The ideal of Christian unity is a theme repeated throughout the New Testament.
We are exhorted to be "of the same mind" (Phil 2:2), to "agree with one another" and be "perfectly united" (1 Cor. 1:10), to be "of one mind" (2 Cor. 13:11), to "keep the unity of the Spirit" (Eph. 4:3) and more.
Even Jesus, himself, prayed for all believers, that they would be united (John 17:20-21).
It is no surprise then in light of the New Testament's heavy emphasis on the unity of believers and the nation's major headache over seemingly epidemic political partisanship, racial division, class warfare, many Christians are longing for the unity described in Scripture and experienced in the early years of the Church's existence.
The Church is not now, not has it ever been, immune to divisions (Rom 16:17-18; Titus 3:9-11; Jude 1:16-19; 1 Corinthians 10:11-13), leading many to become disillusioned with the Church, making themselves easy prey for false systems that take advantage of this perceived disunity.
Before I develop that idea in more depth, let me offer a perspective on how we might understand Christian unity.
I am coming at this by way of the Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement tradition (RM) as will be evident throughout this post, but I encourage you to examine how your own tradition would address this issue.
In the RM, we live by the motif "where the Bible speaks, we speak and where the Bible is silent, we are silent"; we don't compel anyone to accept anything found outside the canon of that Scripture; and doctrine not necessary for salvation is not made a test of fellowship.
This perspective does not preclude the active pursuit of doctrinal unity, but takes into account that well-meaning Christians may disagree on Scriptural interpretation, and every such disagreement need not result in the fracturing of a
local congregation or the expulsion/discipline of a believer thereof.
Another unity theme is believer-to-believer unity within a local congregation.
Consider this lengthy, yet helpful, statement from an article on unity and the Stone-Campbell Movement, written by Dr. Douglas A Foster:
In a sense, this earliest unity impulse in the Stone-Campbell Movement
was a modification— a hybrid perhaps—of the spiritual and
organic unity ideas. Leaders believed there were true Christians in all
the denominations, yet they were not satisfied with the idea that unity
was already perfect in some intangible spiritual plane. Rather, all such
Christians must leave the sectarian/ denominational organizations that
divided them and come together to be visibly/organically united in local
congregations of Christians. The unity envisioned was not organic in
the sense of mergers of denominational structures but in terms of individual
Christians uniting with other individual Christians in every place without
any features that would stop them from full recognition of all other
such Christian groups.
We see this type of organic, visible, individualistic unity expressed consistently among Christians in the Restoration movement, though, of course there is much room for improvement.
Finally, if peace, love, and humility (as defined and described in Scripture) are not employed in the pursuit of Christian unity, then all hope is lost, for unless we are willing to be vulnerable, putting others before ourselves, and end all arrogance and petty squabbles, then what hope is there for unity (Eph. 4:3; Phil. 2:3, Col. 3:14)
I've tried to make this perspective on unity general enough so as to allow room for others to add to this concept, but not so general as to promulgate unattainable, esoteric, theo-babble.
So how does this organic, congregational, minimalistic approach to unity compare to other ideas of unity?
Many Christians, fed up with the lack of unity in the Church, have found they unity they desired within the communion of the Catholic Church.
I mention the Catholic Church, because Catholics are very vocal about their belief that the "Protestant church" is hopelessly and necessarily divided and that true visible and spiritual unity is in Rome, not to mention it provides a great model for compare and contrast.
There are several reason why I'm not persuaded by the Catholic claims to unity over against those of any other church.
(1.) The doctrinal unity of the Catholic church, whether it be the uniform body of doctrine that comes from the Magisterium (teaching authority) or any purported general unity of mind Catholics may have on doctrinal issues, is contrived and inorganic.
When you have a living teaching authority that can say definitively "this is what we believe" or "this is what we don't believe" and that reserves the right to excommunicate or discipline a person based on adherence to any and all of those beliefs, is it any surprise that dissenters would be in the minority?
This kind of visible unity is not spontaneous, natural, or miraculous; it is manufactured and meticulously so.
Any far out, sectarian, psuedo-Christian cult can claim visible unity on this basis (and many do), but what does that prove?
I'm not calling the Catholic Church a cult, to be sure, but in light of the fact that Catholics are morally compelled to believe and accept everything their church says is truth, under the pain of discipline or expulsion, it is neither surprising, nor impressive, that they would reach a high level of doctrinal unity, albeit essentially artificial.
While we in the Christian Churches/Churches of Christ would agree that there are causes for dis-fellowship in cases of wrong doctrine (not counting wrong behavior stemming from false doctrine), this would be applied to doctrine which is seen as interrupting a person's saving faith.
This makes doctrinal unity much more impressive because it is not forced on a member, but received in a non-compulsory fashion.
(2.) Catholic claims that the "Protestant Church" is divided is like comparing apples and oranges and is petty in its nature.
The "Protestant Church" is, in reality, many different traditions that hold to a common Protestant philosophy.
To make an accurate comparison, you have to compare a Protestant tradition (with its divisions) to a Catholic tradition (with its divisions).
So you can have a church with one division, another with five, and another with seven, with the Church with one division being the most united.
This is, of course, petty, sectarian and fruitless because the number of divisions in a tradition doesn't indicate the truthful quality of the tradition, which leads to my next point...
(3.) The Catholic Church, by and large, is not unified on the truth.
What does it matter if a church is united perfectly on every front, if they are not united on truth?
I believe that the Catholic Church, with its sacraments, penances, purgatory, indulgences, infant baptisms, popes, sectarianism, and, most preeminently, it's "sacrifice" of Mass is not founded upon the truth.
And if one is convinced of this, he cannot be Catholic in good conscience, no matter how united he feels the Catholic church is.
The same goes for any non-Catholic Christian Church.
So, principally, the issue is whether or not the foundation of a particular tradition is true, not whether or not all its members agree it's true.
I have many other thought's but I'll summarize my case and conclude:
The Churches of the Restoration Movement and other similar churches who, by and large, have an organic, believer-to-believer, congregational unity that is minimalistic in the area of doctrine and founded upon Scriptural truths, are more united, in a genuine sense, than another church with a contrived unity, founded upon untruth.
Agree or disagree, one thing is for certain: wherever we are in our pursuit of Christian unity, we can do better and, with God's help, we will.
Friday, February 15, 2013
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Is Apologetics a Biblical Mandate? You Tell Me!
We are living in the Golden Age of Christian apologetics.
Never before in the history of the Church have believers had more access to in-depth, comprehensive materials (available through every conceivable form of media) which we can use to better understand and defend our faith.
Yet, in a sad twist of irony, it seems too many of us in Protestant evangelicalism are completely unequipped to give a rational defense of the Christian faith.
Before the 2009 "Does God Exist" debate between Christian apologist William Lane Craig and the late "New Atheist" proponent Christopher Hitchens, I was completely unaware there were any deductive arguments for the existence of God and the resurrection of Jesus, much less good ones!
Many Christians are struggling with profound doubts and questions that might be availed if they were only exposed to some of the sound apologetics material out there, written by solid Christian men and women.
However, defeating ignorance is the easy part, what is more difficult is convincing those who are sure that they don't need to defend their faith.
I've often heard complaints such as:
....God doesn't need us to defend Him!
Apologetics isn't necessary. We ought to just love people...
...Everyone already knows God exist, in their hearts.
You can't argue someone into the faith!...
These misguided sentiments do much harm, as they prevent people from benefiting from biblical mandate that is apologetics.
There are ample apologies for apologetics, like those from Norman Geisler and Ravi Zacharias Ministries, so I won't retread that ground.
The sole purpose of this post is to highlight the passages of Scripture that can be used to show that defending the faith is a Christian discipline expected of Christians, in both specific and general contexts:
The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will. -- 2 Timothy 2:24-26
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete. -- 2 Corinthians 10:5-6
preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. -- 2Timothy 4:2
I encourage the reader to examine these verses in context and see if what I'm saying is true.
It is time time to recover an interest and appreciation for this God-ordained privilege of defending the Christian faith!
Never before in the history of the Church have believers had more access to in-depth, comprehensive materials (available through every conceivable form of media) which we can use to better understand and defend our faith.
Yet, in a sad twist of irony, it seems too many of us in Protestant evangelicalism are completely unequipped to give a rational defense of the Christian faith.
Before the 2009 "Does God Exist" debate between Christian apologist William Lane Craig and the late "New Atheist" proponent Christopher Hitchens, I was completely unaware there were any deductive arguments for the existence of God and the resurrection of Jesus, much less good ones!
Many Christians are struggling with profound doubts and questions that might be availed if they were only exposed to some of the sound apologetics material out there, written by solid Christian men and women.
However, defeating ignorance is the easy part, what is more difficult is convincing those who are sure that they don't need to defend their faith.
I've often heard complaints such as:
....God doesn't need us to defend Him!
Apologetics isn't necessary. We ought to just love people...
...Everyone already knows God exist, in their hearts.
You can't argue someone into the faith!...
These misguided sentiments do much harm, as they prevent people from benefiting from biblical mandate that is apologetics.
There are ample apologies for apologetics, like those from Norman Geisler and Ravi Zacharias Ministries, so I won't retread that ground.
The sole purpose of this post is to highlight the passages of Scripture that can be used to show that defending the faith is a Christian discipline expected of Christians, in both specific and general contexts:
The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will. -- 2 Timothy 2:24-26
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete. -- 2 Corinthians 10:5-6
But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being
prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the
hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect -- 1 Peter 3:15
It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. -- Philippians 1:7
He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.-- Titus 1:9
Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our
common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to
contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the
saints. For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were
marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our
God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus
Christ. -- Jude 3-4
I encourage the reader to examine these verses in context and see if what I'm saying is true.
It is time time to recover an interest and appreciation for this God-ordained privilege of defending the Christian faith!
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Why Marriage Should Be A Man/Woman Union, In Illinois.
While pro-marriage advocates are facing an uphill battle, I do not believe the fight stop the redefinition of marriage in Illinois is over and I am personally willing to do what I can as an Illinoisan to see that marriage remains the union of a man and a woman in my state.
However, it must be admitted that the pro-marriage crowd hasn't done the best job of making a positive case for man/woman marriage, making efforts to preserve it that much harder.
I'm going to try and put forth three secular reasons why I do not believe the legislature should amend our state constitution, redefining marriage as the union of two persons, rather than a man and woman.
My proposition is as follows:
The government has a public purpose in preserving and promoting marriage as a unique and gendered union.
(Reason 1.) Male/female unions are the only unions that can create new life.
While not every heterosexual couple can or will have children, every person, man and woman, is the product of a male (a father) and female (a mother).
This is the wonder of human biology.
It seems obvious that the government has public purpose in preserving and promoting the only unions that can naturally produce and replenish it's citizenry, while maintaining a stable matrix for child rearing and said pro-creative acts.
A state (or country) with a low birth rate will soon be a state (or country) in peril (the present birth crisis in Russia is attestation to this fact).
If the gender requirement is removed from marriage, the government would no longer be able to treat marriage as a unique and life-giving union that connects mom's and dad's to their kids, for to do so would be to discriminate against same-sex married couples, who cannot have children naturally.
This is not a case with marriage of older and/or sterile couples because that is only an exception to the rule of human biology (ie: that man/woman unions, alone, create new life)
Thus, redefining marriage would be a public ill, in this sense.
(Reason 2.) Male/female marital unions connect mothers and fathers to their biological children.
(This next argument has been advanced and defended most recently by such notables as Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse and summarized here by me. I take no credit)
Marriage serves a public purpose in this sense by providing a suitable framework for parenthood.
Who would deny that attaching moms and dads to each other and to their biological children should be promoted, as much as is possible and responsible?
By way of the presumption of paternity, natural marriage connects parents to each other and to their biological children.
The presumption of paternity simply means that a woman's husband in presumed to be the father of any children she has.
As one natural marriage advocate explains, "the presumption of paternity, combined with a social and legal norm of marital sexual exclusivity, means that marriage routinely and systematically attaches children to their biological parents" (emphasis mine).
Redefining marriage directly leads to redefining parenthood, replacing the presumption of paternity with a presumption of parentage, meaning that a child born to a couple in a same-sex union is presumed to be the child of both partners.
This directly undermines the biological basis for parenthood, getting rid of the idea that a child is entitled to a relationship with his biological parents.
We've already seen this applied broadly in Delaware to both same sex AND opposite sex partners, where a live in, cohabiting, opposite sex partner who is neither the parent by biology or adoption (ie: non-parent) of their partner's child, may be awarded parental rights, by way of the presumption of parentage.
This means that we are attaching parental rights to non-parents and the redefinition of marriage, by removing the gender requirement from marriage and then trying to keep everything equal, will be the vehicle by which this is accomplished and applied broadly.
Dr. Morse explains:
"By redefining marriage we are undermining several principles of law and social practice that are currently widely accepted and understood."
These include...
(1.) The right and general entitlement of children to have a relationship with both of their parents.
(2.) That mothers and father are not, in general, interchangeable.
(3.) The long assumed biological basis for parenthood.
(4.) The current relationship of the state to civil society, where instead of the state simply recording parenthood, it creates parenthood.
Do you think that a normative function of the government should be to create parents?
This will surely be the reality if gender neutral marriage replaces gendered marriage and the presumption of paternity replaces the presumption of parentage, as our frame of reference for understanding parenthood.
This would open up parenthood (which precedes the advent of the state) to a kind of unprecedented intrusion into our lives.
(Reason 3.) While retaining the current laws on marriage doesn't affect the protection of same sex persons under the law, removing the gender requirement from marriage may subject citizens with religious objections to same-sex "marriage" to criminal penalties under the law.
Already we have seen Christian wedding photographers, cake decorators, and chapel owners sued for refusing to acknowledge same-sex unions.
Others are being forced quit their jobs, as opposed to violating their faith in notarizing same-sex marriages or issuing same-sex marriage licenses.
I could give more and more examples of this is on-going and dangerous trend which can only get worse if same-sex marriage is made the law of the land.
The government can keep the peace by recognizing and protecting same-sex civil unions under the law, with special protections for people of faith, and by keeping marriage the union of a man and a woman.
In conclusion, these three arguments, combined with a number of negative arguments, give us a strong basis for affirming the above proposition that the government has a public purpose in preserving and promoting marriage as a unique and gendered union.
This is not an emotional, heart-tugging case, but a case based on logic and fact, as any good argument should be.
It is my hope that people would take hold of good arguments for preserving natural marriage and speak out boldly and frequently to their friends, neighbors, and public representatives.
Together we can curb the tidal wave against man/woman marriage.
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
I Don't Need the Bible to be Good: A Straw Man Answered.
I am a (theologically) conservative Christian, which means that when I approach the Bible, I do so with the intent to try to understand and conserve the original meaning and purpose which is being conveyed in a given text.
This is opposed to someone who may want to liberate the text of Scripture from its "sexist", "homophobic", and otherwise benighted context, to try and find whatever relevant gems still be applicable for us Christians today.
I "out" myself as a conservative to make it clear that I don't just tolerate or "deal with" the text of Scripture; I wholeheartedly believe in it's message.
I recently listened to a Youtube video where a former Christian, an apostate from the faith shared with his viewing audience a sort of "revelation" that he had concerning the Bible.
It is as follows:
I don't need the Bible to be a caring person. I don't need the Bible in order to be patient. I don't need the Bible in order to be able to love someone unconditionally. I don't need the Bible in order to be kind to people. I don't need the Bible to tell me that these are qualities that I need to have.
I think that people can be loving, caring, patient, compassionate, [and] merciful without the use of a holy book: the Bible.
This is simply a straw-man argument.
While I hold that the Bible gives us invaluable information on how people should express such virtues as the ones above to the ultimate glory of God, I agree with the general sentiment that neither the Bible nor any special revelation, is necessary in order to know what is good or to do good in a most basic or fundamental sense.
Ironically, this is a biblical concept.
See Romans chapter 2:
12 All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. 13 For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. 14 (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.) 16 This will take place on the day when God judges people’s secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.
It is God who has written His moral law on the hearts of all men, so that they, we, are without excuse, having a kind of instinctive grasp on what is right or wrong.
This is not an indubitable, infallible, all-encompassing moral sense, but one that functions in such a way that men can rightly be held accountable for their actions, completely apart from the special revelation of Scripture, et cetera.
So we see that if this confused post-believer would have actually studied Scripture, it would have answered his misconceptions about the very thing which he had a misconception about in the first place.
In the Bible we have a written standard that bears testimony to the moral sense that God has given us, which can help draw to God a person who has seared their conscience, suppressing it by their evil will.
The Bible tells us that the law (the thou shalts and shalt nots) was given to us a schoolmaster to lead us to Christ (Galatians 3:24).
In Scripture we read what God's holiness and justice requires, our inability to live up to those requirements and, hence, our desperate need for a Savior.
The non-Christian shouldn't boast of his knowledge of good and evil; it's what first condemned Adam and Eve and would condemn the rest of us too, if not for Jesus!
However, without the Bible we would only have a basic knowledge of good and evil, enough to condemn us for doing wrong when we knew to do right, but not enough that we could have an abundant, God-honoring life that comes with keeping His commandments and orienting our lives after God.
When I think about the Bible and the content therein, my mind always goes to one of my favorite psalms:
This is opposed to someone who may want to liberate the text of Scripture from its "sexist", "homophobic", and otherwise benighted context, to try and find whatever relevant gems still be applicable for us Christians today.
I "out" myself as a conservative to make it clear that I don't just tolerate or "deal with" the text of Scripture; I wholeheartedly believe in it's message.
I recently listened to a Youtube video where a former Christian, an apostate from the faith shared with his viewing audience a sort of "revelation" that he had concerning the Bible.
It is as follows:
I don't need the Bible to be a caring person. I don't need the Bible in order to be patient. I don't need the Bible in order to be able to love someone unconditionally. I don't need the Bible in order to be kind to people. I don't need the Bible to tell me that these are qualities that I need to have.
I think that people can be loving, caring, patient, compassionate, [and] merciful without the use of a holy book: the Bible.
This is simply a straw-man argument.
While I hold that the Bible gives us invaluable information on how people should express such virtues as the ones above to the ultimate glory of God, I agree with the general sentiment that neither the Bible nor any special revelation, is necessary in order to know what is good or to do good in a most basic or fundamental sense.
Ironically, this is a biblical concept.
See Romans chapter 2:
12 All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. 13 For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. 14 (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.) 16 This will take place on the day when God judges people’s secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.
It is God who has written His moral law on the hearts of all men, so that they, we, are without excuse, having a kind of instinctive grasp on what is right or wrong.
This is not an indubitable, infallible, all-encompassing moral sense, but one that functions in such a way that men can rightly be held accountable for their actions, completely apart from the special revelation of Scripture, et cetera.
So we see that if this confused post-believer would have actually studied Scripture, it would have answered his misconceptions about the very thing which he had a misconception about in the first place.
In the Bible we have a written standard that bears testimony to the moral sense that God has given us, which can help draw to God a person who has seared their conscience, suppressing it by their evil will.
The Bible tells us that the law (the thou shalts and shalt nots) was given to us a schoolmaster to lead us to Christ (Galatians 3:24).
In Scripture we read what God's holiness and justice requires, our inability to live up to those requirements and, hence, our desperate need for a Savior.
The non-Christian shouldn't boast of his knowledge of good and evil; it's what first condemned Adam and Eve and would condemn the rest of us too, if not for Jesus!
However, without the Bible we would only have a basic knowledge of good and evil, enough to condemn us for doing wrong when we knew to do right, but not enough that we could have an abundant, God-honoring life that comes with keeping His commandments and orienting our lives after God.
When I think about the Bible and the content therein, my mind always goes to one of my favorite psalms:
7 The law of the Lord is perfect,
reviving the soul;
the testimony of the Lord is sure,
making wise the simple;
8 the precepts of the Lord are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is pure,
enlightening the eyes;
9 the fear of the Lord is clean,
enduring forever;
the rules of the Lord are true,
and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold,
even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey
and drippings of the honeycomb.
11 Moreover, by them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward. (Psalm 19)
reviving the soul;
the testimony of the Lord is sure,
making wise the simple;
8 the precepts of the Lord are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is pure,
enlightening the eyes;
9 the fear of the Lord is clean,
enduring forever;
the rules of the Lord are true,
and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold,
even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey
and drippings of the honeycomb.
11 Moreover, by them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward. (Psalm 19)
The Bible is an epic tale of creation and redemption, with a multi-faceted purpose.
What a shame it would be if we let our own ignorance obscure the very Words of God to us.
Thursday, December 20, 2012
The End of World as We Know It: The Coming Christian Persecution.
It seems every week, more and more gutless politicians and talking heads, formerly sympathetic to the pro-marriage cause, have traded on those of us fighting to keep marriage a man-woman union, in favor of political expediency.
This trend, while sad, is not surprising.
It must be understood that opposing gay "marriage" is no longer considered a noble fight or even a reasonable one.
If you choose to lobby for natural marriage, you will be harangued as a bigoted bully, a hateful homphobe, and a whole host of other titles that good manners prevent me from typing out!
Various homosexual and liberal activists groups have already seen to the decimation of private citizens who have dared to exercise their religious freedom by refusing to "play pretend" by recognizing gay "marriage" as legitimate.
Christians, even Evangelicals, have withered under pressure from friends and popular culture, deciding that while this may have been their grandparent's fight, it's not theirs.
They misguidedly think that if they leave the gay marriage issue alone, they will have a better chance at reaching homosexuals for Christ.
Of course, this idea would only appeal to those who have not followed the broader debate on the ethicalness of homosexual behavior.
I doesn't matter if you are on a gay pride parade float, waving a flag for marriage redefinition; if you hold to the biblical (yes, I said the "b" word) notion that homosexual behavior is an abrogation of God's creative purpose for sexual relationships, you will upset, even turn off, those very people whom you are compromising to appease.
I think Joe Dallas (a recovering homosexual and Christian activist) summed it up well:
No one can deny the country is shifting towards solid, widespread approval of a redefinition of marriage to include same sex unions....Simultaneously, those resisting this redefinition are, more and more, seen as bigots who resist equality, similar to the racists of the 60’s who resisted civil rights. That is the direction we’re taking...
We must wake up and realize that the campaign for gay marriage and homosexual normalization is being heralded as the "new civil right movement" with graphics like the above being circulated on Facebook and other websites.
How, I ask you, did we treat those who fought against racial equality in the 50s and 60s and who ultimately lost?
Did we shake hands and say, "well, you fought hard and lost. Now, we'll live alongside each other in peace, in the hopes that you adopt our point of view"?
As if.
What we did was pass all kinds of laws to eradicate racial inequality in the public square.
We treated the KKK and racist people as social pariahs who only needed to be silenced, not reasoned with and certainly not tolerated.
We're already seeing Christian organizations and individuals blacklisted for their support of other Christian organizations deemed hate groups for their support of pro-marriage legislation.
The actions taken against segregationists during the Civil Rights era were good and necessary, and, since this is the frame of reference for "gay rights" debate, you're only fooling yourself if you don't think the same kinds of actions will be taken against Christians who support monogamous heterosexual marriage over and against any other kind of marriage.
How I read the Bible, with respect to the end times, is that Christians will be persecuted in very large numbers.
This is already happening all over the world.
And while record numbers of people are coming to God every day all across the globe (not at all surprising given the power of the gospel), we are seeing the political and social powers of the world --secularists in Europe, liberals in America, Islamists in the Middle East, etc--doing everything they can to silence Christians and hinder the spread of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Not to spoil the ending, but Jesus will be victorious.
This fact, however, is not an excuse to be slothful, unaware, OR cowardly, because it's only going to get nastier as the time of Christ' return draws near.
So, for the sake of the gospel and those desperately in need of it, don't give up!
Don't give in!
Hold God's standards high!
It's all we have in a world that is sprinting to hell.
We can almost see the finish line, so, by the grace and power of God, stay strong!
And remember that when they come after you and your family and all that you hold dear, you may count yourself blessed to suffer for the sake of the One who suffered and died for us.
Merry Christmas!
This trend, while sad, is not surprising.
It must be understood that opposing gay "marriage" is no longer considered a noble fight or even a reasonable one.
If you choose to lobby for natural marriage, you will be harangued as a bigoted bully, a hateful homphobe, and a whole host of other titles that good manners prevent me from typing out!
Various homosexual and liberal activists groups have already seen to the decimation of private citizens who have dared to exercise their religious freedom by refusing to "play pretend" by recognizing gay "marriage" as legitimate.
Christians, even Evangelicals, have withered under pressure from friends and popular culture, deciding that while this may have been their grandparent's fight, it's not theirs.
They misguidedly think that if they leave the gay marriage issue alone, they will have a better chance at reaching homosexuals for Christ.
Of course, this idea would only appeal to those who have not followed the broader debate on the ethicalness of homosexual behavior.
I doesn't matter if you are on a gay pride parade float, waving a flag for marriage redefinition; if you hold to the biblical (yes, I said the "b" word) notion that homosexual behavior is an abrogation of God's creative purpose for sexual relationships, you will upset, even turn off, those very people whom you are compromising to appease.
I think Joe Dallas (a recovering homosexual and Christian activist) summed it up well:
No one can deny the country is shifting towards solid, widespread approval of a redefinition of marriage to include same sex unions....Simultaneously, those resisting this redefinition are, more and more, seen as bigots who resist equality, similar to the racists of the 60’s who resisted civil rights. That is the direction we’re taking...
We must wake up and realize that the campaign for gay marriage and homosexual normalization is being heralded as the "new civil right movement" with graphics like the above being circulated on Facebook and other websites.
How, I ask you, did we treat those who fought against racial equality in the 50s and 60s and who ultimately lost?
Did we shake hands and say, "well, you fought hard and lost. Now, we'll live alongside each other in peace, in the hopes that you adopt our point of view"?
As if.
What we did was pass all kinds of laws to eradicate racial inequality in the public square.
We treated the KKK and racist people as social pariahs who only needed to be silenced, not reasoned with and certainly not tolerated.
We're already seeing Christian organizations and individuals blacklisted for their support of other Christian organizations deemed hate groups for their support of pro-marriage legislation.
The actions taken against segregationists during the Civil Rights era were good and necessary, and, since this is the frame of reference for "gay rights" debate, you're only fooling yourself if you don't think the same kinds of actions will be taken against Christians who support monogamous heterosexual marriage over and against any other kind of marriage.
How I read the Bible, with respect to the end times, is that Christians will be persecuted in very large numbers.
This is already happening all over the world.
And while record numbers of people are coming to God every day all across the globe (not at all surprising given the power of the gospel), we are seeing the political and social powers of the world --secularists in Europe, liberals in America, Islamists in the Middle East, etc--doing everything they can to silence Christians and hinder the spread of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Not to spoil the ending, but Jesus will be victorious.
This fact, however, is not an excuse to be slothful, unaware, OR cowardly, because it's only going to get nastier as the time of Christ' return draws near.
So, for the sake of the gospel and those desperately in need of it, don't give up!
Don't give in!
Hold God's standards high!
It's all we have in a world that is sprinting to hell.
We can almost see the finish line, so, by the grace and power of God, stay strong!
And remember that when they come after you and your family and all that you hold dear, you may count yourself blessed to suffer for the sake of the One who suffered and died for us.
Merry Christmas!
Monday, November 26, 2012
Why I Am A Christian: A Story of Faith.
When I was eleven years old, I was baptized into Christ at my home church in Mahomet, Illinois.
The formal cause for this occasion came about after I had a lengthy conversation with a non-Christian friend about the important connection between baptism and salvation, only to remember that I, myself, had not even been baptized.
Being raised in the Christian Churches/Churches of Christ (and being convinced by Scripture), I believed that baptism is the final step in accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, so this was no small issue for me.
However, the real or material cause for my baptism was much deeper.
I was adopted at a young age by Christian parents and ever since then, I have been surrounded by all things "Christian".
However, going to Christian "things" and having Christian parents does not a Christian make.
I have always believed that Jesus was the Son of God and that the Bible was the Word of God, but even the demons believe (and they tremble; James 2:19).
I remember confessing my sins to God and "asking Jesus into my heart" after an "Unshackled" radio drama, but I was plagued with worry about the effectiveness of my prayer because I didn't feel like a weight had been taken off my back, which was how the experience had always been described on the program.
I have long since moved past that bad theology; praise God!
So, knowing my need for a Savior and the truth of Jesus' divinity, I trusted in Him for my salvation, confessed Him as Lord, repented of my sins, and was baptized.
My testimony is hardly cool or exciting, but it is very special to me.
As a person who has long struggled with not measuring up, I am thankful to know that I don't need to try to "be something" in order to approach the cross and have a relationship with God.
To sum things up, if I could cite three reasons for why I am a Christian, they would be the following:
Observational Confirmation
Seeing the absolute coherence, rationality, and sincerity of Christian faith has been an enduring testimony of its truth to me.
I love what C. S. Lewis said about his faith in the faith:
I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.
By seeing godly men and women live out the biblical faith in their daily lives, I cannot doubt that the Spirit of God is truly working in them and through them.
Internal Confirmation
The witness of the Holy Spirit to my heart has been a testimony to me of God's existence and activity in our world.
(I believe that God has hardwired us all for belief, but that man suppresses this innate knowledge through sinfulness [Romans 1:18]).
There's not much I can say about this, except that for me the witness is more than a "burning in the bosom", is closer to what philosophers a "properly basic belief", and even closer to an eternal truth, whispered in your ear by the most trustworthy person in the whole universe
Evidential Confirmation
While too lengthy and outside of the scope of this blog post to explain fully here, I believe that the proposition "God exists" best explains the origin of contingent beings, the existence of the universe, the fine-tuning of the universe for intelligent life, the reality of objective moral values and duties, and the very idea of God, as well as the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth and more.
The explanatory power of Christian theism is, I believe, unparalleled in scope and power.
You can see more about that here.
In closing, I am very aware of the fact that I am still young and it seems everyday my faith is changing and growing as I learn more and try to better conform my life and doctrine to the Truth.
It gives me supreme joy to call myself a follower of Jesus and I consider it a privelge to share my faith with others.
One More Thing
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| A Restoration Movement initiative |
You can read more about this fellowship of churches here.
Also feel free to leave a short testimony of how you came to Christ in the comment box below.
Monday, November 12, 2012
Why I Thank God for President Obama.
It's been almost a week since the United States re-elected President Barack Obama for a second term as president of our country.
And, like all conservatives, I was initially left reeling and dejected knowing that I had another four years of one of the most radical, anti-business, anti-life, anti-free market presidents our country has ever seen.
I mean how much worse could things get?
Planned Parenthood (the nation's largest abortion chain) is receiving millions of tax-payer dollars each year, the bloated and job crushing "Obamacare" legislation seems to be a forgone conclusion, religious business leaders all across the country are being forced to violate their consciences with respect to their views on life (via the HHS mandate) and marriage (via gay activism and legislation thereof), and religious apathy seems endemic both in and outside the Church.
Christians see America (and the world) slowly going downhill in more ways than we can keep track of and are asking ourselves, 'what's a believer to do?'
Well, the Bible answers that question in First Thessalonians:
"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus".
Yes, you read that right.
It says we are to rejoice (always), give thanks (in all circumstances), and pray (continually).
So, that's exactly what I'm going to.
While there may not be many reasons to be thankful for our Commander-in-Chief's re-election, there are at least few
For one, I'm thankful that those of us who were acting under the delusion that we could recreate the United States in the image of some great Christian democratic-republic must now be faced with the reality that even a country as great as America is secular and under the temporary control of the "prince of this world" (John 12:31).
Sometimes we get so caught up in trying to cultivate Christ in our culture and government, we forget that the first rule of defending the faith is to "sanctify Christ as Lord in [our] hearts" (1 Peter 3:15).
This is not at all to say that we shouldn't vote our consciences whenever able, but we must understand that real change comes by way of the transforming work of the Holy Spirit and not by governmental legislation.
In addition, the President's win has personally encouraged me to make active pro-life vigil and sidewalk counselling outside my town's local Planned Parenthood clinic a more regular activity.
While Planned Parenthood and abortion providers all across the country won big in this election, the pro-life movement has too been rejuvenated and we are ready to fight the pro-abortion forces for the next four years and beyond, defending the right-to-life of pre-born humans until the bitter end.
Another thing this election has brought about that I'm thankful for is the spotlight now being shone on the glaring unwillingness of many Christians to even attempt to bring their political views and actions under the Lordship of Jesus.
Many of the President's deeply held social and economic views are anti-Christian and whether it be due to racism (voting based on race) or a low view/ignorance of Scriptural principles, too many Christians cast their votes for Barack Obama and supported his rise to power.
However, sunlight is the best disinfectant and you cannot deal with a problem until you identify it.
We've identified a big problem, now it's time to deal with it.
In keeping with the passage from first Thessalonians, I'm also praying for our leaders (as we're commanded to do in 1 Timothy 2:1-2), including our president, and I'm praying that Christians would be renewed with evangelistic zeal for the lost and a mighty love for God, so "that by doing good [we] should silence the evil talk of foolish men" (1 Peter 2:15).
And lastly, I'm rejoicing always because I have the awesome, wonderful, indescribable privilege of knowing that no matter how bad the world gets, Jesus is coming!
And (if I'm reading my Bible correctly) things are going to get worse before they get better.
Regardless of what happens in life, what leader is in power, or what heartache may befall our world, this thing is certain: God is still working in the lives of men and women to bring about his most glorious and holy purposes and He will see his children through to ultimate victory.
This knowledge gives us the freedom to be bold and courageous, loving and compassionate, prayerful and expectant all day, every day.
There's still lots of work to be done, fields to harvests, love to share, and justice to champion; are you ready?
Just remember to pray, give thanks, and in all things rejoice!
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