Preacher: Dr. Lap Yan Kung
It is a sensitive issue to friend or unfriend in the world of facebook. To unfriend means that I no longer share my stories and encounters with a friend, similarly, I am no longer concerned about your stories and encounters. To unfriend does not necessarily mean to become an enemy, however, the relationship could be even worse than an enemy, because the acquaintance become the strangers. In the mindset of friend and unfriend, the implications for a sexual minorities friendly church would be as follows:
1. Request and acceptance: Request. I send a friend request to somebody, because I want to become a friend of that person. It might be due to curiosity, but definitely not due to my pity on someone or teaching someone a lesson. If so, this is not a friendly request but rather a self-righteous one. If a friend request is not accepted, it is not a completed request. Therefore, someone who got accepted a friend request is someone who is accepted. Whenever a person who realizes that one’s accepted identity, one can walk out from self-pride and self-righteousness. A sexual-minority- friendly church does not only extend invitation to the sexual minorities but also a church which is accepted by the sexual minorities. Actually, there are quite a number of churches which accept sexual minorities people but it does not mean that they are sexual minorities friendly church, since they only see themselves extending invitation to the other, but ignore that they are also accepted.
2. Sharing and participation: Sharing. Is not related to whether you have extra resources. It should be the inclination and attitude of people. If so, question no. 1, to share with whom, why we share with someone and not share with others. Experientially, we seem to share with friends only, however, in the world of facebook, since we share, we became friends. Then, it is not the identity of friends or strangers differentiate our object for sharing, rather the act of sharing differentiates friends or strangers. If sharing is the inclination of a person that should have, then, the sexual minorities are not the object for sharing, they are also the ones who share, they are definitely not the observers, the sexual minorities friendly church are also enriched by the sexual minorities.
3. Exchange and Interaction: The setting of “like” has drawn criticisms. For example, some commented that the trend of cheating likes is someone who is lack of confidence, even fake. We mind the number of likes and this reflects that we are anxious about attention, wanted to be appreciated, be concerned. Perhaps, comments are the most important to be concerned with. The contents of comments is not only concerned about matters of agreement or disagreement, it also concerned enquiries, inquiries, opinion, words of concern, etc. Exchange is the basis of personal relationships, we need to learn how to exchange genuinely respond politely, leave passionate messages. A sexual minorities friendly church is not a slogan, it is about living. Living in it, we learn to listen, to speak, to forgive and to take care. Request and acceptance, sharing and participation, exchange and interaction are not the characteristics of a sexual minority- friendly church, it is the meaning of a holy communion church. Henceforth, a sexual minority- friendly church is a church which integrates communion in the church life. Using the limited body as holy communion, making request and acceptance, sharing and participation, and interaction and exchange, etc. witnessing in the world that God loves the world.