Sermon followed visit by key Newt Gingrich ally Pastor Jim Garlow
From Gaystarnews:
A Singaporean pastor has delivered a sermon titled God’s Pattern for Marriage in front of 3,000 people in which he called the LGBT movement ‘diabolical’.
‘I believe that God has awakened to face one of the greatest attacks on the family by the evil one,’ said Lawrence Khong.
Khong also called the LGBT rights movement the ‘onslaught of the evil one’.
Khong leads a megachurch, Faith Community Baptist Church, and such views are what we would expect. He describes himself as an “Apostle”, having been commissioned by none other than “Third Wave” neo-Pentecostal leader and theorist C. Peter Wagner. As noted previously, Wagner sees Christians as engaged in spiritual warfare against countervailing demonic powers that seek to control aspects of society; eventually, Christians will take dominion, and certain leaders will have their authority confirmed through supernatural abilities. In March, Khong attended an international conference in Bogota, where he shared the stage with Cindy Jacobs (who was last blogged by me here).
However, in the context of Singapore, Khong’s stance means support for existing legislation by which homosexual activity between consenting men is punished by up to two years in prison; in January, his church was visited by former Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong, and he marked the occasion with a welcoming statement which included the following:
We affirm that the family unit comprises a man as Father, a woman as Mother, and Children. This is the basic building block of society, a value foundational for a secure future, a premise fundamental to nation-building.
We see a looming threat to this basic building block by homosexual activists seeking to repeal Section 377A of the Penal Code.
Examples from around the world have shown that the repeal of similar laws have led to negative social changes, especially the breakdown of the family as a basic building block and foundation of the society. It takes away the rights of parents over what their children are taught in schools, especially sex education. It attacks religious freedom and eventually denies free speech to those who, because of their moral convictions, uphold a different view from that championed by increasingly aggressive homosexual activists.
We love our nation. We sincerely pray for and look to the Government to provide moral leadership in preserving this basic building block and foundation of our society. And with that, to robustly protect our constitutional rights to free speech and religious liberty; so as to ensure that social cohesion and religious harmony are maintained in Singapore.
Khong’s new sermon on the subject – which can be seen here – came in the wake of an event organized by Khong entitled “Momentum 2013”, with the tag-line “”Family Foundation Future”. According to the event’s blurb:
The Family, the basic building block of society, is under attack… We see a well-organised, well-funded global campaign with a political agenda to redefine Marriage and Family. What kind of Singapore will future generations inherit? Will homosexuality become the accepted norm?…
Singapore is unique. We are a society with conservative roots. We have a pro-Family Government. We must stand firm and support the efforts of our national leaders to preserve our core values. We are a small nation with a big Antioch call. Whatever happens to Singapore will affect Asia. Hasn’t God raised us up for such a time as this? To defend Singapore. To deliver Asia. To lift up the standard of the Lord against the global push toward mainstreaming homosexuality and legalising same-sex marriage!
There is also a description of the “Equipping Team”:
An alliance of local pastors, bible scholars, thought leaders, writers, ministry founders, ministry specialists and life-changing story-tellers. ALSO FEATURING Dr Jim Garlow: Best-selling author, communicator, commentator, historian, cultural analyst and Senior Pastor of Skyline Wesleyan Church in San Diego, California. A leading evangelical leader in the USA, Jim founded and led the California Pastors Rapid Response Team, uniting several thousand pastors across the denominations in a victorious campaign to preserve the natural, biblical definition of Marriage. As a result, the California Constitution was amended to include this provision that only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognised in California.
I discussed Jim Garlow just yesterday; he and close associate named Pastor Dan Cummins are currently organising a “Washington – A Man of Prayer” event on Capitol Hill, at which Michele Bachmann and Newt Gingrich will be among the speakers.
Khong’s assessment of Momentum 2013 can be found on Facebook; he writes:
Momentum 2013 was certainly a defining moment for Singapore, with more than 5,000 pastors, leaders and members of churches gathered for one resolve: To defend marriage and family in Singapore to be between a male as father, a female as mother with their children. We are fully convinced the Biblical foundation for the family is founded upon the marriage of a man and a woman
…The Bible begins with a marriage in the Garden of Eden and ends with the marriage of the Lamb – between Christ and the Church at the end of the world. This Marriage is the ultimate marriage, and can only be illustrated through the mystical union between a man and a woman in a lifelong monogamous relationship. This piece of truth was brought to us at Momentum 2013 by Dr Jim Garlow of Skyline Wesleyan Church in San Diego. He was also one of the key leaders who rallied the pastors of California together in defence of Proposition 8, which states that only a marriage between a man and a woman will be valid or recognised in California.
As I noted just yesterday, Garlow also heads Renewing American Leadership (ReAL), which was created to promote Newt Gingrich’s religious credentials ahead of the 2012 presidential election. Of course, Gingrich is not the first name that comes to mind when one ponders “the mystical union between a man and a woman in a lifelong monogamous relationship”.
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