Randy Alcorn's Blog, page 199
January 28, 2013
LOGOS Hope: A Great International Opportunity for Short-term Service
My friend George Verwer, founder of Operation Mobilization (OM), recently shared about his visit to LOGOS Hope, a ship owned and operated by the German nonprofit ministry GBA Ships. LOGOS Hope travels to ports around the world, acting as a floating bookshop. (They report that, on average, over one million visitors are welcomed on board each year.)
GBA Ships also provides training for those who work onboard, as well as volunteer opportunities to serve by providing supply aid and community care in the places they dock. Their international crew represents over 45 nations.
George encourages those who are college-bound (and those of any age) to consider dedicating 1-2 years to volunteer on the ship: “If I were talking to an American thinking about going to Yale or Harvard, or a Brit thinking about Cambridge or Oxford, and they asked me, ‘Should I go to the ship or to the university?’, of course I would say both.”
He continues, “We believe the Bible is true…and this leads me to say that just the education and training aspect of the ship is worth more than anything you will get at some anti-Christian institution. So if you have to choose, I suggest the ship. …So many young people have no clue what the ship is. It is not primarily for missionaries or those who want to be. Yes, it is for some and that’s great. It’s a life-changing, character-building work training experience to prepare people for whatever walk of life you going into.”
If you’re interested in learning more, go to www.gbaships.org.
Thanks to Stephanie Anderson for assembling most of the info in this blog.
January 25, 2013
Martin Luther on being a theologian, writer and preacher
As a student of theology, writer, and occasional preacher, I loved reading Martin Luther talking about learning theology, and about the “little books” some of us write and the little sermons we preach. Sometimes the reformers really make you smile. Luther writes:
I want to point out to you a correct way of studying theology….
First, you should know that the Holy Scriptures constitute a book that turns the wisdom of all other books into foolishness, because not one teaches about eternal life except this one alone. Therefore you should straightway despair of your reason and understanding. With them you will not attain eternal life, but, on the contrary, your presumptuousness will plunge you and others with you out of heaven (as happened to Lucifer) into the abyss of hell. But kneel down in your room and pray to God with real humility and earnestness (as David did), that he through his dear Son may give you his Holy Spirit, who will enlighten you, lead you, and give you understanding.
Second, you should meditate not only in your heart, but also externally, by actually repeating and comparing oral speech and literal words of the book, reading and rereading them with diligent attention and reflection, so you may see what the Holy Spirit means by them. Take care you do not grow weary or think you have done enough when you have read, heard, and spoken them once or twice, and that you then have complete understanding. You'll never be a particularly good theologian if you do that, for you will be like untimely fruit which falls to the ground before it is half ripe. God will not give you his Spirit without the external Word.
…If you study hard in accord with [David’s] example, then you will also sing and boast with him, "The law of thy mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces" (Ps. 119:72).
And it will be your experience that the books of the fathers will taste stale and putrid to you in comparison. You will not only despise the books written by adversaries, but the longer you write and teach, the less you will be pleased with yourself. When you have reached this point, then do not be afraid to hope that you have begun to become a real theologian, who can teach not only the young and imperfect Christians, but also the maturing and perfect ones.
If, however, you feel and are inclined to think you have made it, flattering yourself with your own little books, teaching, or writing, because you have done it beautifully and preached excellently; if you are highly pleased when someone praises you in the presence of others; if you perhaps look for praise, and would sulk or quit what you are doing if you did not get it—if you are of that stripe, dear friend, then take yourself by the ears, and if you do this in the right way you will find a beautiful pair of big, long, shaggy donkey ears. Then do not spare any expense! Decorate them with golden bells, so that people will be able to hear you wherever you go, point their fingers at you, and say, “See, See! There goes that clever beast, who can write such exquisite books and preach so remarkably well.”
Luther's Works, Vol. 34
Edited by Lewis W. Spitz
1960 (Muhlenberg Press)
“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (1 Peter 5;5).
January 23, 2013
Why the Hobby Lobby Case Matters
Kevin DeYoung is a pastor and an excellent writer. His blog is one of my favorites. I’ve talked about the Hobby Lobby case before, but asked Kevin’s permission to repost his blog.
Why You Should Care About the Hobby Lobby Case—And Be Alarmed
The facts are well known: the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) requires employers to provide insurance for their employees. As part of the mandated health coverage, businesses must include contraceptives and abortifacient drugs in their insurance plans. Hobby Lobby, owned by the Green family (strong Christians and generous philanthropists), is refusing to comply with the HHS mandate, believing that the government is requiring what is unethical and infringing upon their religious liberty. Perhaps it is tragically fitting that Justice Sotomayor denied Hobby Lobby judicial relief on December 26—St. Stephen’s Day, the day the church remembers its first martyr.
Millions of Americans are already outraged. And rightly so. Our government not only allows for abortion, and celebrates abortion rights, and wants women to have unfettered access to abortion on demand, it now requires other Americans to pay for abortion-inducing drugs or face crippling fines. It is not an endorsement of any political party to conclude that this policy is morally degenerate. More Americans should be alarmed than are already.
The Department of Justice’s brief filed in October makes a number of arguments (in opposition to the Greens) which bear closer scrutiny and ought to arouse no small degree of concern. I’m no legal scholar, but as a Christian citizen and an American worried about our liberties, I would ask questions like these:
The brief argues that as a secular corporation Hobby Lobby does not receive the same protection to freely exercise religion—but what of the rights of the individuals who own and operate the company?
The brief argues that “any burden caused by the regulations is simply too attenuated to qualify as a substantial burden”—but can the government now determine which burdens on the conscience are “substantial” and how does it plan to make these determinations?
The brief argues that the health care regulation “serves two compelling governmental interests: improving the health of women and children, and equalizing the provision of recommended preventive care for women and men”—but on what grounds can the termination of fetal life be construed as “improving the health” of it?
The brief asserts that “The Free Exercise Clause does not prohibit a law that is neutral and generally applicable even if the law prescribes conduct that an individual’s religion proscribes”—but how is the contraceptive mandate “neutral” when the largest religious body in the country (the Catholic Church) opposes contraception outright and tens of millions of evangelical Christians believe the mandate violates their religious convictions relative to abortion?
The brief argues that “the Court should not permit the Greens to eliminate that legal separation to impose their personal religious beliefs on the corporate entity or its employees”—but by what logic is the failure to provide “preventive care” by a private company the imposition of religious belief and the mandating of it by the state it is not?I’m a pastor, not a lawyer, justice, or politician. But let us pray for all of the above, that they may do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God. Religious liberty is a precious gift we think too little of, and we will miss it sorely when it’s gone.
January 21, 2013
Reflections in Front of an Abortion Clinic
There is a popular idea that is tossed around as absolute truth: to be pro-women is to be pro-abortion. A woman’s right to abortion is paramount over a baby’s right to life.
But how is allowing abortion standing up for women’s rights? How is taking the lives of countless female babies supporting women? Does anyone have the right to take the life of an innocent human being? What does that do to a woman’s soul? How does it help her when society denies her the truth by protecting her from information that would help her make an informed decision? How is she being cared for when she isn’t told of the life-altering consequences that will most likely follow her for the rest of her life?
Once a month some friends and I stand on the sidewalk in front of the largest abortion clinic in Oregon. We go in love and compassion, not anger and judgment. We’re there to pray, hold signs and offer help and resources to women and men entering the clinic. Often I stand up near the back parking lot, to pray and hold a sign (Sorrow and Regret? Jesus is the Answer) for those women who are being wheeled out to their waiting ride home from the clinic. Many look somber and sad, some with their heads in their hands, looking as though they did indeed just go through a surgery.
I’ve thought to myself, “They imagine now that it’s all over; but it’s really only just beginning.” A baby’s death does not take away the fact that the woman is a mother. She may be un-pregnant now but she is not an un-mother. Now matter how her pregnancy ends, she will always be a mother, either of a child who is alive or a child that has died. Someday many of these women will realize what they have done, and I pray they will come to know of the incredible love and forgiveness of Christ.
We received an interesting question from two different women on the same day while down at the clinic. One woman drove by yelling out her window, “Who’s going to take care of these babies until they’re 18 years old?” The other walked briskly by and asked, “Are you going to take care of these kids until they’re 18?”
Wow. Selfishness abounds. “If you don’t want to take care of it, get rid of it.” They had no knowledge of how many childless couples would give anything to adopt a baby. And they assumed that none of us had adopted children or supported family members who had. Unfortunately there was no opportunity to engage them in further conversation.
Recently three of our ladies were there when a young girl walked into the clinic, resisting the information offered, and insisting she was going to have an abortion. Fervent prayers were offered that there would be no peace for the women in the clinic waiting for their abortions. Soon after, this same young girl came out and down the stairs, weeping and broken. The women comforted her as she confessed that she could not go through with the abortion, and they gave her courage to give life to her baby. This month she was blessed with a healthy baby girl and later texted the following: “I can't wait for you guys to meet her. You ladies helped save her life because of your faith in God. Only if I could have as much faith as you all did...I hope to!" The women have visited her in her home, provided transportation, and given her many things she needed for the baby.
Someone told us there must be better, more effective alternatives to standing outside a clinic with a sign and praying. I agree there are, but when it comes down to the last minute, the last chance of hope before a baby’s life is snuffed out and a woman is deceived into thinking she’s making the best choice, I’m glad there are people who are there praying and offering help.
Everyone can do something. If you can’t be down at a clinic, you can pray for those who are. And you can pray for and support (through financial gifts and volunteer work) the many different and effective prolife ministries who are serving Jesus in the battle for preborn babies and their moms. Check out the different prolife organizations listed on our website for possibilities of involvement. And if you’re in the Portland, Oregon area, learn about the exciting Guardian Project, as well as Run4TheirLives, which is scheduled for September 7, 2013.
Kathy Norquist
Executive Assistant to Randy Alcorn
January 18, 2013
Every Life Is Precious, No Matter How He or She Was Conceived
In addressing the issue of abortion in the case of rape in my book ProLife Answers to ProChoice Arguments, I pose a series of questions to readers:
What if you found that your spouse or adopted child was fathered by a rapist? Would it change your view of their worth? Would you love them any less? If not, why should we view the innocent unborn child any differently?
On a television program about abortion, I heard a man say of a child conceived by rape, “Anything of this nature has no rights because it’s the product of rape.” But how is the nature of this child different from that of any other child?
And why is it that pro-choice advocates are always saying the unborn child is really the mother’s, not the father’s, until she is raped—then suddenly the child is viewed as the father’s, not the mother’s?
The point is not how a child was conceived but that he was conceived. He is not a despicable “product of rape.” He is a unique and wonderful creation of God.
Last year I shared a story on my blog about a 94-year-old woman who was reunited with her 77-year-old daughter who was conceived by rape. It was a powerful reminder of how a child conceived by rape is as precious as a child conceived by love, because a child is a child.
I came across the following story in Indivisible: Restoring Faith, Family, and Freedom Before It’s Too Late by James Robison and Jay W. Richards. James, founder of LIFE Outreach International, shares his own story of being conceived by rape:
A Testimony to Life
As important as abortion is in politics, it also can be a painful personal issue. Several years ago, I (James) interviewed a guest on Life Today who had become pregnant as the result of rape. At first, she was so horrified by what had happened to her that abortion seemed her only option. She felt as if having the baby would be an ongoing reminder of her experience. Later, when she heard a song titled “A Baby’s Prayer” by Kathy Troccoli, she felt the need to pray. And as she prayed, she realized that the “little mass of tissue” in her womb was really a person with purpose and potential. She decided to keep the baby and named her Alexis Kathleen in honor of Kathy Troccoli, whose song had touched her heart and caused her to reconsider her options.
As this young woman told her story on our show, I began to weep because I also am the product of rape. My mother was an unmarried, forty-year-old practical nurse who was sexually assaulted by the alcoholic son of the man for whom she was caring. When she went to the doctor to have me aborted—because she had no husband, an inadequate income for caring for a child, and had been raped—the doctor said, “Ma’am, I simply do not believe this is best. I believe it is wrong.” My mother later told me she went home, sat down alone, and prayed. And God said, “Have this little baby, and it will bring joy to the world.”
My mother chose to carry me to term, and I was born in the charity ward of the Saint Joseph Hospital in Houston, Texas. Two weeks later, through an ad in the newspaper, my mother released me to a foster family, who raised me for the first five years of my life. My conception was the result of a crime, and my childhood and adolescence weren’t easy, but God had a plan for this unexpected child born in difficult circumstances.
In standing against abortion, we don’t want to minimize the trauma of an unexpected pregnancy—especially by rape or incest. But if we affirm the value of every life even in the tough cases, God will honor the intent of our hearts and use that choice in a way that we can’t imagine beforehand. Both of us have been blessed because a mother in a desperate situation chose life. We both have a child by adoption and can’t imagine life without them. Randy Robison is now forty-two, married with four beautiful children. Ellie Richards was adopted from China. She’s eight and already thinks she should rule the world.
Every Life Is Precious, No Matter How It Was Conceived
In addressing the issue of abortion in the case of rape in my book ProLife Answers to ProChoice Arguments, I pose a series of questions to readers:
What if you found that your spouse or adopted child was fathered by a rapist? Would it change your view of their worth? Would you love them any less? If not, why should we view the innocent unborn child any differently?
On a television program about abortion, I heard a man say of a child conceived by rape, “Anything of this nature has no rights because it’s the product of rape.” But how is the nature of this child different from that of any other child?
And why is it that pro-choice advocates are always saying the unborn child is really the mother’s, not the father’s, until she is raped—then suddenly the child is viewed as the father’s, not the mother’s?
The point is not how a child was conceived but that he was conceived. He is not a despicable “product of rape.” He is a unique and wonderful creation of God.
Last year I shared a story on my blog about a 94-year-old woman who was reunited with her 77-year-old daughter who was conceived by rape. It was a powerful reminder of how a child conceived by rape is as precious as a child conceived by love, because a child is a child.
I came across the following story in Indivisible: Restoring Faith, Family, and Freedom Before It’s Too Late by James Robison and Jay W. Richards. James, founder of LIFE Outreach International, shares his own story of being conceived by rape:
A Testimony to Life
As this young woman told her story on our show, I began to weep because I also am the product of rape. My mother was an unmarried, forty-year-old practical nurse who was sexually assaulted by the alcoholic son of the man for whom she was caring. When she went to the doctor to have me aborted—because she had no husband, an inadequate income for caring for a child, and had been raped—the doctor said, “Ma’am, I simply do not believe this is best. I believe it is wrong.” My mother later told me she went home, sat down alone, and prayed. And God said, “Have this little baby, and it will bring joy to the world.”
My mother chose to carry me to term, and I was born in the charity ward of the Saint Joseph Hospital in Houston, Texas. Two weeks later, through an ad in the newspaper, my mother released me to a foster family, who raised me for the first five years of my life. My conception was the result of a crime, and my childhood and adolescence weren’t easy, but God had a plan for this unexpected child born in difficult circumstances.
In standing against abortion, we don’t want to minimize the trauma of an unexpected pregnancy—especially by rape or incest. But if we affirm the value of every life even in the tough cases, God will honor the intent of our hearts and use that choice in a way that we can’t imagine beforehand. Both of us have been blessed because a mother in a desperate situation chose life. We both have a child by adoption and can’t imagine life without them. Randy Robison is now forty-two, married with four beautiful children. Ellie Richards was adopted from China. She’s eight and already thinks she should rule the world.
January 16, 2013
Some Thoughts on Les Misérables
I love the redemptive message of Les Misérables, from book, to stage, to screen. It reminds me of the song “Amazing Grace,” because it is deeply loved even by those who don’t fully believe its message. The beauty of the story is so great that even those who don’t believe in God, his grace and forgiveness and his ability to transform a man, still love it. This suggests that deep inside, being God’s image-bearers, part of them resonates with the gospel message which is portrayed, even if imperfectly, in Les Misérables.
I’ve seen three movies based on Les Mis, including the new musical, and I am still hearing in my head Anne Hathaway singing “I Dreamed a Dream.” Here’s some of that song in the movie trailer of the 2012 December release. It doesn’t have the power of Hathaway’s facial expressions in the movie, or the benefit of the context, but if you’ve seen it, it will take you back. It just took me back enough to start crying again:
I can’t recommend the movie for young people because of the explicitness of the portion dealing with prostitution, but I am grateful that it shows the desperation and ugliness of that degrading vocation, instead of romanticizing it like Hollywood so often does. In some ways I preferred the 1998 movie with Liam Neeson as Jean Valjean. As a non-musical, it lacked the memorable songs of the new movie, but it also lacked the unmemorable ones, and I felt some aspects of the story were stronger. Still, both are great movies.
Victor Hugo’s masterpiece has been powerfully rendered again and again. There is much to celebrate in it, though of course like any human work, it’s not theologically infallible. Some points in it lend themselves to misinterpretation, especially related to the character Javert. I applaud Joe Rigney, in his Desiring God blog, for holding the drama in respect, while probing into a few issues that thoughtful believers will want to consider:
‘Les Misérables’ and the Law of God
By Joe Rigney
Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables is again a topic of conversation, and for good reason.
Christians, in particular, have rightly celebrated the portrayal of the beauty of mercy and grace in this moving 150-year-old tale. Most of the theological analyses have contrasted Javert, the law-obsessed Inspector, with Valjean, the grace-transformed thief.
And while much of this analysis has been spot-on, it’s important that a central biblical and theological reality not get lost. Let me put it this way: Many people regard Javert as the consummate legalist, the embodiment of a single-minded preoccupation with perfect obedience to God’s righteous Law. The problem is this: he’s not.
January 14, 2013
Perspectives on Louie Giglio, the Homosexual Issue and What It Means to Be a Christ-Follower in This Culture
Because of his efforts to end human slavery, Louie Giglio was asked to pray at the Presidential inauguration. Louie said, “Though the president and I do not agree on every issue, we have fashioned a friendship around common goals and ideals, most notably, ending slavery in all its forms.”
Last Thursday the internet exploded with the Louie Giglio “scandal.” What was this outrageous revelation? An eighteen-year-old recording of a sermon Louie preached. His sermon actually shows that—wait for it—this Christian pastor believed and taught what the Bible has said, and virtually all Christians have believed, for two thousand years.
Because of this sermon, a homosexual advocacy group protested his place in the inaugural lineup.
After conversations with the White House, Louie withdrew. He said, “It is likely that my participation, and the prayer I would offer, will be dwarfed by those seeking to make their agenda a focal point of the inauguration.”
As I listened to the message, I was struck by the gentleness and kindness of Louie Giglio’s words intended to invite in, not push away, those of homosexual orientation. He offered love and forgiveness for homosexual sin just as for heterosexual sin and every other sin. Giglio was careful to say that people with a homosexual orientation were loved and welcome in his church. Yes, the agenda of homosexual advocates was warned against, and that’s an appropriate warning. But there was no homophobia, no revulsion against homosexuals as individuals. Rather, Louie spoke with both grace and truth.
This 54-minute message is biblically clear yet careful and balanced, saying that homosexual behavior is one of many sins, and we should not hold it out as unacceptable while our personally preferred sins are ignored. It was a good sermon then, and in my opinion, still is.
If this message is “hate speech,” as it is called by some responders, then the Bible is hate speech, and no one can preach the whole Bible without being guilty of hate speech. Some people believe that and are honest enough to say it.
Following Louie’s withdrawal, the White House, via the Presidential Inaugural Committee, said,
We were not aware of Pastor Giglio’s past comments at the time of his selection and they don’t reflect our desire to celebrate the strength and diversity of our country at this Inaugural. Pastor Giglio was asked to deliver the benediction in large part for his leadership in combating human trafficking around the world. As we now work to select someone to deliver the benediction, we will ensure their beliefs reflect this administration’s vision of inclusion and acceptance for all Americans.
In other words, the administration will find someone to replace Giglio as the token religious figure in the program (it is difficult to ask an atheist to give the benediction). Presumably this will be a “Christian” who does not actually believe what the Bible says—indeed, if he or she did, he would likely be outed for it. At very least, it must be someone who does not have sufficient conviction or courage to have ever said in public what the Bible says about various moral issues.
While Louie Giglio and I haven’t spent a lot of time together, the two times we have talked in person have been rich. In these conversations I saw the Giglios’ depth of love for Christ, for the gospel and for the welfare of others. They have dedicated their lives to serving our King and loving all. It’s hard for me to think of more genuine and caring people.
Several mainstream news articles and many comments express outrage that Louie preached what the Bible teaches. The level of hostility was sometimes off the charts. What I heard said about my brother in these forums does not even faintly resemble who he really is, either in private or in public, or for that matter, what he actually said in the context of his message.
If Louie Giglio, despite his people-loving track record, is viewed as a bigot because he believes and teaches the Bible, then it’s guaranteed you and I will be seen as bigots. Unless, of course, we either outright deny the Scriptures or are so quiet about our belief in them that no one finds us out. (Imagine an ambassador who lives in fear of divulging his King’s policies.)
Many of the articles and comments concerning Louie Giglio reflected this perplexing idea that good Christians must NOT believe the Bible. And, indeed, many professing Christians agree with Jesus only when he speaks about love. When he takes moral stands and says there’s an eternal hell to punish sins, that’s a different story. They take a cut and paste approach to the Bible—when I like what it says I’ll quote it, when I don’t like it, I’ll ignore, reinterpret or deny it. That means the Bible is not my authority. Rather, this culture is my authority. I am my authority.
Once we deny parts of God’s truth, then we are no longer under Scripture’s authority. We are winging it. And if Christians try to be relevant and accepted by making up truth on the fly, then the Jesus we speak of will not be the Scripture-believing Jesus of the Bible who was full of both grace and truth. He will just be the “loving Jesus” remade in our culture’s image, in which we redefine love as tolerance.
Among the comments, I discovered some Christians who seem astonished that the world opposes many Christian beliefs. Of course we will be mocked and despised—the Bible promises us that. Jesus said “A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:20). He said, “In the world you will have tribulation” (John 16:33). Paul said, “all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12). Peter said, “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you” (1 Peter 4:12).
If we are not opposed for our allegiance to the gospel, isn’t it because we are not living and proclaiming the gospel?
That’s why I get it when homosexual advocates and the world in general don’t believe the Bible or are hostile toward people who do. What surprised me was the shock displayed over a Christian pastor who actually believed the Bible. And actually preached what it says. (Isn’t that what true Christian pastors are supposed to do?)
I saw comments in which several people spoke up in Louie’s defense, but then said, essentially, “Someone shouldn’t be judged for what he’s believed and said nearly twenty years ago. He’s probably changed his mind and we should forgive him. Let’s give him a chance.”
But of course, for Louie to change his position would require him to repent of what the Bible teaches. It’s one thing to say “I was wrong,” it’s another to say, “God was wrong.” To do this, he would not be a Christ-follower in the historic sense. (True Christ-followers don’t deny God’s Word, they lovingly affirm it.) It’s one thing, years later, to say you would phrase some things a bit differently; it’s another to deny what the Bible actually says.
Trying to fly under the radar of our culture on moral issues is no better than the always-in-your-face method. The grace-only approach, in the end, is as deficient as the truth-only approach. Jesus came full of both grace and truth (John 1:17). So should we.
It concerns me when those who profess to be Christians simply redefine what it means to be a Christian to accommodate whatever the culture currently believes. They oppose Giglio, they suppose, because they are more loving, kind and relevant Christians.
We live in a strange new world in which those who believe in historic Christian morality, who affirm what nearly all Christians everywhere have believed for two thousand years, are now seen as immoral bigots. Those who affirm as moral what has been biblically and historically immoral—including homosexual and heterosexual relations outside marriage—are now seen as taking the moral high ground. They are the people of virtue, since the central virtue is tolerance. People have always committed immorality. There’s nothing new about that. But there was a time when many who did so knew they should repent even when they didn’t. Today, people affirm and preach and celebrate immorality. And they insist that others must acknowledge the legitimacy of their beliefs, or be labeled bigots.
The only way to redeem yourself as a Christian in the eyes of popular culture is to deny what it means to be a Christian. The only way to be a credible pastor is to deny what it means to be a credible pastor. A tolerant culture will not tolerate your Christian beliefs. But, if you recant those beliefs, it might forgive you, in the same way it might forgive former racists.
To be bad is now to be good. To be good is now to be bad.
I see people repeating the often-said and very misleading “Jesus never spoke against homosexuality [or abortion].” Well, not by name, but he also never spoke directly against most sins. Show me what Jesus said about rape, wife-beating, child-molesting, child pornography, arson, torture, forgery or hundreds of other sins.
The truth is that Jesus condemned lust, both heterosexual and homosexual (Matthew 5:28). And in Matthew 19:9 Jesus condemned “porneia,” a broad word that covers all sexual sins condemned in the Old Testament, and others not addressed there. Greek scholars say this includes prostitution, bestiality, incest, child molesting, homosexual relations, and all heterosexual relations outside of marriage.
So Jesus really did speak against homosexual relations without using that exact term. Furthermore, Jesus repeatedly affirmed his belief in the Old Testament Scriptures. He said, “truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished" (Matthew 5:18); “The Scripture cannot be broken," (John 10:35); and “Your word is truth" (John 17:17).
So even if you don’t accept that porneia includes homosexual relations, it’s inescapable that Jesus affirmed the same Old Testament Scriptures that consistently condemn homosexual actions along with heterosexual sins of every variety (Genesis 19:5-8; Leviticus 18:22-23; 20:13). Likewise, Jesus’ apostles, who wrote the God-breathed New Testament Scriptures, consistently spoke against homosexual behavior right along with other sins (Romans 1:26-27; 1 Corinthians 6:9; 1 Timothy 1:9-10; Jude 7).
Does this mean we can’t be empathetic and caring about those with a homosexual orientation or who have chosen that lifestyle? Of course not. If someone were outing me on this issue, they could go to my response to a “Lesbian Christian” who argued it’s okay for her to have a sexual partner. Like anything I wrote years ago I would no doubt make minor revisions on it today. But do I think I was hateful, bigoted, unloving and uncaring in what I said to her? I do not. In fact, I’m convinced I was speaking in her best interests, with heartfelt love.
Too many Christians labor to airbrush Jesus and the Bible, to make them as attractive as possible. In doing so we distort both the Living Word, Jesus, and the Written Word, the Bible. We redefine sin, and minimize it in a misguided attempt to win people by saying what they’d rather hear.
What bothered me most as I read dozens and dozens of comments was seeing professing Christians distance themselves from Louie Giglio. These new kind of “Christians” are a mirror image of this culture, craving popularity and acceptance. If that’s you, please understand—and I am trying to be honest, not cruel—that you bear no resemblance to what it has meant for two thousand years to be a true follower of Christ. Believe what you choose to, but please, in the interests of accuracy, stop calling yourself a Christian.
Our job is not to be God’s speechwriters and revise his words on his behalf, but to speak his words humbly. Our job is not to be God’s PR team, but to be his ambassadors, not making policy but simply representing what God has declared to be true.
This episode, I believe, points out the futility of trying to reach the world through being acceptable to the world. If you spent any time with the Giglios, you’d probably think that they are better, nicer and kinder than you are. So if Louie Giglio’s efforts against human slavery haven’t delivered him from moral outrage, your works and mine won’t deliver us. (We should do those works, of course, but out of love for God and people, not to be popular.)
Ask yourself whether you are living for the approval of this culture, or the Audience of One. Ask yourself, “In the end whose judgment seat will I stand before?” The homosexual advocate’s? The White House’s? The news media’s? The social media’s? The church’s? Or will we stand before God’s throne, where His “opinion” (truth), as expressed in Scripture, ultimately will be non-negotiable.
Christ’s followers are full of grace and truth. They are both loving and holy. Make no mistake—an unholy world will never be won to Christ by an unholy church.
P.S. If you’re interested in more perspectives on the “Giglio controversy,” this resource points to eight treatments by different believers.
Photo credit for Bible: Chris Yarzab via photopin cc
January 11, 2013
How Significant is Our National Debt, and What Are Its Implications?
I have pointed out before that one thing Republican and Democratic administrations have in common is their apparent unwillingness to do what it takes to balance our budget.
Look at what the Lord told Israel:
“…in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you, if only you fully obey the Lord your God and are careful to follow all these commands I am giving you today. For the Lord your God will bless you as he has promised, and you will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. You will rule over many nations but none will rule over you” (Deuteronomy 15:4-6).
So lending is part of being blessed. What’s involved in being cursed?
“The foreigners who reside among you will rise above you higher and higher, but you will sink lower and lower. They will lend to you, but you will not lend to them. They will be the head, but you will be the tail” (Deuteronomy 28:43-44).
“Some were saying, ‘We and our sons and daughters are numerous; in order for us to eat and stay alive, we must get grain.’ Others were saying, ‘We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards and our homes to get grain during the famine.’ Still others were saying, ‘We have had to borrow money to pay the king’s tax on our fields and vineyards. Although we are of the same flesh and blood as our fellow Jews and though our children are as good as theirs, yet we have to subject our sons and daughters to slavery. Some of our daughters have already been enslaved, but we are powerless, because our fields and our vineyards belong to others’” (Nehemiah 5:2-5).
This post from Lorne Blackman has some insightful thoughts about America’s debt:
A Biblical Perspective on National Debt
by Lorne Blackman
For 30 years I have watched with astonishment as our nation has sunk ever deeper into debt, even during times of peace and prosperity. A long, sorry procession of so-called “debt ceilings,” pay-as-you-go rules, and balanced budget proposals have all failed miserably, with each being promptly discarded the moment it threatens to actually reduce spending.
Today, having achieved the shameful distinction of world’s greatest debtor nation, we project massive trillion dollar federal deficits to continue indefinitely. Yet every effort to trim deficits, even by just a few percent, generates a national political crisis. Our president ignores the recommendations of his own debt commission. To Washington politicians and the media, “deficit reduction” now means annually accruing massive additional debt forever, just at slightly less than this year’s unprecedented rate of $1.6 trillion.
We wonder why this is allowed to continue. A socialist president? An irresponsible Congress? Greedy special interests? Too many on the federal dole? Yes to all of the above. But the truth is that political efforts to control debt fail because chronic deficits are not merely a political problem. They represent a spiritual problem.
A recent survey revealed that maintaining current levels of government benefits was far more important to Americans than controlling the growth of the debt problem. It seems we have reached a grave turning point in our national character, one which our Founders predicted would spell the end of liberty as we have known it: Americans crave security and entitlements more than they love liberty. We covet benefits for which we have not labored. We elect representatives who mock their Constitutional oaths by dishonoring the very principles they swear to uphold. Our lust for entitlements and our shameful envy of centralized European systems have produced a massive, uncontrollable bureaucracy that enslaves the people with debt, regulation, and intergenerational social dependency. And yet we seek ever more federal intervention—in health care, in foreign conflicts, in bank bailouts, in corporate bailouts, in state government bailouts.
The corrupting influence of federal plunder has rendered us a nation of competing interest groups: retirees, farmers, minorities, the rich, the poor, local governments, public employee unions, corporations, global interventionists, and multitudes of so-called “charities” and corrupt “health care” and “community” organizations. The federal government has degenerated into the agent of these plunder groups which take whatever they can by means of congress, the executive, or the courts. We have become a nation of hypocrites, extolling our compassion for the children as we lay up for them a heritage of perpetual debt, taxation and insolvency.
Our self-destructive behavior poses fundamental questions: Have government giveaways irreparably corrupted the character of the people? Has the Great Experiment failed? Can Americans, addicted to entitlements and laden with debt, still legitimately be considered a free and self-governing people?
Someone sent me this video. It isn’t an exciting narration, but I would be interested if anyone, of any political persuasion, can refute the claims made in this video. I honestly hope you can.
Photo credits
balance scale: Sepehr Ehsani via photopin cc | debit tokens: photo credit: msaari via photopin cc | money and credit card: StockMonkeys.com via photopin cc
January 9, 2013
Why Pro-Life?: Addressing the Defining Issue of Our Age
My book Why Pro-Life? was first published in 2004. With 300,000 English copies in print, and translations in 18 other languages, I have been amazed at its far-reaching impact. We’ve heard many heart-warming stories about lives touched by the book, such as this one:
Your book on abortion, Why Pro-Life?, helped me find the courage to talk to a friend and keep her from having one. I spent so much time praying for her to turn around and come to a life of purity. She read your book and asked me why it was such a big deal to me and I was able to bring her closer to Christ. —M.L.
But in the eight years since the book was first written, technology has changed, statistics have become dated, and there are new resources, stories, and discussions. It was time for a thorough update and revision. With the help of others, I have gone over every sentence in the book, revising and updating. Hardly a paragraph of the original has remained unedited, and much new material has been added. The changes are so substantial that the revision is 50% larger than the original. I’m pleased to say that although I believe the original was a good book, the expanded and updated version is a better one. Those who read the original will find much more to think about and to use.
Why address the issue of abortion in the first place? Because abortion, the defining issue of our age, is America’s most frequently performed surgery on women. The Guttmacher Institute, a polling agency for the abortion industry, reports that four out of every ten pregnancies are ended by abortion.[i] Virtually every family, at some level, has been touched by abortion.
The stakes in this issue are extraordinarily high. If the pro-choice position is correct, the freedom to choose abortion is a basic civil right. If the pro-life position is correct, human casualties from the 3,315 surgical abortions occurring in America every day (not even counting chemical abortions, some of them from contraceptives) total more than all lives lost in the September 11, 2001, destruction of the World Trade Center.
A recent Gallup poll indicated 27 percent of Americans say they are very strongly pro-choice, while 22 percent say they are very strongly pro-life. Taken together, that means 49 percent of Americans hold a strong view on abortion, either for or against.[ii] The other 51 percent are not as firm in their opinions. However, even these “uncertain” mostly believe that “abortion is morally wrong” and 39 percent of them favor restrictions in all but a select few circumstances. Hence, the majority of Americans still value life and can still be influenced in their thinking about abortion.
One thing is certain: If abortion really does kill children and harm women, then there’s too much at stake to remain silent and do nothing.
May God use this new book in even greater ways to educate others, especially women who find themselves in an unplanned pregnancy, and to save the lives of unborn babies.
From Eternal Perspective Ministries
Sunday, January 20, 2013, is Sanctity of Human Life Sunday, marking the 40th anniversary of the US Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade. Consider encouraging your church to take part as a way to celebrate the intrinsic value of all human life. Free resources for pastors and church leaders are available at www.epm.org/resources/prolifepastors.
To equip churches and prolife organizations sharing the truth about the unborn, EPM offers case quantities of Why Pro-Life? for $1.00 per copy (retail $6.95), plus S&H, when you purchase 60 books or more.
Position open at EPMEternal Perspective Ministries is seeking to hire an experienced Social Media Specialist with a heart for ministry. The position is part time at our office located in Sandy, OR. See the job description for more information about this position.
Sources
[i] Guttmacher Institute, “Facts on Induced Abortion in the United States,” August 2011, http://guttmacherinstitute.org/pubs/fb_induced_abortion.html.
[ii] Lydia Saad, “Americans Still Split along ‘Pro-Choice,’ ‘Pro-Life’ Lines,” Gallup Politics, May 23, 2011, http://www.gallup.com/poll/147734/Americans-Split-Along-Pro-Choice-Pro-Life-Lines.aspx.
Photo Credit
Model of unborn - lumix2004 via sxc.hh
