Our 2009 Other Sheep Asia Trip
Meeting with nation-wide leading Thai
evangelical pastor
Chiang Mai, Thailand. July 26, 2009.
Meeting with nation-wide leading Thai
evangelical pastor
Chiang Mai, Thailand. July 26, 2009.
Our meeting with a nation-wide leading Thai evangelical pastor:
by Rev. Stephen Parelli, MDiv, MCC Clergy
Written July 31, 2009, on the train from Bangkok, Thailand, to Butterworth
(Georgetown), Malaysia
During our final week in Chiang Mai, Thailand, Jose and I were granted an
appointment by a leading evangelical Thai pastor. Jose had set up the meeting
by phone. The pastor asked us to meet him at noon at his church following the
regular Sunday morning service. We arrived at the church to witness the
closing of the service. A staff member, expecting us so it appeared, ushered us
to front seats on the side. We were impressed by the large congregation, the
worship music, and the young people involved. Our meeting with the pastor
lasted perhaps thirty minutes or more. We discussed with him the mission and
ministry of Other Sheep and presented him a complimentary copy of the book
The Children Are Free: Reexamining the Biblical Evidence on Same-sex
Relationships, by Rev. Jeff Miner and John Tyler Connoley.
Two religious workers, both seemingly foreigners, observed us as we met with
the pastor at one end of the large dining area of the church fellowship. They
both came to where we were and joined in on the meeting. One was very
distressed that we were presenting our pro-LGBT views to the pastor and
verbally interjected dissenting comments along side of our comments. He told
us plainly how wrong we were. We entertained his comments until it appeared
he was persistent enough to effectually hi-jack the meeting. We kindly told him
that we would like to discuss the matter with the pastor in view of that fact that
after our departure his time with the pastor on this topic would be limitless. His
objections ranged from the creation question to our hermeneutical principles.
The second foreigner, on staff with a prominent international mission, listened
silently and then following the meeting spoke with us privately. While he could
not agree with us that gay Christians are able to couple with all the blessings of
sexual intimacy, he made it a point to thank us for "shaking things up" and he
wished us well in continuing to "shake things up." He said the church in general
is in need of this kind of meaningful dialogue. I believe he was expressing the
idea that the church too often skirts around real issues without having real
conversation within and among its members.
When we told the pastor about our personal involvement in the "ex-gay"
movement, he responded by telling us that Andrew Comiskey (author of the
book Pursuing Sexual Wholeness: How Jesus Heals The Homosexual,
1989) had come to Thailand about three years ago with his evangelical "ex-gay"
message that there is "healing" for the homosexual. We explained that, like
other "ex-gay" writings, Andrew Comiskey's book does not provide a
prescription for "healing" (as the cover of his book claims), but rather
Comiskey's tenants amount to nothing more than behavior modification. We
told the pastor there is no change in sexual orientation, only in lifestyle, and that
Andrew Comiskey's own book and own personal testimony validates our
assertion.
We told the pastor that our website, Other Sheep Exec Site, critiques Andrew
Comiskey's book and personal testimony by quoting him directly; that we give
no other commentary on the said web page then to say, "For the 'ex-gay'
movement, 'change,' 'healing,' 'coming out of homosexuality,' and being 'ex-gay'
is about behavior modification. There is no change in sexual orientation, only
lifestyle."
We told the pastor how Andrew Comiskey, in his 2004 CBN (Christian
Broadcasting Network) "Guest Bio," tells how that after 20 years of marriage he
still struggles with sexual desires for men (and he says nothing about struggling
with "lust" for women, which would be the "given" if he was "healed" as he
claims).
Upon returning to our hotel that afternoon, I emailed the pastor links to the web
pages on our site that addresses the topics we had discussed with him. I
included the link to Andrew Comiskey's personal story of so-called healing:
The evangelical Thai pastor of Chiang Mai, if he followed the link I provided him,
would also see the following quotes taken from Andrew Comiskey's book
"Pursuing Sexual Wholeness: How Jesus Heals The Homosexual:"
page 85 and 87:
" . . . a fundamental realignment of the will. ... Whom will one serve, Jesus or
the powerful lure of homosexual desire?" ... . . . strugglers are called to make
firm their ultimate allegiance to Him. . . . Jesus wills that we will undivided
loyalty to Him. That commitment is central to pressing into a deeper level of
healing."
page 97:
" . . . homosexual strugglers must contend . . . ... If strugglers want to be truly
free . . . ... . . . battle plans must be made and effectively exercised."
page 104:
" . . . by pledging our allegiance to the rule of Christ Jesus, we are delivered.
By deliverance I don't mean being rid altogether of homosexual feelings. ...
God frees the struggler to rise up and take hold of Jesus in the face of
temptation instead of slouching toward sin."
page 104-105:
"Terry, my good friend and console, once received a powerful deliverance. A
few years ago, some church members . . . cast out several spirits that had
empowered homosexual lust . . . For the first time, he began to say no to
homosexual behavior. One month later, however, Terry met a Christian man
who became his lover."
page 89 and 88:
"At the outset of Desert Stream, I spent a day with a very nice-looking guy who,
in the course of our time together, acted seductively toward me. I loved it. . . .
a part of me would have thoroughly enjoyed having sex with him. All I could
do . . . in light of Annette, was to remove myself forcibly and awkwardly . . . But
that night I wrestled with lust and the temptation to call him . . . From that
day forward I held no illusion about my absolute safety from seducing or
being seduced. Satan, the enemy, knew my vulnerability and was waging a war
against me."
page 149
"I was a pastor, a director of a healing ministry for homosexual strugglers, a
husband and a father when I came to grips with my pornography addiction (see
chapter 5)."
page 175
"After I was married and became steeped in domestic, ministry and seminary
demands, I no longer had much time for same-sex friendships. So the
need surfaced illegitimately in an addiction to pornography.
page 71 and 72
" . . . Fuller Theological Seminary; and Desert Stream flourished. Yet in the
midst of it all, I became addicted to pornography. I felt compelled almost
weekly to seek sidelong glimpses of soft core porn . . . About seven years
had passed since any habitual use of the slime. I was as surprised as
Annette when I discovered my impotence to resist it once more. . . . This
condition continued erratically for about two years. ... . . . I overcame the
compulsion. God called me to a higher allegiance . . . The Lord showed me
that I still wasn't exempt from bondage . . . "
page 83 and 84
"For . . . approximately two years, I found myself caught up in . . . mild
pornographic material . . . Through . . . support . . . the cycle was
broken. I failed at times."
page 188
"We cannot expect to experience a complete absence of sexual struggles in
this lifetime. ... That means the homosexual struggler may still experience
homosexual temptations. ... None of that minimizes God's healing power. It
simply places that healing . . . in a process that will never end . . . "
pages 188-189
"Flurries of homosexual feeling cannot shake the rock on which I stand - Christ
Jesus."
page 190
"While giving a series of lectures on sexual redemption one time, I felt
consumed with a longing for distinctly masculine love and affirmation. I ached
for it. I felt frustrated that my male friendships could not wholly meet that need .
. . I felt tempted to entertain lustful masculine images. And I resented God for
all of it - . . . the temptations. Most of all, I resented His intangibility in the midst
of my struggle.
"While walking to my lecture on "healing" (laugh track, please), I finally broke. I
cried out to the Lord . . . I wept even more as I considered those attending
the lecture I was about to teach and how their hearts needed that same mercy
and grace."
- Pastor tells us that Andrew Comiskey, a well known "ex-gay"
author and speaker, visited Thailand around three years ago to
promote his "ex-gay" teachings; - How we exposed Comiskey's "bait and switch" teachings (i.e.,
"healing" does not mean a change in sexual orientation).
by Rev. Stephen Parelli, MDiv, MCC Clergy
Written July 31, 2009, on the train from Bangkok, Thailand, to Butterworth
(Georgetown), Malaysia
During our final week in Chiang Mai, Thailand, Jose and I were granted an
appointment by a leading evangelical Thai pastor. Jose had set up the meeting
by phone. The pastor asked us to meet him at noon at his church following the
regular Sunday morning service. We arrived at the church to witness the
closing of the service. A staff member, expecting us so it appeared, ushered us
to front seats on the side. We were impressed by the large congregation, the
worship music, and the young people involved. Our meeting with the pastor
lasted perhaps thirty minutes or more. We discussed with him the mission and
ministry of Other Sheep and presented him a complimentary copy of the book
The Children Are Free: Reexamining the Biblical Evidence on Same-sex
Relationships, by Rev. Jeff Miner and John Tyler Connoley.
Two religious workers, both seemingly foreigners, observed us as we met with
the pastor at one end of the large dining area of the church fellowship. They
both came to where we were and joined in on the meeting. One was very
distressed that we were presenting our pro-LGBT views to the pastor and
verbally interjected dissenting comments along side of our comments. He told
us plainly how wrong we were. We entertained his comments until it appeared
he was persistent enough to effectually hi-jack the meeting. We kindly told him
that we would like to discuss the matter with the pastor in view of that fact that
after our departure his time with the pastor on this topic would be limitless. His
objections ranged from the creation question to our hermeneutical principles.
The second foreigner, on staff with a prominent international mission, listened
silently and then following the meeting spoke with us privately. While he could
not agree with us that gay Christians are able to couple with all the blessings of
sexual intimacy, he made it a point to thank us for "shaking things up" and he
wished us well in continuing to "shake things up." He said the church in general
is in need of this kind of meaningful dialogue. I believe he was expressing the
idea that the church too often skirts around real issues without having real
conversation within and among its members.
When we told the pastor about our personal involvement in the "ex-gay"
movement, he responded by telling us that Andrew Comiskey (author of the
book Pursuing Sexual Wholeness: How Jesus Heals The Homosexual,
1989) had come to Thailand about three years ago with his evangelical "ex-gay"
message that there is "healing" for the homosexual. We explained that, like
other "ex-gay" writings, Andrew Comiskey's book does not provide a
prescription for "healing" (as the cover of his book claims), but rather
Comiskey's tenants amount to nothing more than behavior modification. We
told the pastor there is no change in sexual orientation, only in lifestyle, and that
Andrew Comiskey's own book and own personal testimony validates our
assertion.
We told the pastor that our website, Other Sheep Exec Site, critiques Andrew
Comiskey's book and personal testimony by quoting him directly; that we give
no other commentary on the said web page then to say, "For the 'ex-gay'
movement, 'change,' 'healing,' 'coming out of homosexuality,' and being 'ex-gay'
is about behavior modification. There is no change in sexual orientation, only
lifestyle."
We told the pastor how Andrew Comiskey, in his 2004 CBN (Christian
Broadcasting Network) "Guest Bio," tells how that after 20 years of marriage he
still struggles with sexual desires for men (and he says nothing about struggling
with "lust" for women, which would be the "given" if he was "healed" as he
claims).
Upon returning to our hotel that afternoon, I emailed the pastor links to the web
pages on our site that addresses the topics we had discussed with him. I
included the link to Andrew Comiskey's personal story of so-called healing:
- "Andrew [Comiskey] says that he still struggles with past desires.
Recently, Andrew and his wife, Annette, celebrated their 20th wedding
anniversary by going to New York City. While they were there, they had
time to reflect on how God healed each of them of personal brokenness
-- Andrew of homosexuality, and Annette of childhood sexual abuse --
and how God has blessed their lives. However, Andrew found himself
being seduced by homosexuality in the New York City culture. Andrew
"came to his senses," and he and Annette asserted their identities in
Jesus Christ and prayed for the people in that area of New York to turn
their lives over to Jesus.
- "Andrew says of this incident and the ongoing process that the healing
comes from firmly making choices in God. It's not about accommodating
sin; it's about having to rely on God. He also says it is not something to
achieve. It is important to lay a good foundation, God's foundation. God
has a high call on humanity, and however feeble we are, God is our hope
and our boast."
The evangelical Thai pastor of Chiang Mai, if he followed the link I provided him,
would also see the following quotes taken from Andrew Comiskey's book
"Pursuing Sexual Wholeness: How Jesus Heals The Homosexual:"
page 85 and 87:
" . . . a fundamental realignment of the will. ... Whom will one serve, Jesus or
the powerful lure of homosexual desire?" ... . . . strugglers are called to make
firm their ultimate allegiance to Him. . . . Jesus wills that we will undivided
loyalty to Him. That commitment is central to pressing into a deeper level of
healing."
page 97:
" . . . homosexual strugglers must contend . . . ... If strugglers want to be truly
free . . . ... . . . battle plans must be made and effectively exercised."
page 104:
" . . . by pledging our allegiance to the rule of Christ Jesus, we are delivered.
By deliverance I don't mean being rid altogether of homosexual feelings. ...
God frees the struggler to rise up and take hold of Jesus in the face of
temptation instead of slouching toward sin."
page 104-105:
"Terry, my good friend and console, once received a powerful deliverance. A
few years ago, some church members . . . cast out several spirits that had
empowered homosexual lust . . . For the first time, he began to say no to
homosexual behavior. One month later, however, Terry met a Christian man
who became his lover."
page 89 and 88:
"At the outset of Desert Stream, I spent a day with a very nice-looking guy who,
in the course of our time together, acted seductively toward me. I loved it. . . .
a part of me would have thoroughly enjoyed having sex with him. All I could
do . . . in light of Annette, was to remove myself forcibly and awkwardly . . . But
that night I wrestled with lust and the temptation to call him . . . From that
day forward I held no illusion about my absolute safety from seducing or
being seduced. Satan, the enemy, knew my vulnerability and was waging a war
against me."
page 149
"I was a pastor, a director of a healing ministry for homosexual strugglers, a
husband and a father when I came to grips with my pornography addiction (see
chapter 5)."
page 175
"After I was married and became steeped in domestic, ministry and seminary
demands, I no longer had much time for same-sex friendships. So the
need surfaced illegitimately in an addiction to pornography.
page 71 and 72
" . . . Fuller Theological Seminary; and Desert Stream flourished. Yet in the
midst of it all, I became addicted to pornography. I felt compelled almost
weekly to seek sidelong glimpses of soft core porn . . . About seven years
had passed since any habitual use of the slime. I was as surprised as
Annette when I discovered my impotence to resist it once more. . . . This
condition continued erratically for about two years. ... . . . I overcame the
compulsion. God called me to a higher allegiance . . . The Lord showed me
that I still wasn't exempt from bondage . . . "
page 83 and 84
"For . . . approximately two years, I found myself caught up in . . . mild
pornographic material . . . Through . . . support . . . the cycle was
broken. I failed at times."
page 188
"We cannot expect to experience a complete absence of sexual struggles in
this lifetime. ... That means the homosexual struggler may still experience
homosexual temptations. ... None of that minimizes God's healing power. It
simply places that healing . . . in a process that will never end . . . "
pages 188-189
"Flurries of homosexual feeling cannot shake the rock on which I stand - Christ
Jesus."
page 190
"While giving a series of lectures on sexual redemption one time, I felt
consumed with a longing for distinctly masculine love and affirmation. I ached
for it. I felt frustrated that my male friendships could not wholly meet that need .
. . I felt tempted to entertain lustful masculine images. And I resented God for
all of it - . . . the temptations. Most of all, I resented His intangibility in the midst
of my struggle.
"While walking to my lecture on "healing" (laugh track, please), I finally broke. I
cried out to the Lord . . . I wept even more as I considered those attending
the lecture I was about to teach and how their hearts needed that same mercy
and grace."
Chiang Mai, Thailand,
Train Station
Train Station
| Buddhist monk from Singapore serving two years in Chiang Mai, Thailand |
Gay and Christian,
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Gay and Christian,
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Chiang Mai, Thailand
| Gay and Christian, Chiang Mai, Thailand |
| Gay and Buddhist, Chiang Mai, Thailand |
Gay and Christian,
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Chiang Mai,
Thailand
Thailand
Chiang Mai,
Thailand
Thailand
| Chiang Mai, Thailand |
| Chiang Mai, Thailand |
| Chiang Mai, Thailand |
photos by steve parelli
Go to:
This web page was created on the train from Butterworth, Malaysia,
to Singapore, late evening towards arrival in Singapore, Saturday,
August 1, 2009. This web page was published August 4, 2009, from
Singapore.
Visits to this page since August 4, 2009
to Singapore, late evening towards arrival in Singapore, Saturday,
August 1, 2009. This web page was published August 4, 2009, from
Singapore.
Visits to this page since August 4, 2009
| Take the 2009 Southeast Asia tour: NEXT |
| Our 2009 Southeast Asia Trip --Table of Contents-- |
Photo Album of Sites
Visited
OTHER SHEEP 2009 ASIA
MINISTRY
Written Report
NEPAL INDEX
June 28 - July 10, 2009
- eNews article on
meeting Sunil Pant
in NYC prior to our
leaving for Nepal - Resource page for
Pastors of Nepal - Meeting Pastors &
Planning Pastors'
Seminar - Meeting BDS, Mitini,
and Protection Desk - Pastors' Seminar
- Indira Ghale's Letter
on the Pastors'
Seminar - Seminar with Blue
Diamond Society - Blue Diamond
Society Members as
our Guests at our
Resort - Two religious
leaders meet us and
Blue Diamond
Society Members at
our Resort
THAILAND INDEX
Chiang Mai, Thailand
July 11 - 29, 2009
- Meeting with Project
Director of MPlus,
Pongthorn
Chanlearn - The Thai Village Gay
Way, article by Rev.
Dr. Kenneth Dobson - Index of Articles by
Rev. Dr. Kenneth
Dobson - eNews introducing
Rev. Dr. Kenneth
Dobson - Meeting with area
gay Christian pro-
LGBT activists - Meeting with a
leading Thai
evangelical pastor - Introduction of
Project Director
Pongthorn
Chanlearn of MPlus
to Rev., Dr., Kenneth
Dobson - Meeting with two pro-
LGBT professors
Bangkok & Mae Sot
August 23-30
- Bangkok Seminar
- Mae Sot Seminar
- Saw Yuri Gospel
Singer and
President of
Myanmar Gay
Education - Meeting and
ministering with
Joyce Hanks - Video Clip of Joyce
Hanks on her
experiences with
Thais and their
understanding of
homosexuality
SINGAPORE INDEX
August 1 - 7, 2009
August 9 - 13, 2009
- Interview with Fridae.
com on "ex-gay" - Interview with
Queercast on the
work of Other Sheep - Other Sheep at Free
Community Church:
Steve preaches; cell
groups visited - Lead study on Bible
and homosexuality
with closeted gay
Christians - eNews on Steve's
Fridae interview and
meeting with
evangelical pastor - Books to Australia
through Australian
educator/theologian
living in Singapore - 58 pastors phoned;
one visited; three
receive books
MALAYSIA INDEX
August 7 - 9, 2009
August 13 - 23, 2009
- Retreat with Good
Samaritan MCC - Seminar with Good
Samaritan MCC:
Topic - "Ex-gay" - Lumut resort
vacation - Anonymous
autobiographical
writing by a gay
Malaysian clergyman
RETURNING HOME
August 30, 2009