Bible-Presbyterian churches (Singapore)

The B-P churches are essentially divided into two factions. One group of churches subscribes to the fundamentalist stance of the founders; the other considers itself to be evangelical. This latter group of churches is denounced by the former to be "neo-evangelical" or "liberal", and are often called "the new B-Ps" because of a different interpretation on the doctrine of "Biblical Separation".[9] The evangelical branch of B-P churches embraces the fellowship of any church and seminary that professes evangelical Protestant Christianity and extends cooperation with para-church organizations like Campus Crusade, Youth for Christ, Navigators and the Bible Study Fellowship.[10][11] Thus, many aspiring ministers prefer an evangelical seminary (such as Fuller Theological Seminary, Temple Baptist Seminary, Singapore Bible College, Trinity Theological College or University of Nottingham) over the B-P's own seminary, Far Eastern Bible College ("FEBC"), which is fundamentalist.[12][13][14][15][16][17]

The fundamentalist group was headed by Timothy Tow (d 20 April 2009[18]) and his brother Tow Siang Hwa (“SH Tow”).[19]

Timothy Tow pastored Life BPC until 2003 when he left because his two assistant pastors and (a majority of) the Session rejected a 100% perfect Bible without any mistake in the doctrine of the Verbal Plenary Preservation ("VPP") of Scripture.[20] SH Tow headed the Calvary BP churches until his demise on 8 March 2019.[21] However, Calvary BPC (Jurong), one of the churches, split with him (before his demise) when they issued on 6 November 2005 their statement “Explanation of Our Non-VPP Stand.”[22]

The fundamentalist group continues after the deaths of Timothy Tow and SH Tow with such new leaders as Jeffrey Khoo, Quek Suan Yew and Prabhudas Koshy – all directors and faculty members of the FEBC.[23] All three new leaders uphold the VPP doctrine.[24][25] They were among the defendants in the lawsuit between Life BPC and FEBC in which the church sued to evict the college from their Gilstead Road premises on account of the FEBC upholding the VPP doctrine.[26] However, the church failed as the Court of Appeal, the apex court in Singapore's legal system, held that the VPP doctrine is not a deviation from the principles contained in the Westminster Confession of Faith ("WCF"), by which the work of the college has been informed and guided from its inception, and it is not inconsistent for a Christian who believes fully in the principles contained within the WCF and the VPI (Verbal Plenary Inspiration) doctrine to also subscribe to the VPP doctrine.[27]

The evangelical/new evangelical group is led mainly by Quek Swee Hwa ("SH Quek"), Pastor of Emmanuel Reformed BPC, and David Wong, Pastor of Zion-Bishan BPC.[28][29] They were, respectively, the pastors of Zion BPC (now Zion Serangoon BPC) and Mount Carmel BPC in 1988[30][31] when the Synod or the Bible-Presbyterian Church of Singapore (“BPCOS”) dissolved.

Quek Kiok Chiang ("KC Quek"), a founding BPC elder who relinquished the pastorship of Zion Serangoon to his son SH Quek on 31 October 1970 to pastor the Mandarin/Teochew-speaking Faith BPC located on the same premises as Zion Serangoon BPC at 5 Tavistock Avenue,[32][33] was on different side with Timothy Tow and SH Tow after the dissolution of the BPC in 1988 as he (KC Quek) had defended his son's association and co-operation with para-church organizations.[34] Despite KC Quek’s seniority, his switch to the Mandarin/Teochew-speaking Faith BPC meant that the main leaders of the evangelical/new evangelical faction were (and are) SH Quek and David Wong whose churches they pastor or oversee have continued to hold on to the time-honoured BP name even though they no longer hold without compromise the distinctives of the BPC.[35]

Twenty-three years after the dissolution of the BPCOS, four BP churches – Emmanuel, Herald, Zion Serangoon and Zion Bishan – inaugurated on 8 October 2011 the Bible-Presbyterian Church in Singapore (“BPCIS”) to form what they had considered to be the new BP Presbytery.[36] However, the BPCIS was not legally constituted and registered as a society until 19 December 2018.[37] Three more BP churches – Mount Carmel, Mount Hermon and Shalom – joined after 2011 to make seven charter members before BPCIS submitted its application in 2017 to register as a society.[38][39] Life BPC, the first B-P church, was not a founding BPCIS member, and the BPCIS had only seven BP churches (out of a total of forty-three BP churches in Singapore[40]) as charter members at its registration despite organising many meetings and activities prior to the registration's approval and gazetting by the government.[41]