Church of the Province of South East Asia
Encyclopedia
The Church of the Province of South East Asia, a member church of the Anglican Communion
, was created in 1996, comprising the four diocese
s of Kuching
, Sabah
, Singapore
and West Malaysia. The current Metropolitan Archbishop is the Bishop of Singapore, the Most Reverend Dr John Chew Hiang Chea
.
was first introduced with the establishment of the British East India Company
's settlement of Penang
Island in 1786. George Caunter
, a local magistrate, was appointed as a Lay Clerk/Acting Chaplain in 1799 under the jurisdiction of the See of Calcutta
. In 1819, the first Anglican church building, the Church of St. George the Martyr
, was consecrated by the Bishop of Calcutta, Thomas Fanshawe Middleton.
In 1826, the Mission Chapel of the London Missionary Society
(LMS) started services in Singapore
and the first church building in Singapore was built in 1837. In 1842, a missionary of the LMS started the first girls school in Singapore, now known as St. Margaret's School. The work in Borneo
started in 1848 when a group of missionaries led by Francis Thomas McDougall
was invited by James Brooke
, the Rajah
of Sarawak
. In 1849, a wooden church was built in Kuching. In 1851, this church was consecrated by Daniel Wilson, Bishop of Calcutta in honour of St. Thomas the Apostle
.
was issued in 1855 to establish the Bishopric of Labuan
and McDougall was appointed the first Bishop
of Labuan. McDougall was also appointed the Bishop of Sarawak by the Rajah of Sarawak due to the political conventions of the day ruled that no Anglican Diocese might be created outside the limits of the British Empire
, and Sarawak was then technically an independent kingdom. This practice prevailed until the Sarawak became a Crown Colony
in 1946.
In 1867, The East India Company transferred Penang to the British Crown and with that ended the chaplaincy of the Madras Presidency
in Penang. The Anglican churches in Penang, Malacca and Singapore were organised into the Church in the Straits Settlement while remaining under the jurisdiction of the See
of Calcutta.
The Church in the Straits Settlement was separated from the See of Calcutta by an Act of Parliament
in 1869 and placed under the episcopal care of the Bishop of Labuan as the United Diocese of Singapore, Labuan and Sarawak. In 1909, the United Diocese was further divided into the Diocese of Singapore, the Diocese of Labuan and the Bishopric of Sarawak. The 3 separate Dioceses developed independently from then onwards until the creation of the Province.
in the Pacific, missionary work continued with increasing ordination of local clergy and planting of churches all throughout the Malaya
and Singapore.
During the duration of the Second World War, most expatriate clergy and missionaries were interred by the Japanese. Without the benefit of its expatriate clergy who had been interred, the work of the church fell on the shoulders of local clergy and church workers.
This development highlighted the urgent need for training local leaders for this developing part of the Anglican Church and eventually led to the establishment of Singapore's Trinity Theological College in 1951.
Malaya gained her independence from British rule in 1957. Following this, in 1960, the Diocese was renamed the Diocese of Singapore and Malaya. In 1970, the churches in West Malaysia
were separated from the Diocese and reconstituted as the Diocese of West Malaysia by an Act of Parliament and the Diocese was renamed the Diocese of Singapore.
after the division of the United Diocese until the outbreak of the Second World War followed a similar pattern to the work in Malaya and Singapore. Anglican missionaries were however more successful than their counterparts in Malaya and Singapore in evangelising the indigenous peoples.
Following the devastation of the Second World War, the Diocese of Labuan and the Bishopric of Sarawak was joined together as the Diocese of Borneo and the first Bishop, Nigel Cornwall
, was consecrated in 1949. In 1962, the Diocese was again divided into the Diocese of Jesselton (later Diocese of Sabah
) which included Labuan, and the Diocese of Kuching which included Brunei
.
. The Most Reverend Dr Moses Tay, Bishop of Singapore, was consecrated as the first Metropolitan Archbishop of the Province the same year. The Province celebrated its 10th Anniversary in February 2006.
es organized into diocese
s. The Province is divided into four dioceses. Furthermore, the Dioceses of Kuching, West Malaysia and Singapore are further subdivided into archdeaconries and deaneries
respectively.
is used.
The center of the Church of the Province of South East Asia's teaching is the life and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The basic teachings of the church, or catechism
, includes:
The threefold sources of authority in Anglicanism are scripture, tradition, and reason. These three sources uphold and critique each other in a dynamic way. This balance of scripture, tradition and reason is traced to the work of Richard Hooker
, a sixteenth century apologist. In Hooker's model, scripture is the primary means of arriving at doctrine and things stated plainly in scripture are accepted as true. Issues that are ambiguous are determined by tradition, which is checked by reason.
via their respective national church councils:
However, unlike many other Anglican churches, the Church of the Province of South East Asia is not a member of the World Council of Churches
in its own right. Together with the Church of the Province of Rwanda
, the Church of the Province of South East Asia maintains a missionary organization, the Anglican Mission in the Americas, within the territory of other members of the Anglican Communion, in violation of the recommendations of the Windsor Report
.
Anglican Communion
The Anglican Communion is an international association of national and regional Anglican churches in full communion with the Church of England and specifically with its principal primate, the Archbishop of Canterbury...
, was created in 1996, comprising the four diocese
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
s of Kuching
Kuching
Kuching , officially the City of Kuching, and formerly the City of Sarawak, is the capital and most populous city of the East Malaysian state of Sarawak. It is the largest city on the island of Borneo, and the fourth largest city in Malaysia....
, Sabah
Sabah
Sabah is one of 13 member states of Malaysia. It is located on the northern portion of the island of Borneo. It is the second largest state in the country after Sarawak, which it borders on its southwest. It also shares a border with the province of East Kalimantan of Indonesia in the south...
, Singapore
Anglican Diocese of Singapore
The Anglican Diocese of Singapore consists of 26 Anglican parishes in Singapore to date and 6 deaneries throughout the Asia region. It has an established history of church-planting as well as providing educational, medical and social services in Singapore and the neighbouring region. The Diocese...
and West Malaysia. The current Metropolitan Archbishop is the Bishop of Singapore, the Most Reverend Dr John Chew Hiang Chea
John Chew Hiang Chea
John Chew is currently the third Metropolitan Archbishop and Primate of the Province of Anglican Church in South East Asia as well as the Bishop of Singapore.-Education:...
.
Early Developments
AnglicanismAnglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
was first introduced with the establishment of the British East India Company
British East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
's settlement of Penang
Penang
Penang is a state in Malaysia and the name of its constituent island, located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Strait of Malacca. It is bordered by Kedah in the north and east, and Perak in the south. Penang is the second smallest Malaysian state in area after Perlis, and the...
Island in 1786. George Caunter
George Caunter
George Caunter governed the Prince of Wales' Island as Acting Superintendent in 1797 during Superintendent Major Forbes Ross MacDonald's leave of absence and again in 1799 upon the resignation and departure of MacDonald...
, a local magistrate, was appointed as a Lay Clerk/Acting Chaplain in 1799 under the jurisdiction of the See of Calcutta
Bishop of Calcutta
The Bishop of Calcutta exercises episcopal leadership over the Diocese of Calcutta of the Church of North India. The diocese was established in 1813 as part of the Church of England and the first bishop was Thomas Fanshawe Middleton and the second Reginald Heber...
. In 1819, the first Anglican church building, the Church of St. George the Martyr
St. George's Church, Penang
St. George's Church is the oldest Anglican church in Southeast Asia and is located in George Town, Penang, Malaysia. It was completed in 1818 on the initiative of the Penang Colonial Chaplain, Rev...
, was consecrated by the Bishop of Calcutta, Thomas Fanshawe Middleton.
In 1826, the Mission Chapel of the London Missionary Society
London Missionary Society
The London Missionary Society was a non-denominational missionary society formed in England in 1795 by evangelical Anglicans and Nonconformists, largely Congregationalist in outlook, with missions in the islands of the South Pacific and Africa...
(LMS) started services in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
and the first church building in Singapore was built in 1837. In 1842, a missionary of the LMS started the first girls school in Singapore, now known as St. Margaret's School. The work in Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
started in 1848 when a group of missionaries led by Francis Thomas McDougall
Francis Thomas McDougall
Francis Thomas McDougall was the first Bishop of Labuan and Sarawak from 1849 to 1868.MacDougall was born in Sydenham and educated at King’s College London and Magdalen College, Oxford...
was invited by James Brooke
James Brooke
James, Rajah of Sarawak, KCB was the first White Rajah of Sarawak. His father, Thomas Brooke, was an English Judge Court of Appeal at Bareilly, British India; his mother, Anna Maria, born in Hertfordshire, was the illegitimate daughter of Scottish peer Colonel William Stuart, 9th Lord Blantyre,...
, the Rajah
White Rajahs
White Rajahs refers to a dynasty that founded and ruled the Kingdom of Sarawak from 1841 to 1946, namely the Brookes, who came originally from England. A Rajah is a monarch in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia.-Rulers:...
of Sarawak
Kingdom of Sarawak
The Kingdom of Sarawak was a state in Borneo established by Sir James Brooke in 1842 by receiving independent kingdom status from the Sultanate of Brunei as a reward for helping fight piracy and insurgency...
. In 1849, a wooden church was built in Kuching. In 1851, this church was consecrated by Daniel Wilson, Bishop of Calcutta in honour of St. Thomas the Apostle
St. Thomas the Apostle
Saint Thomas the Apostle was one of the twelve disciples of Jesus.It may also refer to:-Places:*St. Thomas the Apostle , a large civil parish in Devon, England*St Thomas the Apostle Rural, a civil parish in east Cornwall, United Kingdom-Other:...
.
Establishment of Missionary Dioceses
Letters patentLetters patent
Letters patent are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch or president, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, title, or status to a person or corporation...
was issued in 1855 to establish the Bishopric of Labuan
Labuan
Labuan is a federal territory in East Malaysia. It is an island off the coast of the state of Sabah. Labuan's capital is Victoria and is best known as an offshore financial centre offering international financial and business services via Labuan IBFC since 1990 as well as being an offshore support...
and McDougall was appointed the first Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
of Labuan. McDougall was also appointed the Bishop of Sarawak by the Rajah of Sarawak due to the political conventions of the day ruled that no Anglican Diocese might be created outside the limits of the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
, and Sarawak was then technically an independent kingdom. This practice prevailed until the Sarawak became a Crown Colony
Crown colony
A Crown colony, also known in the 17th century as royal colony, was a type of colonial administration of the English and later British Empire....
in 1946.
In 1867, The East India Company transferred Penang to the British Crown and with that ended the chaplaincy of the Madras Presidency
Madras Presidency
The Madras Presidency , officially the Presidency of Fort St. George and also known as Madras Province, was an administrative subdivision of British India...
in Penang. The Anglican churches in Penang, Malacca and Singapore were organised into the Church in the Straits Settlement while remaining under the jurisdiction of the See
Episcopal See
An episcopal see is, in the original sense, the official seat of a bishop. This seat, which is also referred to as the bishop's cathedra, is placed in the bishop's principal church, which is therefore called the bishop's cathedral...
of Calcutta.
The Church in the Straits Settlement was separated from the See of Calcutta by an Act of Parliament
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
in 1869 and placed under the episcopal care of the Bishop of Labuan as the United Diocese of Singapore, Labuan and Sarawak. In 1909, the United Diocese was further divided into the Diocese of Singapore, the Diocese of Labuan and the Bishopric of Sarawak. The 3 separate Dioceses developed independently from then onwards until the creation of the Province.
Anglican work in Malaya and Singapore (1909-1996)
The period between the division of the United Diocese and the outbreak of the Second World WarWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in the Pacific, missionary work continued with increasing ordination of local clergy and planting of churches all throughout the Malaya
British Malaya
British Malaya loosely described a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the Island of Singapore that were brought under British control between the 18th and the 20th centuries...
and Singapore.
During the duration of the Second World War, most expatriate clergy and missionaries were interred by the Japanese. Without the benefit of its expatriate clergy who had been interred, the work of the church fell on the shoulders of local clergy and church workers.
This development highlighted the urgent need for training local leaders for this developing part of the Anglican Church and eventually led to the establishment of Singapore's Trinity Theological College in 1951.
Malaya gained her independence from British rule in 1957. Following this, in 1960, the Diocese was renamed the Diocese of Singapore and Malaya. In 1970, the churches in West Malaysia
Peninsular Malaysia
Peninsular Malaysia , also known as West Malaysia , is the part of Malaysia which lies on the Malay Peninsula. Its area is . It shares a land border with Thailand in the north. To the south is the island of Singapore. Across the Strait of Malacca to the west lies the island of Sumatra...
were separated from the Diocese and reconstituted as the Diocese of West Malaysia by an Act of Parliament and the Diocese was renamed the Diocese of Singapore.
Anglican work in British Borneo (1909-1996)
Work in British BorneoBritish Borneo
British Borneo means the two parts of the island of Borneo presently part of the Federation of Malaysia, during the British colonial rule: Labuan and what was called British North Borneo .-Catholic missions:In 1687 Father Ventimiglia, a Theatine, was commissioned by Pope Innocent XI to...
after the division of the United Diocese until the outbreak of the Second World War followed a similar pattern to the work in Malaya and Singapore. Anglican missionaries were however more successful than their counterparts in Malaya and Singapore in evangelising the indigenous peoples.
Following the devastation of the Second World War, the Diocese of Labuan and the Bishopric of Sarawak was joined together as the Diocese of Borneo and the first Bishop, Nigel Cornwall
Nigel Cornwall
Nigel Edmund Cornwall CBE, was a British clergyman in the Anglican Church. He held the position of Bishop of Borneo from 1949 until 1962....
, was consecrated in 1949. In 1962, the Diocese was again divided into the Diocese of Jesselton (later Diocese of Sabah
Sabah
Sabah is one of 13 member states of Malaysia. It is located on the northern portion of the island of Borneo. It is the second largest state in the country after Sarawak, which it borders on its southwest. It also shares a border with the province of East Kalimantan of Indonesia in the south...
) which included Labuan, and the Diocese of Kuching which included Brunei
Brunei
Brunei , officially the State of Brunei Darussalam or the Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace , is a sovereign state located on the north coast of the island of Borneo, in Southeast Asia...
.
Province of South East Asia
In 1996, autocephaly was attained when the Province of South East Asia consisting of the Dioceses of West Malaysia, Singapore, Kuching and Sabah was established by the Archbishop of CanterburyArchbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
. The Most Reverend Dr Moses Tay, Bishop of Singapore, was consecrated as the first Metropolitan Archbishop of the Province the same year. The Province celebrated its 10th Anniversary in February 2006.
Membership
Today, there are at least 98,000 Anglicans out of an estimated population of 23.8 million.Structure
The polity of the Church of the Province of South East Asia is Episcopalian church governance, which is the same as other Anglican churches. The church maintains a system of geographical parishParish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
es organized into diocese
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
s. The Province is divided into four dioceses. Furthermore, the Dioceses of Kuching, West Malaysia and Singapore are further subdivided into archdeaconries and deaneries
Deanery
A Deanery is an ecclesiastical entity in both the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residence of a Dean.- Catholic usage :...
respectively.
- The Diocese of Kuching
- The Diocese of SabahDiocese of SabahDiocese of Sabah is an Anglican diocese which covers Sabah and Labuan in Malaysia. Founded in 1962, the see was originally established as the Diocese of Labuan and Sarawak in 1855...
- The Diocese of SingaporeAnglican Diocese of SingaporeThe Anglican Diocese of Singapore consists of 26 Anglican parishes in Singapore to date and 6 deaneries throughout the Asia region. It has an established history of church-planting as well as providing educational, medical and social services in Singapore and the neighbouring region. The Diocese...
- The Diocese of West MalaysiaDiocese of West MalaysiaDiocese of West Malaysia is an Anglican diocese which covers the entire West Malaysia. The Diocese of West Malaysia was founded in 8 April 1970, as DWM together with Diocese of Singapore split from Diocese of Singapore and Malaya...
Current diocesan bishops
- Most RevdMost ReverendThe Most Reverend is a style applied to certain religious figures.*In the Roman Catholic Church , all bishops are styled "The Most Reverend", as well as monsignors of the rank of protonotary apostolic de numero.*In the Roman Catholic Church , archbishops are styled "The...
John Chew – Archbishop of South East Asia, Bishop of SingaporeBishop of SingaporeThe Bishop of Singapore is the diocesan bishop for the Anglican Diocese of Singapore, founded in 1909.-List of bishops:*1881 Rt Revd George Frederick Hose, Bishop of Singapore, Labuan & Sarawak 1881*1909 Rt Revd Charles James Ferguson-Davie... - Rt RevdRight ReverendThe Right Reverend is a style applied to certain religious figures.*In the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church in Great Britain it applies to bishops except that The Most Reverend is used for archbishops .*In some churches with a...
Bolly Lapok – Bishop of KuchingBishop of KuchingThe Bishop of Kuching is an Anglican prelate who oversees the Diocese of Kuching in Malaysia. Founded in 1962, the see was originally established as the Bishopric of Sarawak linked to the Diocese of Labuan in 1855. The current bishop, The Rt. Rev'd Bolly Lapok, 13th Lord Bishop of the Diocese of... - Rt Revd Datuk Albert Vun Cheong Fui – Bishop of SabahBishop of SabahThe Bishop of Sabah is an Anglican prelate who oversees the Diocese of Sabah Malaysia. The current bishop is the Rt Revd Datuk Albert Vun Cheong Fui. His seat is All Saints Cathedral, Kota Kinabalu.- See also :*Diocese of Sabah*Anglicanism...
- Rt Revd Ng Moon HingNg Moon HingNg Moon Hing is the 4th Anglican Bishop of West Malaysia, since 5 May 2007, succeeding Lim Cheng Ean.He obtained a Bachelor Degree in Civil Engineering from Monash University, Australia in 1978 and became a civil engineer...
– Bishop of West MalaysiaBishop of West MalaysiaThe Bishops of West Malaysia is an Anglican prelate who oversees the Diocese of West Malaysia in Malaysia. The current bishop is the 4th Bishop of the Diocese - the Rt Revd Ng Moon Hing. His seat is Cathedral of St.Mary's, Kuala Lumpur....
List of primates of South East Asia
| Archbishops of South East Asia | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| From | Until | Incumbent | Notes |
| 1996 | 2000 | Moses Tay | Also Bishop of Singapore 1982–1999. |
| 2000 | 2006 | Datuk Yong Ping Chung | Also Bishop of Sabah since c. 1990. |
| 2006 | present | John Chew | Retiring before February 2012; also Bishop of Singapore since 2000. |
| 12 February 2012 | Bishop-elect | Datuk Bolly Lapok | Elected September 2011; also Bishop of Kuching since 2007. |
Worship and liturgy
The Church of the Province of South East Asia embraces three orders of ministry: deacon, priest, and bishop. A local variant of the Book of Common PrayerBook of Common Prayer
The Book of Common Prayer is the short title of a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion, as well as by the Continuing Anglican, "Anglican realignment" and other Anglican churches. The original book, published in 1549 , in the reign of Edward VI, was a product of the English...
is used.
Doctrine and practice
Catechism
A catechism , i.e. to indoctrinate) is a summary or exposition of doctrine, traditionally used in Christian religious teaching from New Testament times to the present...
, includes:
- Jesus Christ is fully human and fully God. He died and was resurrected from the dead.
- Jesus provides the way of eternal life for those who believe.
- The Old and New Testaments of the Bible were written by people "under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit". The Apocrypha are additional books that are used in Christian worship, but not for the formation of doctrine.
- The two great and necessary sacramentsAnglican sacramentsIn keeping with its prevailing self-identity as a via media or "middle path" of Western Christianity, Anglican sacramental theology expresses elements in keeping with its status as a church in the Catholic tradition and a church of the Reformation...
are Holy BaptismBaptismIn Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
and Holy EucharistEucharistThe Eucharist , also called Holy Communion, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Blessed Sacrament, the Lord's Supper, and other names, is a Christian sacrament or ordinance... - Other sacramental ritesAnglican sacramentsIn keeping with its prevailing self-identity as a via media or "middle path" of Western Christianity, Anglican sacramental theology expresses elements in keeping with its status as a church in the Catholic tradition and a church of the Reformation...
are confirmation, ordinationOrdinationIn general religious use, ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart as clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies. The process and ceremonies of ordination itself varies by religion and denomination. One who is in preparation for, or who is...
, marriageMarriageMarriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
, reconciliation of a penitentConfessionThis article is for the religious practice of confessing one's sins.Confession is the acknowledgment of sin or wrongs...
, and unction. - Belief in heavenHeavenHeaven, the Heavens or Seven Heavens, is a common religious cosmological or metaphysical term for the physical or transcendent place from which heavenly beings originate, are enthroned or inhabit...
, hellHellIn many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
, and Jesus's return in glorySecond ComingIn Christian doctrine, the Second Coming of Christ, the Second Advent, or the Parousia, is the anticipated return of Jesus Christ from Heaven, where he sits at the Right Hand of God, to Earth. This prophecy is found in the canonical gospels and in most Christian and Islamic eschatologies...
.
The threefold sources of authority in Anglicanism are scripture, tradition, and reason. These three sources uphold and critique each other in a dynamic way. This balance of scripture, tradition and reason is traced to the work of Richard Hooker
Richard Hooker
Richard Hooker was an Anglican priest and an influential theologian. Hooker's emphases on reason, tolerance and the value of tradition came to exert a lasting influence on the development of the Church of England...
, a sixteenth century apologist. In Hooker's model, scripture is the primary means of arriving at doctrine and things stated plainly in scripture are accepted as true. Issues that are ambiguous are determined by tradition, which is checked by reason.
Ecumenical relations
The dioceses of the Church of the Province of South East Asia participate in the ecumenical World Council of ChurchesWorld Council of Churches
The World Council of Churches is a worldwide fellowship of 349 global, regional and sub-regional, national and local churches seeking unity, a common witness and Christian service. It is a Christian ecumenical organization that is based in the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland...
via their respective national church councils:
- Council of Churches of Malaysia
- Diocese of Kuching
- Diocese of Sabah
- Diocese of West Malaysia
- National Council of Churches of Singapore
- Diocese of Singapore
However, unlike many other Anglican churches, the Church of the Province of South East Asia is not a member of the World Council of Churches
World Council of Churches
The World Council of Churches is a worldwide fellowship of 349 global, regional and sub-regional, national and local churches seeking unity, a common witness and Christian service. It is a Christian ecumenical organization that is based in the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland...
in its own right. Together with the Church of the Province of Rwanda
Church of the Province of Rwanda
The Church of the Province of Rwanda is a province of the Anglican Communion, covering 9 sees in East Africa. The current primate of the province is Archbishop Onesphore Rwaje, consecrated Dec. 12, 2010.-Official names:...
, the Church of the Province of South East Asia maintains a missionary organization, the Anglican Mission in the Americas, within the territory of other members of the Anglican Communion, in violation of the recommendations of the Windsor Report
Windsor Report
In 2003, the Lambeth Commission on Communion was appointed by the Anglican Communion to study problems stemming from the consecration of Gene Robinson, the first openly gay, noncelibate priest to be ordained as an Anglican bishop, in the Episcopal Church in the United States and the blessing of...
.
See also
- Christianity in MalaysiaChristianity in MalaysiaChristianity in Malaysia is a minority religion practised by 9.1% of the population , most living in East Malaysia. The major Christian denominations in Malaysia include the Anglicans, Baptists, Brethrens, non-denominational churches, independent Charismatic churches, Lutherans, Methodists,...
- Christianity in SingaporeChristianity in SingaporeChristians in Singapore constitute approximately 17.5% of the population. In the 2000 Census, 4.8% of residents aged 15 years and older, identified as Catholic and 9.8% as 'Other Christians'.-History:...
- Status of religious freedom in MalaysiaStatus of religious freedom in MalaysiaFreedom of religion is enshrined in the Malaysian Constitution. First, Article 11 provides that every person has the right to profess and to practice his or her religion and to propagate it...
External links
- Diocese of West Malaysia - official website
- Diocese of Singapore - official website
- Diocese of Kuching - official website
- Diocese of Sabah - official website
- Historical documents on Anglicanism in Borneo/Sarawak
- Society for the Propagation of the Gospel Archives on Borneo Mission - Centre for the Study of Christianity in Asia