Choenjuti Buangern’s journey to Jesus started in an unlikely place: an elementary school classroom in Hat Yai, Thailand.
Educational curriculums in the majority-Buddhist country include religious instruction that is often heavily focused on the nation’s dominant faith. However, schools usually devote a few lessons to the world’s other major religions.
One day, Choenjuti’s teacher quoted Jesus’ words from the Sermon on the Mount: “If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also” (Matt. 5:39).
“Wow, why does he talk like that?” Choenjuti remembered thinking. “I felt interested to learn more about Jesus and Christianity.”
Choenjuti’s interest in Christianity lay dormant for many years. Her family and culture were Buddhist, which heavily influenced her spiritual development.
“Before I was a Christian … I felt that karma would catch up with me,” she said. “I thought, How can I escape this fate?”
One day, an answer came, which Choenjuti experienced as “like an echo in my body” telling her to “come to Christ.”
She called a Christian friend who had previously given her a Bible and asked what she needed to do. The friend directed her to a version of the sinner’s prayer printed in the back of the Bible. Choenjuti didn’t wait: She read the words aloud and directed them to God.
Soon after her conversion, she began looking for a church. At the first congregation she visited, the pastor prayed that the “LGBT people in this world will disappear.” The words shocked her and made her think of the scene from Avengers: Infinity War when the supervillain Thanos causes millions of people to vanish.
Choenjuti was dating another woman at the time. She also had short hair and didn’t wear girly clothes. She wondered if the prayer had been directed toward her and decided to try a different church.
She eventually found her way to Muang Thai Church and came out to its pastor, Vara Mejudhon, the first time she met him. Vara and his church hold a traditional understanding of Christian sexual ethics, but Choenjuti wasn’t that concerned with the congregation’s theological positions. She just wanted to see Vara’s reaction.
“He looked surprised, but he welcomed me to join the church and worship God together,” Choenjuti said.
Over the next two years, Choenjuti developed strong relationships with people at the church and grew in her new faith. As she learned more about Christian beliefs, she wrestled with her sexuality. Why did she feel this way if it wasn’t God’s will?
Finally, she concluded that the deeper relationship with God she desired would require obedience in this area of her life, and she broke up with her partner.
“I felt like God wants me to be pure,” Choenjuti said.
Witnessing Choenjuti’s commitment to Christ encouraged Vara.
“She stood firm in her belief,” he said. “And she prioritized her relationship with God more than her partner’s relationship and her own desire.”
Vara knows how difficult it can be to reach members of Thailand’s relatively large LGBTQ population, especially in a society that has largely accepted same-sex relationships.
As a member of Thai Christian Thinkers, a club which brings together pastors and theologians to create educational resources for the broader Thai church, Vara has helped write a book explaining Christian beliefs on sexuality and advising the church on how to engage LGBTQ people. The group is working on a sequel.
Recent events may increase demand for these materials. Last month, a law legalizing same-sex marriage went into effect. Over 1,800 same-sex couples were legally married on the first day of its implementation.
Thai LGBTQ activists said that their victory was not a foregone conclusion. In 2012, 60 percent of Thais opposed same-sex marriage according to a nationwide survey conducted by the government.
Over the following years, advocates lobbied lawmakers and launched public demonstrations. Thai movies and television shows increasingly depicted LGBTQ relationships. In 2023, another Thai government survey found that 96.6 percent of the population now favored legalization of same-sex marriage.
Varying opinions about same-sex relationships exist within Theravada Buddhism, the religion of the vast majority of Thais. Generally, however, Buddhist leaders have not taken strong stances against the new law.
Instead, “opposition to same-sex marriage was mainly concentrated among Thailand’s small Muslim minority,” noted The Nation, a Thai English-language news publication.
Not mentioned was Thailand’s even smaller Christian minority, which is estimated to make up about 1 percent of the population.
Chatchai Charuwatee, who pastors First Presbyterian Church (Samray) in Bangkok, said that most Thai churches hold a conservative stance on LGBTQ issues, noting that churches submitted a letter of concern to the National Assembly expressing opposition to legalizing same-sex marriage.
However, he said this shift in the law “hasn’t affected any part of the local church that much,” as it is not specifically directed at “religious entities or religious ministry.” He believes the Thai government is generally protective of religious communities and their right to practice their faiths, meaning that the new law will likely not cause legal problems for churches. For example, he doesn’t think a church would face repercussions for refusing to host a same-sex marriage ceremony.
But though he is willing to openly share his convictions on controversial topics when necessary (even appearing on a Thai television show to discuss Christians’ views on LGBTQ issues), Chatchai does not want Christians to become known for debating issues of sexuality in the public square. Like Vara, he prefers to establish personal relationships and talk directly with individuals who are struggling or have questions. This mitigates the risk of misunderstanding and offense.
“I believe that the message of the gospel itself will convict the souls of its hearers and will naturally lead them to want to change their lifestyle if they are LGBTQ individuals,” Chatchai said.
Chatchai recalled getting to know a same-sex couple that was attending another church he had pastored earlier in his career. He thought about addressing their relationship directly but decided against it.
“I don’t think they [would have] listened to me because they would feel like I [was being] a judge to them instead of a friend,” Chatchai reflected. “So I started becoming a friend.”
The couple attended a Bible study with Chatchai for several months. He also began visiting them in their home and learned more about their lives and relationship. Eventually, the two women shared with Chatchai that they had decided to no longer be romantic partners.
“They wanted to end that kind of relationship,” he said. “That was the work of the Holy Spirit himself.”
Preferring personal conversations over public declarations seems to be the norm for many Thai Christian leaders. In addition to his church ministry, Chatchai serves on the board of CGN Thai, a media outlet that produces Thai-language Christian content. It has addressed LGBTQ issues before. But a couple of years ago when CGN staff suggested producing a ten-minute video explaining Christian beliefs on the issue, the board balked.
“We don’t think ten minutes will be enough to explain how we love the LGBT people and how we respond to them,” Chatchai said about the decision.
Chatchai also wants the leadership of Thailand’s three main Protestant groups—the Church of Christ in Thailand, the Evangelical Fellowship of Thailand, and the Thailand Baptist Convention—to steer the conversation on this issue, especially in the wake of the new law. He said it wouldn’t be appropriate for parachurch organizations like CGN to take the lead.
Chris Flanders, a former American missionary in Thailand and now professor of missions and intercultural service at Abilene Christian University, said that there is precedent in the New Testament for the gentle approach to discipleship favored by many Thai pastors.
Of course, Jesus was at times very direct, even harsh, during his ministry. But Flanders said that in some cases, Jesus chose to interact with people in an indirect manner that Thais can more easily relate to, pointing to Jesus’ response to James and John in Mark 10, as well as the story of the woman caught in adultery in John 8.
When discussing these different philosophies of engagement, Thai Christians have to remember that their community makes up less than a million out of 77 million of the country’s population, said Chatchai.
“So our focus, our priority,” he said, “should be going toward evangelism rather than trying to debate.”
