Bribery and Corruption: Biblical Reflections and Case Studies for the Marketplace in Asia (2018) by Bishop Hwa Yung
Hwa Yung was the bishop of the Methodist Church in Malaysia
from 2004 to 2012 and was the Honorary President of the IFES when he wrote this
book. I have met Hwa Yung a few times during camp and conferences. He is a very
smart, articulate, quite humorous, and passionate man. It is no surprise that
he wrote this book because he - consistently and compassionately - cares about
the Christian witness in the world. About this book, he wrote: "This
short book is one attempt to respond to the need to help Christians in Asia
find a biblical response to the real pressures they face in the marketplace,
which takes seriously both the Scripture and the context in which Asian Christians
function."
I love this book because the context is in Asia (especially,
Malaysia) and not some foreign Western countries. Although both the West/East
guilty of the same sins of bribery and corruption, the complexity (or
uniqueness) of our culture, socioeconomic, and even theology make a vast
difference. The practice of giving 'duit kopi', for example, has been part of
our culture. Is it a love gift or bribery? My friends who work in JKR and
constructions often face this dilemma. As I read Hwa Yung's thesis, I can't
help but to think that corruption has gone too deep in the Malaysian systems
that I wonder is there any hope to reverse the order? Maybe not. Or at least,
not fully.
The goal is not zero-corruption but calling the Christians to
be "salt" and "light" in the marketplace. "God
calls His people, not just to save individual souls, but also to bring Kingdom
values to bear on the sociopolitical issues of the day," said the bishop.
Instead of giving us step by step guidelines, which is impossible due to the
complexity I have mention, he provides us with a Biblical framework,
fundamental principles, and (what I call) self-awareness evaluations (Bishop
might disagree). Three case studies at the end of this book are very
interesting too
#ServeToLead #1Book1Week #LeadersAreReaders #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain #BishopHwaYung #BriberyAndCorruption
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