Gay Pastor Leads Service in KL

—Read this earlier post for the first news about this ‘church’, as well as this post on homosexuality and the Bible which has Biblical reasons why homosexuality is not in accordance with God’s laws as laid out in the Bible. —

‘Spiritual and emotional love’, not just sex? I beg to differ, all true Christians show spiritual and emotional love for all mankind. Being gay by definition implies a sexual factor.

Start a cell group that is open to all, regardless of sexual orientation? All good cell groups in already-existing churches are already open to all.

Pray for the churches which are in opposition to you? We pray for you, sir.

Perry promising to stay by his partner De Blieck when the latter was diagnosed with HIV? And how does a real Christian justify the free sex that led to getting HIV? How does Perry reconcile the fact that De Blieck must have been having fun on the side?

Sirs, you are a disgrace and embarassment to the Christian faith and all the holiness that Christ stands for. Can you seriously, honestly face up to God Himself on that final day and tell Him that you are righteous and sinless?

(And on a side note – Isn’t homosexuality still illegal in Malaysia?)

Paul and the Apostles warned us about you, for your kind have been around since the very start of Christianity. There are many names for you, Antinomianist being one of them, but all of them have the same traits: You use God’s grace as an excuse, a twisted parody of a license to live in sin.

You grieve the Holy Spirit, sirs. Please remember that it is the only unforgiveable sin – the sin of rejecting forgiveness.

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From The Star 13 Aug 2007:

Gay pastor leads service, his partner watches with pride

BY AUDREY EDWARDS

KUALA LUMPUR: Angel Ayala sat in the second row of people, watching with pride as his partner Rev Ou Yang Wen Feng calmly led the faithful through a two-hour Sunday service at a hotel here.  

And through it all, Ou Yang, a self-confessed gay pastor knew he was not alone because of Ayala’s presence. 

“He has been very supportive and it was important to know that I was not alone,” Ou Yang said in an interview yesterday after the service attended by about 100 people. 

He said it was important to show other gay people that it was possible to come out together, and to heterosexuals that gay relationships were not just about sex but about “spiritual and emotional love.” 

Coming out: Rev Ou Yang (second from left) and Bishop Perry (third from left) with their respective partners Ayala (left) and De Blieck (right) after Sunday service.

The pair has been together for four-and-a-half years and hope to marry when same sex marriages are legalised in New York. 

Ayala, a finance manager said he supported Ou Yang’s plan to set up a church in Malaysia. 

Ou Yang, 37, is a Malaysian pastor who serves at the Metropolitan Community Church (MCC) in New York. He is also currently pursuing his doctorate at Boston University. 

He hopes to set up an MCC branch here in 2010, before which, friends would help him start a cell group that he said was open to all regardless of their sexual orientation. 

Earlier during a press conference, Ou Yang, when asked about opposition from other churches in Malaysia, said as a Christian minister, he would pray for them.  

The service also saw Metropolitan Community Churches founder Bishop Troy D. Perry giving a sermon. Also present was his partner of over 22 years, Phillip De Blieck. 

Perry said he was thankful for having De Blieck as he was that “special someone” who was there for him through good and bad times. 

They married under Canadian law at the MCC of Toronto in 2003 and hope to get the marriage recognised by the California State Supreme Court by this year. 

Perry believed the church would be a blessing for the gay and lesbian communities in Malaysia. 

He also spoke of his promise to his partner that he would stand by him, when De Blieck was diagnosed with HIV two decades ago. 

When asked about his former heterosexual marriage and his two sons, Perry said he was in contact with one of his sons and is a grandfather of three. 

De Blieck, 43, said his “greatest gift” to the world and the church was to always be supportive of Perry’s work. 

“When I met Troy, I did not know who he was. And I think one reason Troy fell in love with me was because he knew I was interested in him as a person and not the title,” he said.  

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From The Star 9 Aug 2007:

Christians told to be wary of false teachings

KUALA LUMPUR: Two Protestant church bodies have advised Christians not to be taken in by an independent church which they said was carrying out false teachings. 

The National Evangelical Christian Fellowship (NECF) and the Council of Churches Malaysia (CCM) said they were carrying out their own investigations following complaints of intimidation, deception and wrong teachings. 

NECF secretary-general Wong Kim Kong said the church was not a member of NECF or any other mainstream Christian body. 

“This church has been in existence very independently and in isolation,” said Wong, adding that the evangelical churches had nothing to do with it “because we do not agree with its theology and practices.” 

A CCM official said it was aware of the existence of the church but noted that it was not affiliated with it. 

“We have received complaints about the church but we have no concrete proof (to take action).”  

However, it is understood that a tape of a sermon made by the pastor has been sent to CCM. 

But both the NECF and CCM admitted that their hands were tied “unless it violated the laws of the country.”  

A CCM official said if anyone was unsure about the status of any church, they could check with it. Church leaders said that unlike Muslims, there was no Christian authority with the powers to check on Christian groups deemed to be deviationist.  

The church groups also upheld the principle of freedom of religion, which also made leaders cautious to speak up against churches, including independent ones. 

The NECF members include the Assembly of God, Baptist Church and Full Gospel Assembly while the CCM affiliated churches include the Methodist Church of Malaysia and the Lutheran churches.  

The umbrella group for the Catholic Church is the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Malaysia. 

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SCOTT’S NOTE: While I maintain my personal convictions – based on Scripture – regarding this issue, I apologize for any hurt or offense I may have caused with my remarks.