By Over the weekend members of the Faith Community Baptist Church gathered at the church’s two locations dressed in white as a protest against gay rights rally Pink Dot.
“We cannot just sit idly by and keep silent while Pink Dot ‘vandalises’ Singapore with their propaganda,” wrote their pastor Lawrence Khong in a letter addressed to all members of LoveSingapore, a Christian unity movement. Khong encouraged his followers to speak out against the LGBT movement in favour of the “Natural Family”, referring to the heterosexual family unit.
The pastor has been active on Facebook promoting the Wear White campaign, which was started last year by conservative Muslims.
https://www.facebook.com/notes/lawrence-khong-fcbc/for-marriage-and-for-family/950406141670167
Mothership.sg reported on Khong’s sermon over the weekend, quoting him as saying: “I want to pray that we will continue to wear white as long as there is pink, and we will wear white until the pink is gone, and even if the pink is gone we will continue to wear white.”
In his letter, Khong urged his followers not to worry about the “mushy middle” but the silent majority, which he claimed is made up of “pro-family conservatives”.
“We must pay attention to this group, strengthen and empower them. We must embolden them to speak out uncompromisingly and fearlessly everywhere—on social media, in the boardrooms, classrooms, and at every opportunity,” he wrote.
The link to Khong’s letter emerged on Facebook, but seems to have been removed as it had been reported for being “abusive or marked as spam”.
Here is the full letter from Lawrence Khong:
WEAR WHITE Campaign 2015
Long but important message:
1. This year, Pink Dot falls on Saturday, June 13th. Once again, the activists have done an excellent promo video loaded with emotive language. They play the victim card in order to win public sympathy and support. We know what they are up to.
2. My heart is burdened. We cannot just sit idly by and keep silent while Pink Dot “vandalises” Singapore with their propaganda. Last year in response to Pink Dot, we stood in solidarity with the Muslims in their WEAR WHITE campaign as a symbol of purity and virtue for the Natural Family.
3. So, this year, we will do it again. And for as long as Pink Dot is around, we will keep doing it. As Salt and Light, we the Church has a major role to play in defending the moral future of Singapore. On our watch, we must not allow any activist or gay-affirming group or MNC or foreign country to interfere with our national interests, defy our shared values and push their permissive credo on our conservative society.
4. So, I would like to call the Christian community in Singapore to WEAR WHITE on Saturday, June 13th and Sunday, June 14th—to make a stand TOGETHER for the Natural Family, a core value of Singapore’s conservative majority, a great legacy of the Pioneer Generation.
5. Let me address two possible concerns:
One, does WEAR WHITE have to be on the same weekend as Pink Dot?
It certainly does. Let me tell you why. The Pink Dot event at Hong Lim is the LGBTs’ iconic platform of public persuasion. We must deliberately and strategically register our strong disapproval. To do it at any other time would miss the point. We are not against people who practise homosexuality, but we need to make a clear public statement that an event like Pink Dot should not be allowed public space to promote the homosexual lifestyle. Ultimately, Pink Dot activists want to remove 377A, to mainstream homosexuality as an accepted social norm. There is a political agenda and a calculated strategy of public persuasion behind everything they do (please read Mobilising Gay Singapore by Lynette Chua, Associate Law Professor at NUS). To achieve their goals, they know they must first change society’s attitude toward homosexuality. So, at their press conference last year, their spokespersons proudly declared that Pink Dot has always been a social movement to change hearts and minds… when society’s attitude has changed, all these laws and regulations will naturally also change… It’s a matter of time before 377A is repealed. We should be concerned. We must wake up. We must expose Pink Dot for what it is and not be deceived by its innocent-sounding Freedom to Love slogan.
Two, in calling for this WEAR WHITE weekend, wouldn’t Christians be seen as confrontational, and hence aren’t we pushing away the mushy middle to the LGBT side?
I think we need to get a clearer picture and understand the real situation better. In the first place, our greatest challenge is not the mushy middle. This group is not as big and burgeoning as some people make it out to be. Secondly, the LGBTs, though small, are an extremely vocal minority. Our highest priority should therefore be to awaken the silent majority—the pro-Family conservatives. We must pay attention to this group, strengthen and empower them. We must embolden them to speak out uncompromisingly and fearlessly everywhere—on social media, in the boardrooms, classrooms, and at every opportunity. We must encourage them to stand up and stand tall. Wear White is a good first step. It’s a simple act, yet a powerful statement of Truth. We stand on solid ground, our biblical convictions regarding public morality, heterosexual marriage and the Natural Family.
6. Our concerted response is necessary for the sake of our families, our children and future generations. We are being true to God who instituted Marriage and Family. We are being true to our conscience. We are doing this in the interest of our nation. We are seeking her shalom and welfare.
7. Dear fellow shepherds of Singapore, I trust you hear my heart. Will you WEAR WHITE the weekend of June 13th and June 14th? Will you encourage all your members to show up for church services in white? Remember, this is not a protest. This is our statement for the Natural Family, and God’s people have every right to do so. I look forward to hearing from you. Please reply this email with a simple YES, Count us in!
I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear me and that all will then go well for them and for their children after them. (Jeremiah 32:39)
Together We Stand:
Lawrence Khong
Chairman, LoveSingapore