During the National Day Rally 2022, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced that the government will repeal Section 377A of the Penal Code (S377A). The repeal of S377A has been an area of concern for many Singaporeans and churches because of its possible ramifications on family and marriage values that we hold onto.
In light of the repeal, I hope to write to us as a church to let us know what it means.
What S377A is and what it signifies
S377A is a law that criminalises sexual relations between consenting men in private. While it is not proactively enforced, many view S377A as an affirmation to societal values which uphold heterosexual marriages as the basic building block of society.
With the repeal of S377A, there are concerns that it may lead to future policy changes which undermine the traditional definition of a marriage as between a man and a woman. This could have further ramifications on educational content, media controls and school and workplace cultures.
The Bible clearly teaches us that God’s design for marriage is a lifetime covenant between a man and a woman and sex is to be enjoyed within the boundaries of marriage. Any form of sexual acts outside of marriage is sin, including pre-marital sex, adultery and sex between the same gender.
The repeal of S377A concerns us as believers because we have been called to live out our faith through engaging with the people and society we are in, with God’s love and truth.
The repeal of S377A and what we need to know
We are thankful that the government has been proactive in engaging the public’s view about this issue and is trying to work out safeguards to protect marriage and family.
Further to the PM’s announcement to repeal S377A in his NDR speech, he also announced that the government will uphold and safeguard the institution of marriage. Key national policies, concerning areas such as marriage, housing and adoption, have relied on the definition of marriage, as contained in the Interpretation Act and the Women’s Charter. The government has no intention for this definition to be challenged constitutionally in the courts hence they are looking to amend the Constitution to protect the definition of marriage simultaneously with the repeal. But such a move still does not limit it against future challenges.
Very likely we will see stepped up efforts to normalise the LGBT lifestyle in Singapore. More needs to be done. The church, along with other conservatives, have asked for stronger protections in areas not covered by the Women’s Charter, namely education, media, freedom of speech and conscience, in businesses and the workplace.
More believers need to play an active role as citizens in the ongoing discussions of this issue and continue to engage our political representatives to step up their efforts.
How should the church respond to this?
Amidst the varying and even polarising responses to the repeal of S377A, we as the church must not forget who we are and what God has called us to do. Even as we navigate such a contentious societal issue, we are to glorify God through our words and deeds. As a church, we can continue to be faithful witnesses of the gospel in the following ways:
Our focus does not change – the gospel of Jesus Christ is the only hope for all humanity. Not only that, this gospel is one of truth and love. As believers, we are called to Christ-like love and to show kindness and compassion to all, even as we stand firm in our beliefs.
We are to be concerned and pray for the peace and prosperity of the city that God has placed us in. This also means that we are to better educate ourselves on what is happening and ground our values and convictions upon the unchanging truth of the bible.
In the coming months, we are going to have a sexuality series that will help us with this.
The world will always have trouble, but Jesus has overcome. We trust in God’s sovereignty in leading Singapore forward to fulfill her destiny and purpose in Him.
Let this not divide our society, church and fellowship, instead let us all come to a place of healthy and respectful discussion. While this announcement may seem like a big change in Singapore society, we look to our faithful and unchanging God whose plans and purposes will prevail.
God has sovereignly placed each of us exactly where He wants us to be, as His faithful witnesses. May God help us to show forth His love and goodness to a world that truly needs to know Him!
Sincerely,
亲爱的教会，
在2022年的国庆群众大会上，总理宣布政府将废除刑事法典第 377A 节条文。许多新加坡人以及宗教信仰，包括教会，都非常关注这件事，因为这可能对我们坚持的家庭和婚姻价值观产生影响。
对于S377A的废除，我希望让我们教会知道这意味着什么。
S377A的定义与含义
S377A 是一项将私下同意的男性之间的性关系定为犯罪的法律。政府此前已决定不主动执行该法律，但许多人认为 S377A 是对现有的社会价值观的肯定，异性婚姻的家庭是社会的基本组成部分。
随着 S377A 的废除，有人担心它可能会导致未来的政策变化，从而破坏传统的男女婚姻定义。这可能会对教育内容、媒体控制以及学校和工作场所文化产生进一步的影响。
圣经清楚地告诉我们，上帝对婚姻的设计是一男一女之间的终生盟约，性是在婚姻的范围内享受的。任何形式的婚外性行为都是罪，包括婚前性行为、通奸和同性之间的性行为。
我们作为信徒之所以应该关心S377A 的废除，是因为我们被呼召按照上帝的爱和真理，通过我们与人和社会的接触，活出我们的信仰。
废除S377A和我们需要知道的
我们感谢政府一直在积极听取公众对这个问题的看法，并正在努力制定保护婚姻和家庭的保障措施。
继总理在群众大会演讲中宣布废除 S377A 后，他还宣布政府将坚持和维护婚姻制度。涉及婚姻、住房和收养等领域的主要国家政策依赖于《妇女宪章》中对婚姻的定义。政府无意在法院对这一定义提出宪法挑战，因此他们正在寻求修改宪法，以在废除S377A的同时保护婚姻的定义。但这并不代表婚姻的定义不会面对其他更多的挑战。
我们很可能会看到更多LGBTQ+的 生活方式的推广或正常化。所以我们需要做的还有很多。教会与其他保守派也要求在《妇女宪章》未涵盖的领域，如教育、媒体、言论和良心自由、企业和工作场所，提供更强而有力的保护。
我们作为信徒也需要成为我们国家社会政治话语的积极参与者，并主动与我们的国会代表对话，让我们的意见可以被听见。
教会应该如何回应？
在对废除 S377A 的不同，甚至两极分化的反应中，我们作为教会不能忘记我们是谁以及上帝呼召我们去做的事情。即使我们处理这样一个有争议的社会问题，我们也要通过我们的言行来荣耀上帝。作为教会，我们可以通过以下方式继续成为基督福音做见证：
我们的焦点没有改变 —— 耶稣基督的福音是全人类的唯一希望。不仅如此，福音是真理，也是神的大爱。作为信徒，我们坚信自己信仰的同时，也蒙召对所有人表现出仁慈，同情和基督般的爱。
我们要关心，也要为上帝安置我们所在的城市的和平与繁荣祷告。这也意味着我们要更好地了解正在发生的事情，并将我们的价值观和信念建立在圣经不变的真理上。在接下来的几个月里，我们将有一个性系列来帮助我们学习有关这课题
世界总会有苦难，但耶稣已经胜过这世间。我们相信上帝的主权会带领新加坡前进，以完成她在祂里面的使命和目的。
不要让这分裂我们的社会、教会和团契。我们更是应该让大家可以健康和尊重地讨论并学习。虽然废除S377A似乎是新加坡社会的一个重大变化，但我们仰望我们信实和不变的上帝，唯上帝的旨意能成就。
上帝精确地把我们安置在祂要带领我们的地方，也期望我们在我们领受为祂做见证的本分。 愿上帝帮助我们向一个真正需要认识他的世界展示祂的爱和良善！
张福裕主理牧师
2022年8月22日