A Christian man in Malta is facing fines and jail time for promoting “conversion therapy”, after he shared his testimony of how he broke free from the scourge of homosexuality after becoming saved. His supposed transgresssion occurred in an interview with PMnews Malta in April 2022.,
Matthew Grech, a Christian charity worker, faces five months in prison and a fine of $5500. In Malta, like our neighbors to the norther in Canada, it is against the law to promote conversion therapy. The Christian Legal Center, which is representing him, says this is “the first-ever prosecution for ‘conversion practices’ in Malta.” According to CBN News:
During the media interview, he shared his story about his childhood and the confusion he had experienced when it came to his own sexuality and relationships. He spoke about how, as an adult, he had been involved in homosexual relationships before becoming a Christian, which changed his life dramatically.
Grech spoke about how he does not agree with the term “conversion therapy” and said that the deeper he went into his Christian faith and exploring the Bible, the more “I understood that in the Bible, homosexuality is not an identity as we make it nowadays. And neither is it a feeling, but a practice.
This means that no matter what sexual feelings a man or a woman is experiencing if they have sexual relations with a person of the same sex, they commit the homosexual act in God’s eyes, and that is a sin,” he explained. “Just like every other sin, one can repent from it and ask God for forgiveness and ask Him for strength to overcome… I’m talking here from a Christian perspective…”
These assertions by Gretch, which line up with the scripture, are in sharp contrast to organizations like Revoice or TGC, who routinely accept the notion that God does redeem one’s sexuality. From their perspective, aided by teachers like Sam Allberyy and Jackie Hill Perry, once you’re gay, it’s not going away Gretch told CBN:
“I am determined, however, to raise awareness on the danger and harm that ‘conversion therapy’ bans are and will cause, not just to churches and society in Malta, but all around the world.
I am committed to keep sharing my testimony because I don’t want other men and women to go through what I went through in my upbringing and adolescence. I don’t want them to be victims of unwanted sexual feelings. I don’t want them to be robbed of the biblical side of the story around sex, sexuality and marriage. I don’t want the masses to believe ‘born gay, cannot change’, and allow that to go unchallenged.”
His trial is scheduled to begin Feb 3
