Are we a nation of Sodom?

This week the Supreme Court will be hearing two cases regarding same sex marriage.  Now before the “equal rights” fan crowd goes crazy I just want to clarify.  This piece is not about the political game being played with the institution of marriage.  This piece isn’t interested in the benefits of civil union versus marriage.  Rather, I wanted to take a moment to reflect historically on how our current culture compares to others in history.  You see, this Supreme Court ruling may re-define marriage.  Regardless of the ruling, our nation has been moving away from traditional, biblical marriage under the guise of equality and justice for some time now.  Even Christians are in support of this move and sit off to the side clapping their hands as our society becomes more “evolved,” “caring” and “enlightened.”

That being said a comparison can be drawn between our society and others throughout history.  there is nothing unique about American society historically speaking.  To illustrate this point, I am going to throw some adjectives out and let’s see who they seem to describe…

Arrogant

 Overfed

 Unhelpful

 Haughty (acting superior and disdainful in case you were wondering)

Sexually permissive

 Indulgent

 Immoral

 Unconcerned

 Do the words above describe America?  I would think that on this point an Atheist and a Christian can agree.  America is often described globally as an arrogant nation full of haughty people.  Neither, is there any doubt about us being overfed – We are incredibly overweight and by and large a lazy nation.  We are more prone to not help someone in dire need than we are to help them.  We are a sexually permissive nation that was “freed” by the sexual revolution – to the point there are very few taboos any more. Homosexuality…well that is just part of the freedom that we allow here in America. We are indulgent, often act in immoral ways, and are generally unconcerned with anything that doesn’t directly affect our own bottom line unless it is so incredibly shocking that it basically jumps up and slaps us in the face.

Yep, that is the America that I am an adult in and the America that my children will grow up in.

But why does this matter – Why am I concerned?  Well, because these adjectives are the very words used to describe Sodom and Gomorrah in the Bible.

Let that sink in for a while…..  Still sinking in?

The American society in which we live has now become a nation almost exactly like Sodom.  Don’t believe me?  Here is a sample scripture… you decide for yourself:

Ezekiel 16:49-50 “Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. They were haughty and did detestable things before me…”

Liberal theologians are quick to point out (or at least they try to point out) that homosexuality had nothing to do with the destruction of Sodom.  They go so far as to say that God has no problem with homosexuality at all.  This of course is absolute foolishness and Christians should own the fact that God has rejected homosexuality both through His Word, and in creation.  Read this BLOG POST

There is absolutely no doubt that the America we live in fits the biblical description of.  The Supreme Court rulings on gay marriage and DOMA may solidify that even more.

 So I say…Welcome to the United Sodoms of America.  The good ol’ US of A.

So what does this mean?  I don’t know but it’s not good.  A society that is going out of its way to rip itself from the God of the Bible under the pretense of equality and justice cannot be good.  A nation that is ever increasingly turning its back on its Judeo Christian ideals…cannot be good.  A nation that is now supporting the single religion of Humanistic Moral Relativism (Atheism) cannot be good.

If you believe that God doesn’t do judgment…you need to go read the Bible (more or again or for the first time).   I believe it is just a matter of time before this nation is judged, and it won’t be pretty.  The question is, what are we willing to do about it?  Are YOU willing to carry the message of the Gospel to your friends and family?

A tale of two Christians

There are perhaps hundreds of examples (or even thousands or even hundreds of thousands) of when two Christians come to a different conclusion on the same topic.  Some of these differences could be as simple as disagreeing on who wrote the book of Hebrews, or something as complicated as the creation account in Genesis.  Having been in the apologetics game for a little over two years, I have had my share of disagreements with Christians on some theological matters.

Over the last two months we have had the ability to literally watch this unfold on national TV.  It was so subtle, that I doubt many of you tied these two events together to compare and contrast these two Christians.

What am I talking about?

About two weeks ago, President Obama, declared to the world that, based on his understanding of his faith, he believes homosexuals should be allowed to get married Here’s exactly what he said:

And that is that, in the end the values that I care most deeply about and she cares most deeply about is how we treat other people and, I, you know, we are both practicing Christians and obviously this position may be considered to put us at odds with the views of others.

But, you know, when we think about our faith, the thing at root that we think about is, not only Christ sacrificing himself on our behalf, but it’s also the Golden Rule, you know, treat others the way you would want to be treated. And I think that’s what we try to impart to our kids and that’s what motivates me as president and I figure the most consistent I can be in being true to those precepts, the better I’ll be as a as a dad and a husband and hopefully the better I’ll be as president.

Compare and contrast this to Kirk Cameron, who stated the following when asked about same-sex marriage:

I believe that marriage was defined by God a long time ago. Marriage is almost as old as dirt and it was defined in the garden between Adam and Eve: one man one woman for life – ah till death do you part. So, I would never attempt to redefine marriage and I don’t think that anyone else should either. So do I support the idea of gay marriage? No I don’t.

Could there be a sharper contrast between two people when it comes to applying their faith?

One Christian is saying that same-sex marriage is okay because the Golden Rule says to treat others the way you would want to be treated, while the other affirms that marriage is defined by God, and is between one man and one woman.

These are mutually exclusive ideas, so one has to be right and the other wrong.  How are we to gauge which one is correct?  Since both claim to be Christians and because the Christian faith is rooted in the Bible we should look to what the it has to say about the topic, right?  Additionally, we have to assume that both hold the Bible to have some sort of authority, since both quoted it.

According to scripture (Specifically Acts 17:11) we should be like the Bereans and test everything that is taught against scripture.   Based on that, we have 3 specific points that we must review in order to come to an educated conclusion about these two different viewpoints: 1. What does the Bible say about homosexuality; 2. How does the Bible define marriage?, 3.  What does the Golden Rule mean?

So what does the Bible say about Homosexuality?  How does it describe God’s thoughts on it?

Lev. 18:22, “You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination.”

Lev. 20:13, “If there is a man who lies with a male as those who lie with a woman, both of them have committed a detestable act”

1 Cor. 6:9-10, “Or do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, 10 nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, shall inherit the kingdom of God.”

Rom. 1:26-28, “For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error. And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper.”

So here we have two examples, two from the Old Testament and two from the New Testament.  All provide a clear example of what God thinks about homosexuality.  Please understand that I am not passing judgment on those that are homosexual.  This is God’s Word.  God’s Word is pretty clear.  Homosexuality is a sin, an abomination, and a detestable act.  There doesn’t appear to be any gray in this area.

How does the Bible define marriage?

There are several (and when I say several I mean numerous) Bible verses that speak directly to marriage.  A quick sampling includes Genesis 2:22 – 24, Proverbs 5:18-19, Proverbs 12:4, Matthew 19:4-6, 1 Corinthians 7:1-16, Ephesians 5:22-23, and Colossians 3:18-19.

The one that really sticks out is Hebrews 13:4 where the author writes “Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.”

According to the author marriage should be honored by all and the marriage bed kept pure.  God will judge those that do not keep it pure.  This includes those that are adulterers and the sexually immoral.  Adulterer is a fairly well defined and specific term.  Sexually immoral however, appears to be more general or a more encompassing phrase.  What does it refer to?  In the New Testament it typically refers to any sexual sin.  This would include homosexuality.  Here the Bible appears to be very clear that all must honor marriage (clearly defined as man and woman throughout the Bible) and to keep the marriage bed pure (excluding all sexual sin including homosexuality).

What about the Golden Rule?

This verse can be found in Matthew 7:12.  A basic summation of the Golden Rule is to do unto others as you would have them do unto you.  This is exactly as the President stated.  But what does it mean?  I found a great explanation of this in a commentary written by Matthew Henry.  From the golden rule we can derive 3 things: 1. We must do that to our neighbor which we ourselves acknowledge to be fit and reasonable; 2. We must put other people upon the level with ourselves; 3. We must, in our dealings with others, suppose ourselves in the same particular case and circumstances with those we have to do with and deal accordingly.

So what does all of this mean?

As Christians we are called to obey the word of God.  The Bible is considered the word of God thus we are called to obey it in its entirety.  This means that a Christian’s response to gay marriage must encompass all of the above, and not just one component.

It is clear from the scripture above that God considers homosexuality a sin.  It is also clear that marriage was designed by God to be a covenant relationship between a man and a woman for a lifetime.  We are also called to treat others the same way that we would want to be treated.  However, the way that Obama uses the Golden Rule redefines it in a way that basically says “I wouldn’t want someone else to tell me not to get married so I can’t tell someone else that they cannot get married”.  The use of the Golden Rule in this manner opens a Pandora’s box.  One could simply replace the “get married” with anything they like and the Golden Rule would apply (I wouldn’t want someone to tell me not to sell drugs to kids, so I don’t think drug trafficking should be illegal). I’m sure that President is a bright guy, but this line of “logic” is obviously absurd.

Where the Golden Rule does apply is in how we deal with those who are homosexual and support gay marriage.  We are to treat them with the same respect that we would want to be treated.  We would share a kind word with them in the same manner that we would like to have others share with us.  We would help them when they need help, be there for them when they need it…the list goes on.  Part of this includes loving them enough to tell them when they are doing something wrong.  This would be similar to a loving parent telling their child that what they are doing is wrong and they will get hurt if they continue to do it.

You see, it takes no love at all to condemn someone through silence or endorsement of something that is not good for them.  In the same way that silence can kill someone who is addicted to drugs, an open endorsement of something that is clearly wrong and sinful can be emotionally, physically and spiritually destructive.  That takes absolute love and the absolute application of the Golden Rule to tell someone that their choices are putting them in danger (see the Omega Study for empirical evidence as to why we are calling homosexuality and same-sex marriage “dangerous” – and that’s even ignoring the spiritual aspects of the issue).  The application of the Golden Rule here:  I would want/expect my friends and loved ones to tell me when I am doing something wrong, thus I would tell my friends and loved ones when they are doing something wrong.  The key here is to do it in a way that is loving and caring.  In this context a Christian who says to a homosexual, “I love you and I want what’s best for you… The lifestyle you have chosen is patently dangerous and because what you are doing goes directly against the Word of God, it is a sin…” demonstrates more love for that individual than the person who says “Do whatever makes you feel good…it’s all okay.”  The ability to stand in front of someone and state the truth is pure love and is the ultimate application of the Golden Rule.

We are not saying definitively that President Obama has rejected the Christian faith in its entirety – Whether the President is an evangelical Christian is a discussion for another time.  Specifically, in this post, we are simply pointing out that the logic behind his use of scripture as justification for affirming same-sex marriage is ignorant and misguidedly faulty at best and dangerously deceitful and manipulative at worst.

Blogger mom stirs up firestorm for her church

Daphne...the firestarter

I stumbled across a fairly interesting read on MSN.com today. The article was about how a mother dealt with certain individuals at her church when she took her son (dressed as Daphne from Scooby Doo) to a Halloween party (YOU CAN READ THE ORIGINAL POST HERE) hosted by their church’s pre-school. Apparently, some parents at the party had some concerns about a boy dressing up as Daphne, and expressed their opinions to this mother.
The story then takes an interesting turn when their church gets involved. The church leadership felt the blog content the mother posted violated the 8th commandment (bearing false witness), subverted Matthew 18 (presumably the conflict resolution passage), and promoted “gayness”. In a follow up post (HERE) she claims her Church had issued an ultimatum: “Repent or you can no longer receive the communion, and you will be kicked from the church.” Of course the mother, fought back. She contacted the denominational leader above her pastor. A few hours later…she received an e-mail saying that he reconsidered not allowing her to have communion and that the communication was not intended as an ultimatum.

Here is a story with all kinds of spiritual questions, and misconceptions. This probably was not the intention of the mother when she vented over her experiences. But the real story is that the original post sparked a national conversation about how a church should act, how Christians should act, specifically in regards to the issue of homosexuality. Here are some of the false assertions that I saw in the comment sections of these posts:

– God does not judge homosexuality or sexuality for that matter.
– We need to do what makes us feel good.
– The Church and “Christians” are hypocrites
– Religion has failed society
– Who is to say the homosexuality is wrong?
– It’s only important to be a good person
– There are no objective moral values
– Fundamentalist Christians are cruel
– God does not Judge…people of “faith” do.

There are so many theological implications here that it is impossible to wrap it up in a single post. Let us just say this… A single action by a (professing) Christian will and could call into question anything related to the Word of God. Here is a story of a few mothers fighting in their church, which has sparked a national conversation on God and His word. Unfortunately, from a quick review of the comments, it is clear most of the conversation has focused on what is perceived as a negative reaction of the church involved (Matthew 18 and other passages tell us a lot about how church discipline should be handled and we cannot know whether the church involved handled this correctly or not, since we only have the very biased record of the disciplined party’s perspective).

The interesting thing is that in the name of dialog people are willing to reveal what they feel are their morally correct and “Christian” beliefs, though many have no basis in Scripture whatsoever. What this reveals, is how morally relativistic our culture is, and it also shows how a dispute between just a few people or a thoughtless blog post can have a significant impact on the body of Christ. Of course, the authors of No Apologizing believe in an absolute moral authority that emanates from God and is revealed in the Bible, and therefore strongly disagree with all of the bullet points above. This is because there is a right and there is a wrong. However, we believe firmly in discussing these issues in a manner consistent with 1 Peter 3:15 – gently and respectfully. We also believe that it is okay to challenge lifestyles and decisions that are inconsistent with that absolute moral authority. Again, gentleness and respect are key.

I can’t believe this! How can this happen?!

I ran into this story (Supreme Court Case) while piddling around on Google.  If you remember a few weeks ago I wrote a piece on the omnipresence of God.  Basically the argument was that the world is trying to convince you that God does not belong in certain aspects of our lives.  Among those places was school.  According to the article a small college in San Francisco withdrew a clubs right to be recognized as an official club on their campus.  The club had asked members to sign a statement of faith consistent with a biblical standard of sexual morality.  If you are wondering what type of club it was… you guessed it.  It is a Christian club.  The college revoked the club status under the guise that it would discriminate against homosexuals.  To sum up… the college wanted this club to remove God from their club or to worship a God that did not exist.

Now this is probably appalling to a number of you reading this.  How can this happen?  Especially here in America where we have been given the right to free speech!  Simply put…this is happening because the Bible said that it would.  Look at 2 Timothy 3.  There are a number of verses that are applicable to this situation.  The one I want to focus on here is 2 Timothy 3:12.  “In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted”.  As is the case with so many other things in the Bible…there is no qualification, no gray area, just a simple statement.  If you WANT to live a godly life…you will be persecuted. 

Another interesting verse to consider is John 15:18-21.

18″If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. 20Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.'[a] If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. 21They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me.”

What is this verse telling us?  Simply put…you will be persecuted for your faith.  No if’s, and’s or but’s about it.  In this case, the club had the opportunity to gain favor by denying biblical truth.  Rather, they have turned their back on the world, and now the world hates them for it.  They are doing it right.  Another interesting aspect here is the use of the word “will” in verse 21.  Again, no gray area.  Christ leaves little doubt as to the results of your faith when it comes to dealing with the world.  You WILL be persecuted because you KNOW God, and the world does not.

We can be certain that this type of persecution for our faith is going to happen – there is no need to be appalled.  At a certain point this club had the opportunity to turn their back on God and his word.  Rather than cowering to man, they stood up for God.   

I know it is a natural, instinctive emotional response to get angry.  Why get angry?  Know the truth and be comfortable in it.  This will happen because God said it would.  This cannot be emphasized enough.  Rejoice with this club for taking a stand for God, and not caving to the world (cf. James 1:2).  Rejoice with anyone who defies the world and does not forsake their faith so that the world will love them.