Matthew 5:13-14 (ESV) - “You are the salt of the earth... You are the light of the world…”

On 6 September 2018, India’s Supreme Court unanimously struck down the ban on consensual gay sex. With one stroke of the pen, gay sex is decriminalised in India. It is a ground-breaking victory for gay rights activists. The reverberation was quickly felt in Singapore. A local top-level diplomat openly ‘encourage our gay community to bring a class action to challenge the constitutionality of Section 377A’ and another senior civil servant called Section 377A a ‘bad law.’ Basically, Section 377A of Singapore’s Penal Code criminalises homosexual activities. The next day, our Law and Home Affairs Minister commented, “The government is in the middle” and “society has to decide which direction it wants to go, and the laws will have to keep pace with changes in the society and how society sees these issues.”

Singaporeans on both sides of the fence reacted to this news and comments. LGBT activists and the liberals began calling for our government to repeal Section 377A while the conservative and religious segments of our society pushed hard for status quo. For the first time, the silent majority is galvanised into action. As of this writing, the online petition for Section 377A to stay has garnered over 97,000 signatures.

This is a hot-button societal issue. How should Christians respond?

Rise and act! Jesus has given Christians the salt-and-light mandate. We are familiar with the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). It is a command to preach the Gospel and make disciples of all nations. When Jesus says that His followers are to be the salt of the earth and light of the world, it is essentially a command to influence our society. It is in our interest to influence our society because in its welfare will be our welfare. That is the reason God instructed the Jewish exiles in Babylon to seek its welfare (Jeremiah 29:7).

Likewise, we should seek the welfare of our society. Allowing Section 377A to be removed will lead to wide-ranging ramifications, which many people, including some Christians, remain unaware.

Those on the liberal camp have long argued that there is no justification in criminalising homosexual acts done in private. Besides, the police are also not enforcing the law. So, why keep 377A? This also seems to be the personal position taken by some of our top policy-makers. It makes sense on the surface. However, precedents in countries like Canada and the U.S.A. clearly show that there is more than meets the eye. Once 377A is repealed, the LGBT activists will follow up with a host of demands and push aggressively for various initiatives. Please understand that LGBT activism is a global movement with a clear agenda. The activists are not shy to state their intention openly.

If Section 377A is knocked down, several things will happen quickly. Homosexuality will become mainstream very quickly. There will be easy accessibility to media and films with explicit homosexual content. The activists, emboldened by their newfound legitimacy, will step up their effort to promote the gay lifestyle. All these will result in more young people falling into this moral chaos. HIV cases will most certainly shoot up.

The activists will soon demand the inclusion of homosexual content in sex education curriculum in schools. In California, the state has already passed such a law. Children as young as 13 to 14 years old are taught that LGBT practices are normal. They are even encouraged to explore certain graphic sexual acts with one another.

Here is another serious consequence – the violation of the freedom of speech, religion and conscience. Again, there are precedents in Canada and the United States. When you say that gay sex is sinful, it will be considered hate speech. When bakers refuse to bake wedding cakes for gay couples, it will be deemed as discriminatory. Both are prosecutable offences. You think that this is madness, but it is a fact.

These are just a few examples of what can happen if Section 377A is repealed. My prayer is that our policy-makers will consider the ramifications very carefully.

Morality is tumbling like dominoes. What are you going to do? Stand there and do nothing? Do you want your children and grandchildren to grow up in such a perverse environment? Who knows, someone close to you may fall victim if you do nothing now. Do not live to regret. Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “The ultimate test of a moral society is the kind of world that it leaves to its children.” So, will you rise and act?

Pastors Leslie & Adeline Chua