Why is gay-iendly IKEA supportg anti-gay pastor Lawrence Khong's evangelistic magic show? | Conuts

Contents:

• IN THIS SGAPOREAN CHURCH, YOU CAN BE HAPPY AND GAY
• IS BIBLILLY ALLOWABLE FOR A PASTOR TO BE GAY?
• WHY IS GAY-IENDLY IKEA SUPPORTG ANTI-GAY PASTOR LAWRENCE KHONG’S EVANGELISTIC MAGIC SHOW?
• IKEA SGAPORE REF TO CUT TI WH ANTI-GAY PASTOR

IN THIS SGAPOREAN CHURCH, YOU CAN BE HAPPY AND GAY

Helmg are Siew, the first ordaed openly-gay mister the untry, and Pastor Ple Ong, who intifi as lbian.

Photo: Ko Lyn Cheang“We are a Christian Church, first and foremost, not a gay Church, ” said Siew, who spent three years pletg a Masters Divy at the Pacific School of Relign Berkeley, California.

The Methodist Church Sgapore's Bishop Gordon Wong told VICE that the Methodist Church's posn is that “the practice of homosexualy is patible wh Christian teachgs, ” but said celibate romantic same-sex relatnships are "theoretilly" permissible. Intellectual, well-read, and “radil, ” said Pastor Siew, the foundg members were active Sgapore’s fledgg gay and lbian liberatn movement.

IS BIBLILLY ALLOWABLE FOR A PASTOR TO BE GAY?

Photo: Ko Lyn CheangThe Church’s first parish, where they spent half a year 2004, was a pub on the fourth floor of an elegant red brick shophoe buildg that was also home to a proment gay bar known as Mox. Worshippers met beneath two silver dis balls hangg om the ceilg where they listened to the pastors preach acceptance of May 2018, while Ong was preparg for a Church event to memorate Internatnal Day Agast Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia, she received a ll om the Sgaporean police who qutned her about the event.

“Let me put simple and unambiguo terms: A homosexual Christian is an oxymoron, ” Yang wrote.

“The problem is, even if you look at the vios they have done, [the participants] say they don’t intify as gay, ” said Ong. SINGAPORE — Some members of the Christian muny a dialogue ssn on Saturday (Jan 15) noted that the lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr and queer (LGBTQ) muny has faced a lot of hurt wh their relig groups, which may have led to trma and unhealthy pg mechanisms. Assistant Pastor Chang said that there is still work to be done raisg awarens wh lears the muny about LGBTQ issu, pecially on the issue of homosexualy.

WHY IS GAY-IENDLY IKEA SUPPORTG ANTI-GAY PASTOR LAWRENCE KHONG’S EVANGELISTIC MAGIC SHOW?

(On one end), they believe everythg about homosexualy is wrong and then on the other end, they believe everythg about homosexualy is fe and we should celebrate . “Even the msag (that were shared) the open ( that church) were homophobic and ma her really upset, ” she said.

The only prentatn of gay men the media that I saw were effemate men – somethg I uldn’t intify wh. On their first group outg, he realised that there were many other gay men like him who did not f to the media’s stereotypil reprentatn of gay men. Not long after, Miak cid to pluck up the urage to venture to a gay club for the first time.

IKEA SGAPORE REF TO CUT TI WH ANTI-GAY PASTOR

Part of me had ternalised the Church’s stand – that homosexualy is a s, and the two are irrencilable. So many of them ternalise their self-loathg and be the source of hate and homophobia.

Sgapore has crimalized gay sex while pledgg to add a nstutnal amendment to protect the fn of marriage as between one man and one woman. The Alliance of Pentestal & Charismatic Church of Sgapore (APCCS) argued that the cisn “signals a rewrg of acceptable sexual relatnships, and celebrat homosexualy as beg characteristic of a mastream social environment.

The FREE (First Realise Everyone’s Equal) COMMUNITY CHURCH affirms that all dividuals, cludg lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr persons, are dividuals of sacred worth created God’s image. Ined, we fd discrimatn based on negative judgment of others, fear of difference, and homophobia nsistent wh Christian teachgs.

A social jtice warrr, the good Reverend is currently servg as the Pastoral Advisor of the Free Communy Church (FCC); Sgapore’s only gay-affirmg Christian Church.

One of the pneers of the gay rights movement Sgapore, Alex Au has been champng LGBT rights long before beme ol.

In 2012, long-time gay uple Gary Lim and Kenh Chee very bravely filed a legal challenge agast Sectn 377A; the law that crimalis sex between men. Dr Khoo Hoon Eng: The Mother Of Gay Sons Who Started A Support Group For Parents Of LGBT Children. Not only did Dr Khoo Hoon Eng accept her two gay son’s homosexualy, she has also been relentlsly mpaigng on their behalf for greater acceptance of the LGBT muny.

Kelv started ADLUS (Adventurers Like Us), a gay sports group as well as Heartland, a gay buddhist group 1999. Both groups started out as mailg lists that aimed to nnect gay people wh mon terts at a time when technology wasn’t so advanced yet. Kelv also ma history by beg one of the first few Asians to earn a feature a 2001 Tim article as an openly gay man.