Who Shall Lead?
The men of Issachar, one of the twelve tribes of Israel, had this commendation recorded in 2 Chron 12:32 - "who understood the times and knew what Israel should do."
That is what is expected of us Christians. We are to discern the times and to take the lead on issues that affect nation building.
At our recent BGM on May 22, Transparency International (Malaysia) President Datuk Paul Low gave a talk on corruption to the delegates comprising pastors and leaders.
In his conclusion on the topic "Nation Building Through Transformation - Eliminating Corruption", he held out some hope that the battle against corruption was inching forward.
He observed that the Prime Minister appeared committed to eradicating corruption through the several measures he had implemented, such as the Government Transformation Programme (GTP), National Key Results Areas (NKRA), the use of integrity pact in public procurement and the approval of the Whistleblower Protection Act in Parliament.
Fearing that corruption might become institutionalised as a way of life in Malaysia, he called for individual commitment to fight the scourge.
As individuals, there are many ways we can fight this battle (little though they may seem), such as refusing to bribe those in authority, standing for righteousness, voting for integrity and good governance, making the elected representatives more accountable and serving in organisations or advocacy groups that promote good governance.
All these will cumulate at a kairos time for the Church to take the lead into uncharted waters.
Otherwise, corrupt practices will become customary and acceptable and there will then descend a sense of hopelessness among the citizenry.
Is the Church doing enough in the war against corruption?
Even as the Government and the country are thick in the corruption battlefield, the Church herself has not been spared of internal accusations of financial misuse for personal gains.
The sensational Singapore government's investigation into the finances of the 33,000-member City Harvest Church has rocked churches on both sides of the causeway and laid bare the issue of financial transparency and accountability in churches.
Have the Malaysian churches done enough or are they doing enough to keep their accounts above reproach?
Opinions vary and depend on how much transparency each individual church wants to put in place.
Since most of our local churches are independently run, they have their own set of accountability measures determined by their leaders.
However, churches must find ways to promote more accountability and transparency to their members to allay any perception that invites doubt and the possibility of investigation.
After all, aren't we, the people of God, called to be the light of the world? How can we shine in this darkened nation when our own light is dimmed by disrepute?
This is why we must put our house in order and take initiatives to educate our pastors and leaders that we must be accountable for our actions and decisions.
As a national body, NECF Malaysia hopes to expand our resources with the assistance of Transparency International as well through theological education so that future leaders will become competent in this area to enable them to transform this nation through the local churches.
We will keep you updated on the events relating to this important issue and seek your support and prayer as we avail the resources for our churches. |
