Of Guinness Stout and Missions

Today [24.08.2022] was an interesting day, at least to a lesser mortal like me. It all started with Shee Yen posting this quotation in our private chatgroup from the renown author, Oswald [“Os”] Guinness:

At root, Evangelical anti-intellectualism is both a scandal and a sin. It is a scandal in the sense of being an offense and a stumbling block that needlessly hinders serious people from considering the Christian faith and coming to Christ. It is a sin because it is a refusal, contrary to Jesus’s two great commandments, to love the LORD our God with our minds. Anti-intellectualism is quite simply a sin. Evangelicals must address it as such, beyond all excuses, evasions, or rationalizations of false piety.

Among other writings, Os Guinness also penned The Dust of Death and the intriguing Gravedigger Files. Os Guinness also happens to be a relative of the owners of Guinness Stout.

Lo and behold, Dr KW Ng chipped in to say that he still has this “small” book written by Howard Guinness, Os’ uncle entitled A Challenge to Christian Youth Sacrifice.

And then the conversation went down memory lane. Dr Ng spoke of his stint in Uppsala, Sweden around 1993 with a group of 20 theologians including Os Guinness and Lesslie Newbigin working on a project on Faith and Global Modernity.

It would seem that Os Guinness did spend some time in Malaya way back then. How so, you may ask? That’s because his father, Henry Guinness was a missionary sent by the then CIM [China Inland Mission] which later changed its name to OMF to pastor a Presbyterian church in Kluang.

Dr TF Leong then spoke of his own experience:

Os’ father, Henry Guinness served as a pastor of the Presbyterian church in my hometown Kluang. He was also the chaplain of the First Kluang Boys’ Brigade Company, which I joined for 2 years [forms 1-2]. I only received Christ in my first year at University of Malaya possibly because I was first exposed to Christianity and the Bible taught by Os’ father…… It brings back fond memories. Yes, he played the cornet. Instead of the piano or the guitar, he played the cornet to accompany our singing before he taught us the Bible. He must have taught well because as a non-Christian I understood enough to be the top scorer for the Scripture test. Sadly, I did not get the badge then because I was not old enough for that award. Though I accepted Christ only years later, that exposure must have laid the foundation……. And today the Kluang Boys’ Brigade has grown into two companies!

In those days, many OMF missionaries were relocated or fled to Malaya after the communist takeover of China in 1949. This was God’s mysterious providence in bringing the gospel to the Malayan Chinese who were forcibly put into New Villages [euphemism for concentration camps], at least according to Dr Ng.

And there was an inspiring eulogy by Denis Lane of the late Henry Guinness, Os’ father whose missionary career was short of being illustrious. Perhaps, we might google his life-story for another day. For now, I will just highlight his missionary exploits by taking at random 3 out of the 9 paragraphs from the obituary:

[In China] Conscious of his need for a co-worker, Guinness prayed for one to be sent. That night a burglar broke into the house. Guinness confronted him in his pyjamas, sat him down, and taught him from the Gospel of St John. The man professed to become a Christian, and in the morning Guinness went out, left the man to get the lunch, and trusted him with the house. This man became the co-worker.

In 1938 Guinness married Mary Taylor, a doctor, and the young couple had to cope with famine, drought, locusts, raging inflation and war. When parents abandoned their children for lack of food, the Guinnesses rescued those they could. Two of their own three sons died in Honan Province, and the couple had to flee from war the day after the second son died.

In the early Seventies, I had the privilege of travelling around Taiwan with Henry Guinness, who was directing the work of OMF there. Then in his sixties, he had lost none of his get up and go. “Getting up” might be four in the morning and “going” might be travelling all day, perhaps snacking on lychees bought through the bus window as we went.

Needless to say, the only surviving son of Henry is none other than Os Guinness, the well-known author and Christian apologist.

Finally, I am sure that there were many other missionaries besides the OMF ones who spread the gospel far and wide. Just ask around and many can testify to the missionary work among us. The Brethren ones that I hear of are the Anguses, the Chapmans, Walter Grenier, William McDonald, Eric Kirton, Peter Ferry and Tom Bentley. Today, we are the living benefactors of the many and various missionary efforts of yesteryears. Indeed, what a rich Christian history the church in Malaysia has inherited. Providence!