Below are Singapore’s top verses of 2023 as determined by YouVersion. With the help of Langham Partnership, Christianity Today asked three local Bible scholars for their analyses on what the list conveys about Christianity in the Southeast Asian city-state.
Samuel Law, dean of advanced studies and associate professor of intercultural studies, Singapore Bible College:
What is your overall reaction to this list?
No surprises. In general, the verses are reflective responses to the worldview and issues of our context and subscribe to the theological frameworks of the megachurches/denominations representative of Singapore.
What might the verses more unique to the list convey about Singapore's spiritual needs?
I’m actually more surprised that Proverbs 3:5–6 is unique to Singapore and would have thought that it would be mentioned in the other countries. I remember a Sunday School song based on those verses that we used to sing as I was growing up in the US. Perhaps the verses are a favorite in Singapore as they parallel the Asian/Confucian attitude in life’s journey and align with a Daoist worldview.
Given the events of this past year, is there a verse you wish were on this list instead?
Isaiah 55. The chapter reminds us that God’s ways are not our ways and, despite circumstances, he is still at work. Despite our VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous) 21st-century context, nothing impedes his power to transform situations in accordance to his mission of redeeming all creation.
Peter C. W. Ho, academic dean, School of Theology (English), Singapore Bible College:
What is your overall reaction to this list?
We are unsurprised but concerned! For instance, we discuss Jeremiah 29:11 quite frequently at the college. Students will tell us that they did not know the “good plans” involved going into exile, and the “you” is plural. These texts are often read devoid of context and too quickly personalized. There is a clear hermeneutical/interpretive gap in how we read the Bible. We have been reading the Bible in a fragmented way and we now train students to read in larger contextual chunks.
What might the verses more unique to the list convey about Singapore's spiritual needs?
When these verses are read without their contexts, we see several issues:
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A strong focus on receiving something positive for the individual self. This includes God’s material provision and guidance for one’s choices for success.
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At least half of these choices reflect the lack of faith or a sense of fear. This underlies verses like Isaiah 41:10, Joshua 1:9, Proverbs 3:5, 1 Peter 5:7, and John 14:27. Note that this is not the “fear” of God.
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If the data (for Singapore) reflects a general ignorance of the larger historical context of how God deals with his people underlying the verses, coupled with “whatever works for the good of me” and fearfulness of life (rather than of God), we do have grounds for concern.
Given the events of this past year, is there a verse you wish were on this list instead?
In these verses, the focus is mostly one-directional: What God should do for me, not how I should live before him (my commitment to God; e.g., Deut. 6:4). There is a need to shift the focus back to God.
There is also a lack of how the collective people of God ought to live before God and in the community (justice, righteousness, love, etc.). There is a need to move beyond the good for the self.
Perhaps most frightening is a lack of selection that expresses one’s trust in and value of Jesus Christ as most important. Material success and fears of life characterize the general selection of verses, but Christ is little to be found.
Maggie Low, faculty member at Trinity Theological College and an ordained minister of the Presbyterian Church of Singapore:
What is your overall reaction to this list?
It’s encouraging that, generally, people are putting their hope in God in a troubled world through texts like Isaiah 41:10 and Jeremiah 29:11. As a biblical scholar, I hope that readers understand that the historical context also presupposes repentance on the part of the Jewish exiles to whom the passages were written.
Similarly for Joshua 1:9, I’d rather readers be more aware of 1:8, which calls for meditation on the Torah. Finally, I’m surprised by the citation of Proverbs 4:23 in Singapore and that it is, in fact, the top verse in Taiwan. Perhaps it resonates more with the Confucian context.
What might the verses more unique to the list convey about Singapore's spiritual needs?
On the other hand, I’m not surprised by the use of Proverbs 3:5–6 in Singapore, though it is not cited in other countries. This is a verse that is often taught in Sunday schools. Perhaps it reflects our desire to get good academic or work results in the midst of uncertainties and unpredictability, so we have to turn to God and commit the matter to him.
However, I would want to highlight that this is a proverbial genre based on observations, rather than a prophetic promise of a positive outcome.
Given the events of this past year, is there a verse you wish were on this list instead?
Psalm 94:1–2 is what I’ve been highlighting to my students regarding the wars in Ukraine and in Gaza. We need to be aware that God is a God of justice and not just niceties, that it’s ok for people to express their anger to God; in fact, that is also necessary for our mental health.
Editor’s note: CT’s regional analyses of the YouVersion top Bible verses of 2023 include Africa, Brazil, the Philippines, Singapore, and Ukraine.
Founded by John Stott, Langham Partnership trains, equips, and publishes pastors and leaders in growing Christian communities in the Majority World.
