Interviewer’s note: This is the first interview of our brand new series, Interviews with CERC’s First-Generation Christians. The oral interview was transcribed and edited for brevity. Still, there was enough content for 2 articles! Enjoy Part 1, with Part 2 to come in the next issue, God willing.
How did you become a Christian?
It all started when I was in Primary school. Then, most families prayed to ancestors and wanted to have their children blessed. Sometimes, they would dedicate their children to their favourite deities. My relative brought me to Waterloo Street temple. She would pray and use divination sticks (Figure 1) that would be shaken out of a container and she would pick one of them and interpret the text on it. When a decision was to be made on a weighty matter, she would shake 2 moon blocks (Figure 2) to ask for confirmation. During my Primary 3 to 5 years, I was especially fervent. If I was sick, that relative would say that I was not faithful enough, and he/she would burn charm paper, and put its ashes into water for me to drink. Despite my feelings of unease, I would still drink it.
Figure 1 Divination Sticks (Kau Chim, n.d.)
Figure 2 Moon blocks used for divination, also known as Jiaobei (Ying Yang Spiritual Prophecy Divination Jiaobei Fortune Crescent Moon Blocks 筊杯S, n.d.)
As I failed the Primary 6 examination, I was sent for tuition. My tuition teacher was a Christian, and after class, she would share with me about Christ and teach that praying to idols is wrong. She brought me to attend Bethesda Church in Bras Basah.
At that time, I went to Anglo-Chinese School and attended chapel. My extra-curricular activity was Boys Brigade. Consequently, my bible knowledge became stronger and my faith grew. Sunday School was also compulsory. I believed after reading the book of Revelation about the apostle John in the island of Patmos, and I had a strong belief in Christ as Saviour.
Did you face opposition?
A few years later, I wanted to be baptised. However, my mother was concerned about whether becoming a Christian would mean that I would no longer pray to my late father. When I confirmed her fears, she punished me with kneeling in front of the altar with no lunch for a day. In the evening, she smashed the photo frame on the floor and burned my father’s photo, saying that there was no use having a photo since I would not be praying to it. As we stayed in a slum house then, passers-by could hear my mother’s outburst and they chided my mother for withholding food. She told me that if I wanted to be baptised still, I should move out, and she would disown me. She was counselled otherwise by her tailoring instructor (who was a non-Christian)! Eventually, she relented and allowed me to be baptised after I turned 21 years old.
QingMing Festival (Tomb Sweeping Day) was a source of friction as my mother wanted to know what I would do at the cemetery. I did not wish to burn joss sticks (Figure 3), but would stand with my head bowed as a form of respect.
Figure 3 Joss sticks (Flower Incense Sticks – Easykrishi.com, n.d.)
A turning point for my mother was the Billy Graham Rally at the National Stadium. I invited my mother to attend and she asked me what would happen after she passed away – would I pray to her and how would I treat her funeral? I replied that being a Christian, I would not be able to hold a Taoist ritual to send her off, and what was important was how I treated her when she was alive. I said her that if she could, she should convert to Christianity and we would see each other again in heaven. I also told her that after she died, any displays of filial piety would be less relevant to her as she would not know anything, being dead. Surprisingly she agreed to go to the rally. Translation was provided, and she sat in the Cantonese area. During the altar call, she again surprised me by wanting to respond to it. I cautioned her to think carefully and not feel pressured.
Subsequently, my mother started to attend Living Streams at Blk 123, Toa Payoh Lorong 1. In God’s Providence, she met our distant neighbour, a provision shop owner, there. Her son, who had a reputation for being naughty in his childhood, had become the pastor! The seed of the gospel had been sown and the Lord blessed it.
While my mother had become receptive to the gospel, I did not get baptised yet as I felt that I was still a sinner. I had also backslided. Being ignorant as a Christian, I participated in some of the seventh month activities at work, like contributing money to buy things to pray to idols. This was to go along with the peers. However, someone told me that my actions were a form of participation in the worship of idols. I realised that I could be giving others a false impression on how a Christian is expected to behave, and I felt hypocritical in my actions.
I conclude that the Christian faith is built slowly. In our earthly pilgrimage and journey, we increase in the knowledge of the Word, and therefore we will be able to adhere to God’s instruction.
What convinced you of the reformed faith?
After getting to know Sally (my wife), I attended the First Evangelical Reformed Church (FERC). Initially I told Rev Kortering that the church was like a cult but he laughed and still treated me graciously. I struggled with 3 issues:
- The church preached that God saved a few only. I could not reconcile this with John 3:16.
- I found it offensive that I had to ask permission from the elders to partake in the Lord’s Supper though I was already a Christian.
- I disagreed with infant baptism as I felt that my child, if I had any in future, should be allowed to decide for himself/herself at the age of maturity whether or not to believe in God.
After 3 years, with various people explaining to me without pressuring, I gained a deeper knowledge of Scripture and was convicted of the reformed teaching. I also learned that it is possible to view the Bible as a history book or non-fiction, but that the Holy Spirit reveals the word to believers.
- Romans 5 tells us that God is the potter, and we are the clay. God’s sovereignty is his pleasure, and it is displayed in salvation, when he elects some and reprobates others.
- 1 Corinthians 11:28 speaks of a man examining himself before coming to the Lord’s Supper. This is a serious matter as otherwise, the Lord’s Supper would be damnation (condemnation) to one’s self. The elders are also involved in this as overseers of the church.
- Abraham had Isaac circumcised when Isaac was 8 days old. God’s covenant is in the line of generations, while my duty as a parent would be to bring up my child with instruction.
Interviewee: William Ow
References
Flower Incense Sticks – easykrishi.com. (n.d.). easykrishi.com. Retrieved March 4, 2024, from https://easykrishi.com/flower-incense-sticks/
Kau chim. (n.d.). Wikipedia. Retrieved April 4, 2024, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kau_chim#/media/File:%E7%AB%B9%E7%B1%A4%E5%8F%8A%E7%B1%A4%E6%96%87.JPG
Ying Yang Spiritual Prophecy Divination Jiaobei Fortune Crescent Moon Blocks 筊杯s. (n.d.). eBay. Retrieved April 4, 2024, from https://www.ebay.com.sg/itm/225267367500
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