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.

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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.

 

Our Comments on a Few Topics- 5

#1. Death– https://www.christianpost.com/news/christian-author-wynter-pitts-dies-suddenly-at-38-daughter-trusts-god-is-in-control-226444/

Wynter Pitts, a well-known Christian author, speaker and founder of For Girls Like You magazine, died “suddenly” on Tuesday. She was 38 and leaves behind her husband and four young girls

One of the last things Christians should be surprised at is death. Doesn’t matter the age. Why should it be one of the last things we are surprised at? Because Jesus warned us that it is appointed unto man once to die. God did not say that everyone will long a long and fulfilled life. Also we have countless accounts of people dying young in the Bible.

Because we are not guaranteed a long life, we should live our lives to the glory of God each day. That is hard to do but at least it is the right motive to live life. When people die young, we should not get angry at God. He gave zero promises about our longevity and it is usually our wants, desires, emotions that are used by evil to interfere with our relationship with God.

#2. Childbirth-  https://www.christianpost.com/news/us-is-most-dangerous-place-in-the-developed-world-for-childbirth-report-226446/

An in-depth investigation conducted by USA Today points to different reasons why the U.S. has become the “most dangerous place in the developed world” for giving birth to a child.

The investigation reveals that while most women in the country give birth without encountering any issue, over 50,000 per year are not as fortunate as they become severely injured. Around 700 women on a yearly basis suffer an even worse fate as they pass away during childbirth. The biggest reason cited was a lack of attention to new mothers

It is a very good article and one not about the dangers of abortion. we will just quote two of the reasons so you are aware of the issue and can take the proper steps too avoid them:

Among the reasons cited is hospitals and medical workers failing to follow proper safety practices

The investigation notes that over the span of decades, hospitals and experts in the medical field have pointed to women being unhealthy, overweight and other risk factors as reasons for the rising number of maternal deaths.

#3. Overreaction? – https://www.christianpost.com/news/willow-creeks-global-leadership-summit-loses-111-sites-due-to-allegations-made-against-bill-hybels-226467/

The Willow Creek Association revealed Friday that their annual Global Leadership Summit set for Aug. 9–10 has suffered a loss of 111 host sites as a direct result of the sexual misconduct allegations that led to the resignation of Willow Creek Community Church founder Bill Hybels earlier this year.

We are not fans of Willow Creek or even Mr. Hybels but sometimes as we read about different churches and their responses to sinful issues in the Church we think that people are trying too hard to be spiritual and not being spiritual at all. Or they want to look good to a certain demographic in hopes of getting the latter’s butts in their pews or whatever reason they may have.

Very rarely do we come away from those articles with the thought that they are spiritual. Their terminology causes us to doubt their stated position. We do not like this leadership conference because WIllow Creek sins and leads other churches to sin, we also did not like their handling of the accusations against their founder. It was a matter that should have been handled privately, not in the media. The people outside the church do not have a right to know. Handling sin is not a public spectator sport.

#4. Judgment– https://www.christianpost.com/news/judge-upholds-oregon-school-districts-policy-allowing-boys-to-use-girls-bathrooms-226419/

A federal judge has upheld an Oregon school district’s policy allowing students to use the bathrooms and locker rooms of their preferred gender identity instead of their biological sex.

U.S. District Court Judge Marco Hernandez ruled Monday that Dallas School District No. 2 did not violate students’ privacy rights by allowing boys who identify as female to use girls’ facilities and vice versa.

The courts can and do get their judgments wrong and this is one of those cases. The different governments, courts, therapists are mishandling this issue and making things worse for everyone. Transgender thinking children need help, not encouragement. They are the ones breaking the rules and need to be corrected. It is not the ones obeying the rules of gender identity that are in the wrong or need correction.

As you go through that article you will see where the judge’s logic makes no sense. No one is stopping the transgender from using certain facilities. They are being stopped because they want to use the wrong ones. Right and wrong do not disappear simply because people think that rights trump everything.

#5. Justice?– https://www.christianpost.com/news/so-baptist-missions-agency-opens-2-investigations-into-handling-of-sex-abuse-allegations-226430/

The president of the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention has announced that two investigations are underway regarding the board’s handling of past sexual abuse allegations within the organization.

As we read the article we had hope that the man would install biblical justice and make sure both sides received a fair handling of the cases put before the board. For those who do not know, justice is a two-way street and does not always side with the accuser. As you read the article, you will see he is addressing a 21-year-old case that has no supporting evidence. This is wrong in and of itself. Evidence, real evidence must be part of every trial, not just a supposed victim’s or offender’s word.

We were vastly disappointed as it seems that he is blindly siding with the accuser giving no hope to the accused. Justice is not about removing hurt and pain. It is about the truth and bringing real offenders to repentance. It is not about revenge, upholding an accuser’s honor and so on. God has given us too many examples of how justice should be carried out and you will notice that women and children do not get a free pass. Their supposed honor or innocence does not deter justice. Men are also not automatically guilty without real evidence either.

The church has erred greatly in this department and have granted the secular world far too much influence on these matters.

#6. Fairy Tale–  https://www.christianpost.com/news/maxine-waters-declares-la-megachurch-she-was-sent-by-god-fight-against-donald-trump-226414/

Democrat Rep. Maxine Waters of California declared in a speech on Sunday at First African Methodist Episcopal Church in Los Angeles that she feels “sent by God” to oppose President Donald Trump and all the harm she says his administration is doing.

That is what her declaration is. Not only was she not sent by God, her methods contradict her words. She does not do one biblical thing in her personal opposition to the President. Also, the only people being divisive are the Democrats, the liberals, the rebellious, and God does not teach rebellion. One may point to the book of Judges to try to counter our statement but a close examination would fail to support their use of that biblical book.

The Democrats and company are not seeking to free God’s people but looking to punish, persecute and imprison them. The Democrats and company are not looking to overthrow evil but have embraced it and wanting it to rule the land. The Democrats and company are not practicing what they preach and seek to silence voices of reason, right and wrong and justice.

Ms. Waters is not sent by God but using his name so she can be re-elected, given influence and more power. No matter what she says, she is not guided by God.

If a person wants to invoke God’s name and make statements that he is with them, they had better live the life God has instructed throughout his Bible. Ms. Waters, the Democrats and company are far from a holy life and do not know God.

 

It May Not Be Failure

We were reminded that we had one more article to work on and post before we left. It is found at the following link:

https://www.christianpost.com/voice/revoice-conference-reveals-churchs-failure-to-address-lgbt-issues.html

We are not going to go in-depth and talk about every point in the article as it is well written. We only want to address some of the main points. The first is the title

Revoice Conference Reveals Church’s Failure to Address LGBT Issues

First off, we think it is a little unfair to say that the church has failed to address LGBTQ issues.  In the past we have been hard on churches but we also think that it is difficult for every local church to focus on every issue. That is a bit unrealistic and an expectation that cannot be met. Some churches focus on feeding the poor, others meeting personal needs and so on. There are not enough members to go around to every issue and there are not enough resources to cover them all.

Second, the Bible is very clear about how to handle unrepentant sin and a lot of the time it is the LGBTQ community that has rejected those teachings and demand that the church accept them as equals in God’s kingdom. The church cannot disobey God. Unrepentant sinners can be put out of the church without the church failing to address the LGBTQ issues. They have in God’s way and the LGBTQ may not like it.

Third, a church does not fail if they do not have anyone to train willing members or pastoral staff in how to handle LGBTQ members who are seeking to repent of their sins honestly and correctly. It does no one any good to place untrained people in positions of responsibility as serious as this.

Fourth, the church does not fail if God does not redeem the LGBTQ member. Redemption is up to God not the church and there could be many reasons why the LGBTQ is left in their sins.

Robert’s church leaders didn’t condone Robert’s behavior and urged him to resist his same-sex desires. A few times, Robert repented of his homosexual behavior and vowed to stop. But after three years of struggle, Robert gave in. He began living openly as a gay man and left his church. His parents left too, and began attending a gay-affirming, mainline church.

When Jesus said, love God with all your hearts ,souls and minds, he did not exclude family members or those family members who opt to live a sinful lifestyle. It is a hard choice to make but God has to be above your own loved ones. Parents and family members are not to let their sinful relatives or friends lead them away from the truth or God.

Now LGBTQ people may say that the church failed here but even the hated conversion therapy is not 100% successful. Also, it may be that the elders did not know how to handle the situation and gave bad advice. In this day and age, church leaders should be asking how to handle these issues. Even if it is just to get the struggling members to someone who can help them.

Also, most people are not aware that homosexuality and transgender is a spiritual battle not a sexual or identification one. Spiritual warfare needs to be accepted and prepared for, not dismissed like some modern believers do. God wants warriors not playground enthusiasts.

Yet as Revoice shows, embracing gay identity is becoming increasingly popular among Christians.

This we have noticed as well. Why people are supporting it is beyond us as none of the LGBTQ preferences offer anything from God or anything constructive to the world. That lifestyle does show people living selfishly, and sometimes very spoiledly. They are not humble enough to give up all their sins to love God but demand love from him.

The Four Main Views on LGBTQ Issues

We actually do not care for these 4 views and think the cloud the issue. We would say that there is a possibility for redemption, and that some people are given over to their sinful lusts and may not be able to be redeemed from that action.We believe Jesus can make all members of the LGBTQ a new creature, but not all are eligible for that redemption and some refuse to accept it.

We like the KISS principle- Keep it simple, stupid. And to keep it simple we stick to the truth and reject those theories that do not bring the truth in love to the issue. In this section and the one immediately above, the church has not failed. The church has neither the power nor the authority to change God’s or LGBTQ’s  decisions on these two matters.

But Revoice organizers go even further. They actually suggest that LGBT identity can be a virtue. As presenter Grant Hartley states, “Christians have often discarded the virtues of queer culture along with the vices .

There are absolutely no virtues found in the LGBTQ position. It is sin from evil and it is a tragedy waiting to get its foot in the door of the church. They have nothing to offer the church and only brings Gods anger on the church for calling evil good, etc.

If the church is going to effectively address LGBTQ issues, it must offer hope of sexual redemption. But many conservative Christian leaders are afraid to do so.

Yes and no. Church leaders may be afraid but that is because they may not know enough, they have not learned more from God or know how to approach him on  this issue.  There are a lot of factors why church leaders and members do not respond as some people would like them to. We need to be fair understanding and cautious about addressing supposed failures in the church.

Not everyone is going to be on the same page in this issue. We leave gay therapy up to the Christian experts and rarely talk about it. It is not our focus here. We can encourage church leaders to become more educated but we would want them to address a variety of topics not just the LGBTQ issue. But they also may not have the time to do it, churches and thier leaders have other problems to focus on. Then, God leads his people. He may not want a specific church or church leader involved in such issues. The church does not fail because God has not led them to address those issues. God may have led them to focus on other vital problems

One cannot point the finger at a church unless they truly know the church and its leaders have dropped the ball.

If we truly love people like Robert, and truly believe the gospel, we must move from simply renouncing error to proclaiming the hope of transformation.

All we can say is ‘stand in line’ there are a myriad of church members, each with their own pet project wanting the church to do something. The question is, why are people passing the buck to the church? if God has placed something on your heart, make sure it is of God and start learning how to correctly handle the issue. We would like to say to people like that author, as pastors, fine, go get correctly biblically educated. Learn how to handle the problem and then come back and roll up your sleeves and get started dealing with the issue.

There is no biblical or church law that restricts members from becoming properly educated, be spirit led and getting involved in issues to the glory of God. There is also no biblical or church law that states that the pastor, the elders, the deacons and their wives do all the work in the church. Just make sure you learn  the lessons God will bring correctly.

God uses all his followers.not just the church leaders. He wants all of his followers properly educated and able to find the truth. He also wants his  followers to follow his lead, instructions, commands and so on correctly. The choice is up to you.

 

Signs of the Times

We are sure just about everyone has heard about the church in  Auburn, Indiana by now. Their sign has raised more than just a few hackles. Well, now they have been given the boot

https://www.christianpost.com/news/church-kicked-out-building-sign-message-lgbtq-is-a-hate-crime-against-god-repent-225826/

A church in Indiana has been evicted from its building for placing a sign outside that read, “LGBTQ is a hate crime against God.”

In this issue, one of the key biblical teachings that has been missing is Jesus’ instruction to return good for evil. The LGBTQ community has often been deprived of the results of that command and the church has not received it in return when their acts are deemed not good by the LGBTQ communnity.

There are other biblical teachings that are missing from the issue as well. But we have pointed those out in earlier posts. If one wants to use the definition of the word as it is applied by most people today, one can say that the sign is very correct as the LGBTQ community certainly do not demonstrate any love for God. They do demonstrate a lot of hatred for his instructions, commands and definitions of the word sin.

It is not just the church who is appearing to use hatred in their behavior. Our issue here is not with the sign. We think it is telling the truth but that truth could be spoken in a more tactful way. What bother us is the words of one resident quoted by the author of that article. That is what we will look at here today.

It is beyond a doubt that some of us have strong feelings about this church/sign and these beliefs,” the resident, Kristin Russell, wrote on Facebook. “I want everyone who comes to come with open arms and open minds.

To us, it is amazing how some people think that their wants, desires and expectations gets to over-rule everyone else’s and God’s desires and wants. Why is her desires more important than that church’s? Why is it more important than God’s? Maybe it is because she knows she sins a lot and she wants people to accept her sins and all. We do not know, That is our guess.

No hate allowed.

It has become quite clear that a lot of people do not understand what hate really is. Disagreeing with someone does not mean you hate them. Trying to save someone from their sins and destruction is not a hate crime or an action motivated by hate. The hypocritical thing here is that she does not mind hate being used against that church. If no hate is allowed, then why was that church forced out of their building? It is not the church that is displaying hatred in this situation but thse who do not like what the church says.

If that resident wants people to have open hearts and minds, then they need to practice that attitude with the church no matter what it says on its sign. What we see is that hatred is allowed if it is directed against the church and Christians only. But that is the way it is with the unbeliever. They refuse to meet God’s regulations and cover their ears when God’s message is brought to their attention. They call it hate, denying academic freedom and so on.

They then turn around and deny Christians the same attitude they want the church to use. They want the church and Christians to change God’s message to the world. That is definitely not showing love to God.Of course, that change cannot be done.

Positive, progressive, and loving signs are welcome and encouraged

Of course they are. People want to get to heaven and have eternal life without following Gd’s instructions. They do not want to do one simple act of repentance or give up their sin to achieve that desire. They want to corrupt paradise and make it like life here on earth. Sadly, these people do not realize or accept the fact that they are being used by evil to ruin God’s creation and get back at God for their expulsion from paradise. Ouor battle isnot with our fellow humans.

Bring friends and family. Overall, I would just like the message of loving everyone despite differences to get across.

Yet, she and others like her will not do that in response to the church’s actions. Again, it is a hypocritical demand. Also, she and people like here do not understand that it is not loving to keep people in their sins.  Or that it is not loving to let people continue towards destruction without warning. A person swimming in a river may not know a waterfall is ocming. It is not a hate crime to warn them about their pending doom. Just because the swimmer ignores the warning or does not believe a waterfall is coming does not make the waterfall and their destruction go away

But the Bible tells us that people will only want to hear what they want to hear and that they are going to be willfully ignorant. Maybe the church should find a better way to warn LGBTQ members than that sign.

Please please do not bring any negativity with you, and let’s just show this church that Auburn stands with the LGBTQ+ community, and that God and churches can as well!

Sadly, that woman knows nothing about God and negativity. She certainly displayed a lot of it when she used hate to oppose that church and its sign. God does not stand with practicing sinners. God does not want his followers to stand with practicing sinners and support their evil ways. Only evil wants that to take place. What she and people like her forget is that there is more to biblical teaching than love your neighbor as yourself.

There are moral standards to uphold. As well as standards of right and wrong along with good and evil. The problem here is that those opposing the church and the complete biblical teaching are blind and deceived.  They need prayer not retaliation. They need to be helped when in trouble, another biblical teaching, and they need to be comforted as well.

Those actions that resident and others like her will accept. But they will not acept the fact that they are sinners going to hell because hell is not loving, open-minded, open-armed, progressive and so on. It also reminds them that they have no hope.

In a statement posted to Facebook last week, Remnant Fellowship offered no apologies to those who were offended by the display, which some deem as being “anti-LGBT.”

Why should they apologize, they did nothing wrong. You only apologize when you actually do something wrong and are truly sorry for your actions. Offending someone is not necessarily doing something wrong. People get offended by the littlest detail these days and it is almost impossible to not offend someone. Being a Christian is an offense to the unbelieving world so how is a Christian not going to offend someone? We hold different beliefs, have different goals and objectives, live differently and so on. Jesus said he would divide families so offending a practicing sinner is not a big deal.

Even Christians get offended by other Christians so apologies are not the go to response to solve the issue. Then, of course, some peope will call it anti-LGBTQ. That is because the LGBTQ community and its supporters hate anything and label it anti them whenever someone says anything that disagrees with their accepted ideology.

But those practicing sinners do not realize that they are anti-God with their views and preferences. They also will not accept tha label. They ignore the biblical teaching that says God said he who is not for me is against me. That comment seems to have slipped their attention. Ignoring or trying to change biblical teaching makes the LGBTQ community and its supporters very anti-God and they owe him more than just an apology.

It is not up to the church to repent and get right with the LGBTQ community and their sinful ideology. It is up to the LGBTQ community to show their love for God and repent of their sins and get right with God. All of them, including their LGBTQ preferences. The church may no tbe perfect but it only needs to please God correctly. It is not commanded to please the LGBTQ community or its supporters.