(Exo 14:17 NASB) "And as for Me, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them; and I will be honored through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen.

In the light of the virulent attack on gays by the Christian Right in America where gays have become the most targeted group for attacks, discrimination and abuse, the Southern Poverty Law Center has updated its lists of Anti-Gay Hate Groups to include many Christian groups who are hiding behind the Christian Faith but are less than Christian in their anti-gay rhetoric:-

1. Abiding Truth Ministries [Scott Lively]
2. American Family Association
3. Americans for Truth About Homosexuality [Peter LaBarbera]
4. American Vision
5. Chalcedon Foundation
6. Dove World Outreach Center [Terry Jones]
7. Faithful Word Baptist Church [Steven Anderson]
8. Family Research Council
9. Family Research Institute [Paul Cameron]
10. Heterosexuals Organized for a Moral Environment
11. Illinois Family Institute
12. MassResistance
13. Traditional Values Coalition

From TWO and SPLC

The difference between gays and other marginalized groups such as the poor, women, refugees, handicapped etc, is that only gays are considered intrinsically immoral, hence, faced additional persecution from the Christian groups. In John 9:2, the disciples asked Jesus a very unusual question regarding who has sinned for the man to be born blind – the man himself or the parents! And Jesus answered that neither was responsible but that the healing of the blind man should be the key focus ie God’s grace and mercy.

We still asked a similar question today, insisting that Homosexuality must have been a choice or of a fallen nature, when it is no fault of the person for being gay. The key is how do we treat people as Christians? Do we create all sorts of lies against them to justify our own theological construction? And join in the crowds to discriminate against them?

Being gay must have been a sin we say since homosexual acts in the bible were called an abomination, but we left out the fact that these acts were most likely done by straight men as part of idol worship such as Molech, Baal, Ashtoreth, Aphrodite, which the bible considers as an abomination. The male priests had indeed made a choice to castrate themselves, to become a woman, and wear woman’s clothing – to identify with the gods and secondly so that the straight man can have anal sex with them thus joining themselves with the deity. The abomination was being one with the demonic forces (joined through sex) when they were supposed to be children of the true God.

Our anti-gay theology is only a theological construction not based on the word of God with bible verses cherry picked, and pseudo science. Why hide the facts which would have been obvious from historical, cultural and religious context? Because we fear to tackle the issues raised because it speaks of the abominations in our own straight lives and families. The mainstream Christianity deals with the heterosexual issues such as sexual immorality, divorce, adultery, abortions, by conveniently associating it with the GLBT community. It can’t be us we say, it must be the sinners – the gay community. Hence, this community even though no more than 5% of the population has been portrayed as having such evil destructive powers even to bring down Christianity itself and a major threat to Families.

A quick review of the “Hate Groups” shows that they refer to “Family”, “moral values”, and “Tradition”, but look closely and see that their eyes are not focused on their own family rather than the sin of others, the sin they see in the gay community rather than reflecting of the sexual sins, and family breakdown within their own heterosexual family context. Jesus said that our eyes, how we see reflect the status of our heart, and dark indeed is the heart of Christianity if they only see the small prick in others but not the log of wood within our own lives. Our self righteousness makes us deluded until we cannot see the blood in our own hands.  Even worst, when we see the blood in our hands, we do not reflect on our own sins but see ourselves as victims.

We have a “sin” culture even in churches such as New Creation Church who has joked often about gays. We should have a culture of humility, recognizing our falleness before God, and the potential to perpetuate God’s love, grace, and mercy in Christ Jesus. We must be “grace” conscious with a heart of humility and fear of God. If we were to have the fear of God in our hearts, we would not have blamed and sacrificed others for our own sins.  In NCC, they even have the audacity to say that gays will change under the grace of God, hence confusing that precious Grace of God in Christ Jesus, with our own self righteous theological construction. The church is called to stand for justice and not to do the opposite of perpetuating injustice against the weak.

(Mat 5:18 NASB) "For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass away from the Law, until all is accomplished.

The Law of God will never pass away, the demand for justice against those who has perpetrated harm.  The Anti-gay Hate Groups may gloat, but their crimes will be remembered and God will be our justice. And main stream Christianity such as the mega churches, the Pat Robertson, the Assemblies of God, the Anglican South and the Southern Baptist, who has given much support to these hate groups, they too will not escape the Law of God, the law of Righteousness.

God Himself hardens the heart of the wicked, just as He did the heart of Pharaoh. We see so many anti-gay hate groups arising, and the increasingly virulent anti-gay stance of the Anglican South, because God is letting us having our own way without the constrain of the Holy Spirit, thus exposing our hearts to demonic influences, so that the extent of our crimes can grow to its fullness, ready for God’s judgement.

It’s never about dialogue between differing points of views – the conservatives versus the liberals - for great harm has been done. Hundred of thousands have died. Many have committed suicide or died through diseases. Many more have their humanity taken away from them having neither rights to marriage nor rights of existence. Their deaths, their pain and suffering, their blood spilled on the sacred land cries out for justice.

For Grace to occur there must be justice. With the rising of the anti-gay hate groups and increasing rhetoric and anti-gay stance even by the churches in Singapore, it is the hand of God hardening the hearts of people, amplifying their sins against the gay community so that Judgment can come. And judgment did come to Pharaoh when he refused to “Let My people Go”. We see the height of lawlessness in these anti-gay Christian groups, and it is only a matter time they will be drowned in the red sea whilst pursuing the hapless gay community.

The Grace of God is however so abundant, His mercy and love so great for His church that as much as She has fallen, His hand of mercy and grace remains extended to the church and to each one of us individually. We are in a period of Grace, where God is calling and waiting for our response to come to Him that our hearts be cleansed and our Spirit renewed to know the Grace of God, and have a contrite and a humbled heart.

Create in me a clean heart, O God
and renew a right spirit within me
O cast me not away from Thy presence, O Lord
and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me,
Restore unto me, the joy of thy salvation
and renew a right spirit within me