By Fergus Lo, Hong Kong
October 16, 2011
The following are excerpts. To see the article in full, click here.
On the Blessed Minoirty Community Fellowship
There were less than 20 people at the (Blessed Minority Community Fellowship) Friday evening meeting. To my surprise, some of the members shared their stories with me as if we were very close friends. I thought I would be a stranger among them, but they treated me as a friend who belonged. It was the love and trust I experienced that urged me to go to the meeting again the following Friday and the Fridays after.
On the Bible and Homosexuality
I never had a huge struggle between my two identities – gay and Christian, like some of my fellow brothers and sisters do. I had realized and accepted my sexual orientation before I started following Jesus, and when I did accept Jesus as my Savior it was at an welcoming and affirming LGBT church. It is true, however, that I was somewhat hit hard by the six passages in the Bible which are commonly used to condemn homosexuals. My friends at the church urged me not to take the verses literally but to study each passage in its historical and literary context: what is the background of each passage; to whom was the author writing – his intended reader; what was the time period or the culture in which the passage is set. Besides, there are Bible passages we don’t observe today like what we can and cannot eat or wear; and passages where women and men are treated differently.
On living in Hong Kong
There are many challenges for the gay person living in Hong Kong, and more so for the gay Christian living here.
On being Gay and Chrisitan
I am very grateful that God created me just as I am – a gay man, and that I am a Christian. God loves me unconditionally regardless of my sexual orientation. In fact, being gay enables me to see His abundant love from a perspective straight people do not necessarily experience. In addition, being a gay Christian enables me to put my feet in the shoes of other minoritycommunities more easily.
I would like to proclaim loudly that being a Christian and gay is definitely not contradictory. Actually, it is
a special blessing!
October 16, 2011
The following are excerpts. To see the article in full, click here.
Fergus Lo |
There were less than 20 people at the (Blessed Minority Community Fellowship) Friday evening meeting. To my surprise, some of the members shared their stories with me as if we were very close friends. I thought I would be a stranger among them, but they treated me as a friend who belonged. It was the love and trust I experienced that urged me to go to the meeting again the following Friday and the Fridays after.
Sodom and Gomorrah |
I never had a huge struggle between my two identities – gay and Christian, like some of my fellow brothers and sisters do. I had realized and accepted my sexual orientation before I started following Jesus, and when I did accept Jesus as my Savior it was at an welcoming and affirming LGBT church. It is true, however, that I was somewhat hit hard by the six passages in the Bible which are commonly used to condemn homosexuals. My friends at the church urged me not to take the verses literally but to study each passage in its historical and literary context: what is the background of each passage; to whom was the author writing – his intended reader; what was the time period or the culture in which the passage is set. Besides, there are Bible passages we don’t observe today like what we can and cannot eat or wear; and passages where women and men are treated differently.
Left to right: Fergus Lo, Steve Parelli, Paul Luca, Felix Liew, Jose Ortiz. Meeting on sending books on the Bible and homosexuality to Beijing Christinas. July 19, 2010. Kowloon, Hong Kong |
There are many challenges for the gay person living in Hong Kong, and more so for the gay Christian living here.
On being Gay and Chrisitan
I am very grateful that God created me just as I am – a gay man, and that I am a Christian. God loves me unconditionally regardless of my sexual orientation. In fact, being gay enables me to see His abundant love from a perspective straight people do not necessarily experience. In addition, being a gay Christian enables me to put my feet in the shoes of other minoritycommunities more easily.
I would like to proclaim loudly that being a Christian and gay is definitely not contradictory. Actually, it is
a special blessing!
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