Held on a monthly basis since last November, the five one-day consultations addressed strategic global, church, family and workplace issues, the unifying theme being the dissolving barriers of the nation state, distance, communications, culture and values. Other topics included business ethics, corporate governance, education, theology, missiology, parenting, pastoral care, post-modernism and religious resurgence.

The purpose of these consultations was to enable Christian leaders to engage these issues at an intellectual and practical level. Despite the relevance of the subjects and the quality of the speakers, the consultations themselves received only low-key interest – most notably from pastors and seminarians.

This can be attributed to a number of factors. Among them appears to be a persistent belief that globalisation is for the academics and has little bearing on Christian ministry and spiritual life. The response is also typical of inadequate reflection and the common ailment of ‘busyness’ in modern ministry. In addition, a more extreme view holds that such efforts are not only unnecessary but undermine the church’s central mission of evangelism and discipleship.

The dangers of ignoring the changes sweeping society are twofold. On the one hand, there is growing disconnectedness between the secular and sacred; many churches are unable to establish a vivid and dynamic relevance of the gospel to modern society. On the other hand, there is the risk that the rush to contextualise the gospel and accommodate modernity leads to teachings and practices that are less than Scripturally faithful and consistent.

The Cross-Current consultations made it clear that globalisation’s impact on the life of the Malaysian Church is varied and comprehensive. The trends are not entirely negative –many are highly conducive to the spread of the Word – but there can be no doubt that many issues and tensions are ignored rather than addressed.

Growing disparities between the technological centres and the peripheries, and the lack of efficient and effective transfer mechanisms are resulting in many countries today being unable to feed and care for themselves, let alone prosper. The Church needs to be able not only to redeem its prophetic role and articulate the need for justice and righteousness, but also to translate Christ’s love and concern in tangible ways.

Christians are increasingly pictured as intolerant and pressured to adopt pluralistic values, while the same standards of behaviour do not apply to those of other faiths and persuasions. The Church needs to stand its ground in this period of shifting sand with firmness and understanding, recognising that a part of humanity has, throughout history, rejected and persecuted those who preach the unadulterated Word of God as the "power of God unto salvation."

It is clear that an integrative theology would lay the foundations for a more relevant, appealing and fulfilling spiritual life – a stark contrast to the ‘dumbing-down’ that is many times taken as a necessary precursor to accepting the gospel.

Borrowing from the secular world – particularly in matters such as strategic planning, marketing and modern management – has helped birth and nurture mega churches. The need to continually ensure that church growth and management are received as God-given means, and not taken as ends in themselves, is self-evident.

In these and a host of other critical issues, the Cross Current consultations allowed productive in-depth exchanges among our Research Commission members, experts and practitioners, and the Christian community. They helped bridge the growing chasm between the secular and the sacred.

It is our deepest prayer that God will open the eyes of Christians to the dangers of limited exposure and excessive mental compartmentalisation, to the need to adopt holistic and integrative worldviews, and to recognise the opportunity to shape agenda and practices in line with Kingdom principles. – Steven Wong (Research Commission Chairman)