Influence of Globalisation on Spiritual Formation

The Influence of Globalisation on Christian Spiritual Formation in Churches in Malaysia and Singapore

The technological advances in telecommunication and the Internet have shrunk the world into a global village. Malaysia and Singapore are actively involved in the globalisation process and its subset glocalisation. While there is no agreed definition of globalisation, it is often understood to have the following characteristics: increasing speed in communication, the interconnected world become smaller, the blurring of national borders, reciprocity, manageable risk, and presence of trust. The purpose of this article is to evaluate the influence of globalisation on Christian spiritual formation in the churches in Malaysia and Singapore, and suggest some possible measures for these churches to enhance the positive effects while limiting the negative ones.

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more of my articles on Glocalisation and Spiritual Formation

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Global & American Christianity the Same?

from Christianity Today.com. Worth reading this interview

Does Global Christianity Equal American Christianity? Historian Mark Noll talks about how U.S. missionaries have—and have not—shaped the faith in other nations. Interview by David Neff

The New Calvinism in TIME magazine

Calvinism's back and is listed as number 3 in Time Magazine March 23 2009's 10 ideas changing the world right now.

Illustration by Lorenzo Petrantoni for TIME; Calvin: Popperfoto / Getty

If you really want to follow the development of conservative Christianity, track its musical hits. In the early 1900s you might have heard "The Old Rugged Cross," a celebration of the atonement. By the 1980s you could have shared the Jesus-is-my-buddy intimacy of "Shine, Jesus, Shine." And today, more and more top songs feature a God who is very big, while we are...well, hark the David Crowder Band: "I am full of earth/ You are heaven's worth/ I am stained with dirt/ Prone to depravity."

Calvinism is back, and not just musically. John Calvin's 16th century reply to medieval Catholicism's buy-your-way-out-of-purgatory excesses is Evangelicalism's latest success story, complete with an utterly sovereign and micromanaging deity, sinful and puny humanity, and the combination's logical consequence, predestination: the belief that before time's dawn, God decided whom he would save (or not), unaffected by any subsequent human action or decision.

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Theological Forum at Singapore Bible College

The School of Theology (English) of the Singapore Bible College is celebrating their 50th anniversary. One of their projects is to hold a Theological Forum. I hope this will become an annual affair for them.

Dr Harold Netland is Professor of Philosophy and Intercultural Studies and the Naomi A. Fausch of Missions at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.

The lecture tonight is on "Globalization, Cultures and Religions." He is a friendly and I engaged him in a conversation. I also got him to autograph two of his books for my library (see below).

I am especially keen to know his thoughts about the effect of globalization on spiritual formation or discipleship. Tonight's lecture laid the groundwork. I hope he gets into the nitty gritty tomorrow.