"City Harvest Church board members had backed the
secular music career of Ms Ho Yeow Sun as a way to evangelise as far
back as 2002", John lam, CHC ex-Board Member. SPH Storm 14 July
2014
"Even Christians from other churches couldn't
understand how a church could be supporting what to them was a secular
project. We knew that if the project was to continue, it cannot be seen
that the church is actively supporting Sun," John Lam CHC
ex-board member, July 2014
"Rev Kong said that no church funds had been used for
Ho’s pop career promotion, and that it was normal practice for the
church to support and celebrate the secular success of its members. ",
Pastor Kong Hee, Straits Times Jan 2003
"Rev Kong said that not a single cent from church
funds was used to buy or to promote Sun's albums. Integrity, he added,
was a core value of the church. 'As such, we always try to be as
transparent as we can in all our activities. Our accounts are audited
yearly by a public accounting firm,' [Pastor Kong] said."
Straits Times Jan 20, 2003
"‘All [Sun Ho] has been saying since she came back
from Taiwan last week for MTV is how all her hard work has been for
nothing. Her success, which has been achieved through her own talent and
efforts, has been unfairly discredited by the false allegations.
However, she believes that in time, the truth will dawn. "
Pastor Kong Hee, Straits Times, Jan 2003
"In 2002, [Sun Ho] launched her new career in Taiwan
as a pop singer. Since then, she has done very well with more than four
million units sold, five multi-platinum records, and over 30 number one
songs in five different countries. Today, she is known in the Far East
as a bona fide singer, entertainer and humanitarian. ", Pastor
Kong Hee, in blog entry, Spe 2009
"Yet, in spite of all [Sun Ho's] secular and
creative achievements, many conservative pastors find it hard to accept
Sun in any role outside of church ministry. But the reality is that she
is no longer a church staff or a gospel singer. She doesn’t work for any
religious organization" Pastor Kong Hee, in blog entry, Sep 2009
As I was walking through Suntec, it dawned upon me
that CHC owns 39% of it which is an amazing achievement. If they had
been honest and upfront in Year 2002 about supporting Sun Ho's secular
career, who cares about it. But they have wanted to boast that Sun Ho
could succeed on her own accord in the market place, something that was
in the onset not easily achievable, not that Sun Ho was not good.
The Commissioner of Charities may have then asked them
to stop but it will be in broad daylight. When the Pharisees hide their
sins in white wash tombs, it is white only on the outside. But within
there is lawlessness. The law makes us paint our house white on the
outside. Grace opens the door to admit our failings.
Why hide the truth? it's not like gays facing a two
year jail sentence, and not having any basic rights, dignity, and the
freedom to love and be loved. In truth, the members would have supported
Sun Ho all the way. The religious law promotes fear of failure. Grace
promotes hope and faith in Jesus Christ. If the secular singing career
was for evangelism, then faith will see a way through opening doors and
showering favor.
It was not a case of a common administrative or
governance oversight but an alleged investments of tens of millions
through proxies which is dutifully audited for legitimacy.
-
2003 - CHC/Kong Hee strongly
denied that the Church directly supported Sun Ho apart from the
private support by the members. It insisted that Roland Poon who
made allegations of such support retract his allegations and
apologise.
-
2009 - Pastor Kong reaffirmed
that Sun Ho is not linked to CHC in his blog article "Wholesome
shallowness"
-
2014 - In Court, John Lam the
ex-CHC board member confirmed that the CHC supported Sun all the way
from 2002.
In light of NLB's and Wear White debacle, how could the church have
supported China Wine? a music video of lewd proportions. In the meantime
in 2007, CHC preached against the Gospel message of God's grace
claiming it was antinomianism, and invoking the image of Karl Barth and
the notion of cheap grace.
It's hard to argue that Sun Ho's Hollywood foray with
MTV videos such as China Wine fits the church legitimate purpose of
evangelism. The Senior counsels for the defense would have a
challenging time to prove innocense. But I guess that was what they are
paid for.
Karl Barth stood us against the Nazis who were sending
Jews and Gays to the gas chambers to die. It was nothing like City
Harvest who only stood up for their own Hollywood glory and fame. They
never stood up for the outcasts, for gays.
It was not the seduction of lawlessness that the bible
speaks of, but the seduction of self righteousness, focusing on
obedience by the law that will ultimately produces the fruits of
lawlessness.
Under law we don't see our sin, but our own goodness
and righteousness in obeying the law. Our conscience are no more until we
cause harm against gays, spin the gravest of rethoric and feel no
remorse and instead justifying our hate as good and moral.
In view of the National Council of Churches strong
pro-family stance of the church, even wearing white, and insisting that
books be taken out from the shelfs of public library, where was Love
Singapore? when Sun Ho was out in Hollywood.
The spiritual landscape isn't favorable with Love
Singapore entering the secular space wearing white as moral defenders of
Singapore against gays coming out of the closets. The Pharisees also
wore white!
When we insist that the laws within the church be
strictly followed by the secular world, then the laws outside the church
also applies within the church including how we use the money as a charity,
and meant for a specific purpose building fund.
We fear gays coming out of the closets in Pink Dot. We
wear white but the courts will open all the doors into the church space.
When we limit the liberty of others, it somehow comes back to bite us.
When we insist on the law instead of grace, it is
always the law will find us out, finding us wanting and well short. When
we are law minded, we tend to justify all our actions until obvious sins
are no longer sins but
suitably justified. However, in the bible, we are justified by our faith in Jesus and not by
our own righteousness.
I guess being "pro-family" is a disguise to put all
their sins upon the gentle gay lamb. When we hide the truth, and deny
others the basic freedom to live and put them in jails, we also go into
our own closets except we don't realise it. In our closets, we begin to
sin without grace. We fall from grace when we are law minded.
When we sin without grace, that is when lawlessness
comes in ie we do whatever we like, without conscience nor
accountability. We are living without grace when we focused on the law
and the Ten commandments. We failed yet not realise we cheated, and gave
false witness, not one time, but everytime to tens of thousands.
The law multiplies sin and self
righteousness, whilsts grace multiplies God's mercy and humility in our
lives. When we focused on the law, we come under the judgement of the
law as plain and the worst sinners. The law multiplies sin in us
because we are sinners and self centered. Grace multiplies a change of
heart because it is unmerited, humbling and not of self ability.
The bible and the law works as a school teacher to show us our
need for Christ, that non may glory except in Christ. What can be seen in the court case is lawlessness
against God's moral laws which is the fruit of Mt Sinai. But we are
called to be at Mt. Zion, the mountain of God.
The church is supposed to be of much higher morality
and integrity that the secular world. But when we are so law minded, we
can't see our sin, and now have to be judged by the courts of the
secular world with their basic laws.
Just as the church had vehemently denied that Sun was part of the CHC ministry nor
was supported
by the church, we can't keep
denying that some are born gay.
Nike said "Just Do it", but for Christians, it is
"Just Grace"! If we can't succeed, Just admit it!. There is no need to
hide. When we hide, the light and grace of God can't come in.
There is also no need to hide from being gay. It is
all by God's grace in Christ Jesus Our Lord and Saviour. Denial should
not be our motto, but Love, Faith and Hope for God's grace in Jesus
Christ is external.
Let us be led by God's favour and grace upon our lives
that we can live in peace with God and with ourselves because Christ is
in us, the hope of glory.
May we be supported by Jesus, with the Holy Spirit
alongside, all the way the favour of God following us in all that we do.
We pray for Love Singapore and City Harvest Church,
not for truth or for judgement, but for God's grace be known and
magnified in the midst of sin.
Rom 5:20 Moreover the law entered that the offense
might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, 21 so
that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through
righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
All the Way my Saviour Leads me,
(Fanny J. Crosby 1875)
All the way my Savior leads me;
What have I to ask beside?
Can I doubt His tender mercy,
Who through life has been my Guide?
Heav’nly peace, divinest comfort,
Here by faith in Him to dwell!
For I know, whate’er befall me,
Jesus doeth all things well,
For I know, whate’er befall me,
Jesus doeth all things well.
All the way my Savior leads me,
Cheers each winding path I tread,
Gives me grace for every trial,
Feeds me with the living bread.
Though my weary steps may falter,
And my soul athirst may be,
Gushing from the Rock before me,
Lo! a spring of joy I see,
Gushing from the Rock before me,
Lo! a spring of joy I see.
All the way my Savior leads me;
Oh, the fullness of His grace!
Perfect rest to me is promised
In my Father’s blest embrace.
When my spirit, clothed immortal,
Wings its flight to realms of day,
This my song through endless ages:
Jesus led me all the way,
This my song through endless ages:
Jesus led me all the way.
|