National Council of Churches of Singapore

Last updated

National Council of Churches of Singapore
LeaderRt. Rev. Lu Guan Hoe
Region Singapore
Official website http://nccs.org.sg/

The National Council of Churches of Singapore (NCCS) is an ecumenical fellowship of Churches and Christian organisations in Singapore. It represents over 250 churches in Singapore. [1]

Contents

The Council has been noted to be "socially conservative and theologically evangelical", embracing denominational and liturgical diversity. This has led several independent churches to seek membership in the council. [2]

In recent years, it has also taken a more active stance, [2] issuing statements on issues that the Council feels are of grave concern. These include the Pink Dot Movement and the new online gambling laws. [1] [3]

History

In 1947, the Malayan Christian Council was officially inaugurated on 9 January 1948. The council was to oversee the Churches and Christian organisations of the federation of the British Crown Colonies of Singapore, North Borneo, and Sarawak. In 1967, the Malayan Christian Council was renamed the Council of Churches of Malaysia and Singapore.

In 1973, years after the expulsion of Singapore from Malaysia, due to administrative and sovereignty issues, the Council decided to split into separate Councils of Churches for each nation, the Council of Churches of Malaysia and the National Council of Churches of Singapore. [4] [5] The NCCS was then constituted on 24 July 1974. [6] Reverend T.C. Nga became the first President of the NCSS. [7]

Presidents

YearsNameRef
1975T.C. Nga [7]
John Chew
Robert Solomon
2012–2014 Terry Kee
2014–2016 Wee Boon Hup
2016–2018 Rennis Ponniah
2018–2020 Terry Kee [8]
2020–2021 Keith Lai [8]
2021-2023 Titus Chung
2023-2025 Lu Guan Hoe

Incidents

Performances

In 2012, Lady Gaga performed in Singapore as part of her Born This Way Ball concert tour. [9] [10] [11] NCCS voiced concerns over the profanity and blasphemous content of her concert. [12]

In May 2013, NCCS said it was looking into a complaint about Adam Lambert performing at The Star Performing Arts Centre, a commercial entity fully owned by Rock Productions, the business arm of New Creation Church. Lim K. Tham, general secretary of the council said it had received a complaint that "the gay lifestyle may be promoted at the concert" and that "The NCCS has conveyed this concern to New Creation so that it can make a response." [13]

In a statement, the church said that according to stipulations from the authorities before the tender was awarded to Rock Productions, the venue had to operate "on a purely commercial basis and will not implement any leasing or pricing policies that will discriminate between religious groups, institutions or organisations from hiring the venue". The church said all public events require a public entertainment licence from the police, and it had "utmost confidence" in the policies and ability of government bodies such as the Media Development Authority to "protect the interest of the general public". The statement added that any event at the performing arts centre "should not be misconstrued or misunderstood" as the church "approving of its artistic presentation or endorsing the lifestyle of the performer". [13]

In 2016, Madonna performed in Singapore as part of her Rebel Heart Tour. [14] The performance was given a R18 rating in Singapore and had been altered for the Singapore audience with certain songs removed. [15] NCCS had also voiced their concerns about the concert since December 2015. [15]

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References

  1. 1 2 Zaccheus, Melody (5 October 2016). "National Council of Churches Singapore calls for decision to allow online betting to be reviewed". The Straits Times. Singapore. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
  2. 1 2 Harvey, Thomas (October 2009). "Ecumenical Engagement Resurrected: The Demise and Rebirth of the National Council of Churches, Singapore". Transformation. 26 (4): 258–268. doi:10.1177/0265378809342503. JSTOR   43052783.
  3. ↑ Chan, Robin (26 June 2014). "Gay lifestyle against Bible, says Council of Churches". The Straits Times. Singapore. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
  4. ↑ "UNANIMOUS VOTE FOR A SPLIT OF THE COUNCIL OF CHURCHES". The Straits Times . 17 January 1973. p. 3.
  5. ↑ "Separate church councils for S'pore, Malaysia in 6 months". The Straits Times . 25 January 1973. p. 24.
  6. ↑ "National Council of Churches Singapore History". National Council of Churches Singapore.
  7. 1 2 "Nga is first president of NCC of Singapore". The Straits Times . 2 February 1975. p. 6.
  8. 1 2 "Rev Keith Lai takes over from Bishop Terry Kee as president of NCCS". Salt&Light. 9 July 2020. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  9. ↑ Waddell, Ray (8 February 2012). "Lady Gaga Announces 'Born This Way Ball' Tour". Billboard . Archived from the original on 18 March 2013. Retrieved 9 February 2012.
  10. ↑ Soh, Elizabeth. "A (Born this Way) Ball of a Time with Lady Gaga". Yahoo!. Archived from the original on 28 March 2013. Retrieved 2 June 2012.
  11. ↑ "Lady Gaga Announces Third and Final Show In Singapore". MTV Southeast Asia (MTV Networks Asia Pacific). 30 March 2012. Archived from the original on 24 May 2014. Retrieved 8 April 2012.
  12. ↑ "More churches express concern over Madonna show". TODAY. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
  13. 1 2 Wong, Tessa (6 March 2013). "Church feels the heat over gay singer's gig". The Straits Times. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  14. ↑ Frater, Patrick (7 January 2016). "Madonna Concert Given Adults Only Rating in Singapore". Variety . Archived from the original on 7 January 2016. Retrieved 7 January 2016.
  15. 1 2 Auto, Hermes (23 February 2016). "Church tells Catholics planning to see Madonna to 'act according to their informed conscience' | The Straits Times". www.straitstimes.com. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
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