The reflecting theologian

From the tribe of Issachar, there were 200 leaders of the tribe with their relatives. All these men understood the signs of the times and knew the best course for Israel to take. (1 Chronicles 12:32 NLT) Perhaps one of the least familiar tribes among the twelve tribes of Israel as listed in the Scripture, but when I first heard Thio Lee Ann talking about men of Issachar, I began to do some research into the men of Issachar. Naturally, the first place to look for information is the bible, or rather the search function of the online bible, and key in the term 'Issachar'. Lesser known than the tribe of Judah, Benjamin but the tribe of Issachar was the only tribe that I have found so far that was commended in the Scripture for understanding the signs of the times and knew the best course for Isarel to take. A bit of context in the verse quoted - this was the time when David was on the rise and many people were joining David's army by the tonnes. If one read strictly in context...

Sometime back I blogged about theology and right understanding. I was just thinking about another talk by Thio Lee Ann which I attended a few weeks back, where she addressed in the front portion of her talk on wisdom and understanding. Part of our generation's issue is that we shy away from deeper understanding of today's issues and ask for quick understanding and want to be spoonfed. A lot would rather have their pastors or leaders give them the answers instead of going out and find the answers themselves. What we do not realise is that the happenings around us are not occurring in isolations but have theological and spiritual implications. Yet when leaders and pastors in church begin to give the answers and not encourage a culture of seeking understanding and wisdom, we are effectively building a generation (in my opinion) of people who will be swayed to and fro by the wind. But we hear the complains: 'it is so chim, it's beyond my understanding...' The key is...

Lately, there was this assertion that was posted to me over email. The person involved, when I asked the person some questions regarding the situation he is going through, he replied that he chooses not to engage with me in theory and wanted practical actions. Let's be clear about this, I think I know where he is coming from. I myself am a doer wherever I go and it makes me feel empty when I don't get to do anything, especially in church. And what use of theory is there? Why engage in theory when one can just go into 'practical' action. And my answer is this: right serving has to be preceded by right thinking. I have talked about Christian maturity in my last post and closely linked is our underlying theology and thinking behind our services to God. Perhaps just take a look at one verse for now: Romans 12:1-2 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and pr...

Lately I have been thinking about the issue of Christian maturity. The trigger is more from recent events that happen within my own group and the church. Those are not negative events but they do cause me to think about the gauge by which we measure maturity in the church. One legacy behind the past thinking in Hope is that the more you serve, the more mature you will be. The logical fallacy is obvious. Serving more doesn't require a lot of understanding. To put it bluntly, all it takes is for one shepherd to intimidate his sheep and serving will happen. However, for very long time, I think a lot of people have come under the impression that the more we serve or the more we are seen serving, the more mature we are. If we serve at leadership, we would be the most matured and be considered 'untouchable'. Indeed, while the proposition that the more mature we are, the more we will want to serve, is true, our level of service does not necessarily reflect our maturity. It is tr...