SWORDS OF THE SPIRITS : MODERNITY AND THE LANGUAGE OF PROTESTANT FUNDAMENTALISM (IN A BIBLE-PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH)

Abstract

The phenomenon of religious resurgence in Singapore certainly shows that modernization and development do not make religion obsolete. Besides secularism and pluralism, the features of modernity also include rationalism. In Singapore, rationalism is deeply rooted in our society and this can be reflected in our dependence on literacy and formal education, standardization of procedures and measures. The most significant thing about the religious use of literacy and writing is that it makes possible codification and systematization of assertion, and this gives birth to doctrine. The detachment of affirmation from the speaker was also made feasible and the transcendent is born at that point (Gellner 1991 ). The language of Protestant fundamentalism in Singapore, my subject matter here, is closely tied to this because of its emphasis on textual authority. Hence, on the one hand, Protestant fundamentalism in Singapore is regarded as a reaction against the relativising effects of pluralism. However, sociologically speaking, on the other hand, this language that reflects a separatist and anti-modem outlook is actually conceptualized and developed within the very same discourse of modernity, because it is highly rationalized, single-stranded and referential. Using an ethnographic approach, and stretching my sociological imagination, I shall attempt to demonstrate and explicate this paradox. * *Disclaimer: As a bible-believing Christian, I cannot and do not agree with the assertions made here by social theorists as well as the sociological mode of interpreting the subject matter of my thesis, because they are antagonistic to God's revelational truth as embodied in the bible. The purpose of doing this research is to have a better understanding of certain sociological thinking regarding society and religion, and with this understanding, it is hoped that the biblical answer can be provided to redress the subject-matter discussed here.