In 2013, Senior Pastor and Co-Founder of Cornerstone Community Church (CCC), Yang Tuck Yoong’s comments sparked a backlash after he regarded homosexuality an “abomination” during a sermon titled “The Sing of Sodom”.
Due to his controversial statement, two British assembly members – Darren Millar and Russell George – were urged to cut their links with the ‘homophobic’ pastor.
It appears that both the politicians are trustees of a Welsh charity, the Evan Roberts Institute, which has financial links with the Mr Yang’s Cornerstone Community Church.
British news, BBC reports that human rights campaigners are demanding for all ties to be cut although they have declared that they do not share the same viewpoints as the pastor.
Campaigner Peter Tatchell expressed that the pastor’s views are “not compatible with humanitarian values”. He added, “The Evans Roberts Institute should not be associated with him or his church in any way”.
In his 2013 sermon, the pastor was quoted saying, “Homosexuality is a sin and it is far more rampant, militant and organised than most of us actually believe it to be. The battle lines are now drawn and it is time for the Church in Singapore to rise up and make a stand.”
Cai Wilshaw of Pink News, an online newspaper that provides news for the LGBT community in the UK and worldwide, said that, “The pastor’s views are not only homophobic but dangerously so when you think of the message it sends to, for example, a child in Wales who is being bullied for their sexual orientation or gender identity.”
He added, “It’s completely unacceptable for these politicians to have social, financial and legal links with someone who has such dangerous extremist views. Cutting those links don’t go far enough. They must (act) in the same way they want to be represented in their constituencies.”
If the politicians are not willing to educate themselves about LGBT rights, then it’s best for them to consider turning in their resignations, said Mr Wilshaw.
It has brought to attention that the Pentecostal minister and his church have strong connection with The Evan Robert Institute, which was formed in 2013 to protect sites of religious and spiritual significance in Wales.
In addition to that, the institute also bought a chapel in Swansea, which had been kept aside for demolition. But, Mr Yang’s church paid for the refurbishment work and it was also granted a 50-year lease by the institute.
Mr Millar, who had helped to fund the initial £20,000 purchase with a loan, visited Singapore in 2015 to meet the leaders of CCC, and said he “thanked God” for Mr Yang’s support for the purchase of another religious site in Wales – the Bible College of Wales.
Mr Yang, along with Pastor Daphne Yang, bought the Derwen Fawr Estate in Swansea in 2012, which housed the college and became the Directors of it.
This is not the only controversy that Mr Yang was involved in. On 4 April 2018, the pastor issued an apology to Muslim leaders over alleged anti-Islamic comments made by a foreign Christian preacher in the country in March that year.
The pastor’s church organised the three-day Kingdom Invasion 2018 conference where American Lou Eagle spoke and said that Islam was a threat to Christianity.
