very different in our cultures with Malays, Chinese, Indians and other races, with different social classes, and languages, because of Christ and the power of the Gospel, we are able to pull things together as a caring vibrant community of believers. That is a great testimony to the world. Although we are not able to do this effectively now, we are learning to make the church more welcoming to the poor be it the way we run our services, the language we speak etc. If we are not able to integrate, then how different are we from the society which is so fragmented out there?"The goal of this one day seminar is to introduce participants to all the key facets of preaching from the bible in the 21st century. 
28, Jln PJU 3/41,
Welcome to Our Reason For Being. It hosts a series of reflections that addresses the question of the meaning of life. 
This series of reflections is written in response to this cry for meaning. It is an exposition of the biblical book of Ecclesiastes. You would be amazed how relevant this ancient piece of wisdom literature is to contemporary thinking and living. Ecclesiastes addresses our need for the meaning of life in a rather comprehensive, coherent and compelling manner. I invite you to take the journey to explore with me what this book has to say to us. 
I hold a doctorate in Near Eastern Languages and Cultures from the University of California, Los Angeles. I have been teaching a course on Ecclesiastes for more than ten years. I offer this exposition to you as a fellow pilgrim in search of our reason for being. 
Peter Singer is one of the most popular thinkers/ethicists of our time. I found out that he taught some fantastic stuffs about humane treatment of animals, environmentalism and the poor; also some controversial and disturbing views on infanticide, euthanasia etc. So it was good to chat a bit with Gordon Preece and got his autograph on the book on "Rethinking Peter Singer" frm Canaanland.“Since neither a newborn human infant nor a fish is a person, the wrongness of killing such beings is not as great as the wrongness of killing a person.”Read on for the rest of the review
“…regarding a newborn infant as not having the same right to life as a person, the cultures that practiced infanticide were on solid ground.”
These are two of four quotes from philosopher Peter Singer that were featured in a quarter-page ad in the Australian newspaper during the 1996 federal election. The Australian Family Association took out the ad because Peter Singer was running as a Green Senate candidate. Fortunately for the unborn, the newborn, the elderly and many other “non-persons”, Singer received only a tiny fraction of the vote.
He now teaches at Princeton University, after a long career at Melbourne’s Monash University. He has written over twenty books, and is regarded as a leading contemporary philosopher and bioethicist. He is famous for his advocacy of animal liberation, as well as for his callous view of human life.
This new book, edited by an ethicist at Melbourne’s Ridley College, contains five important articles offering a critical assessment of Singer’s philosophy and writings.
After an incisive introduction, Preece offers a close look at the man and his work in chapter one. While recognising the relative consistency throughout his writings, he points out the well-known inconsistency of his regard for his mother has she wrestled with Alzheimer’s disease. He rightly notes that on the basis of Singer’s utilitarian and consequentialist outlook, he should have bumped off his own mother. But fortunately for his mother, “Singer is a better son and person than ethicist”.
KUALA LUMPUR: She was born with brittle bone disease, and doctors warned her parents she would not live long. But even as a baby, Carol Rasiah was a fighter.
Now 35 years old and confined to a wheelchair, she radiates joy for living and gutsy determination.
A part-time writer and small businesswoman, she says the most painful experience in her life was missing out on a formal education. There were not many schools for the disabled in her youth.
"Even when I had the opportunity to go to school, the teachers were afraid to deal with my physical condition," says Rasiah.
She has the rare bone disease osteogenesis imperfecta, a genetic disorder which causes weakened bones that fracture and break easily. In its more severe form it can prevent growth and lead to malformed bones and breathing difficulties.Rasiah earns a living running a small sweets shop, and she contributes articles on her perspective on life to international magazines. She’s a part-time volunteer with the Beautiful Gate Foundation for the Disabled in SS2, a training centre and residence. She dreams of taking computer and journalism classes.
Despite the many challenges she faces on a daily basis, pity is not a word in her lexicon.
"I don’t believe in sympathy. I believe the disabled and the able should live together as one community. I understand that sometimes able-bodied people feel uncomfortable, and also that not all disabled people can communicate well, but that can be changed," she said.
She was attending Petaling Jaya City Hall’s International Disabled Persons’ Day celebrations.
Do check out this episode of Ockham's Razor in which Author Larry Buttrose takes a critical look at postmodern theory which has enjoyed great popularity in Universities for a long time but is now in decline;
OUR prime minister, in closing the Umno General Assembly last week, said that leaders of a race who respect and honour the Federal Constitution must also be responsible enough to defend the rights of the non-Malays. He reminded his members that Barisan Nasional, the country’s coalition government, should make decisions based on what is best for the country and its people. Indeed, one accedes to our country’s premier a merit of consistency in calling for tolerance and respect for all ethnic groups alike. 
There are, however, solutions that can be sought. Basic ground rules should be set up and strictly adhered to. Statements that hint at compromising national unity in any way should be reprimanded. This should apply to all leaders in all public discussion, including parliamentary debates. Condemnatory insults of any race or religion should not be tolerated under any circumstance. In short, there should be conscious effort to move away from clamour and steadily towards rational dialogue. Interested ones can contact us at hedonese@yahoo.com or sooinn@graceatwork.org "This will be a big help. I am looking forward to this seminar because I truly believe preaching God's word is not just for a few 
Agora, OHMSI and CDPC are co-hosting the above Study of Nancy Pearcey's book called "Total Truth: Liberating Christianity from its Cultural Captivity" for anyone interested. Our target group is all those between 25-40 years of age; although technically there are no age limits. 1. It is a one year commitment, and the participant is responsible to get your own copy of the book. (contact Hedonese or Canaanland) Prior reading of the Chapter to be discussed is required and there must be a willingness to speak and participate at small group levels. Those who have not read the chapter cannot participate in the discussion. We cannot miss more than one session consecutively to remain in the study. Punctuality is critical, and all are advised to arrive 15 minutes before start time to fellowship. 
5. We will all endeavor to start our own similar study group elsewhere upon completion of this study. Also, at about the final sessions (Oct/Nov 07 
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