Research question: Is it ethical to teach clinical students clinical paediatrics online when the ... more Research question: Is it ethical to teach clinical students clinical paediatrics online when the students have no access to real patients in the wards?
Presented to the Asia Pacific Bioethics Education Network Conference APBEN 2021in Australia (Virtual)
Digital books, or ebooks, should have notably transformed our communicative landscape, particular... more Digital books, or ebooks, should have notably transformed our communicative landscape, particularly in relation to reading habits, information accessibility, and knowledge dissemination. However, the ebook revolution seems to failed to deliver on some of its promised. Here are some pivotal aspects of this evolution:
The COVID-19 pandemic which is caused by SARS-CoV-2, a single strand of RNA cause a worldwide uph... more The COVID-19 pandemic which is caused by SARS-CoV-2, a single strand of RNA cause a worldwide upheaval. It literally causes society to lockdown, confined billions to their homes. Churches worldwide are closed, with the cancellation of most church activities in church buildings. Overnight, it forced the church to move online utilizing numerous platforms and social media. Some churches are doing well in this, others not so. Now, as the pandemic begins to settle, there are indications that the authorities will be slowly easing restrictions for churches to meet physically. While restrictions are eased, there still are many requirements that are instituted for the prevention of COVID-19 infection and reinfection. In general, church gatherings are limited to 30 persons or less at one time, meetings not more than one and a half hours, and should have 2 hours between meetings to allowing cleaning. Congregants seated distancing at least 1-2 meters from each other and should wear face masks. Temperature monitoring and personal contact information will be taken on entering the hall. People traffic is directed to move in one direction so that there will be no mixing. People are to go leave church premises immediately after the services. Children under 15 years old and seniors more than 60 years old will not be allowed to attend the physical service. It is not known how long these restrictions will be implemented as there is no way of predicting how long the pandemic will last.
Guidance for Churches in the Coronavirus Era
The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted al... more Guidance for Churches in the Coronavirus Era
The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted all of society including the church. Uncertainty about the future, economic hardship and a sense of loss has affected many members of the church. As we grapple with this crisis it is important to ask relevant questions about the future and look at this pandemic from a spiritual perspective.
While the COVID-19 pandemic poses a great challenge it also offers us a vital opportunity to reflect deeply on our lives, the church, our community and the direction we have been heading. We have an opportunity to let go of what distracts us from Christ and deepen and broaden our individual relationship with Him. It also allows for the transformation of the church by God. The church is the people, the body of Christ and not a physical building. Few of us are able to recognise that many of our current church systems and structures are traditions grown over years. What started as good ideas and a response to needs, became traditions and later fixed structures. We should be careful not to become dependent on our church systems but rather on the living God. This crisis allows for us to refocus on the needs of the people and a reformation of the church and ministry environments.
With this in view a number of us have attempted to spiritually discern what God is saying and have put together a document that tries to offer practical guidance for the church and individuals on how to move forward and support their congregation and community. At the same time it explores ideas on how the body of Christ can move from being ‘recipients’ to active followers of Jesus. Personal spiritual formation and ideas on church transformation are considered with a view to produce a vibrant and meaningful body of Christ, one that is immersed in the community.
The document covers many areas including: • The expected immediate future with the COVID-19 pandemic. • Changing ministry environments and the response of the church. • Establishing an effective digital church. • Adjusting physical services to make them safer to attend. • Key prevention safety measures to implement. • Restructuring the church office environment. • Supporting the congregation to grow spiritually as individuals. • Supporting our pastors, church workers, their families and smaller churches. • Supporting rural, indigenous church communities and the poor. • Checklists are offered for specific areas to aid planning.
The document is available for download from either of these two sites: https://bit.ly/2KXUSKz
The COVID-19 pandemic will probably be with us for the next 1-2 years and we must guard from slipping back to ‘business as usual’ once the threat is passed. It offers the church of our time to have a ‘great awakening’ - a time to live church rather than ‘go to church’. A time to discover God, not just our Saviour and Father, but also as Friend and Beloved, awaits us.
Authors Dato’ Dr Amar-Singh HSS Datin Dr Swee-Im Lim Matthew Ling Ung-Hiing Low Chai-Hok Dr Alex Tang Tuck-Hon David Bok
This digital transformation, while opening doors to a wealth of information and resources, also b... more This digital transformation, while opening doors to a wealth of information and resources, also brings with it a host of challenges that can profoundly impact family dynamics and child development. As we explore the intricacies of parenting in the digital age, we aim to shed light on the critical issues and provide valuable insights for young parents charting their course through this uncharted terrain.
What is the metaverse and how will it influence Christians? This paper also focuses on how the me... more What is the metaverse and how will it influence Christians? This paper also focuses on how the metaverse will affect people with disability
Church needs credible, competent, confident and spiritually mature pastors to lead it in these ex... more Church needs credible, competent, confident and spiritually mature pastors to lead it in these exciting and challenging times. The traditional content-oriented MDiv curriculum with its dominant instructional-schooling pedagogical approach has been shown not effective in producing graduates who demonstrate these qualities. This article advocates Problem-based learning (PBL), with its track record in medical education, as the pedagogical approach which will better develop such qualities. The development of PBL is described, areas where changed thinking will be needed are highlighted, and suggestions are given for Asian seminaries to implement the PBL model.
Review: Reading Romans with Eastern Eyes: Honor and shame in Paul’s message and mission by Jackso... more Review: Reading Romans with Eastern Eyes: Honor and shame in Paul’s message and mission by Jackson Wu. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic Press, 2019
Eastern culture is a high context culture. What this usually means is that Eastern culture is very relational and communal, often described by the honor-shame framework. Within this framework, people in the East interacts with one another through the context of ‘face’ which is reciprocal and debt relationships within a power structure of hierarchy, loyalty, sacrifice, ascribed and achieved honor, and shame. This is often contrasted to the Western guilt-innocence framework. Jackson Wu (not his real name), a Westerner who have lived two decades in East Asia, examined Paul’s message and mission in Romans through the Eastern honor-shame framework. Jackson seek to find “[h]ow did Paul’s theology serve the purpose of his mission within an honor-shame context?”(p.3).
The COVID-19 pandemic which is caused by SARS-CoV-2, a single strand of RNA cause a worldwide uph... more The COVID-19 pandemic which is caused by SARS-CoV-2, a single strand of RNA cause a worldwide upheaval. It literally causes society to lockdown, confined billions to their homes. Churches worldwide are closed, with the cancellation of most church activities in church buildings. Overnight, it forced the church to move online utilizing numerous platforms and social media. Some churches are doing well in this, others not so. Now, as the pandemic begins to settle, there are indications that the authorities will be slowly easing restrictions for churches to meet physically. While restrictions are eased, there still are many requirements that are instituted for the prevention of COVID-19 infection and reinfection. In general, church gatherings are limited to 30 persons or less at one time, meetings not more than one and a half hours, and should have 2 hours between meetings to allowing cleaning. Congregants seated distancing at least 1-2 meters from each other and should wear face masks. Temperature monitoring and personal contact information will be taken on entering the hall. People traffic is directed to move in one direction so that there will be no mixing. People are to go leave church premises immediately after the services. Children under 15 years old and seniors more than 60 years old will not be allowed to attend the physical service. It is not known how long these restrictions will be implemented as there is no way of predicting how long the pandemic will last.
We cannot decide the date and time we are born nor the date and time we die. The suicide and euth... more We cannot decide the date and time we are born nor the date and time we die. The suicide and euthanasia argument centers around the patient's decision in determining the time he or she chooses to die. Janet Adkins was fifty-four years old when she was diagnosed with early stages of Alzheimer's disease. When informed about the course of the disease, she decided she did not want to live out the years in this progressive, deteriorating condition. She decided to kill herself but she wanted her death to be painless and dignified. She sought the help of Dr. Jack
Research question: Is it ethical to teach clinical students clinical paediatrics online when the ... more Research question: Is it ethical to teach clinical students clinical paediatrics online when the students have no access to real patients in the wards?
Presented to the Asia Pacific Bioethics Education Network Conference APBEN 2021in Australia (Virtual)
Digital books, or ebooks, should have notably transformed our communicative landscape, particular... more Digital books, or ebooks, should have notably transformed our communicative landscape, particularly in relation to reading habits, information accessibility, and knowledge dissemination. However, the ebook revolution seems to failed to deliver on some of its promised. Here are some pivotal aspects of this evolution:
The COVID-19 pandemic which is caused by SARS-CoV-2, a single strand of RNA cause a worldwide uph... more The COVID-19 pandemic which is caused by SARS-CoV-2, a single strand of RNA cause a worldwide upheaval. It literally causes society to lockdown, confined billions to their homes. Churches worldwide are closed, with the cancellation of most church activities in church buildings. Overnight, it forced the church to move online utilizing numerous platforms and social media. Some churches are doing well in this, others not so. Now, as the pandemic begins to settle, there are indications that the authorities will be slowly easing restrictions for churches to meet physically. While restrictions are eased, there still are many requirements that are instituted for the prevention of COVID-19 infection and reinfection. In general, church gatherings are limited to 30 persons or less at one time, meetings not more than one and a half hours, and should have 2 hours between meetings to allowing cleaning. Congregants seated distancing at least 1-2 meters from each other and should wear face masks. Temperature monitoring and personal contact information will be taken on entering the hall. People traffic is directed to move in one direction so that there will be no mixing. People are to go leave church premises immediately after the services. Children under 15 years old and seniors more than 60 years old will not be allowed to attend the physical service. It is not known how long these restrictions will be implemented as there is no way of predicting how long the pandemic will last.
Guidance for Churches in the Coronavirus Era
The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted al... more Guidance for Churches in the Coronavirus Era
The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted all of society including the church. Uncertainty about the future, economic hardship and a sense of loss has affected many members of the church. As we grapple with this crisis it is important to ask relevant questions about the future and look at this pandemic from a spiritual perspective.
While the COVID-19 pandemic poses a great challenge it also offers us a vital opportunity to reflect deeply on our lives, the church, our community and the direction we have been heading. We have an opportunity to let go of what distracts us from Christ and deepen and broaden our individual relationship with Him. It also allows for the transformation of the church by God. The church is the people, the body of Christ and not a physical building. Few of us are able to recognise that many of our current church systems and structures are traditions grown over years. What started as good ideas and a response to needs, became traditions and later fixed structures. We should be careful not to become dependent on our church systems but rather on the living God. This crisis allows for us to refocus on the needs of the people and a reformation of the church and ministry environments.
With this in view a number of us have attempted to spiritually discern what God is saying and have put together a document that tries to offer practical guidance for the church and individuals on how to move forward and support their congregation and community. At the same time it explores ideas on how the body of Christ can move from being ‘recipients’ to active followers of Jesus. Personal spiritual formation and ideas on church transformation are considered with a view to produce a vibrant and meaningful body of Christ, one that is immersed in the community.
The document covers many areas including: • The expected immediate future with the COVID-19 pandemic. • Changing ministry environments and the response of the church. • Establishing an effective digital church. • Adjusting physical services to make them safer to attend. • Key prevention safety measures to implement. • Restructuring the church office environment. • Supporting the congregation to grow spiritually as individuals. • Supporting our pastors, church workers, their families and smaller churches. • Supporting rural, indigenous church communities and the poor. • Checklists are offered for specific areas to aid planning.
The document is available for download from either of these two sites: https://bit.ly/2KXUSKz
The COVID-19 pandemic will probably be with us for the next 1-2 years and we must guard from slipping back to ‘business as usual’ once the threat is passed. It offers the church of our time to have a ‘great awakening’ - a time to live church rather than ‘go to church’. A time to discover God, not just our Saviour and Father, but also as Friend and Beloved, awaits us.
Authors Dato’ Dr Amar-Singh HSS Datin Dr Swee-Im Lim Matthew Ling Ung-Hiing Low Chai-Hok Dr Alex Tang Tuck-Hon David Bok
This digital transformation, while opening doors to a wealth of information and resources, also b... more This digital transformation, while opening doors to a wealth of information and resources, also brings with it a host of challenges that can profoundly impact family dynamics and child development. As we explore the intricacies of parenting in the digital age, we aim to shed light on the critical issues and provide valuable insights for young parents charting their course through this uncharted terrain.
What is the metaverse and how will it influence Christians? This paper also focuses on how the me... more What is the metaverse and how will it influence Christians? This paper also focuses on how the metaverse will affect people with disability
Church needs credible, competent, confident and spiritually mature pastors to lead it in these ex... more Church needs credible, competent, confident and spiritually mature pastors to lead it in these exciting and challenging times. The traditional content-oriented MDiv curriculum with its dominant instructional-schooling pedagogical approach has been shown not effective in producing graduates who demonstrate these qualities. This article advocates Problem-based learning (PBL), with its track record in medical education, as the pedagogical approach which will better develop such qualities. The development of PBL is described, areas where changed thinking will be needed are highlighted, and suggestions are given for Asian seminaries to implement the PBL model.
Review: Reading Romans with Eastern Eyes: Honor and shame in Paul’s message and mission by Jackso... more Review: Reading Romans with Eastern Eyes: Honor and shame in Paul’s message and mission by Jackson Wu. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic Press, 2019
Eastern culture is a high context culture. What this usually means is that Eastern culture is very relational and communal, often described by the honor-shame framework. Within this framework, people in the East interacts with one another through the context of ‘face’ which is reciprocal and debt relationships within a power structure of hierarchy, loyalty, sacrifice, ascribed and achieved honor, and shame. This is often contrasted to the Western guilt-innocence framework. Jackson Wu (not his real name), a Westerner who have lived two decades in East Asia, examined Paul’s message and mission in Romans through the Eastern honor-shame framework. Jackson seek to find “[h]ow did Paul’s theology serve the purpose of his mission within an honor-shame context?”(p.3).
The COVID-19 pandemic which is caused by SARS-CoV-2, a single strand of RNA cause a worldwide uph... more The COVID-19 pandemic which is caused by SARS-CoV-2, a single strand of RNA cause a worldwide upheaval. It literally causes society to lockdown, confined billions to their homes. Churches worldwide are closed, with the cancellation of most church activities in church buildings. Overnight, it forced the church to move online utilizing numerous platforms and social media. Some churches are doing well in this, others not so. Now, as the pandemic begins to settle, there are indications that the authorities will be slowly easing restrictions for churches to meet physically. While restrictions are eased, there still are many requirements that are instituted for the prevention of COVID-19 infection and reinfection. In general, church gatherings are limited to 30 persons or less at one time, meetings not more than one and a half hours, and should have 2 hours between meetings to allowing cleaning. Congregants seated distancing at least 1-2 meters from each other and should wear face masks. Temperature monitoring and personal contact information will be taken on entering the hall. People traffic is directed to move in one direction so that there will be no mixing. People are to go leave church premises immediately after the services. Children under 15 years old and seniors more than 60 years old will not be allowed to attend the physical service. It is not known how long these restrictions will be implemented as there is no way of predicting how long the pandemic will last.
We cannot decide the date and time we are born nor the date and time we die. The suicide and euth... more We cannot decide the date and time we are born nor the date and time we die. The suicide and euthanasia argument centers around the patient's decision in determining the time he or she chooses to die. Janet Adkins was fifty-four years old when she was diagnosed with early stages of Alzheimer's disease. When informed about the course of the disease, she decided she did not want to live out the years in this progressive, deteriorating condition. She decided to kill herself but she wanted her death to be painless and dignified. She sought the help of Dr. Jack
Medical utopias are often about good health, absence of suffering, and even delaying of the aging... more Medical utopias are often about good health, absence of suffering, and even delaying of the aging process. The last two decades have seen a tremendous increase in emerging medical technologies to achieve these utopias. The completion of the sequencing of the human genome sets the stage for the next step of genetic and molecular advances. The increase in computing power, storage capacity, connectivity, and the Internet has opened avenues of new diagnostic and therapeutic modalities. The perfecting of sustaining cell growth in vitro and cell nucleus transfer has opened the way to cloning, stem cell harvesting, and a new field of regenerative medicine. However, these emerging technologies bring with them a large number of bioethical concerns that need to be addressed. These concerns involving tissue engineering, bioelectronics, new genetics, cloning, gene therapy, germ-line genome modifications are only the tip of the iceberg. In this paper I will reflect on three areas of concern. Firstly, the emergence of the digital patient will be considered. This digital patient will be deeply formed and informed by health information technology (IT), the social media, and issues involving privacy, confidentiality and data security. Secondly, the direct to customers (DTC) genetic screening tests will be discussed. The ethical issue of buccal swabs taken at home and be tested for genetic diseases and future prediction of other illnesses which is marketed directly to the consumers will be examined. Finally, the development of new pharmaco-therapeutics will be explored. There have been changes in the way new drugs are tested and these changes do raise some ethical concerns. The examination of these ethical issues will be done within a biblical and theological framework.
Spiritual formation as practised in contemporary Christian faith community may be considered by s... more Spiritual formation as practised in contemporary Christian faith community may be considered by some people a form of “behavioural modification.” This article will argue against this oversimplification by examining the phenomenology of spiritual formation. The phenomenology of Christian spiritual formation is a process of becoming. This article will reviews the past and contemporary literature on the process of Christian spiritual formation and then offers an integrated theory of the ‘process of becoming’.
Discernment is a critical component in the process of spiritual direction. Spiritual direction is... more Discernment is a critical component in the process of spiritual direction. Spiritual direction is the process in which a spiritual director aids the spiritual directee to discern which of the multiple choices or numerous pathways is the best for the directee. This discernment is an ontological act of knowing. The directee uses various resources to help in his or her discernment. What will be the context in which will help the seeker to receive discernment. It is the purpose of this paper to present that discernment is an ontological act of convictional knowing. Using Shults and Sandage's intensification of spiritual transformation as the framework and context, with Loder's convictional learning model, and Dallas Willard's dimensions of human nature, discernment will be reframed as an ontological act of knowing in spiritual direction. The context of this paper is in the Judeo-Christian tradition.
The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into various sectors has sparked a broad spectrum... more The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into various sectors has sparked a broad spectrum of reactions, and the church is no exception. The apprehension and acceptance of AI within religious communities stem from a complex interplay of ethical, theological, and practical considerations. Understanding why many churches are fearful of AI while others do not require a nuanced exploration of these factors.
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Presented to the Asia Pacific Bioethics Education Network Conference APBEN 2021in Australia (Virtual)
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The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted all of society including the church. Uncertainty about the future, economic hardship and a sense of loss has affected many members of the church. As we grapple with this crisis it is important to ask relevant questions about the future and look at this pandemic from a spiritual perspective.
While the COVID-19 pandemic poses a great challenge it also offers us a vital opportunity to reflect deeply on our lives, the church, our community and the direction we have been heading. We have an opportunity to let go of what distracts us from Christ and deepen and broaden our individual relationship with Him. It also allows for the transformation of the church by God. The church is the people, the body of Christ and not a physical building. Few of us are able to recognise that many of our current church systems and structures are traditions grown over years. What started as good ideas and a response to needs, became traditions and later fixed structures. We should be careful not to become dependent on our church systems but rather on the living God. This crisis allows for us to refocus on the needs of the people and a reformation of the church and ministry environments.
With this in view a number of us have attempted to spiritually discern what God is saying and have put together a document that tries to offer practical guidance for the church and individuals on how to move forward and support their congregation and community. At the same time it explores ideas on how the body of Christ can move from being ‘recipients’ to active followers of Jesus. Personal spiritual formation and ideas on church transformation are considered with a view to produce a vibrant and meaningful body of Christ, one that is immersed in the community.
The document covers many areas including:
• The expected immediate future with the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Changing ministry environments and the response of the church.
• Establishing an effective digital church.
• Adjusting physical services to make them safer to attend.
• Key prevention safety measures to implement.
• Restructuring the church office environment.
• Supporting the congregation to grow spiritually as individuals.
• Supporting our pastors, church workers, their families and smaller churches.
• Supporting rural, indigenous church communities and the poor.
• Checklists are offered for specific areas to aid planning.
The document is available for download from either of these two sites:
https://bit.ly/2KXUSKz
The COVID-19 pandemic will probably be with us for the next 1-2 years and we must guard from slipping back to ‘business as usual’ once the threat is passed. It offers the church of our time to have a ‘great awakening’ - a time to live church rather than ‘go to church’. A time to discover God, not just our Saviour and Father, but also as Friend and Beloved, awaits us.
Authors
Dato’ Dr Amar-Singh HSS
Datin Dr Swee-Im Lim
Matthew Ling Ung-Hiing
Low Chai-Hok
Dr Alex Tang Tuck-Hon
David Bok
Papers by Alex Tang
Eastern culture is a high context culture. What this usually means is that Eastern culture is very relational and communal, often described by the honor-shame framework. Within this framework, people in the East interacts with one another through the context of ‘face’ which is reciprocal and debt relationships within a power structure of hierarchy, loyalty, sacrifice, ascribed and achieved honor, and shame. This is often contrasted to the Western guilt-innocence framework. Jackson Wu (not his real name), a Westerner who have lived two decades in East Asia, examined Paul’s message and mission in Romans through the Eastern honor-shame framework. Jackson seek to find “[h]ow did Paul’s theology serve the purpose of his mission within an honor-shame context?”(p.3).
Presented to the Asia Pacific Bioethics Education Network Conference APBEN 2021in Australia (Virtual)
The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted all of society including the church. Uncertainty about the future, economic hardship and a sense of loss has affected many members of the church. As we grapple with this crisis it is important to ask relevant questions about the future and look at this pandemic from a spiritual perspective.
While the COVID-19 pandemic poses a great challenge it also offers us a vital opportunity to reflect deeply on our lives, the church, our community and the direction we have been heading. We have an opportunity to let go of what distracts us from Christ and deepen and broaden our individual relationship with Him. It also allows for the transformation of the church by God. The church is the people, the body of Christ and not a physical building. Few of us are able to recognise that many of our current church systems and structures are traditions grown over years. What started as good ideas and a response to needs, became traditions and later fixed structures. We should be careful not to become dependent on our church systems but rather on the living God. This crisis allows for us to refocus on the needs of the people and a reformation of the church and ministry environments.
With this in view a number of us have attempted to spiritually discern what God is saying and have put together a document that tries to offer practical guidance for the church and individuals on how to move forward and support their congregation and community. At the same time it explores ideas on how the body of Christ can move from being ‘recipients’ to active followers of Jesus. Personal spiritual formation and ideas on church transformation are considered with a view to produce a vibrant and meaningful body of Christ, one that is immersed in the community.
The document covers many areas including:
• The expected immediate future with the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Changing ministry environments and the response of the church.
• Establishing an effective digital church.
• Adjusting physical services to make them safer to attend.
• Key prevention safety measures to implement.
• Restructuring the church office environment.
• Supporting the congregation to grow spiritually as individuals.
• Supporting our pastors, church workers, their families and smaller churches.
• Supporting rural, indigenous church communities and the poor.
• Checklists are offered for specific areas to aid planning.
The document is available for download from either of these two sites:
https://bit.ly/2KXUSKz
The COVID-19 pandemic will probably be with us for the next 1-2 years and we must guard from slipping back to ‘business as usual’ once the threat is passed. It offers the church of our time to have a ‘great awakening’ - a time to live church rather than ‘go to church’. A time to discover God, not just our Saviour and Father, but also as Friend and Beloved, awaits us.
Authors
Dato’ Dr Amar-Singh HSS
Datin Dr Swee-Im Lim
Matthew Ling Ung-Hiing
Low Chai-Hok
Dr Alex Tang Tuck-Hon
David Bok
Eastern culture is a high context culture. What this usually means is that Eastern culture is very relational and communal, often described by the honor-shame framework. Within this framework, people in the East interacts with one another through the context of ‘face’ which is reciprocal and debt relationships within a power structure of hierarchy, loyalty, sacrifice, ascribed and achieved honor, and shame. This is often contrasted to the Western guilt-innocence framework. Jackson Wu (not his real name), a Westerner who have lived two decades in East Asia, examined Paul’s message and mission in Romans through the Eastern honor-shame framework. Jackson seek to find “[h]ow did Paul’s theology serve the purpose of his mission within an honor-shame context?”(p.3).