California Chinese pastors are urged to state their opposition to the controversial senate bill that prohibits anti-homosexual message in school curriculum.
Leading California-based pro-family groups such the Campaign for Children and Families (CCF) and California Family Council are alarmed since the California State Senate gave a green light to SB 1437 on May 11 with the 22-15 vote.
Drafted by the Los Angeles-based lesbian state Sen. Sheila Kuehl, D-Santa Monica, SB 1437 will ban all negative messages about transsexuality, cross-dressing, bisexuality, and homosexuality or same-sex marriage on instructional materials, textbooks and school-sponsored activities.
For Christians, the Christian voice against such unbiblical lifestyles may therefore have forced to keep silent. Dr. Bill Tam, the executive director of Traditional Family Coalition (TFC), has lamented that many schools and parents are actually uninformed about the situation. Therefore, informed Christians and churches have a great responsibility to counteract the overwhelming liberal agenda.
TFC, founded by leading Chinese evangelicals such as Rev. Thomas Wang, has long been promoting various pro-family campaign and anti-homosexuality movement among the Chinese community.
Today a document named "Teaching homosexual behavior in school" is being widely circulated among Chinese pastors, theologians and Christian ministries coworkers in California through email.
It is stated in Chinese, "Children and families in California are now at risk. What can you do as a Christian? On May 11, the California State Senate has passed the bill to allow teaching homosexual behavior in schools with the 22-15 vote. It will be mandatory for all students ranging from elementary school to grade 12."
"Don’t hesitate! Please make phone calls to the Governor of California and stop the bill SB 1437. Even only one call that you make is going to make a difference."
Following that is a hotline number, which people can call and follow the steps and vote for "No" to SB 1437 through the telephone.
Rev. Job Lee, chairman of the Bay Area Chinese Ministerial Prayer Fellowship (BACMPF), is one of those who have received the email. He has expressed great concern over the issue. Secretary of BACMPF Rev. Hansel Lo has immediately forwarded the message to all members of BACMPF.
"Prayers and immediate actions from you and members of your congregation are urgently needed to stop SB 1437 from becoming law. Please read the message below and take action now," Lo said.
Last Saturday, the first ever Chinese Christian pro-family conference in Bay Area was held at the First United Presbyterian Church of San Francisco. The issue of SB 1437 is being raised. Peter Henderson, director of Public Policy for the California Family Council (CFC), was the only non-Chinese speaker. He warned of the damage of homosexuality movement to traditional marriage.
Chinese in America should be like the Three Gorges Dam that controls "the mighty Yangtze (river)" and block "the culture of sin and immorality" that is flooding the United States, Henderson said.
Tam from TFC is one of the organizers of the Conference was disappointed by the low attendance despite strong promotion campaign. It reflected that many churches are not aware of the important issue.
Rev. Thomas Wang, on the Conference, exhorted churches to take up the burden of making a difference to the society. Since God has entrusted the world to human beings, churches must show concern to the world.
"If the church only cares about itself, then it is committing a sin," Wang emphasized.
In a press statement issued on the day SB 1437 was passed, CCF condemned the bill as "anti-parent" and "sexual indoctrination".
"By passing SB 1437, Democrat politicians have declared war on mothers and fathers and their children," said Randy Thomasson, president of CCF. "This terrible bill forces local schools to go against parents by mandating transsexual, bisexual, and homosexual ‘education’ upon their impressionable children."
"Children deserve academics, not sexual indoctrination. Parents don’t want, and children don’t need, SB 1437," Thomasson added.
