Prayers on Facebook are usually met with sympathy or thanks in the comment section of said posts. The key term in that last sentence being "usually".

This brings us to the following incident that stemmed from a Facebook post made by Faith Community Baptist Church senior pastor Lawrence Khong on June 14 at 5.02pm.

This was what Khong posted in full:

My heart was deeply grieved by the ruthless terrorist killing in Orlando. A chilling report portrayed the sense of finality and hopelessness in the crime scene. Bodies of over forty people were strewn all over the floor. Handphones in their pockets were ringing continuously to no avail. Relationships are permanently severed between them, their friends and loved ones.

Sadly, this happened in a gay bar. This may deepen the wounds of rejection within the community and if any of us Christians feel that they deserve to die because of their sin, we must think again. The Bible tells us that ALL of us deserve to die because of our sins. There is no reason for further alienation. Instead, this is a time for compassion, love, and healing.

May God give us the heart of Jesus portrayed in Matthew 9:36, "When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd."

May our prayers be with the victims and their families.

Keep this particular phrase in mind "Relationships are permanently severed between them, their friends and loved ones", as it will come up later.

Khong soon faced a deluge of criticisms on his post.

Most of the criticisms stemmed from Khong's track record on engaging with the LGBT community, namely identifying homosexual acts as the "greatest blasphemy against the name of God."

Reactions

More than a few accused him of hypocrisy.

Others drew parallels between Khong and the Orlando shooter.

And one even proposed an identity makeover for Khong.

There were, of course, people who stood up for the pastor's character.

But perhaps the most interesting viewpoint came from a fellow Christian, Reverend Miak Siew of Free Community Church, who analysed Khong's Facebook post from a religious angle.

What did Khong mean anyway?

Siew questioned if Khong's post meant he believed the victims of the tragedy had gone to hell, taking issue with the sentence, "Relationships are permanently severed between them, their friends and loved ones".

Here is his post in full.

Many of my LGBT friends reacted angrily at your post. I wanted to reach out to you, to find what we share in common, to build bridges instead of building walls. To be peacemakers, not warmongers.

My heart, however, sank when I read your statement. Perhaps I am reading too much into it, but as a fellow Christian pastor, there are words that light up like a neon signs. I would like to give you the benefit of the doubt and ask you what did you mean when you said "relationships are permanently severed between them, their friends and loved ones?"

We Christians believe that there is the life hereafter. Death is not the end. Relationships don't get severed permanently. Our separation is only temporary. The only way relationships are permanently severed is if you think they are going to hell.

I really hope this is not what you meant. I hope, in spite of our differences, you felt the same feelings as many, many of us - shock, sorrow, compassion. I hope that your statement wasn't gloating at what happened. Please, please tell me you did not mean that. Please tell me that it is all my misinterpretation because of all I have experienced from many Christians who disagree with me.

I would like to reach out and invite you out for coffee and chat so that you understand why so many of my LGBT friends are angry at what you said, even when you sincerely wanted to express sorrow at what happened. I want to meet so we can understand each other even though we disagree, and I want to meet so we can find a way to be love each other, just as Jesus commanded us. You can reach me via my Facebook.

Your brother in Christ

miak

In response to the deluge of comments, Khong has posted a new update:

This is his post in full:

I see that there has been much discussion on what I posted yesterday regarding the Orlando shooting. Well, I'll leave you to draw your own conclusions and I am thankful for the friends and family have spoken up on my behalf. In response, do allow me to share my journey with everyone here.

We at FCBC and Gateway Entertainment have always strived to walk with the LGBT community despite what might be perceived. I myself too have friends in the LGBT community.

Within the church we have members who have identified as LGBT. Sure, some have left but some have also stayed and found a family here. Why? Because we're not fueled by hatred.

In Gateway Entertainment, we've worked with many people from the LGBT community as part of our productions. We have never once discriminated against them based on sexual orientation. What we have always wanted to see from everyone is quality of work and a good attitude. Through the years, we've had cast and crew from Singapore and other countries who are either gay or lesbian and we have always welcomed them to be part of the team.

Some disagreed with our beliefs and left, some disagreed with us but supported our rights to our beliefs, and some even wanted to continue working with us despite our differences. Why? Because we're not fueled by hatred.

It was unfortunate though, that those who wanted to continue on with us would face reproach by the people around them. Just recently I caught up with a friend who occasionally works with us and I was told about the difficulties faced with that. This friend loves working with us and wants to continue doing so, but would be given a hard time by the people around.

What I'm getting at is this - by no means have I ever harboured any hatred to the LGBT community or any other people. Do I have disagreements? Sure. But don't we all have people we disagree with? That doesn't mean we have to hate one another.

Though I may be adamant about what I believe, that doesn't mean that I won't stand up for a gay person whose life is being threatened. That doesn't mean that I won't sit and eat with a gay person. That doesn't mean that our church won't welcome a gay person with open arms. This is why posted what I did yesterday, because we are not fueled by hatred.

In the end, you can choose to either believe or not believe what I say. You can draw your own conclusions about me based on what others say or by actually walking with me. I'll leave it to you.

With that, I would like to take this opportunity to invite everyone here to any of our church services to come join us and experience this family for yourself.

May the Lord bless you.

Top image from Lawrence Khong's Facebook

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