Guide is to support Section 377A, it’s not against people: Singapore pastor Lawrence Khong

A guide to promote support for the retention of a law which criminalises sex between men is not against “people who practise alternative sex”, said the chairman of the network of Christian churches backing the move.

Lawrence Khong, who is the senior pastor of Faith Community Baptist Church (FCBC) and chairman of LoveSingapore Network, said that the guide was created to help the church give feedback in a civil manner.

“We are not against people. Not even people who practise alternative sex. We are against any attempt to take down a good moral law of the land which our government upholds and which the silent majority wants to keep,” said Khong in a statement issued on Tuesday in response to queries from Yahoo Singapore.

The guide, which has been making its rounds on social media, gives readers specific instructions on how to express support for the Section 377A of Singapore's Penal Code. For instance, it provides examples of how to write to a minister or the government feedback unit REACH.

It is “not a ‘Us’ versus ‘Them’ thing as some people made it out to be,” Khong asserted. “It is about our unwavering concern for our nation's long-term well-being.”

He pointed to an excerpt from the guide, which said, “Remember: People who practise alternative sex are not our enemies. Each one is precious to God, a human soul of inestimable worth. We are moved with compassion for them. We must reach out to them to show we love and we care. This is our posture. This is the spirit of LoveSingapore.”

On why the church group drew up the guide, he noted that there is a silent majority who feel strongly about retaining the Section 377A.

“But they do not know how to engage our lawmakers and policy-makers. Guidance is needed—how to speak up on a national issue that has far-reaching implications down many generations,” he said.

Under Section 377A, any male person who, in public or private, commits, or abets the commission of, or procures or attempts to procure the commission by any male person of, any act of gross indecency with another male person, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years.

In October last year, the Court of Appeal allowed two challenges to the country's controversial anti-gay law to be heard.

The full statement from Khong is reproduced below:

1.         Why was this guide created?

The guide was created to help likeminded believers do their part in preserving what is good for Singapore. There's a silent majority out there who love Singapore and who care deeply about her moral future. They feel strongly about retaining Section 377A of the Penal Code. But they do not know how to engage our lawmakers and policy-makers. Guidance is needed—how to speak up on a national issue that has far-reaching implications down many generations.

To put it in another way, the GUIDE is our civil approach to moderating the conservative ground within the Church. We do not want any impassioned individual to overly react and make foolish comments online or offline. Hence, the language of our GUIDE is civil and courteous. We caution all who wish to engage our leaders to be gentle, polite and sincere.

At the Harvard Club of Singapore's 35th Anniversary Dinner in 2004, PM Lee (then DPM) said: “The Government will pull back from being all things to all citizens. This is so not only in minor municipal issues, but in some far-reaching ones too. For example on questions of public morality and decency, we are increasingly guided by the consensus of views in the community.” 

Likeminded believers should take Prime Minister's words seriously. As such, providing them with the right guidance and proper feedback channels was the Guide's main objective.

2.         Who was it distributed to?

We work mainly with Church Leadership. Denominational Leaders, Senior Pastors, National Directors of Christian organisations. In fact, the GUIDE was primarily given to those who attended our annual Pastors’ Prayer Summit in January. Leaders who love Singapore, who respect the law of the land, who believe that building Singapore is an exciting enterprise worth our life, who know that we must not fail her on our watch. It was meant to be a private communication to a group leaders for their personal reference, study, and for their wise and discerning response – similar to a classified document circulated at Senior Management level in any company or organisation.

As a pastor, my principle is this: the best way to help likeminded believers is to help their pastors guide them. Our position is to let the church leader take the lead, as so clearly stated in our Guide. The GUIDE is our civil approach to moderating the conservative ground within the Church as we do not want any impassioned individual to overly react and make foolish comments online or offline.

3.         About it being made available online:

I have no issues with it being made available online – in fact, I think it is good that everyone sees it as it reflects the heart and spirit of the people who care about our nation's future. It's obvious that we not against people, not even those who practise alternative sex. It's obvious that we totally support our government’s steadfast efforts to promote the Family and to retain Section 377A. Our message is clear: we are on the same page as our government. We are speaking their language. We are backing their stand. We are rooting for them. We want to carry forward the legacy of the Pioneer Generation: Family, according to “the mainstream views and values of Singapore society, where the social norm consists of the married heterosexual family unit.”

4.         Final Comments:

The Guide is not a “Us” versus “Them” thing as some people made it out to be. It is about our unwavering concern for our nation's long-term well-being. The bottom-line so marvellously framed by Our Singapore Conversation is this: “What kind of Singapore do we want 20 years from now?” Will we flounder or will we flourish? The starting point of such a discourse has got to be the Family—the basic building block of society. As the Family goes, so goes society, so goes the nation. We can't get away from that.

Two things are obvious from our Guide:

a. We are not against people. Not even people who practise alternative sex. We are against any attempt to take down a good moral law of the land which our government upholds and which the silent majority wants to keep. The first point of our GUIDE says: “Remember: People who practise alternative sex are not our enemies. Each one is precious to God, a human soul of inestimable worth. We are moved with compassion for them. We must reach out to them to show we love and we care. This is our posture. This is the spirit of LoveSingapore.”

b. We totally support our government’s steadfast efforts to promote the Family and to retain Section 377A. We take reference from Prime Minister's 2007 Parliamentary Speech in which he said: “I think we have also been right to adapt, to accommodate homosexuals in our society, but not to allow or encourage activists to champion gay rights as they do in the West. So I suggest, Mr Speaker, and I suggest to the Members of the House, we keep this balance, leave section 377A alone.”