Catholic Liberation theology and the charismatic evangelicals

I was eating at the Food court at Funan IT Centre in Singapore. The person serving the food from China was so adamant to give me more rice and vegetables as I repeated "Enough Lah...". There must be many hungry ghosts in China.

With a large bowl of rice and three large servings of vegetables, I lamented for I have plentiful as a blessing from God even though I kept asking for less, whilst those who have none were suffering. How do we do Christian theology in a midst of a suffering and hurting world.

Growing up in the 80s, Christianity seemed so liberal then but not liberal enough to relate and accept some people in the authentic manner who were gays. The 90s, and 00s have seen a strong shift towards the evangelicals. The freedom of the Holy Spirit in the Charismatic movement should have made us different from the evangelicals giving us more freedom to move where God leads us rather than bounded by many non essential Orthodoxy and traditions.

Many talked about how the few Social Justice workers in 1987 who were put in jail for a few years had suffered, but the GLBT community also suffered in their many thousands and in those days, decades in the closet and not just a few years in jail. Many took their lives and suffered alone with their relationships and love denied. No one remembers them and they are still sinners in the eyes of the church and with no letters of support from the Archbishop.

I often imagine that with Catholic Jesuit Liberation theology we would end up having Jesus becoming Rambo liberating the poor villagers from the oppressive land owners. Whereas, in the Prosperity Theology, everyone becomes rich and blessed from God's blessings in Christ especially the mega church pastors. Jesus becomes the mega rich Messiah as Pastor Kong Hee of City Harvest so eloquently preached!

Liberation theology was about empowering the masses and providing the Catholic theological framework for the people to believe in themselves and their dignity and common humanity to rise up against the rich and powerful. It was not meant to motivate the the rich to help the poor.

Preaching Liberation Theology in middle class multi-religious Singapore would be very difficult because it is a liberal Christian theology of the very poor as a class solidarity political/moral movement. It just doesn't work in a wealthy conservative Methodist or an Anglican church in Singapore.

With the Catholic hierarchy in Europe turning right as part of the Opus Dei influence, the Liberation theology ended up in the margins of Christianity especially with a major charismatic evangelical revival in South and Latin America.

Where Catholic Jesuit Liberation theology ended, the Charismatic evangelicals took over with their prosperity theology. The concept of Base Communities of liberation theology became a cell group concept of the charismatic evangelicals.

In the Seven mountains Dominion theology of the evangelicals, Christians ended up ruling as the head over all the mountains (including business and the Government). In Liberation theology, there are no mountains for everything is flattened by one class in society. For the Charismatic Evangelicals, we are the head and not the tail, the top and not the bottom.

The anti-thesis of the Jesuit Liberation theology is not Prosperity theology but the Opus Dei ultra conservative theology within the Catholic church itself of the recently anointed Saint José María Escrivá. Opus Dei or the "Work of God" is fundamentally opposed to any Liberal humanistic inclination of the Catholic faith.

In Singapore, in the 1987, the late Minister, Mr S. Rajaratnam gave a speech on the Liberation theology which he associated with Marxism. This theology made famous by a Peruvian priest Gustavo Gutierrez in 1971 was essentially a theology of people power rising up against oppressive institutions and power structures which ironically the church hierarchal is a prime example.

Many aspects of Jesuit Liberation theology portrayed Jesus as a revolutionary Messiah of the poor bearing arms to liberate the common masses. The Vatican in the 80s has a strong anti-communist leaning against the Marxist and liberation theology and there would be little external support from Pope John Paul II for the Catholic Archbishop in Singapore.

Twenty five years later when Archbishop Nicholas Chia tried to show support to the liberal social justice dissidents, he wouldn't have the backing of the Catholic Opus Dei nor Pope Benedict XVI (Cardinal Ratzinger). Like the evil emperor of Star Wars there may even be lightning strikes all the way from the Vatican and not just a lunch appointment.

In the 50s to 80s, Liberation theology was being debated as it gained popularity in South and Latin America providing a solidarity amongst the Catholic poor. Many of the left leaning social justice workers advocated a classless christian base communities. At the same time, the Charismatic Evangelicals were having their Jesus movement which fed into the charismatic revivals in the US.

Liberation theology was however part of the Catholic faith rather than within the Protestant and evangelical churches. It gained mileage in Latin America because it had a large Catholic Faith community.

Together with a large majority of society being very poor, there was a strong identification of being unfairly treated by the ruling political and financial elites. Liberation theology was how the masses saw their lives and doing faith as a daily struggle for justice and freedom from oppression against the evil elites.

Ironically, although preached and accepted often in the elite American theological colleges, the implementation was only successful in the poor Latin American slumps of the common masses to make sense of their faith and of God in a suffering world. Liberation becomes a matter of faith, developed ground up from the masses against the small minority of elites who held on the power and wealth.

Yet, the core idea of making sense of faith from the common masses was contradictory to the church hierarchal when the Saints and Mary are above, followed by the Pope, the Cardinals, Bishops, Priests, the men, and lastly the women. It was all about class and power structures and positions of privilege.

Salvation was considered not as an individual salvation for our sins, rather a corporate salvation from injustice and oppression. The evil one was seen as the dictators rather than Satan.

Salvation was seen as from the oppressive governments rather than atonement in Christ. God was a god of love rather than judgement for our individual sins.

The Kingdom of God with Christ Jesus as the King became the kindom of god of relationships and mutual kinship based on the love commandments with no head for all are equal. Christ is discovered in relationships with "the other" rather than direct revelation from above. Theology is worked out from the "bottom" upwards rather than prescribed down from the top.

The common good of the masses and their humanity and its pureness was emphasised, versus the generalised evil, greed and cruelty of the rulers and also the former colonial masters.

Their theology was humanistic and deconstructed Christianity to being "bottoms up" from "top down". God and truth and Jesus was with people and the masses rather than the few chosen messiahs who handed down the papal decrees.

The people movement to get rid of the distinct classes and power structures within society were strongly Marxist in Latin America. The movement did not fare well in America in a cold war anti-Communist environment where a classless society ended up far worst, more oppressive and poorer than a capitalist society.

The Eastern European Catholic churches also became highly antagonistic towards liberation theology due to the persecution by the Communist. As a result, strong right wing groups such as Opus Dei grew in strength supported by the Pope John Paul II who was anti-communist.

The 1983 photo of Pope John Paul II castigating and scolding Father Ernesto Cardenal, who was a strong advocate of Liberation Theology and a Marxist supporter remains an iconic scene. Alas, the Liberation theology only found support in the Catholic poor in central America but losing support rapidly as Latin America turns to the Charismatic Evangelicals.

Queer theology was motivated by liberation theology. Arising from the struggle by gay Christians in the 80s was an attempt to work out a frame work of GLBT theology in the midst of persecution by the Christian institutions.

Here, the oppressed class were the GLBT peoples whilst the oppressor, the church hierarchal who maintains her power, wealth, dogmatic traditions, and moral/religious standing as if from God.

Then came the Charismatic evangelical movement which is top down with its emphasis on the centrality, power and redemption in Christ Jesus and the move of the Holy Spirit quickly filling a void of the Liberation theology which is bottoms up.

In 1970, the Pentecostals and Charismatics had 12.6 million members in Latin America. By 2005, there were 156 million members (data from the Pew Forum) and rising rapidly. The fire of the revolution was replaced by the fire from above.

As liberation, Queer and Progressive theology are becoming increasingly historical and academic, how could we develop an alternative social justice engagement based on the rising charismatic evangelical movement?.

In the US, the excesses of the 50s, resulted in an evangelical charismatic movement from the 50s to the 70s which focused on faith in Jesus Christ, simplicity and worship. Many in the Youth With a Mission (YWAM) youth groups survived on a day to day basis as they spread the Gospel in the inner cities in America. The Jesus People lived in communes where everything was shared.

YWAM was founded by Loren Cunningham of the Assembly of God Churches. YWAM has a strong evangelical message and today operates over 180 countries with over 16,000 full-time volunteer workers and trains 25,000 short-term missionaries yearly doing evangelism works.

The Faith and trust in Jesus Christ alone for our daily needs was slowly replaced starting in the 70s by the get rich televangelist who soon got into the action by stirring up an anti-gay movement. In their self-righteousness, they created a self-centred faith based on wealth and condemning others of sin especially gays.

The Charismatic Evangelical movement was a faith movement where instead of looking at the world in terms of human power structures, the emphasis is on spiritual power structures where faith in Jesus is required for a heavenly breakthrough and surviving on earth. It is by faith in Christ, that God provides our daily bread.

The Evangelical movement is often about the power of atonement through Jesus Christ, The way, The truth and The life. Liberation is through a spiritual redemption in Jesus Christ.

Hence, in middle class Singapore, where most Christians come from a wealthy background, the danger is to become more centred on our righteousness, prosperity, and redemption rather than our common humanity.

How do we frame a Christian theological approach that is Christ and Gospel centred on a personal redemption in Jesus Christ, on the individual responsibility for our own actions of righteousness by faith in Jesus, and yet extend God's love, mercy, grace and compassion to another world where poverty, lack and suffering predominates.

How do we construct our own theology from an Evangelical charismatic perspective to be a church without walls, to cross over not to only to Hollywood but to the slumps of Kuala Lumpur and Batam, a cross over to the GLBT community so antagonistic towards the Christian faith who has been hypocritical and judged them wrongly as sinners.

City Harvest has a Cross Over mandate to the Market place of the rich and the powerful. How do we cross over to the marginalised? from a charismatic Christian perspectives?

When Jesus died at the Cross, He was naked and had nothing. The common poor masses on the left were shouting "crucify Him". The religious and wealthy elites on the right were also shouting "crucify Him". Both sides hated Jesus because He claimed to be God incarnate. They wanted to but can't be god themselves!

Perhaps both liberation and prosperity theology are idols for we have made god in our own image, hopes and aspirations.

I like the song, "Let the Weak say ....", for "What the Lord has done in me". It is Christ in us, the Hope of Glory that works miracles for our redemption rather than our human effort against injustice or to become rich. Christ is the center of our faith, hope and redemption.

The Full Gospel and the mega churches of the 80s, 90s went beyond an evangelical Gospel message to one of charismatic gifts and the spiritual/supernatural power and annointing for healings, revival and blessings. Perhaps the Full Gospel should also cross over to the poor, the rejected, and the outcasts including GLBT. Perhaps we should return to the Jesus movement of faith and simplicity.

What The Lord Has Done In Me Lyrics (Hillsongs)

Let The Weak Say, 'i Am Strong'
let The Poor Say, 'i Am Rich'
let The Blind Say, 'i Can See'
it's What The Lord Has Done In Me (x2)

Chorus

Hosanna, Hosanna to The Lamb That Was Slain
hosanna, Hosanna jesus Died And Rose Again (x2)

to The River I Will Wade
there My Sins Are Washed Away
from The Heavens' Mercy Streams
of The Savior's Love For Me

Chorus

i Will Rise From Waters Deep
into The Saving Arms Of God
i Will Sing Salvation Songs
Jesus Christ Has Set Me Free

let The Weak Say, 'i Am Strong'
let The Poor Say, 'i Am Rich'
let The Blind Say, 'i Can See'
it's What The Lord Has Done In Me 

Antinomianism - the seduction of lawlessness

For the last several weeks, there was a permanent article in the Singapore Christian Post by the Rev. Kong Hee of City Harvest Church at Expo concerning "Antinomianism - the seduction of lawlessness" with a part 1 and a part 2. I know I should not be, but I am happy that Law is strongly preached in that church because they are setting the stage, the perfect storm of judgement. We have here a very great evangelist perhaps distracted by his "bathsheba" against a church at Suntec who preaches the grace of God in Christ Jesus.The Word of God is powerful, for good and for harm, ie if used wrongly it can caused great harm, just as if one would dare open the Ark of the Covenant.

Yes, the church have been seduced but not by lawlessness but by the religious self righteous legalist now championing the anti-gay movement at GAFCON and if they continue would bring down the spiritual and moral standing of the church. I have a worker whom after so much grace given to him (and he is a christian) still never changed and considers his actions and work as normal despite being extremely poor. He still considers himself doing well. Therefore, the "Law" or a list of explicit rules would be clearly handed down of things that must be done and the consequences of failure.

The reason for having the law is simple, not that it might or will likely stop his lawlessness, but so that we can have very specific and clear reasons or a basis to judge him guilty. His greatest failure was perhaps not realising the grace of God in His life, and taking it for granted by continuinally living in this life of "sin". The Law is not to make people law abiding but to penalize them and to justify that they are sinners and lawless. It is the grace of God, the understanding that the judgement is forgiven by so great a God that makes us realized what a sinner we are and to change our ways.

The church is under so much grace concerning how it had dealt badly against gays, but the time is coming when judgement comes and our lawlessness that was under grace will come to light for all to you and can no longer be hidden. We have continued to preach Law when it cannot change people inwardly (perhaps outwardly through penalties), and attracts only judgement. Some have argued that we will be in danger of antinomianism, where there is no need to follow strictly by the laws as a demand. In essence, we all live as though there is no law although outwardly clinging to the delusion that we are religious and law minded (John 7:19).

Jesus defines disobedience to the law as extending to the thoughts of the heart, truly condemning us as law breakers despite our self-righteous claim that we are able to abide by the law. We are no different than people who claimed that there is no need for the law, at least they are being honest and recognize that they are intrinsically lawless. Irrespective whether one claims the need for law or otherwise, we are all condemned as sinners in the sight of God (Rom 3:23). We could not save ourselves through the law because we are intrinsically unrighteous and produce sinful actions despite all our efforts. The Law just makes it clearly obvious and without doubt because it is so well defined. It is a very good teacher to lead us to frustration and see that we are sinners. Christianity is about Christ being our righteousness through His death and resurrection (Rom 1:17).

The Laws does not define us anymore. We naturally produce good works if we are indeed born of God. (Mat 5:13,14 NIV) "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. The bible reminds us in Mat 5:13,14, that the Christian Church is to show a much better lifestyle of humility, love, generosity and grace because of Jesus Christ as compared to the rest of the community. If there is no difference with the same self centered aspirations and even worst because they blame minority groups for the caused of their own failings, then what is the purpose of the Christian Church? What is it good for if it does not achieve its purpose and be a light of the world, the light to Christ, God's salvation to mankind. Indeed, when religious law so much expounded by the churches in Singapore controls us, we come into its curse and reveal our true nature of carnality. Instead of focusing on Christ and be renewed inwardly, we exhibit a lifestyle of sin though we deny it.

The Religious Fundamentalist are also keen to confuse with terms such as "antinomianism" claiming that this is the beliefs by those who consider themselves not under law and that this will lead to lawlessness. The truth however is that, antinomianism as practiced by the Gnostics in the first 500 years of Christendom was without Grace or truth concerning Jesus Christ. Antinomianism was a perversion in that despite not believing that Christ physically died and resurrected for our salvation, the Gnostics STILL claimed that they were not under the Mosaic Law. Jesus did not come to take away the legal demands of the law but to satisfy its requirements so that as Christians we are not bound by the condemnation of the law giving us the victory and strength to overcome our sin consciousness. We can only be truly free when we are changed inwardly by being conscious of God's grace and Mercy and be surrounded by His Love.

 The time of judgement is coming in Singapore for the Christian Church, not because we have continually refused to repent of our homophobia, discrimination, and persecution of the gay community but because we have been the stumbling block between Gays and their God who created them. Judgement would not have come, if we have sought out the grace of God, the covering of the blood of the lamb because Jesus would have bored the judgement due to us at the cross of calvary. However, we have sought the Law, and hence we will be judged by the Law, and our judgement would go far far beyond the Gay issue. We prophesied that there will be tribulation upon America because of the Christian Right in America (Bush elected and 11 states banned gay marriage) where Bush won the electing using the gay community as a scapegoat to galvanised the Christian Right Support. It has indeed beginning come:-

 a) After 4 years of a Bush initiated rule by the Christian Right, we have an Opinion Research Business (ORB) survey conducted August 12-19, 2007 estimated 1,220,580 violent deaths due to the Iraq War. The financial cost of the war has been more than £4.5 billion ($9 billion) to the UK, and over $845 billion to the U.S., with the total cost to the U.S. economy estimated at $3 trillion. No weapons of mass destruction have been found and the Iraq war has been used by the terrorist to fight against America using their proxies. As a result the economy of USA is weak and in large debts.

 b) Aftre 4 years of the support for big business and the Christian Right with their prosperity theology, the greed was personified in the sub prime saga. The subprime lending is lending at a higher rate than the prime rate to loans that do not meet credit status of the borrower. Beginning in late 2006, the U.S. subprime mortgage industry entered to a meltdown. A steep rise in the rate of subprime mortgage defaults and foreclosures has caused more than 100 subprime mortgage lenders to fail or file for bankruptcy causong prices in the $6.5 trillion mortgage backed securities market to collapse. As these loans are repackaged into attractive investments, all round the world, it has resulted in world wide exposure undermining the banking system even shaking the foundation of Fannie May and Freddia Mac, morgage giants which controls 50% of the US homeloans. .

 c) Oil prices has arisen from USD 40 in 2004 to USD 140 in July 2008, more than 300% increases caused by the fears of middle east conflicts fanned by the Iraq War. This is further caused by the linkage to the devaluation of the US currency as oil is traded in USD. The rise in Oil has a major impact causing inflation to rise significantly not only in America but in the rest of the world forcing many governments to reduce the oil subsidies causing widespread protests and large rises in food costs which impacts mostly the poor..

The above defines the Gospel of the Christian Right - the Gospel of wealth, power, and of the sword. As we live by the sword, scheming and planning eg in the Glenferry protocol to start war against the very small gay minorities through deception and fear, we may die by the sword but worst than death is to see the true Gospel message being scorned on our account. The churches will still be there, praises will heard, there will be great preaching, but the mighty move of the Holy Spirit may be seemingly absent and what we do each week at church may sound like a hollow gong long after gays are happily married and not surprisingly the straight marriages will not be impacted.. The greatest judgement is the silence of God and the lifting of His Grace and Mercy. We have made the grace of God so cheap and realised it not but instead boast of the Law. The Christian Right has the power and the money to go much unopposed to do what they liked but at the end, they have God to answer to. May God have mercy on us.

377a - silence from christians

Even a remote possibility of 377a being considered unconstitutional by the courts in Singapore, say, 5 years ago, would have caused a real storm, letters to the editors from christians, and complaints to the MPs and PMs. What a difference, 5 years have made from Oct 2007 when NMP Thio launched an attack in Parliament on gays with the moral support of the Anglican and mega churches who followed suit in their Sunday sermons.

 For many Christians, the line in the sand stops at keeping 377a lest Singapore falls into the downward slope of immorality (never mind adultery, abortions, immoral takeovers, making fun of other faiths, financial irregularities against charities act). Soon after, Singapore became the leader of the Anglican South a group of 70 million christians determined to enshrine their anti-gay aggenda in the Jerusalem Conference in June 2008.

They had reached Jerusalem the epi-center of the Christian Faith and put up their anti-gay rethoric at the gates of the city of God. Gays were to be shut out from Christendom. But I believe that God had other ideas. What happened thereafter was totally unscripted. In Singapore, the high mountain of Christian moral and righteous religious indignation was chipped away in large chunks by one major public and humiliating event after another. Gays were coming out of the closets becoming pink dot(s) linking them together in love with increasing support from the wider community.

In the US, gay marriages were starting to be mainstream in a wave of increasing support for basic gay rights in the western world.

 Year 1 June 2008 - Same-sex marriage starts in California. Sept 2008 - Rules changed on the speakers corner at Hong Lim Park allowing legal mass gatherings. Nov 2008 - S'pore DBS Bank's charity links to Focus on the Family, a Christian anti-gay organization in the States was exposed. FOTF was in the forefront of the anti-gay religious movement in the states which seeks to deny gays of any rights. Due to the outcry from gays and the general public threatening to withdraw their accounts, DBS have had to back down. The tide has started to turn.

 Year 2 Apr 2009 - Aware Saga - when anti-gay Christians from the Anglican/ Mega Churches tried to take over a secular organization in the guise of coming against homosexuality. Pastor Hong of Church of Our Saviour, a leader of the churches anti-gay movement was implicated. The general public and gays rallied to help the Old Guard of Aware and in a miracle, the churches were forced to back out for invading the secular space and playing gutter take over politics. April 2009 - same-sex marriage passes the US New Hampshire Senate. May 2009 - Pink Dot attended by 2,500. The headline reads "Singaporeans don pink to support gay rights". A new dawn emerges for the support of the general public for gays.

 Year 3 Feb 2010 - Pastor Rony Tan, of Lighthouse Evangelism, a strong anti-gay Christian preacher having to bow down to ask forgiveness in the traditional manner for mocking a major faith. March 2010 - Same-sex marriage starts in Washington, D.C in the US. May 2010 - City Harvest Church under investigation by Singapore's Commissioner of Charities (COC) and the Commercial Affairs Department (CAD) May 2010 - Pink Dot attended by 4,000 June 2010 - Pastor Mark Ng of New Creation Church (a church that often joked about gays) had to apologize when they joked about the religious deities of the 7th month hungry ghost festival.

 Year 4 June 2011 - Pink Dot attended by 10,000 July 2011 - Same-sex marriages legalised in New York 2011 - City Harvest continued to be under scrunity with some pastors leaving.

 Year 5 Feb 2012 - Campus for Crusade in the National University drawn strong public condemnation for a seemingly innocent outreach poster for mission applicants to Thailand. It shows increasing antagonism against the churches activities whence once the general public had even supported their anti-gay push. The entire faith message was now impacted. May 2012 - President Barack Obama becomes the first sitting U.S. president to support same-sex marriage. June 2012 - Pink Dot attended by 15,000 June 2012 - Senior leaders of City Harvest church, the largest mega churches were charged for mis-use of millions in church funds. It placed the moral and righteous standing of the entire Evangelical Christian faith to major exposure before the general public. Aug 2012 - The Festival of Praise, a mega gathering of Christians to listen to some of the most anti-gay pastors such as Pastor Mike Connell was cancelled due to the CHC issues. 

Therefore in just 5 years, the thumping support against gays by the religious Christian conservations has been replaced by the color of pink to support gay rights, the winds of change for gay rights coming in an increasingly faster pace in the US, and the major Christian leaders who could/would have come against any gay rights finding themselves in a morally exposed and isolated position. The blazing loudness of the Christian Right has been replaced by an odd silence.

It was a Moses like experience of God dispensing judgement after judgement on Pharoah to let my people go free. It can only be God causing a shaking, and opening the doors out of the closets for the GLBT community. The news in Singapore that the 377a court case is to go ahead has become a non-issue for gays have come out in the open to become real, whilst many Christian religious leaders who had wanted to jail all gays and throw the keys away from the jail closets finding themselves at risks of going into their own closets. It would be a non issue when they finally repeal 377a.

 Deut 27: 19 “Cursed is anyone who withholds justice from the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow.” Then all the people shall say, “Amen!” Gal 3:10 For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.”[

 The church had condemned gays under the works of the ancient Jewish religious laws, and had insisted on it to the full measure for gays even though the ancient context did not apply. At the end its not about 377a, it's about the church witholding justice against a defenceless group being brought down to their knees.

 When NMP Thio stood in Parliament in 2007 to insist that injustice be maintained through 377a, it became a curse on the church. When the church insisted that gays be denied of all rights, they were also under the curse of the law to be severely exposed if they were not 101% righteous and holy. The last 5 years has been a coming out for gays, but an unholy exposure/scrutiny for the churches forcing them to go into their own closets where even the biggest public praise festival/ evangelical outreach was cancelled.

 The curse of the 377a upon the church will continue on with an increasing severity if there is no repentance. The white washed tombs will be exposed of their skeletons. In 2003, a group of Christian leaders led by Pastor Yang Tuck Yoong decided on an anti-gay campaign or a "Gay backlash" in response to the hiring policies to include gays.

Not satisfied with keeping 377A, in Feb 2008, Pastor Yang preached on "The Sin of Sodom" and asked his Cornerstone church to stand firm against gays lest Singapore be destroyed like Sodom. Instead, 377A has become a slippery slope for the Antioch church, not Singapore. In 2012, for the majority, the sinful abomination of Sodom becomes the misappropriations of the millions of charity funds by the major church leaders.

 They didn't know what they had started in 2003 and the battle lines drawn on the ground would release judgement. For the curse was already in the ground, for the thousands of gays who died denied of the basic rights to live and to love. Their blood cries out for justice.... ... that was denied even when their freedom was enshrined in the constitution.

Obama the first gay president

^{Judges 6: 28} And when the men of the city arose early in the morning, there was the altar of Baal, torn down; and the wooden image that was beside it was cut down, and the second bull was being offered on the altar which had been built. ²⁹ So they said to one another, “Who has done this thing?” And when they had inquired and asked, they said, “Gideon the son of Joash has done this thing.”

At the deepest time of darkness, the time for change is often around the corner. Even when gay marriage was already banned in North Carolina, they wanted to engrave into all eternity by amending the very constitution which supposed to protect the basic rights of the US Citizen. The very next day after the passing of the anti-gay amendment when we seemingly were heading back to days of hostility against gays, a new glimmer of hope rose from the east in Washington DC when Obama finally announced that he supports Gay marriage after a decade of ambiguity.

Obama has torn down the American Idol, our Baal, where we worship our religious self righteousness based on a religious cultural hierachal structure of male supremacy.  It is a brave stance against the church hierachal.

Some criticised the Obama administration from diverting the attention from Job creation which is strange since they have been using Gays as a battle cry for support with anti-gay article a common feature in each daily publication of Christian Post. What is conservative in America is now no longer defined in the belief that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life, rather what two men does in private. Jesus is no longer important for even Romney, who claims to be Christian yet who worships the angel Moroni lifted high above Salt Lake City is considered righteous and holy just because he was anti-gay and pro-family whatever that means.

Some Christians have been fighting a seemingly losing war with the increasing losses in California and New York, and needed to stem the tide of defeat where even the ex-gay conferences by Exodus have had to be cancelled due to poor attendance. They have used rhetoric, theology inconsistent with the religious/cultural history, and even portrayed trans-genders (such as Sy Rogers) as gay men in order to extract the maximum repulsion and confusion. Alas with the coming out of gay men and women, their rhetoric could no longer hold.    

On 08 May 12, the North Carolina voted 61% to 39% to amend the constitution to state "marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this State". The confusing language of the Amendment One vote meant that few realised that it would not only have banned Gay marriage but also civil unions. It was meant to deceive, to make a strong political statement when gay marriage was already effectively banned. It was draconian.

Being a very conservative state, the results were never in doubt, an attempt at a symbolic victory to gain the “moral victory” of claiming overwhelming public support when the percentage of overall support for gay marriage for the entire US nation has gained majority support for the first time in history.  North Carolina was also an attempt to use gays as a wedge issue to undermine Obama’s support by Blacks as the anti-gay fervour was driven in part by the black churches there. However, with Obama’s support for gay marriages, the Black churches are now compelled to re-evaluate their religious stance to remember that hitherto they too had suffered discrimination.

The victory parade of Amendment One against gays was thus over shadowed by the announcement that Obama has reached enlightenment. Using his faith based experiences of Jesus’ love commandments, he became the first sitting President to support gay marriage. It was a calculated risk for surely the black community will continue to support Obama, the hard liners will be against Obama anyway, but it would gain the increasing support of the younger generation for which the future holds.  

Obama’s opponent Romney is in a bind, eager to confirmed his conservative credentials by ramping up an anti-gay rethoric, but mindful of losing support by the younger voters or of distracting from a sure win platform of the poor economy. By entering into a debate on gay marriage, it will make it an election issue energizing the gay and younger voters to affirm again a real tangible change they can believe in. The GOP will find it hard to claim a moral high ground when their conservative candidate calls himself a Christian but worships the angel Moroni. It also turns the attention to Obama when the focus had been Mitt Romney gaining the GOP nomination.

Obama is facing a tough re-election. The gay marriage proclamation gives him a rare chance for victory to gain back a moral high ground when much hope has been lost. It is a victory for Liberal theology which has been facing increasing sharp falls in attendance of mainline churches supporting this theological approach. Obama talks about his faith, his family and the critical Christian reflection to come to a position on Gay marriage. Surely if we were pro-family, we will support Gay marriage for gay families matter too. It is the Harvard intellectuals that gave hope again to the outcasts of society - the other end of the scale.

We have reached the cross roads in history where there is no turning back in giving gays equality. Obama has given a Presidential stamp that “it gets better” for the hundreds of thousands of gay youths. At the end, it is a question raised by the Gallop Poll about “nature or nurture”. In 1977, it was said that 13% believed that Gays were born as such, with 56% believed that it is due to upbringing/nurturing. In 2012, this changed totally to 40% believing that gays are innate, and 35% due to upbringing. We go back to the biblical question of the Jewish Rabbi who called gays as the natural Eunuch (not man made Eunuchs) and as Jesus said born as such from their mother’s womb without attraction to the opposite sex in relation to the question on heterosexual adultery.

Judges 6:30 Then the men of the city said to Joash, “Bring out your son, that he may die, because he has torn down the altar of Baal, and because he has cut down the wooden image that was beside it.” 31 But Joash said to all who stood against him, “Would you plead for Baal? Would you save him? Let the one who would plead for him be put to death by morning! If he is a god, let him plead for himself, because his altar has been torn down!” 32 Therefore on that day he called him Jerubbaal,[e] saying, “Let Baal plead against him, because he has torn down his altar.”

We have made traditional marriage an idol which we worship by day but violate by night. If "traditional marriage" is deemed to be undermined by gays, let it defend herself. Let Baal defend her self. It doesn't change straight people going for abortions, and being involved in adultery. It doesn't change the divorce rates which has been rampant with the religious faith communities. Gays being 1/20 of the population a'int never going to impact the institution of marriage which have been made dysfunctional by people of faith when they go after gays instead of looking themselves in the mirror.

The idol is down, the idol is down, never again shall we come under her oppression. There is a spiritual power, an evil behind the opression of the outcasts, the weak and the defenceless. Just as a bull offering to God replaced the worship of Baal, the worship of carnal man,  may God show kindness and grace to Obama, the unlikely mighty man of valour who could have played it safe.    The Newsweek wanted to annoint Obama as the first "Gay President", for surely Obama has come out of his closet. He has led the way that we too may come out of our closets and begin to live again.

God is a good God. Jesus is good. He didn't leave the Gay community alone but He came back for His lost sheep. We will not be alone again - for He gave us our partners to share our lives with.