Megachurches in Singapore : state ideology and the culture of City Harvest Church.

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to examine how Singapore’s state ideology influences church goers of City Harvest Church. It will describe the similarities and differences in goals of the church and the state to investigate to what extent these factors contribute to the themes of power and functionalism in both institutions. Data was extracted from the church’s website, annual reports, sermons, and videos to illustrate the similar characteristics that the church has with the state. The data were analyzed in two different ways. Firstly, an ideological approach was taken to examine the relevance between the state and City Harvest Church and how this might have influenced church goers to attend the church. This includes how policies and state ideology have influenced the church direction in terms of its doctrine and liturgy. Next, I observed and analyzed power relations in both cases. Unlike traditional churches, charismatic authority is a distinctive trait in City Harvest Church which is analogous to the hegemonic state. The similarities that exist between state ideology and City Harvest Church are a phenomenon to be explored.