Berita NECF Newletters

Claiming the high ground in the public sphere

Claiming the high ground in the public sphere

by Eugene Yapp

 

SOME recent events have created sparks of division within the Christian community. The opinion of one Steve Roads1 in a letter to a newspaper suggests that Christians ought not to mix politics with religion. At the same time, our young adult population, Christians included, seems more inclined towards activism compared to previous generations.After Bersih 3.0, there was a call circulating in Christian circles to boycott the local newspaper The Star for what was perceived as biased reporting.

Whatever your view, these episodes ultimately pose a critical question to the church at large and more specifically to individual Christians: What is the Christian's role in the public life of the nation?

The Christianity that many of us are accustomed to suggests a minimal role in public life and politics, much less active participation. But increasingly, many have become disillusioned with such a standpoint and are re-examining the conservatism embedded in present-day Malaysian Christianity. The call is for a more visionary ethic that impacts society and the nation. Such a call will no doubt cause discomfort to those who see prayer and evangelism as more important priorities than activism. Is this consistent with a Biblical worldview?

 

The 'high ground' of public truth

The late Bishop Lesslie Newbigin2 preached about the falsehood of dichotomous living. Christians, he said, have separated their faith into "me, my God and my family or career". The Gospel, for the most part, is centered upon saving the lost and cultivating vibrant spiritual fervor for the soul. It has very little to do with the physical welfare and well-being of society. Vocabulary such as "public space or the public square" has little significance to the ordinary Christian or even Christian leader seeking to be quietly faithful.

Newbigin challenged this sort of mindset when he said, "The church cannot accept as its role simply the winning of individuals to a kind of Christian discipleship which concerns only the private and domestic aspects of life. To be faithful to a message which concerns the kingdom of God, his rule over all things and all peoples, the church has to claim the high ground of public truth".

In the Synoptic Gospels, the word "gospel" is translated as "good-message". It speaks about the proclamation of God's saving activity in Jesus Christ as the foretold Messiah. The Gospel accounts demonstrate how and in what ways Jesus engaged with people, including the earthly rulers of His day. If we are to truly believe this complete Gospel of Jesus Christ as God's saving activity and answer to sin which corrupts everything good and beautiful in creation, what Newbigin said must surely pierce our souls. For the Kingdom of God must be done on earth as it is in heaven!

So what does it mean for Christians to claim the "high ground"? It is to represent the Kingdom of God in the life of society and the nation. This will mean making our voice heard at the very least, in arenas where public opinion and truth meet and are contested before it can be decided what is valid and worthy of belief. For others among us, it will mean participating in more involved ways through activism or political office.

Historically, the public space is the agora - Greek for a common or public space for assemblies, markets and meetings. It is here where differences met and crossed swords. The agora was needed in order for the polis, or city-state, to develop and function. In the agora, space was created for democratic negotiations on public life issues. When such exchanges concerning humanity and its shared existence can take place freely and in an orderly manner, then what is true and good for the common good is birthed, reinforced and re-articulated.

This means that the public space is not agnostic. Neither is it a given nor a prior; it has to be constructed. It is for people to establish through words and deeds and it is a statement of both intent and action about what being a person is, and what is good for one and one's community. In this respect, religion plays a major and contributing role.

 

Living the Gospel in the public sphere

One may ask, how can religion make a vital and purposeful impact upon the public space? For Christians, religion is more than a system of belief and doctrines. Neither is it solely about the confession of faith, about piety or the sacred.

Christianity pertains to life principles of faith as demonstrated and validated through the living out of daily life and in cultural ethics. We are informed about these principles through the narratives and stories of the Bible and the Christian Gospel. And so, believers make an impact when they, through their words and actions, live out the Christian conception of God's love, His goodness, righteousness and justice. These were incarnated in Christ whom Christians are called to imitate.

Newbigin asked a pertinent question: How is it possible that the Gospel should be credible, that people should believe that the power which has the last word on human affairs is represented by a man hanging on a cross? His answer was that "the only hermeneutic of the Gospel is a congregation of men and women who believe it and live by it". In other words, the Gospel is known by how believers live it.

What can we do to live the Gospel in the Malaysian public space? Within this context, Christians may wish to challenge:-

  • The religious hegemony buttressed by power for the supremacy of one faith and territorial expansion.
  • The hyper-individualism and commercialism that is premised upon a culture of consumption where lifestyles, mannerisms and morality increasingly de-personalise human beings.
  • Increasing state monopoly of the public space to manipulate and censor information so that only a certain point of view is accepted as truth.

 

These challenges require us to move beyond mere forms of activism and prayer to more strategic actions. We need a broad-based Christian social vision that not only critiques the world but becomes a catalyst for new possibilities in Christ. Christians must develop a public square vision that is eschatological, offering the hope of "cities of God" made real now and forever. This vision demands commitment and rigour to see things through. Newbigin issued this timely but sober task:

"If the Gospel is to challenge the public life of our society, if Christians are to occupy the 'high ground' which they vacated in the noontime of 'modernity', it will not be by forming a Christian political party or by aggressive propaganda campaign...

"It will only be by movement that begins with the local congregation in which the reality of the new creation is present, known and experienced and from which men and women will go into every sector of public life to claim it for Christ, to unmask the illusion which has remained hidden and [to] expose all areas of public life to the illumination of the Gospel.

"But that will only happen as and when local congregations renounce an introverted concern for their own life and recognise they exist for the sake of those who are not members, as a sign, instrument and foretaste of God's redeeming grace for the whole of society."

 


1 Churches misusing the pulpit, The Star, 25 April 2012
2 Newbigin, Lesslie. The Gospel in a Pluralist Society. Grand Rapids, MI., Eerdmans, 1989



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