The FCC is housed in an inconspicuous industrial building in west-central Singapore, and holds services in a conference room outfitted with several large LED screens and projectors. In operation since 2003, FCC was founded by gay and lesbian Singaporean Christians after they experienced discrimination at other churches. Siew, who studied Divinity at the Pacific School of Religion in California, has been part of the FCC since its inception. As reverend, he considers himself responsible for speaking publicly about what he views as unjust and repressive actions by the state. In April, when the government hanged an intellectually disabled man, Nagaenthran Dharmalingam, for trafficking 1.5 ounces of heroin, Siew delivered a speech at Hong Lim Park in which he asked, “What kind of society will we become when we are more compassionate, more merciful, more human?” For those who attend services at the FCC, the word “free” in the church’s name has a second meaning: It is an acronym for First Realize Everyone’s Equal. And for many congregants, that is precisely the church’s appeal. SL is a 44-year-old public servant and FCC congregant who asked to be identified by only her initials, as she isn’t “confident” that the government will be lenient with employees who publicly acknowledge their homosexuality. She said that Siew’s church had helped her in profound ways. The FCC, she said, “allows us to heal the wounds that we received from rejections by others.” She also noted that Siew’s strength is his commitment to “fight for the rights of the last, the lost and the least.” But many in Singapore disagree. Critics, who have attacked both the reverend and the broader congregation, have said the FCC is not a true church, as it promotes an agenda beyond Jesus Christ. Siew, by contrast, hopes that the FCC is in some way an answer to what he sees as a declining sense of purpose at some religious institutions. “The churches, in many places, have lost their relevance when it stopped speaking up and it became a place of privilege and power,” he told OZY. Noting that too often, churches view baptism as their “key performance indicator,” he said this fosters a view in which baptism is the finish line. Instead, he sees baptism as the beginning of a journey, and hopes that congregants become agents of change and a blessing to others. Joseph Lim, a ministry staff member at a nearby Methodist congregation, has called the FCC a “cult.” Lim did not respond to OZY’s request for additional comment. Meanwhile, a spate of executions in Singapore has drawn international scrutiny as well as rare local protests. Siew has noted that a majority of those who have been executed were poor and dark-skinned. |