Finney Premkumar
CURRENT POSITION: Founder and Director, Truth Matters International
EDUCATION: Master of Science in Management Information Systems (MIS), Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy
EDUCATION: Master of Science in Management Information Systems (MIS), Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy
A message from the speaker:
"I was born in Chennai, India, in 1974. My Dad was teaching at a Bible College where we also made our residence. Apart from teaching, he ministered among the Hindus and planted two churches that are still vibrantly growing in that city. My family relocated to Singapore in 1981 where my Dad served as a Missionary-Pastor in the Methodist Church. His ministry among the Hindus and people of other faiths continued and by the grace of God, yielded results. I was always fascinated, even as a young man, by the differences in the various religious dispositions that resonated within the multi-religious framework of this beautiful tiny island. Growing up as a Pastor's kid was challenging, to say the least. This was possibly aggravated due to my broad reading since my pre-teens and the natural inclination to challenge everything I was subjected to. The additional worry of having to live a life that was exemplary not only in the "world" but also in church was a burden that seemed hard to bear at times; The need to play the role of the "Pastor's kid" did not settle well with me. I was constantly preoccupied with thoughts and reflections on religion and the "big questions" of life. I was perpetually muddled by the dilemma created by the existential struggle of trying to situate my autonomous self in this world and the reality of Christ who offered everything I had been seeking. The problem was that I wanted Christ without the cross, the benefits of Christianity without having to become Christ-like. Needless to say, God has a way of sometimes bringing us to our knees in the most unexpected ways. There were many struggles I faced over the years, some were intellectual and others were moral. The greatest struggle was spiritual. Only Christ could make my dead heart live again, only he could breathe his spirit into me and make me alive to him, and through him, to others. Since then, my burden has been to make Christ meaningful within the context of people (and especially the youth) who seemed to undeniably experience struggles similar to mine. My passion is to encounter them in universities, college campuses, schools, churches etc. and to engage them in dialogues and discussions that are relevant and truth-oriented. I hope to, by the grace of God, clear some of the confusions and existential tensions that reside so they may clearly see the counter-perspective of Christ. He alone is able to meet the demands of the mind and satisfy the hungers of the heart. I am humbled and at times overwhelmed by the ministry that God has called me to undertake. However, I stay committed and confident in the fact that he who has called me (and calls each one of us) is able to do more than we can ever ask or imagine"
"I was born in Chennai, India, in 1974. My Dad was teaching at a Bible College where we also made our residence. Apart from teaching, he ministered among the Hindus and planted two churches that are still vibrantly growing in that city. My family relocated to Singapore in 1981 where my Dad served as a Missionary-Pastor in the Methodist Church. His ministry among the Hindus and people of other faiths continued and by the grace of God, yielded results. I was always fascinated, even as a young man, by the differences in the various religious dispositions that resonated within the multi-religious framework of this beautiful tiny island. Growing up as a Pastor's kid was challenging, to say the least. This was possibly aggravated due to my broad reading since my pre-teens and the natural inclination to challenge everything I was subjected to. The additional worry of having to live a life that was exemplary not only in the "world" but also in church was a burden that seemed hard to bear at times; The need to play the role of the "Pastor's kid" did not settle well with me. I was constantly preoccupied with thoughts and reflections on religion and the "big questions" of life. I was perpetually muddled by the dilemma created by the existential struggle of trying to situate my autonomous self in this world and the reality of Christ who offered everything I had been seeking. The problem was that I wanted Christ without the cross, the benefits of Christianity without having to become Christ-like. Needless to say, God has a way of sometimes bringing us to our knees in the most unexpected ways. There were many struggles I faced over the years, some were intellectual and others were moral. The greatest struggle was spiritual. Only Christ could make my dead heart live again, only he could breathe his spirit into me and make me alive to him, and through him, to others. Since then, my burden has been to make Christ meaningful within the context of people (and especially the youth) who seemed to undeniably experience struggles similar to mine. My passion is to encounter them in universities, college campuses, schools, churches etc. and to engage them in dialogues and discussions that are relevant and truth-oriented. I hope to, by the grace of God, clear some of the confusions and existential tensions that reside so they may clearly see the counter-perspective of Christ. He alone is able to meet the demands of the mind and satisfy the hungers of the heart. I am humbled and at times overwhelmed by the ministry that God has called me to undertake. However, I stay committed and confident in the fact that he who has called me (and calls each one of us) is able to do more than we can ever ask or imagine"