- Cornerstone Community Church
-
Cornerstone Community Church (CSCC) (Chinese: 房角石教会) is an independent, Pentecostal multi-congregational Church based in Singapore[1]. The church currently has eight services over the weekend, comprising its English, Mandarin, African, Indonesian, Filipino, youth and children congregations.[2] It is committed to global missions, and has affiliate congregations in Kenya, Uganda, Myanmar, Philippines, Pakistan, Indonesia, Australia, Cambodia and in other parts of the world. [3] Led by Yang Tuck Yoong, its founder and senior pastor, the church seeks to be on the cutting edge of the prophetic anointing and to become a voice to the nations. Cornerstone is part of a network called Zion Fellowship, under the leadership of Dr. Brian Bailey, based in Waverly, New York.
History
Cornerstone Community Church was established in 1990 under the umbrella of the Anglican Church in Singapore, then known as "Bedok Christian Centre". On January 1, 1994, the name of the church was changed to Cornerstone Community Church to better reflect the growing diversity and ministry of the congregation, and on June 2, 1995, to further facilitate the spiritual calling of the church, it became an independent Pentecostal church. On July 16, 2000, it became officially affiliated with Zion Ministerial Fellowship Inc., a ministerial fellowship based in Waverly, New York. [4]
Controversies
Gay Backlash
Yang came into the attention of the Singaporean public in 2004 in an article titled "Gay Backlash." [5] Published in The Straits Times, the local daily of the island nation, the article summarised the responses of Christian organisations in Singapore towards an interview with Singaporean Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong, in which he announced his government is open to employment of homosexuals, despite homosexual acts still being illegal. The article reported that Yang, together with a group of 20 Christians from different denominations, voluntary organisations and professions, met to discuss a strategy and plan of action for Christians to tackle what they termed as a "volatile situation."
The meeting supposedly ended with a decision to draft an immediate plan of action that every pastor and church can adopt in a battle against homosexuality. In particular, Yang called for Christians to "express their concern" to their Member of Parliament, through letters or during Meet-the-People sessions, and send their views to the Feedback Unit and write letters to the media. Though Yang denied in Nirmala's article to be the organizer of the meeting, Cornerstone's website published a statement on July 20, 2003 titled "Don't Keep Silent." In it, the statement wrote "We cannot stand idly by. Homosexuality is a sin and it is far more rampant, militant and organised than most of us actually believe it to be. The battle lines are now drawn and it is time for the Church in Singapore to rise up and make a stand."
Lobbying of Government on Issues Related to Homosexuality
Yang also issued a letter dated Jul 19, 2003, in which he encouraged associates to feedback their negativity on the subject to the government. He believed such a lobbying effort to be very effective, and even included a sample form letter of how the letter should be written. [6] The sample letter is currently found within the website of another Singaporean church, the Church of Our Saviour, which also carries a strong anti-homosexual message in its ministry. [7]
Letter to Time Magazine in September 2003
In September 2003, Yang issued a feedback to Time Magazine whereby he accused the magazine of glamourizing an illegal and condemned lifestyle in an article that reviewed the gay scene in Singapore. [8]. He also stated that the people of Singapore has spoken against the subject. No evidence of this claim, however, was provided in Yang's letter. Yang also did not mention that there is no specific penal code within Singaporean Law that criminalizes homosexuality. There is only a penal code 377a, which specifically criminalizes the act of sodomy between two men, without mentioning homosexuality.
Homosexuality As An Abomination
On February 24, 2008, Yang gave a sermon titled "The Sin of Sodom" in which he associated homosexuality as an abomination. In the same sermon, he argued that homosexuality is a spirit which has yet to prevail in Singapore because of official legislation and public opinion and conscience. At the same time, he encouraged churches to stand up and oppose this "spirit," before Singapore is sent to the abyss in the same manner as Sodom. He also encouraged churches to be "bold" and "courageous," and to "take a stand." Lastly, he lamented that a church that has lost the ability to influence and lobby society would be useless.[9]
Yang did not elaborate in the same sermon what specific actions his encouragement to "oppose" should encompass, or not include. Neither did he release any subsequent public speech or note on the topic or the particular sermon in mention. As of such, Yang's position may not coincide with the position of Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who said in Parliament in October 2007, that while Singapore remained, as a whole, a conservative society uncomfortable with the notion of homosexuality, in recognition of the fact that homosexuals do contribute to the country, "homosexuals would be left to lead their private lives without harassment."[10]
In May 2008 however, Yang (along with 26 of the 33 church leaders to which the survey was sent) declined to comment in a survey on whether the homosexuality law in the Singapore Penal Code should be actively enforced. The incident is reported in the May 2008 archives of the Singaporean Edition of the Online Christian Post, titled, "Christian Leaders: Homosexuality Shows Singapore Needs Revival."
Statement Regarding 2008 Myanmar Floods As A Judgement of God
In May 2008, Yang commented in a letter to the online Christian Portal The Christian Post that he understood the 2008 Myanmar Floods, caused by Cyclone Nargis, to be the "hand of God" to teach the nations righteousness. He viewed destruction to be from the Christian God, and encouraged his readers to view it as a warning that the end is near[11].
Harassment of Students Outside Schools
In May 2009, The New Paper reported that church members from Cornerstone Community Church have been harassing students of Greenview Secondary School in Pasir Ris, a residential area at the east of Singapore. The parent of a student reported that his son was harassed by numerous calls and text messages to join the church, after sharing his handphone number. Another student reported that she was not allowed to walk away until she accepted a bible. [12].
Statement Regarding the Rony Tan Saga
In February 2010, after several videoclips featuring the anti-Buddhist, anti-Taoist and anti-gay remarks of Rony Tan, the senior pastor of Lighthouse Evangelism, which ignited a public firestorm in Singapore, Pastor Yang Tuck Yoong wrote a letter to his church warning that the ‘most recent attack’ by the gay community and its supporters was “a reminder of the continual scrutiny and the pressure that the Church will face in the coming years”. He also said that after watching the videos, he thought that "the reaction from the public was a little excessive". After pledging prayer support for Rony Tan, Yang Tuck Yoong also encouraged his followers to "be senstive" and "be careful", but "not dilute, adulterate or compromise on the potency of the Word" in preaching the Gospel[13].
References
- ^ "Cornerstone". CSCC. http://www.cscc.org.sg/.
- ^ "CSCC Congregations". CSCC. http://www.cscc.org.sg/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=74&Itemid=119.
- ^ "CSCC International". CSCC. http://www.cscc.org.sg/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=93&Itemid=141.
- ^ "Cornerstone Story". CSCC. http://www.cscc.org.sg/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=19&Itemid=89.
- ^ M, Nirmala. "Gay Backlash", The Straits Times, 2003-07-23
- ^ Letter from Yang Tuck Yoong
- ^ http://www.coos.org.sg/index.php?sectnum=p1&coospg=coos_statement.html
- ^ "Letters". Time. September 15, 2003. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,501030922-485792,00.html. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
- ^ "The Sin of Sodom". Cornerstone Community Church. http://www.cscc.org.sg/index.php?option=com_restaurante&task=detail&Itemid=80&id=295.
- ^ Channel NewsAsia, "S'pore to keep balance between conservative society and gays: PM Lee", 2007-10-23
- ^ http://sg.christianpost.com/dbase/editorial/259/section/1.htm
- ^ http://www.asiaone.com/News/Education/Story/A1Story20090528-144512.html
- ^ http://sg.christianpost.com/dbase.php?cat=church&id=2444
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