Moses Tay

Moses Tay Leng Kong (Chinese: 鄭靈光; 14 June 1938 – 24 September 2026) was a Singaporean Anglican bishop. He was the seventh Bishop of Singapore from 1982 to 2000 and the first Archbishop of the Province of Anglican Church in South East Asia from 1996 to 2000.

Education

Tay was educated in medicine at the University of Singapore.

Medical career

Tay practiced medicine in Malaysia for eight years.

In early 1982, Tay was posted as director of the Tan Tock Seng Hospital, following the career path that the Ministry of Health had charted, but a few months later tendered his resignation to be appointed the Bishop of Singapore.

Priesthood

Tay was Dean of the Diocese of Singapore from 1974 to 1982. In 1982, Tay was installed as the 7th Bishop of Singapore.

Philip Jenkins noted that when Tay visited Stanley Park in Vancouver in the early 1990s, he was deeply troubled by the totem poles he saw there. He concluded that "as artifacts of an alien religion, these were idols possessed by evil spirits, and they required handling by prayer and exorcism." Jenkins goes on to suggest that this behavior "horrified the local Anglican church," which "regarded exorcism as an absurd superstition."

On 2 February 1996, Tay was installed as archbishop of Province of South East Asia.

He was involved in founding the Anglican Mission in the Americas in the late 1990s to give support to orthodox Anglicans in North America. He was involved in the consecration of Chuck Murphy and John H. Rodgers Jr. as their bishops in 2000.

In 2000, Tay stepped down as Bishop of Singapore and handed over his office to John Chew.

Tay was one of the most outspoken voices in the Anglican Communion in opposition to the theological liberalism of the Episcopal Church of the United States.

Death

Tay died on 24 September 2026, at the age of 88.

Bibliography

References

  1. ↑ Born for Blessings: An Autobiography of Moses Tay. Singapore: Armour Publishing. 2009. pp. 122–123. ISBN 978-981-4222-87-7.
  2. ↑ "1982 Installation of the Rt Revd Moses Tay as the 7th Bishop of Singapore". Anglican.org.sg. Archived from the original on 5 January 2017. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
  3. 1 2 Jenkins, Philip (2002). The Next Christendom: The Rise of Global Christianity. Oxford University Press. p. 130.
  4. ↑ "Bishop Moses Tay made archbishop of S-EA province". The Straits Times. 3 February 1996.
  5. ↑ "Anglican Communion News Service - New Province of South East Asia". Anglican News. Archived from the original on 5 January 2017. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
  6. ↑ "Portrait of Mr. Moses Tay, former Bishop of Singapore". National Library Board. Retrieved 5 January 2017.
  7. ↑ "article about Tay consecraating Murphy and Rogers". Archived from the original on 25 November 2015. Retrieved 9 August 2015.
  8. ↑ "New Anglican bishop". The Straits Times. 26 April 2000. p. 2.
  9. ↑ "article on Tay's position". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 9 August 2015.
  10. ↑ Lee, Gracia (25 September 2026). "Moses Tay, 7th Bishop of Singapore, called home to the Lord at age 88". Salt&Light. Archived from the original on 25 September 2026. Retrieved 25 September 2026.