At “Miracle-Seed Sunday” in Singapore’s
New Creation Church last month, the pastor’s sermon was preceded by
PowerPoint and video presentations, and donations were overseen by
auditors.
The Star Performing Arts Centre nears completion in Singapore. Photographer: Munshi Ahmed/Bloomberg
Members of New Creation Church worship during Sunday prayer service in Singapore. Photographer: Paula Bronstein/Getty Images
Traffic passes the Suntec International Convention & Exhibition Centre in Singapore. Photographer: Jonathan Drake/Bloomberg
Centuries after Catholics established missions in Asia,
Singaporeans are flocking to a new species of churches making appeals
more in common with “Material Girl” pop-singer Madonna than the Jesuits.
Wearing a white leather jacket and jeans, Senior Pastor Joseph Prince
asked God to reward a crowd of about 1,200 with houses, cars, jobs, pay
raises and holidays if they contributed to New Creation’s
multimillion-dollar funding drive.
Prince’s 24,000-strong flock
belongs to a flourishing breed of churches from Houston to Sydney
winning followers with a focus on personal well-being. As the rise of
so-called mega churches helps make Christians the fastest-growing
religious group in majority-Buddhist Singapore, their fundraising prowess is also making its mark, allowing groups including New Creation and City Harvest Church to invest in some of the island’s biggest commercial properties.
“Mega churches have been able to articulate Christianity in a very contemporary manner,” said Terence Chong,
a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies who has
researched such groups. “Being able to adopt the language of pop
culture, mass consumption -- we think this appeals to the new middle
class, people who are aspiring middle class.”
In a city state of
5.2 million people occupying a quarter of the area of Rhode Island, the
mega churches stand out with their gatherings of thousands,
near-celebrity leaders and outreach methods that range from magic shows
and concerts to musical worship backed by electric guitars. Continue at Bloomberg
No comments:
Post a Comment