Our Comments on a Few Topics 10

#1. So much wrong with this– https://www.christianheadlines.com/contributors/michael-foust/biological-male-wins-female-cycling-title-not-fair.html

A biological male who identifies as female won a cycling world championship Sunday, sparking controversy over fairness in athletics.

Rachel McKinnon won the 35-44 female age bracket at the UCI Masters track cycling championships in Los Angeles

“First transgender woman world champion…ever*” McKinnon wrote on Twitter

He may identify as a woman, but he is just a person pretending to be something he is not. Some people may argue the point and say that since the term transgender doesn’t appear in the bible, that God has not addressed this issue. He has. He just doesn’t use the same terms as we do. In the OT he talks about making 2 genders only and those options were perfect. He talks about men and women not dressing in each other’s clothes- he is against it. In the NT he talks about how the body is the temple of God and that it should not be corrupted; he also talks about deception and false teaching.

God says a lot about how wrong transgender is. Is letting that competitor compete with women fair? Of course not. The Bible tells us that the woman is the weaker gender. It is no contest. Men should not compete against women and women should not compete against men, no matter how talented they are. Doing otherwise and bowing to the demands of the LGBTQ community is wrong.

We are getting into an age where the western world will be like the city of Nineveh in Jonah’s day– not knowing their right hand from their left.

#2. We are glad he won– https://www.christianheadlines.com/contributors/michael-foust/fire-chief-fired-for-christian-beliefs-get-1-2-million.html

The city of Atlanta agreed Monday to pay former fire chief Kelvin Cochran $1.2 million, four years after he was suspended and then fired for publishing a book containing historic Christian beliefs.

Cochran’s self-published 162-page book, “Who Told You That You Were Naked?: Overcoming the Stronghold of Condemnation,” included Bible verses addresses sexuality and homosexuality. It was the latter topic that sparked a controversy and an investigation and eventually, his termination. He wrote the book on non-work time.

We also like the ruling as it was sound, logical and rational.

#3. Don’t think this will stop– https://www.christianheadlines.com/blog/christian-filmmakers-challenge-minnesota-law-for-forcing-them-to-make-same-sex-wedding-films.html

Two Christian filmmakers are going before the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Paul, Minnesota on Tuesday, to challenge the state’s law that is forcing them to create videos that contradict their religious beliefs.

According to CBN, Telescope Media Group owners Carl and Angel Larsen wanted to enter into the wedding industry, but the state’s Human Rights Act prohibits the couple from pursuing this avenue unless they make films promoting same-sex marriage, a union that their Christian beliefs define as between one man and one woman

Governments will continue to find ways to make LGBTQ practicing people seem natural, normal and okay. That is until the support and the fad surrounding these issues go away. They are concerned more about votes than anything else. It isn’t the votes of the LGBTQ members that they are worried about. They are still a very small minority. It is the votes of their straight friends, family and observers that they worry about. That is not a small minority.

God has given governments the right to rule and Jesus never said to go against the government in a sinful way. So when defending yourselves or protesting these regulations make sure you stay within biblical teaching. We cannot win if we sin in our struggle against wrong decisions. The first battle of Ai proved that.

#4. Fear cannot defeat love– https://www.christianheadlines.com/blog/fear-grips-churches-northeastern-kenya-muslim-extremists-kill-christian-teachers.html

Fear Grips Churches in Northeastern Kenya as Muslim Extremists Kill Two Christian Teachers

We aren’t condemning or going to condemn anyone here. Overcoming fear is a hard thing to do. But the Bible tells us that love casts out fear. So if we love God then death and what unbelievers do to us should not make us afraid or fear anything. We have a God who has promised us a new home.

#5. It is a wrong law– https://www.christianheadlines.com/columnists/breakpoint/deadly-canadian-maid-expansion-assisted-suicide-north.html

n 2016, Canada legalized “Medical Assistance in Dying also known as MAID. The terminology is, of course, a euphemism for euthanasia. To be eligible for MAID, persons must be at least 18-years-old and have a “grievous and irremediable” condition.

Like all such death-devoted legislation, terms like “grievous and irremediable” are moving targets. Descriptions used in the law include expressions like “serious and incurable,” “irreversible decline,” and suffering—both “physical and psychological”—that a person finds “intolerable.”

Of course, nearly all of these words are subjective: What’s “intolerable” to one person may not be to another. If Netherlands and Belgium are any indication, we can be sure that eligibility for MAID will, like gas, expand to fill whatever space is available.

The Bible says that if man spills the blood of man then his blood is required (done from memory). We do not see that penalty revoked in that or any other passage of scripture. Nor do we see any clause that exempts assisted suicide.Even though it is difficult to handle, we do not see God changing his views because some people cannot endure their illness.

Governments should not be promoting the ending a life no matter how many of its citizens complain and cry out. Governments leaders need to lead the people to what is right and lead them away from what is wrong. Church leaders cannot let the terms compassion and love distort or influence their biblical views in the wrong way. We love God thus we must present his way in the most compassionate way possible even if it goes against popular sentiments.

 

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When You Write a Document

John MacArthur has come out with a new document affirming his and many evangelicals beliefs. He has quite a few signers as well

https://www.christianpost.com/news/evangelicals-churches-john-macarthur-statement-against-nebulous-social-justice-227194/

We have not read most of the points listed in the document and the ones we have read, save for one, we generally agree with.

We deny that systemic racism is in any way compatible with the core principles of historic evangelical convictions. We deny that the Bible can be legitimately used to foster or justify partiality, prejudice, or contempt toward other ethnicities. We deny that the contemporary evangelical movement has any deliberate agenda to elevate one ethnic group and subjugate another. And we emphatically deny that lectures on social issues (or activism aimed at reshaping the wider culture) are as vital to the life and health of the church as the preaching of the gospel and the exposition of Scripture,” the statement notes. “Historically, such things tend to become distractions that inevitably lead to departures from the gospel.”

When you write a document like this, it is important that you remain clear and concise on what you believe. There should be no confusion and the terminology of the document should not leave people scratching their head wondering if they read it right or if they misunderstood what you have written. From what we have read, we are confident that we did not get lost or misunderstand what it is saying.

BUT, if one point is misleading and talking about erroneous topics, even if it is an accepted topic by everyone, that clause could undermine the rest of the valid points. These type of documents and any that state what a believer believes should always contain the truth. Which is why we disagree with that quoted point. It does not convey the truth.

Even though just about everyone agrees that racism exists, there is no such thing as racism. We have talked about racism on this board before and have quoted scientists who have stated without a shadow of a doubt that DNA demonstrates that there is only 1 race of humans. Science is backing the Bible here. God only made one race of people and Neanderthals, Cro Magnon and other supposed human species did not exist.

All humans descended from Adam and Eve and there was no mating with other human-like creatures. When there is only one race of people, there cannot be racism. The church has to take the lead in this issue as it is the one that has the truth. Evolution and other scientific ideas that support multiple races are just not true.

The church and believers cannot go along with this misinformation. Nor can it insert it into important documents like statements mentioned in the article above. The church must be the light unto a dark world.  To be that light, the church must proclaim the truth, all of the truth. The truth is not limited to the gospel message. Even when it goes against consensus thinking, the church cannot alter the truth. No matter how much scorn is heaped on the church by professional scientists and scholars, the church has to stay with the truth.

This is why we probably will not be signing that document. We cannot agree to a declaration when it contains untruthful information.

 

An Update

The following is being reported in the news and you ay have heard about it

https://www.christianpost.com/news/canadas-largest-private-christian-university-drops-ban-on-same-sex-relationships-226803/

Canada’s Largest Private Christian University Drops Ban on Same-Sex Relationships

Trinity Western University, Canada’s largest privately-funded Christian university, will no longer require students to sign a Community Covenant agreeing to abstain from same-sex and other relationships outside marriage between a man and a woman.

The top-ranked university, which enrolls about 4,000 students annually, announced on Tuesday its decision to scrap mandatory agreement to the covenant as part of the admissions process. The decision was made at a recent meeting of its Board of Governors.

“In furtherance of our desire to maintain TWU as a thriving community of Christian believers that is inclusive of all students wishing to learn from a Christian viewpoint and underlying philosophy, the Community Covenant will no longer be mandatory as of the 2018-19 Academic year with respect to admission of students to, or continuation of students at, the University,” the board said in a motion cited by university President Robert G. Kuhn.

And uhm…no… we do not take any credit for this decision. We are sure it was in the works long before we wrote our little piece.

https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2018/august/trinity-western-community-covenant-canada-law-school-twu.html

Let there be no confusion regarding the board of governors’ resolution; our mission remains the same,” said Robert Kuhn, TWU’s president, in a statement. “We will remain a biblically-based, mission-focused, academically excellent university, fully committed to our foundational evangelical Christian principles.”

While students will no longer be subject to the covenant, signing it will remain mandatory for faculty, staff, and administrators, according to reporting by Inside Higher Ed.

Two things here-  First, if you are planning on and are working at a Christian university you need to be truly Christian. You also need to follow the rules of employment. You cannot lie to gain the job.

Second, if you are planning on or being a student at TWU then you cannot later, after admission, complain about the University’s Christian stance. Each student knows full well that they are entering and studying at a Christian university and their position on numerous issues are quite clear. There are no surprises.

 

Let’s Ask a Question

Trinity Western is getting famous for its Community Covenant. This covenant tells students that to be part of the Trinity Western family, they must abstain from “sexual intimacy that violates the sacredness of marriage between a man and woman” (https://www.christianitytoday.com/edstetzer/2018/july/secularism-and-diversity-lessons-from-canada.html).

Our question is- is it right to make such demands of students who are merely attending the university in order to get a proper education? A follow-up question would be, is it right to force the university beliefs on its students? When we ask these questions we are not denigrating TWU although we have concerns about their demands because of possible hypocrisy in the ranks.

We know that some of their professors teach that evolution is true, at least in the micro sense of the application of the theory. Why is it so important for TWU to ignore one part of the Bible while holding to another? We have a problem with that position. Why is sexual intimacy more important than knowing how God created and how creation works correctly?

We had one pastor friend tell us that God sees sexual sins as more important than other sins. Yet after an examination of how God punishes sin in the OT and the NT, we found that is not so. Solomon had over 1200 women in his harem yet he was allowed to lead the people of Israel. Homosexuality and other sexual sins are listed equally with lying, stealing etc., when God tells people who will not make it into heaven.

So obviously, what that pastor said is not true and does not explain why TWU would allow sin in one area of life but not another. We must ask, is it right to deprive anyone of an education simply because they do not believe the same or have the same sexual preferences as the institution? After all, the makeup of the student body does not stop TWU from teaching Law and other subjects from a Christian point of view.

Allowing Muslims, Hindus and other religious believers as students also does not stop TWU from being a Christian University and providing a Christian education. They just have to let each student know where they stand and that they will not change their perspective if the students do not like it. The student acknowledges that they are attending a Christian University and understand the focus of the education.

If the education brought by the university is top-quality, sound, and on par with other academic institutions then there should be no complaint. The Christian university is free to teach Christ, the gospel and actually bring up the level of teaching with their perspective. It is not wrong to require students to not act in a manner that brings disrespect or disrepute to the institution.

We abided by that rule when we taught in Korea. The rule didn’t change our lives or alter our faith in any way. We do not think that allowing LGBTQ students will harm the school if the former conduct their lives in the same respectful manner. Of course, when it comes to leadership positions the school should be free to limit those opportunities to true Christians only. After all it is a Christian school and its leadership should remain Christian.

You cannot be a Christian school when you allow non-Christians to lead. It just can’t happen.

Now to address a couple of quotes or more from the article above:

First, it shows how a country’s top court can render a verdict in favor of human rights but biased against religious freedom. When the two ideas butted heads, religious freedom was the loser.

We disagree. This is not an attack on religious freedom but a decision questioning the legitimacy of an item in the community covenant. TWU’s religious faith was not on trial and they were not ordered to give up their faith. If TWU offers on-campus student housing, we could understand that rule. But off-campus students should not be made to adhere to the rule.

Second, it makes short shrift of the model that within a diverse society a plurality of ideas and beliefs can exist together. This is a huge loss. And when Canada, known for its democracy and public fairness, takes this road, we lose an important example of how pluralism functions.

Again we will disagree. We have looked through the Bible and have found no place where God instructs his people to force his ways on those who reject him. If those outside of the people of Israel wanted to live with the Hebrews, they had to follow God’s rules but no society was forced to live by the Mosaic law. The secular societies had the example of the Israelites and could use their free will and choice to adopt God’s ways or not.

When Jesus was here both Hebrews and non-Hebrews brought their sick to Jesus and he healed them all. Should we deprive those who do not believe as us of a quality education and the opportunity to see the difference Christ makes? Should we create stumbling blocks and turn people off of Christ by demanding that they act like believers or they get nothing? That thought seems opposite of what Christ did.

Jesus fed and ate with sinners but still maintained his holiness. We can do the same with education. Nothing in the Bible tells us that if we educate LGBTQ students we will lose our holiness. We will lose it if we walk in their counsel

.Third, it keeps faith from being public. I hear the justices saying something like, “Live out your faith within your churches, institutions, and private communities, but if you try to bring it into civic life, if we don’t see your beliefs as being inclusive with our values, we will prevent your faith from influencing our public spheres.”

Of course we disagree here because that is that author’s subjective interpretation and not fact. Again, the justices did not stop TWU from being Christian, they just objected to an unrealistic demand made by TWU. Why would TWU object to removing that clause when God can use that removal to bring the mission field to TWU? It is possible that the students God brings can still be redeemed and have an open mind and heart to Jesus.

Is TWU thinking that God only operates in one way and that they will not be blessed if they allow all students to atend their college? Allowing LGBTQ students into TWU is not supporting or legitimizing the LGBTQ position or preferences. It is allowing humans to be students and giving them a solid education from a Christian perspective. There is a difference.

Secular academic institutions upon allowing true Christians as students on their campuses does not change the secular institution into a Christian one.

Fourth, it assumes that Christian standards and beliefs for an institution are not essential to its identity, self-definition, or existence, but a preference.

This conclusion is just not true. No Christian standards have been attacked or demanded to be altered. TWU’s standard is under fire and questioned but not Christian standards. Jesus had a thief and betrayer as a disciple for 3 years, yet those facts did not stop him from teaching Judas his ways. Christians should pick their fights and for TWU changing this rule is not telling them to change their faith. The leaders of the school can still practice it and set an example for their students to follow.

It is wrong to force students to be a certain way just to get an education.

Canadian universities that provide training for other kinds of professional vocations may now be under scrutiny if they don’t also adhere to what the court considers “values.”For those outside of Canada, Paul Marshall, professor of Religious Freedom at Baylor University in Texas, notes that this ruling may present a challenge for Americans who want to practice law in Canada. Grads from socially conservative universities such as Baylor and Brigham Young may run into a headwind if provincial law societies disallow them from practicing law if they too have similar community standard such as TWU’s.

This is nothing but fear mongering.And Baylor should not talk right now as their scandals leave many questioning their Christian position. Christian standards include not lying, not stealing, not committing financial fraud, and so much more. Making a covenant rule to target one sin is not upholding Christian standards. Failing to teach the truth is more of an attack on Christianity, the Bible and Christ than letting students practice their preferences off-campus.

Besides, the covenant does not stop LGBTQ practices. They just go somewhere else and continue to live their lifestyle. But their hearts will be hardened to the gospel when they do. Christian academic institutions and other organizations need to re-examine what they consider to be Christian principles. They need to make sure that their rules line up with biblical teaching and not trying to force something God does not want to be forced.

Remember Jesus did not force anyone to follow his teachings. That attiutde did not grant permission for the people to sin. It worked with God’s rule that we humans have free choice to obey him or not. Christian organizations should also re-examine their lifestyles to see if they are without sin before they demand unbelievers to follow their ways.

Jesus lived as he and God taught, we can do no different.

 

Going Too Far

We were going to take it easy today as we are not fully recovered but this one story stuck out and we feel it needs to be addressed. You can read the full article at the following link:

https://www.christianpost.com/news/harvard-sorority-shuts-down-over-sanctions-on-girls-only-boys-only-student-groups-226681/

Harvard Sorority Shuts Down Over Sanctions on Girls-Only, Boys-Only Student Groups

The headline is bad enough as the school implies that having single-sex organizations is wrong, illegal, violates God’s word and so on. Nothing could be further from the truth. Yes God made two genders. Yes, he divided men’s clothing and hairstyles from women’s and so on. But you will notice that the Bible does not restrict humans from holding single-sex meetings, creating single-sex organizations or attending either.

The only real opposition God may have with those organizations is if they promote and practice sin/evil and refuse to do their activities for his glory. God made both men and women and gave them certain needs. Part of those needs is the desire to congregate with other members of the same gender without the presence of the opposite sex.

To violate that sanctuary is worse than excluding certain people who refuse to accept the fact that they have been deceived and led wrongly to reject their birth gender. There is something wrong with forcing single-sex organizations to open up to those people who refuse to live by the rules of right and wrong. It leads those organizations to violate God’s warning in Isaiah about calling good evil and vice versa. Leading people to sin is never a good thing to do.

We now look at some specific comments made in that article:

Single sex spaces are now regarded as “discriminatory.”

The word discrimination  is defined by the Oxford dictionary as follows:

The unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people, especially on the grounds of race, age, or sex.

(https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/discrimination)

The problem can be seen in many ways. While technically one can say that single-sex organizations are discriminatory, they are not in reality. Society traditionally has accepted certain exceptions to the rule like the Boys and Girls Scouts. These type of organizations were not set up to discriminate and bar the opposite sex from participating, but to give boys and girls a chance to just be with their own gender. There is nothing wrong with that separation. It is good for people and society in general as long as they do not teach sinful practices.

Another problem that is seen in the case of that sorority is that the sorority is not discriminating against the male sex but keeping a mentally ill person from joining their ranks.The person they are being forced to accept is a person who is being deceived or is actually thinking they are not the male gender they were born as.  Instead of enabling this thinking and letting create more problems, it is not wrong to keep such people out of female only organizations.

Those people have a problem which needs proper treatment. They do not need help in keeping their fantasy alive. Psychology is not that well tuned to be able to say when one person truly thinks they are a member of the opposite gender and  when one is faking it to gain access to areas that should wait for marriage. Keeping the those with mental issues out of a single-sex organization is not discrimination. It is a wise move to protect those members from a predator, a dangerous situation and so on.

You will find no biblical instruction telling believers to enable those who are mentally ill or under deception. Loving our neighbor does not grant permission to let others violate God’s standards of right and wrong, etc. or let them live in sin.

these organizations propagate exclusionary values that undermine those of the larger Harvard College community.

There is such a thing as common sense. God gave it to use for a reason- so we avoid doing stupid things like letting men pretend they are women so they can have access to a department store’s changing areas. Common sense is not specifically mentioned in the Bible but as we see by the Mosaic laws, it is certainly a talent that God expects us to use to stay in obedience with his instructions.

Common sense does tell us that it is more wrong to open the doors of sororities and fraternities to those who wrongfully reject their birth gender than it is to get the latter some treatment and explain to them why they cannot join. Common sense also tells us that no matter how much you mutilate your body, you still are the same gender as you were when you came out of the womb. There is no such thing as gender assignment surgery. That is a label thought up, probably, by some doctors who want to take advantage of these mentally vulnerable people and make money off of them.

Common sense a then tells us that it is not a wise move to make to place a man in a woman’s single-sex organization or a woman in an all  male organization. You do not have to be a rocket scientist to figure these things out. We would go as far as to say that those who advocate otherwise should be removed from their positions of leadership and retrained, until they see the light and error of their ways.

One Harvard sorority has already complied with the new rules to avoid the sanctions, agreeing to become “gender-neutral.”

Capitulating to idiotic thinking is not going to help anyone nor will it keep the standards of right and wrong intact. Nor will it protect anyone from any harm that may come by opening up single-sex organizations to the mentally disturbed. The American Armed Forces is a good example of what takes place when combining two genders under the wrong circumstances

https://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=Awr9Du3DdGtbCw4AxRJXNyoA;_ylc=X1MDMjc2NjY3OQRfcgMyBGZyA3lmcC10LXMEZ3ByaWQDZWhRWkNqbWxSOGFaanVYMTJJZG5BQQRuX3JzbHQDMARuX3N1Z2cDMARvcmlnaW4Dc2VhcmNoLnlhaG9vLmNvbQRwb3MDMARwcXN0cgMEcHFzdHJsAzAEcXN0cmwDMjgEcXVlcnkDbWlsaXRhcnklMjBzZXh1YWwlMjBwcm9ibGVtcwR0X3N0bXADMTUzMzc3MDc2NQ–?p=military+sexual+problems&fr2=sb-top&fr=yfp-t-s&fp=1

Tiana Menon, Kappa president said at the time that the sorority was excited to contribute to a “healthy campus social life” at Harvard and believed that gender neutral organizations committed to empowering “female-identifying persons” have a place on campus.

How can you have a healthy campus life when you allow people to act out their gender issues and enable them to further fall into their fantasies? It is not empowering anyone by violating the sanctity of single-sex organizations. It is possible you could ’empower’ them by giving them their own sorority or fraternity chapter or that may just open those mentally deceived and ill people up to more ridicule and trigger some hidden desire to harm others.

But you do not empower people by placing others at risk of harm or embarrassment.

Harvard spokesperson Rachael Dane told The Harvard Crimson in response to Delta Gamma’s closure that the school “seeks to build a community in which every student can thrive, and it does so on the foundation of a set of shared values including belonging, inclusion, and non-discrimination.”

The problem here is where do you draw the line? The words ‘every student’ means every student, so the rapist,, the pedophile, the thief and so on must be able to thrive as well. You can argue that those elements are against the law but so was homosexuality and transgender behavior. Those elements got the laws changed to be legitimate and accepted by a few in authority, why can’t the same be done for the other criminal element in the world? They need to thrive as well on  campus.

Then the above thinking becomes discriminatory because there will be people excluded from the enlarged group. Who gets to draw the line? It is unfair to single-sex organizations if a person who doesn’t like them or has a grudge against them gets to make rules governing their association and practice. Then inclusion should not be so intrusive that it destroys a healthy and constructively contributing single-sex organization.

We could point a lot of fingers her but let’s just leave it with that those who are supporting this inclusion are not thinking the situation through very well.

Thus, the school reasoned, fraternities and sororities that intend to remain single-sex do not align with the educational philosophy of the school. Dane added that the school is “offering [those groups] supportive pathways as they transform into organizations” that do align with Harvard’s mission and values.

So we must conclude that Harvard’s mission and values do not include protecting right from wrong and that wrong behavior is as valuable and acceptable as those behaviors that follow the rules. We must also conclude that Harvard’s mission and values include the idea that the rules do not matter. If that is the case, then why does Harvard have admission rules and deny many people from attending their institution?

Fighting to break down certain rules only leads one to undermine their own position and regulations. Not all rules or laws but as you can see, violating or forcing the violation of the rules of a single-sex organization leads to undermining Harvard’s own rules and legitimacy to enforce them. This is not right.

In conclusion, God has rules. He has implemented them for humans to follow so they can find the right way to a holy life and be worthy of entering his kingdom. Those rules are not going to change. Belief in Jesus as one’s savior will always be the only way to salvation. Giving up sin will always be a requirement to live the Christian life and be part of God’s kingdom.

You can have inclusion if you disallow the very thing that ruins inclusion–sin. Harvard is not excluding sin from its campus but allowing it to be practiced more openly. There are three things to  learn  from God’s example. One, his rules will not change just because someone does not want to follow them or they want their particular sin, mental issue or deception to be practiced in his kingdom and church.

Two, God follows his own rules. He does not  lie, he does not lust, he does not murder, and he observes the sabbath, and so on. Three, he also does not let deceived, sinful, fallible, and blind culture or people influence his rules or their observance.

The church has the best example to follow and the church should protest Harvard’s and other educational institutions’ sinful practices once it gets its house in order and in line with God and his example.

 

Our Comments on a Few Topics- 6

We would like to address a few more topics

#1. Revoice revisited– https://www.christianpost.com/news/revoice-lgbt-christian-conference-speaker-rejects-idea-that-jesus-supports-gay-marriage-226503/

Revoice says its mission is to engage in “supporting, encouraging, and empowering gay, lesbian, same-sex-attracted, and other LGBT Christians so they can flourish while observing the historic, Christian doctrine of marriage and sexuality.”

In light of our conversation yesterday on Revoice, we decided to take another look at the organization. In this article, we found that we could agree with much of what the keynote speaker was saying. Jesus never altered God’s rules to appease or include those who did not want to follow them. What we do not like are the generalities that organization keeps putting out.

As you can see by the quoted words above, they are far to non-specific to make anyone comfortable or encourage them to support the organization. we would need specifics on those topics to understand exactly what they mean and where they stand. As for empowering, the Holy Spirit does that not an organization and that empowering follows God’s rules.

So before we say anything more, let’s have specifics. There is nothing to be afraid of if you are standing with God correctly in your beliefs. Plus, it is good to make sure your beliefs are in line with God before you voice them.

#2. It doesn’t look like this– https://www.christianpost.com/news/what-reconciliation-looks-like-fla-church-that-once-banned-blacks-now-has-first-ever-african-american-pastor-226492/

A Florida congregation that once refused to allow African Americans to attend worship services recently appointed its first African-American pastor

We are not racists, we are not anti-women but we are for obeying God’s word. You cannot have reconciliation if you disobey God’s word. While it is good that the church has changed from their exclusive thinking, it is not good that they went from excluding blacks to excluding God. The Holy Spirit does not lead people to disobey God the father or God the Son. That would be sin and would disqualify the Holy Spirit from being God.

What we suggest is that people take a hard look at what is motivating them to move away from the instructions God has given in the bible as they try to fulfil their desires. Not every motivating spirit is of God and many will deceive unwary, immature believers into thinking they are hearing from God. When some motivating spirit or human tells you it is okay to disobey God, then they are not from God and you should take the appropriate action.

#3. Please, do not say it– https://www.christianpost.com/news/archaeological-discovery-huge-block-once-containing-the-remains-of-peter-philip-and-andrew-found-226448/

A reliquary that once could have held the remains of the apostles Philip, Andrew and Peter, has been discovered in the ruins of what may be the ancient Israeli city of Bethsaida, a top archaeologist has said.

Oops, they went and said it. Archaeologists should know history, they should also know the traditions of the disciples and how and where they died. There is no excuse for them to say such things as this. We get disgusted at these types of comments because one, they have no hope of being verified. Two, they are misleading and have some ulterior motive behind them. Three, the archaeologists just do not know.

It is better to withhold such statements until some real evidence is uncovered verifying the claim.

#4. All they need is an excuse– https://www.christianpost.com/news/christian-market-trader-who-lost-license-giving-away-tracts-against-homosexuality-wins-case-226449/

A Christian market trader who lost his license to set up shop in England after a customer complained about a tract he was giving out that was against homosexuality, has won his case and has been awarded damages.

While we are happy that he won his case do not be fooled. The unbelieving world does not need a reason to thwart any Christian attempt to win souls. All they need is an excuse. The non-christian world does not have an objective standard of justice that guides them. They have the hate that evil as for God and his followers. Keep that in mind the next time you want to do something for God.

Also, God does not always break believers out of prison when they are arrested like he did in the book of Acts. Have no romantic adventurous ideas in your head when you serve God. Just make sure you are serving God the way he wants you to do. And be prepared to endure while not whining and complaining about how you are treated. Sometimes, there are better ways to serve than handing out tracts.

#5. The unbelieving world is the world that is deceived- https://www.christianpost.com/news/canadian-man-changes-sex-birth-certificate-save-money-car-insurance-exposes-system-226526/

David then filed the note along with the necessary paperwork to the government for processing. A few weeks later, he received a new birth certificate with his gender marker stating that he was a woman. He would then go through the process to get a new driver’s license reflecting the female gender designation on his birth certificate. David then saved $91 per month on his car insurance.

David told CBC News that he was shocked when the new birth certificate came in the mail and made him feel like he had “beat the system.”

“I felt like I won,” he stressed. “I’m a man, 100 percent. Legally, I’m a woman.”

David assured the news organization that he does not actually identify as a woman and was just “angry” and felt like he was “getting screwed over” by the insurance company.

This article is an interesting read. It does show how the unbelieving world thinks it is better than the Christian world by its policies etc. Yet as can be seen, those policies lead people to do very unChristian acts to get ahead. The policies of the unbelieving world have people thinking they are helping a minority but in reality they are making life more unfair, more unjust, more sinful.

Remember that homosexuals and transgender make up a very minute amount of people. They should not be catered to but given help to overcome their sins. Right and wrong are not overturned because a small group of people want rights. There is a thing that is called right and wrong and that standard needs to be upheld even when those in the wrong cry and whine that they are excluded. They are excluded because they are wrong.

We do not change the rules because some people refuse to obey the rules.

 

The Church & LGBTQ

You are never going to get us to agree that one can be a LGBTQ community member and a Christian at the same time. Jesus’ redemptive work at conversion takes care of that sin.  We have also argued that those claiming to be LGBTQ and Christian are being very selfish and refuse to give up their sin for God. They love their sin more than they love God.

But you will also never get us to agree to abuse those who participate in same-sex sins. We do not agree with letting them go homeless, hungry, thirsty or left without aid when they are in trouble. Do unto others applies to helping the LGBTQ member while not accepting their sin or lifestyle. The church is free to ban them from leadership positions in the Church,  they are free to ban them from the congregation if they refuse to give up their sins but the church is not free to spurn someone in need.

Doesn’t matter who they are, whether they be single men, women with children or those who practice sin. Returning good for evil is a commandment from Jesus. It is one that needs to be practiced in today’s cultural change against the Christian faith and those who practice it. We need to demonstrate that we have the better lifestyle and something worth living for.

With that said here are a few articles that need addressing on this issue:

#1. https://www.christianpost.com/voice/why-some-christians-buy-into-lgbt-theology.html

I’m often reminded of this quotation while listening to self-identifying Christians argue in support of same-sex relationships. Rarely do I ever hear an actual argument, certainly not from Scripture. What I do hear are experiences—how befriending an LGBT person or getting a certain feeling or receiving a supposed message from God should lead Christians to a new view of sex, marriage, and the human person—a view the church has unanimously rejected for two millennia.

A very well written piece that is worth the time to read and understand. The Bible tells us to teach sound doctrine and that there will be people trying to evade the truth. Every believer should have sound doctrine in their hearts and minds which will protect them from the evils that come from LGBTQ ideology.

#2. https://www.christianpost.com/news/megachurch-pastor-adam-hamilton-says-christians-can-support-gay-marriage-and-not-be-heretical-226454/

United Methodist megachurch pastor Adam Hamilton stated at a Texas gathering that Christians can support gay marriage and not be at odds with orthodoxy.

Maybe, but they would be at odds with God and his teaching. That is something no believer should attempt. God said you are either for me or against me (he did say it first) and that includes LGBTQ positioning. To be a true believer one cannot support same-sex marriage. They also cannot accept divorce except in the case of adultery. Nor can they violate the law and have more than one wife at a time.

Just because OT figures did so does not mean that we can. You either stand with God or you do not. The choice is yours and that megachurch pastor does not stand with God. He is changing the Christian faith to meet his desires and ideology. He is preaching something Jesus and the disciples did not teach.

#3.https://www.christianpost.com/voice/a-compassionate-response-to-the-transgender-issue.html

So in other words, for the vast majority of those suffering from gender dysphoria, it is a temporary—not a permanent problem. Yet for those who get the gender reassignment surgery, this is a permanent “solution.” But the “solution” then usually leads to many other problems.

It is an interesting read and one that gives the perspective of someone who regretted their gender identity changes. At no time should gender be removed from the lives of children. Boys are boys and are born with certain chromosomes and equipment. The same for girls. God made two different genders only as that was his will.

Far be it that we should change what God did.

#4. https://www.christianpost.com/news/al-mohler-denounces-ny-times-column-claiming-leviticus-doesnt-condemn-gay-sex-226350/

Albert Mohler Jr., president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, has taken issue with a recent New York Times column claiming that Leviticus does not condemn homosexual activity.

Harvard scholar Idan Dershowitz argued in an opinion piece published Sunday that Leviticus 18:22, which prohibits gay sex, was added in the Old Testament long after it was first written

There is a second article on the Christian Post dealing with this topic.  Those people who do not have the spirit of truth will not know more about homosexuality than those who do. They will also not know more about what the Bible says than those who do. There will be those who disagree with God seeking to change what was written in his word so they can justify their sinful practices. It is not limited to LGBTQ issues.

Just for the record, Mr. Dershowitz is wrong and has no evidence supporting his position

#5. https://www.christianpost.com/news/speakers-lgbt-christian-conference-revoice-defend-event-225859/

Participants for the LGBT Christian conference Revoice are defending the event from criticism that the gathering will promote pro-LGBT ideas at the expense of biblical teaching.

There will also be those who refuse to acknowledge their sin and will continually seek to get it accepted into the church.  They are the ones, not those in the church who stand correctly with God, who err.

The church, to be the light unto the world, must stand with God and his teaching. Secular culture, unbelievers do not hold the truth and are the ones deceived. They cannot shed light onto the church. They can only spread darkness and try to ruin the light that the church is to be.