THE GAY ENTRAPEMENT

11 June 2006, Singapore. The Sunday Times here in Singapore reported in page 3 of Adrian Yeo, a Junior Doctor caught with drugs. Undercover narcotics officers had asked to get an assortment of drugs which he obtained from different dealers in his eagerness to gain entry to a sex session. He fell into the trap that the narcotics officers set for him when he turned up at Bencoolen Street Hotel with the drugs. With the conviction and sentencing to jail for eight months, his contract with his employer National Healthcare Group was terminated which meant a default on the SGD 400K five year bond with the health ministry. The revelation that Adrian was gay was emphasised, but despite the shame and financial burden, his father Mr EK Yeo, remained committed to his son. It appears that the officers leveraged on Adrian's desire for gay sex, as agent provocateurs rather than simply a sting operation of entrapment of catching a big drug dealer in action. However, by law there was no doubt that adrian was guilty of recreational drug pocession in spite of the approach being morally dubious. Whilst many in the conservative heartland would begin to infer that all gays are into drugs as well, surely the homophobic state of Singapore must share part of the blame for this sad predicament where gays need to hide their orientation and denied the same sex relationships they so longed for, until in desperation being cornered into a regretful and ill advised behaviour. Drugs was only secondary to a primary desire for love and relationship. We do not send female officers into sports bars to come on to guys to see which ones respond and then arrest them. We should not be sending undercover decoys … to do exactly the same thing.

Whilst Gays are being entrapped either for drugs or less frequent now adays for violation of section 377 of the penal code relating to homosexual sex, the mainstream churches in Singapore are likewise entrapped by the forces of darkness being masters of deception and provocation. Surely, our self righteousness and incorrect theology on gays have been manipulated such that we are take arms against a fictitious gay agenda and be caught misusing the bible and abusing our spiritual authority oppressing a small minority of their basic rights rather than preaching God's love and salvation to the remaining 95% of the population. Like a mouse trap, the bait consisting of the gay community has been set. Gays are just collateral damage for the ultimate aim is the soul of the Christian Church, to weaken their spiritual authority to speak based on the word of God, and to divert their energies and attention to a red herring issue which only exposes their carnality when they subject God' sacred Word their own morality. The result is a devastating loss of Christian witness to the Gay community, and the loss of the right and mandate for Christian missions, a right taken away when we chose to oppress and discriminate based on our carnal instincts against those different from us rather than walking in wisdom of God's grace and mercy. Jesus was the God of the outcasts of whom He was persecuted by the powerful and wealthy Jewish religious leaders. But we identified with the latter and in doing so, we can no more rightfully claim to be authentic ambassadors of Christ.

The future of the Anglican Communion could be decided at the general convention of the US church next week. Unity will stand or fall on whether the Episcopal Church of the US agrees a moratorium on gay consecrations called for by the Windsor report. In Singapore, the Bishop of Singapore, Dr John Chew, 58, has been appointed Archbishop of Southeast Asia. He is also secretary of the Global South, a group of powerful and fast growing churches which has treatened to split from the Communion if the US Church does not abide with its terms. And as for the future of the Anglican Church, he believes the problem is not unity but diversity. "The classic dictum must be upheld if there is to be any global role: in essentials unity; in non- essentials liberty; in others charity. Unfortunately, this is forgotten by some materially rich churches in the Communion". Ironically, it is Rev Chew who is part of the Global South, fundamentalist with an absolute theology with no negotiables leaving no room for reflection nor diversity which he proclaims..

The pertinent arguments of being orthodox and biblicaly based could not stand up to a reflective biblical scrunity which clearly shows that the Orthodox theology against gays in the loving same sex relationships cannot be justified, there being no equivalent in the bible. It is unfaithful to God's word to interpret pagan idol sex worship by straight Jewish law conscious religious people conducting sexual orgies as being reflective of God's condemnation against Gays. Archbishop Chew has conviently forgotten that the very birth of the communion was a blatant departure from Othodoxy not in view of righteousness sake but of sin of adultery and murder. The Church of England is itself founded upon infidelity of King Henry the Eight. Henry, determined to provide a male heir to the throne, decided to divorce Katharine and marry Anne Boleyn. English diplomacy became a series of maneuvers to win the approval of Pope Clement VII. The pope refused to give way on the divorce issue. In AD 1534 the separation with Rome was completed by the Act of Supremacy, which made the King Henry head of the Church of England. What a big plank?. History has repeated itself by the marriage of Prince Charles to a divorsee and we again see no similar outcry whatsover to this clear violation of biblical principals. If the communion were to be broken, how ironic if it was based on a love and devotion so deep beyond the opposition and oppression by society and religion, versus the selfish and superficial love that birthed the communion 500 years ago.

The bible is written to reveal Jesus and as a testimony of His death and resurrection, and the coming of the Holy Spirit into the first century church to continue the work of Christ in our midst. The work of the Holy Spirit soon fizzled out as Christianity gained acceptance as a state religion in AD 313. Instead, of having Jesus as the head, it raised men as semi-gods to head the church. Thereafter, the church has on countless occasion throughout history mis-used the bible as a tool to justify their own self righteousness, power and wealth, and added to it tradition and orthodoxy to justtify its theology. But the gates of Hades was not successful in eliminating the message of the cross. The scriptures were being divinely protected, that it may become the impetus 1200 years later for Martin Luther to challenge the church orthodoxy and tradition in AD. Slowly, over the next 500 years even with the bible banned, much of our wrong teachings and traditions have had to be corrected. Some churches refused to change resulting in denominations. The Anglican Communion in Singapore has strongly embraced change and yearned to be truthtful to the Word of god and the leading of the Holy Spirit. Revival came in the 70s, 80s, from whence we learnt that the gifts of the Spirit is very much available contrary to orthodoxy. We have had to change, to embrace tongues, healing gifts, and prophetic ministries, all which have been rejected hitherto. The church has grown strongly as a result.

(1 Cor 13:13 NKJV) And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

(1 Cor 13:1 NKJV) Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.

Corinthians reminds us to remember love when we are passionate with faith and hope for the mighty move of God to the extent of desiring prophetic ministry and spiritual gifts. Without love, the Anglican communion has effectively an empty voice despite moving in the spiritual gifts and missions. God is calling the Anglican communion to open its doors to gays because God loves them and accepts them. It is not a call to maintain unity at the expense of love, but a call to follow after Jesus' steps to be for the outcasts less we have now taken on the role of the Pharisees whom Jesus severely condemned. The same passion for God, is now used as an entrapement for the church to fall into collective sin thus hindering its effectiveness, and missions. We seek to become God's hand and feet, and voice against sin, and inadvertanly we become the zealots that persecuted Jesus and sent Him to the cross of calvary. Gays are now used as an entrapement for the church to enter into sin of condeming an innocent victim when God does not condemned them but on the contrary created them as Gays. The issue facing the communion is essentially about the US Episcopal Church opening their doors to Gays that which has been hitherto shut. Gays are knocking at the gates of the church, to be treated with respect, and equality.

The Gay Rights movement goes back to the first national gay rights march in the United States took place on October 14, 1979 in Washington, DC, involving perhaps as many 100,000 people. By then the Sodomoy laws have been repealed in California and Washington in 1976. The last of the state laws were invalidated by 2003 U.S. Supreme Court decision Lawrence v. Texas. In the 1993 case Baehr v Lewin, The Hawaii State Supreme Court ruled that the state must show a compelling interest in prohibiting same-sex marriage. This prompted concern among opponents of same-sex marriage that the state might legalize it, and that eventually other states would recognize same-sex marriages performed in Hawaii. The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in 1996 by President Clinton is designed specifically to "quarantine" same-sex marriage and prevent states from being required to recognize the marriage of same-sex couples in other states. DOMA,

• Allows each state to deny Constitutional marital rights between persons of the same sex which have been recognized in another state.
• For purposes of federal law, it defines marriage as "a legal union of one man and one woman as husband and wife" and by stating that spouse "refers only to a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or a wife."

Ironically, President Clinton did not take his marriage which he denied gays very seriously. He was exposed in 1998 had a short-term sexual relationship with the 22-year-old White House intern, Monica Lewinsky.

Despite the implementagtion of the Defence of the Marriage Act, the Church launched a coordinated hostility against gays and their rights from same-sex marriage laws and other measures to promote equality. Politically powerful and well funded, chriatian groups such as Focus on the Family and Traditional Values Coalition begin to blame gays for the ills of society, and the family anything from pedophelia to marriage breakdowns. Amazingly, Robertson and Jerry Falwell attributed the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks to God's wrath against "abortionists, pagans, feminists, gays and lesbians". The entrapement was set, and with that one single remark the bait was taken and the Christian Church was shown to be guilty of cruelty, hatred, unrighteousness and injustice against gays which has been ongoing for a thousand years.Using gays as a scapegoat to obtain funds, the Christian right continued their agression cultimating in the 2004 presidential election campaign, where legal recognition of same-sex unions became a major issue. Whereas the church was to become a place of refuge, it became the cornerstone of persecution because the church has lost its true cornerstone, Jesus Christ. A time will come when those that are most despised by the church will become that which God will use to revive the church.

In a basement of a Christian service in Taipei, Taiwan there were about 40 attending the service. The location, the time was not published. On the wall, were full details of everyone who attended, their name, age, job, where they stayed. Like an underground church, if anyone dares to blackmail another, he too would be implicated. Such was the fear, shame, that this christian saints had to lived through because they are gay. Just as in Acts 2:2, surely the presence of the Lord is in that place, with His mighty power and grace. Do you not see the brush of the angels wings that God has sent to protect this precious saints? Jesus is their hiding place, their deliverence, and trust when they are so afraid. Let the weak say I am strong in the name of the Lord. Jesus is their hiding place always filling them with songs of deliverence. It is a love that will not let them go, a place where their weary soul can rest and acceptance amidst overwhelming persecution. There comes a time, when there will arise from their basement closet and rise from the depths of the earth to see the sunrise. There will be a rainbow in the sky, the very sign of God's grace, that which has become a symbol of the gay movement. The Children will be free. They will be free from entrapement.