THE 'MIDDLE-CLASSNESS' OF CHINESE PROTESTANTS IN SINGAPORE

Abstract

The aim of this study is to explain why Chinese Protestants in Singapore tend to be middle-class. That Protestants tend to be middle-class was evident from the 1980 Census of Population Report. No attempt was made to prove this 'middle-classness' as such. The term 'middle-classness' is used to encompass more than just those who may be middle-class by conventional socio-economic status (SES) indicators in Singapore. It also includes value systems. Thus, even individuals who may not be 'objectively middle-class' may hold middleclass values. The Protestant culture was described based on ethnographic data. The "appeal" of Protestantism to the middle-class was explained by its rationality compared to traditional religions. Scientifically-trained middleclass professionals tend to look at the traditions of Chinese Religion as mere superstitions. Taking local churches as communities, I note how middle-class individuals have few problems in fitting into the middle-class church communities. The working-class individuals, on the other hand, would encounter cultural discontinuity. In contrast, a working-class church was able to attract many working-class members because its methods of getting into contact with non-believers, the theology it emphasizes, and its culture were different from those of most middle-class churches.