Joseph Prince Justifying His Holiday Based on the Lamest Reason – By Rev George Ong (Dated 23 June 2022)
In my last update dated 16 June 2022, I wrote:
“Joseph Prince has not appeared to preach live in the worship service again on 12 June 2022, last Sunday. One of his pastors preached for him instead. This means he has not preached for 3 consecutive Sundays, which is rather unusual.
Grapevine has it that he is probably on a few weeks of holiday, perhaps, overseas, even though this was never announced to his congregation at the worship services (as far as I know).
Because this was strangely never made known publicly, many in his congregation are wondering and second-guessing about his physical whereabouts.
If it is true that Joseph Prince has gone on a holiday, Prince needs to know that for a ‘public figure’ like him to go on a vacation is no sin that his congregation needs to be kept in the dark, as though this is a top secret that Prince doesn’t want anyone to know.”
Finally, last Sunday on 19 June 2022, 4 days ago, Joseph Prince revealed the reason for his strange absence for a continuing 4 Sundays from the pulpit.
Prince has again not preached live (now for 4 consecutive Sundays) but aired a pre-recorded video sermon instead.
In that pre-recorded sermon aired on YouTube on 19 June 2022, Joseph Prince said the following;
Please click here to view excerpts in the 20-second video:
“By the time you see this, church, and you are wondering about where I am and all that, I’m probably somewhere enjoying myself with my family during the school holidays. For 2 years, we have not gone for any holiday. We have been confined in Singapore because of the Pandemic. This is our first holiday abroad.”
But what does Prince mean when he says
“For 2 years we have not gone for any holiday. We have been confined in Singapore because of the Pandemic. This is our first holiday abroad.”
Is Prince giving the impression that he is the only one who has not gone for a holiday for 2 years because of the Pandemic?
Doesn’t he know that this is the typical experience for most people in the whole of Singapore, not just Christians?
Isn’t Prince aware that this is the common experience for most people in the entire world, not just Singaporeans?
If so, why the need for Prince to use this lamest reason to justify his need for a holiday?
Why doesn’t Prince just go for a 4-week holiday (or more) with a clear conscience and announce it to the congregation at the earliest opportunity on the first Sunday of his absence during the worship service when he is on vacation?
Why the need for Prince to drag this out and announce it at such a ‘late hour’ and only on the 4th week of his absence and, probably, the final leg of his holiday – and keeping his entire congregation completely in the dark for a whole month – resulting in many wondering and even gossiping about his whereabouts – when it could have been more wisely done at the earliest opportunity on the first Sunday of his absence?
Is Prince trying to keep or hide something from his congregation that he only knows?
And why is Prince seemingly trying to justify that which he doesn’t need to justify at all; and when he did justify, he offered the lamest reason,
“For 2 years we have not gone for any holiday. We have been confined in Singapore because of the Pandemic,”
when this is the common experience of almost everyone in the world – not just him – that most did not go on a vacation in the last 2 years during the pandemic?
Rev George Ong
This article was featured in conjunction with the following 3 Articles; please click below to read them:
Joseph Prince’s False Dichotomy Between Sonship and Discipleship – By Rev George Ong
(These 4 articles were also sent to Rev Dr Ngoei Foong Nghian, General Secretary, National Council of Churches of Singapore (NCCS) office, and for the attention of the Executive Committee Members.)