A Fearful Thing

There is a pervasive trend that has developed within American Christianity, or at least a segment of professing believers. The development is terrifying. What is it? The lessening of sin and dismissal of any such notion in the Bible that God deals with sinners. It seems the gospel message has become all about the love of God with the absence of any warnings and set standard which God upholds. The idea is that God just loves you as you are and you are free to continue living as you do. 

Where does this idea creep in? Well, it usually begins by making claims that the way of Jesus is to welcome and accept sinners. So we immediately throw out Old Testament passages which highlight God's judgment and we go only to Jesus, as if we can pit them against each other. Yet, interestingly, if you examine the Gospels close enough, you will notice Jesus is no pushover on sin. He does not dismiss it or ignore it or lower God's standard one bit. In fact, he warns that anyone who lessens even the least of the commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of God (Matt. 5:19).

Then if you look at other prominent stories that many like to highlight to paint a pushover Jesus, such as the adulterous woman and the woman at the well, you find interesting facts. Rather than being examples of Jesus flippancy or ignoring of sin, they are the opposite. Jesus tells the woman caught in adultery (John 8) to "go and sin no more." He confronts and brings up the sin of the woman at the well (John 4). He is the one who highlights her continuous failed marriages and live-in boyfriend. If sin was of no matter to him, why would he do this?

The reason sin matters, and the reason we should not lessen or lighten it up, is that it shows us our rebellion and separation from God. This in turn shows us our need for a Savior. There is a reason Jesus goes into this woman's sin with her before revealing to her that he is the Messiah. People need to see the reality of their sin before they will understand their need for a Savior.

This is why any "gospel" void of discussing the reality of sin and God's righteous judgment against it is a false gospel. The Good News of the gospel is good news in response to very bad news. The bad news is that sin separates us from God and we are sinners. The bad news is that we are not good people who do bad things, we are rebels against God. We willingly sin and often try to lessen its heinous nature. The bad news is that God is holy, so holy that he cannot ignore and look past sin, and we are sinners, so sinful that we stand condemned before God. But the good news of the gospel is that God so loved us, and desired to ransom us from this condition, that He sent His Son to bear our sin and the punishment attached to it. If you strip away the bad news of the gospel, the good news doesn't really make much sense. 

So back to my original issue. The trend currently in fashion is to lessen sin and God's view of it. The narrative is that God is loving and accepting, and we Christians should not warn people about their sin or their persistence in it. We seem to forget that Jesus warns that a tree is known by its fruits (Matthew 7). So if we see people living in habitual sin, we should rightfully warn that it is not the way of God, and to continue unrepentant is to reject God, which will incur judgment. 

Many will scoff at such sentences, so narrow-minded and Old Testament-like. Yet the Hebrew writer (New Testament, by the way) says in Hebrews 10:31 "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." That is a terrifying sentence. The writer sees falling into the hands of God in judgment as a fearful and dreadful thing. But what is the context of this verse? What provokes the writer to make this statement? Answer: "For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins." (Hebrews 10:26). Who runs the risk of falling into the hands of God in judgment? Those who know and have been told the truth, yet go on sinning deliberately. 

The Hebrew writer wasn't as cultured and in-the-know as many Christians today are, but he seemed pretty convinced that sin will damn people. So while the trend today may be to lessen the talk about sin and talk more about love, we may find the love they are speaking of has no backbone to it, it is shallow emotionalism, the kind that damns people because it deceives them into thinking sin doesn't matter to God and they can keep living how they want. 

Oh, what a fearful thing.

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Yes, Argue. But, Yes, Pray

The more I ponder the plight of our country the more I'm reminded that public square conversations are needed and defense of the Christian worldview from those who want to attack is necessary. There needs to be healthy arguments given in defense of the Christian position. However, I'm also reminded the only thing that will bring real and lasting change to our country is a revival of the gospel. For that we must pray.

In Colossians 1:3-6 Paul writes to the church there:

³ We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, ⁴ since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, ⁵ because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, ⁶ which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth,

 A few points of observation for us to consider here:

1 . Paul calls the gospel "the word of truth." The gospel is the truth about God, us, the world, and reality. 

2. Paul states to the Colossian believers that the gospel is bearing fruit and increasing in the whole world. The gospel was going forth and bearing fruit. The influence of the gospel was spreading and growing. 

Friends, the God who brought the growth and increase from gospel seed planting is the same God we serve today. He can revive us again. He is the Sovereign Lord of the universe and of the harvest. We must pray for revival to burst forth on our land. Until then, may we be faithful seed planting and soil watering believers, who live with a fervency of prayer for God to cause the word of truth to increase throughout the world.

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Conscience, Religious Liberty, and Discrimination

**Warning: Some graphic language and terms are used in order to communicate a point, the language and tone of these examples do not reflect my personal feelings or views or that of The Journey Church or other organizations I represent

A huge issue being discussed right now in the national media and within Christendom is religious liberty versus discrimination. The gay marriage debate is front and center, once again, and the subject now is over religious freedom to decline services to same-sex partners or whether it is discrimination. 

I do not pretend that this is an easy issue. But it is an important one. 

The debate centers around Christian conscience of assisting or performing services for a same-sex marriage. This is not about whether a burger joint owned by Christians should serve homosexuals at their counters. This is not about whether a gym owned by Christians should allow homosexuals to be members. This is about asking business owners or service providers to provide a service that directly violates their conscience. 

For example: there have already been cases around the country of florists, bakers, and photographers being fined by the government for refusing to participate in same-sex marriage ceremonies due to their Christian convictions. The government is currently making decisions and legislation that would force these businesses to provide services and violate their conscience. 

There has been much written about this as of late. Trevin Wax writes particularly about the violation of conscience here. Al Mohler writes here about the coercion of the government to force people to do things against their religious liberties. Doug Wilson writes here in response to two journalists who write and compare not serving homosexuals as Jim Crow laws. Joe Carter writes here about why the issue of homosexuality and gay marriage is not the same as race and civil rights. You can go and read these articles to gain more understanding of the issues at hand here.

The way I would like to end this post is to share why I'm personally concerned about our trajectory. Our government is rapidly falling in line with the narrative that to decline services to someone for religious convictions is insufficient and only a cover up for discrimination. This bothers me because I can see a day when someone contacts me about renting our church to have a same-sex marriage and/or asking me to perform the ceremony. We would decline both requests for such services. What happens when this is reported to civil authorities as discrimination and/or a hate crime or violation of civil rights, and the church, including myself, are fined, penalized, and even prosecuted? 

I am not homophobic. I have friends who are professing homosexuals. I do not agree with this lifestyle based on my religious convictions and worldview. However, I will eat in the same restaruant with them. I will workout on the same machines and equipment. I will use the same pool. I will root for them when they make a tackle, hit a jumper, or throw a no-hitter. They are welcome to attend our church's worship gatherings. However, to ask me to endorse, support, or contribute to their being married, violates my conscience and convictions. But it appears we are on track for the government to say, "Too bad." 

Consider some parallel situations and ask whether it is appropiate for services to be performed:

-- a lesbian couple who owns a sign shop are asked to create a banner for an anti-gay rally that says, "Fags go to hell!" Should they be forced to create this sign?

-- a black family who owns a bakery are given an order for a cake that reads, "Happy 150th Anniversary Ku Klux Klan: Death to all Nigers." Should this family be reasonably expected to make this cake without pause or hesitation or are they discriminating?

-- a Jewish family who owns a kosher restaurant is asked to supply an order of smoked ham. Are they forced to violate conscience because they are a public restaurant or are they discriminating against us pork lovers?

-- a feminist bookstore owner is asked to carry a book by a guy who constantly slams women, refers to them as "bitches," and writes insistently on how the only uses for a woman are sex and carrying babies. Should she be made to sell and promote such a book in her store or is she discriminating?

-- a pacifist movie theatre owner is asked to show a documentary supporting and propagating war called "The Beauty of War." Is he to violate his conscience or is he discriminating?

-- a Muslim family who owns a tee shirt print company is asked to produce shirts which read, "Jesus is Lord, Muhammad's a Liar." Is the family expected to go along with this or would it be discrimination to decline?

The purpose of some of these graphic scenarios is position us to see what is at stake here. In each one of these examples, I believe the business owners are within their rights to decline services. I do not believe any of them should be forced to violate their conscience and convictions, regardless of whether the pressure is from the public or the government. 

We are not dealing with bigotry and discrimination. I do not know any thoughtful and devout Christians who are homophobic or consumed with making homosexuals miserable. The charge often leveled against Christians is we are consumed with this issue. I'm not consumed with this. I do not desire to spend significant time writing or speaking about it. However, when it is constantly pushed in your face by the media, the gay activists, and the government, then Christians have to speak up. We do not want to violate our conscience. It is not discrimination. It is not a race issue. It is not bigotry. It is about our convictions and the religious liberty to live those. If we do not have that, then our country is but a faint shadow of what we once were, and my own military service to uphold our freedoms seems in vain.

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Defining Christianity Like An Atheist Than A Christian

As odd as it may sound, I actually enjoyed listening to the ranting and fodder of the late Christopher Hitchens. I disagreed with nearly everything he taught, but he was likeable and witty, which made him easy to listen to. Hitchens spoke out regularly against religious beliefs, Christianity in particular. He would often debate Christians in university settings, on radio programs, and he appeared on television programs representing atheism, and his particular brand - anti-theism.

On one occasion Hitchens was interviewed on a radio program where a minister from the Unitarian Church, Marilyn Sewell, was talking with him about a book he wrote called God is Not Great. In the book Hitchens paints God as a monster. So Sewell - who seemed to think her and Hitchens were on the same side - implies that Hitchens only seems to be talking about the “fundamentalist” Christians, you know those who believe the Bible, that Jesus lived, died on the cross, and rose again. But she and her denomination don’t believe in all that, they celebrate the example of Jesus and the way of love. Listen to what she asks Hitchens, and his response:

Sewell: The religion you cite in your book is generally the fundamentalist faith of various kinds. I’m a liberal Christian, and I don’t take the stories from the scripture literally. I don’t believe in the doctrine of atonement (that Jesus died for our sins, for example). Do you make and distinction between fundamentalist faith and liberal religion?

Hitchens: I would say that if you don’t believe that Jesus of Nazareth was the Christ and Messiah, and that he rose again from the dead and by his sacrifice our sins are forgiven, you’re really not in any meaningful sense a Christian…

From the mouth of an atheist we see very clearly there are certain beliefs, facts, and particular knowledge claims that Christians hold, that to not hold them, excludes you from defining yourself as a Christian. I would go beyond Hitchens description and add to the list.

Christians believe from the Scriptures that: 

-- God is Triune: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
-- We believe that God is Creator of all and is holy and righteous in all His ways
-- We believe that man was created by God for relationship and to bring God glory, but all men have sinned and fall short of the glory of God
-- We believe this sin condemns us before God and puts us at odds with Him, separating us from relationship
-- But we believe God, in His love, sent forth His Son to reconcile sinful man to Himself by lifting the curse off of us and punishing it on the head of His own Son as a substitute in our place
-- We believe that Christ, who was crucified was also raised on the third day, and that his resurrection is the justification of who he was, what he taught, and evidence His Father had accepted his sacrifice for sinners
-- We believe that all who place their faith in the sacrifice makes for sinners will be saved and made children of God, reconciled to relationship

Christianity is not what you want to make it. Because Christianity is a knowledge tradition, it is not simply a set of religious beliefs. Christianity makes claims about reality (metaphysics), not just religious claims.

The two most common groups to misrepresent and/or redefine Christian beliefs are atheists, who love to create straw man versions of Christianity, and liberal Christians, who retract doctrines that have grown out of favor with the culture. Both of these groups define Christianity wrongly, assuming it is a define-it-for-yourself endeavor. The problem is, one of these groups openly acknowledges they are not Christians, while the other group is deceived in thinking they are. So while I would add much more to my definition than Hitchens did to his, I would rather define Christianity like he did than like Sewell. In this case, I would rather define Christianity like an atheist than a "Christian."

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Evil Queen Hermeneutics

"Mirror mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?" The Evil Queen loves to ask this question, because she is told in reply, "My Queen, you are the fairest in the land." Oh how she loves to ask this question. She is wonderful. She is beautiful. She is the most impressive in the land. Why wouldn't she want to go to the mirror daily, hourly to ask this question? 

Something looks oddly familiar about this scene. People who run to something to see their own reflection and be told how good they are...hmm...where have I seen this before? Oh, yes, that's it, this is how many people are using their Bibles. 

I can see the confused look on your face, so I'll explain. Many open their Bible's and read it, hoping and longing to hear exactly what they want to hear. They like the Bible so long as the Bible affirms their already preconceived ideas. They enjoy going to Scripture so long as it keeps aligning with their existing opinions. The problems begin when the Bible tells them something they don't like. 

"Mirror mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?" When the mirror responds, "My Queen, you are the fairest here so true. But Snow White is a thousand times more beautiful than you," something changes. This infuriates the Evil Queen, because the mirror is supposed to only tell her what she wants to hear - that she is the fairest. The moment the mirror tells her something different, she is enraged. 

The same thing happens with how many approach Bible interpretation. They  have an Evil Queen hermeneutic. They read and affirm everything the Bible says, so long as it aligns with what they already believe. They love the Scripture, particularly the parts which affirms their existing presuppositions. But when they encounter something they don't like, they discard it. They throw away passages, doctrines, and truths because they don't match what they expected to hear when they came to the Bible. I read an article recently in which the author essentially promotes this very ideology.

There is a lot of talk about contextualization today. We should contextualize the message of the gospel and the Scriptures to people. I agree with this. We should definitely communicate the truths of the Bible to people in such a way that they understand them and grasp how to live them in our culture and era of history. However, we do not contextualize the interpretation of Scripture. Our job is to contextualize the application of Scripture. We do not change the meaning of Scripture to fit our culture's current sensibilities. That is not contextualization. Instead, we seek to understand what the Scriptures are saying to us, what the author of a particular passage meant by what they wrote. Then, and only then, can we take truths and contextualize them in our current culture and situations. 

Contextualization is about application, not interpretation.  First, we interpret Scripture rightly. Then we can contextualize application properly. Contextualizing the interpretation is Evil Queen hermeneutics. It is an exercise is making the Scripture say what you want them to, instead of letting them speak for themselves. Be weary of people who interpret the Bible like the Evil Queen. They love to quote Scriptures that tell them what they want to hear. But they are dangerously quick to discount, remove, and deny Scriptures that do not.

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Using Satan's Glasses To Interpret Scripture

Everyone is a bible interpreter. If you have ever quoted a verse or referenced something Jesus said, you are doing interpretation. The question is not whether we are bible interpreters, it is whether we are good interpreters.

Bible interpretation is the discipline known as hermeneutics. There is a right way of doing interpretation and a wrong way of doing interpretation. There are hermeneutic rules such as 1. always interpret Scripture with Scripture and 2. interpret Scripture in its proper context, and the often forgotten task 3. look for authorial intent. These and other principles are guidelines and guardrails to prevent the Wild Wild West of bible interpretation (see more on that here).  

The Devil's Interpretation

The danger I want to warn us of, is reading the Bible like Satan. Satan knows the Bible. He likely has more verses memorized than you do, and me for that matter. Yet this does not mean that Satan rightly or correctly interprets Scripture. We saw Satan distort God's words in the Garden of Eden in Genesis 3. God said one thing, Satan said something completely different.  Man becomes the victim.

But perhaps the most clear example is found in Matthew 4. In Matthew 4 Jesus has just been baptized and is led into the wilderness by the Spirit. There he will be tempted and tried. Satan appears to Jesus after he has gone 40 days and nights without food. He comes and challenges Jesus to turn stones into bread. Jesus doesn't go for it. But then Satan moves to his next temptation, but this time he uses Scripture. In Matthew 4:6 Satan says to Jesus as they stand at the pinnacle of the temple, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, 'He will command his angels concerning you,' and 'On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.'"

Well there you have it, I guess Jesus has to jump. After all, Satan has shown from Scripture (Ps. 91:11-12) that Jesus should jump because angels will be there and will keep him from striking his foot. But Jesus doesn't jump. Instead, Jesus counters Satan's use of Scripture with another passage (Deut. 6:16), "Again it is written, 'You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.'" In other words, Jesus interprets Scripture with Scripture when he tells Satan he's not jumping off the temple. He shows that Satan's conclusions are invalid, because the passage is not quoted in context. Jesus exhibits here how Bible interpretation should be done. 

Don't Use the Bible Like Satan

Unfortunately, many people today don't take heed to this example. Instead, countless thousands pluck Bible verses kicking and screaming out of their contexts to make or prove any point. However, this is not permissible. We don't have the option of using Scripture any ole' way we want. 

One of the ways I have seen this developing in our culture is the use of passages like 1 Corinthians 13 and 1 John 4:8. In this former passage, we see Paul outline the way of love in the Christian life. He speaks to how love must accompany all of our actions. In the latter passage, we see John declare that anyone who does not love is not from God, because God is love. So these two passages, and a few others, are often tossed out in public square conversations, even in Christian-to-Christian conversation, to negate speaking out against sinful actions. These passages are used as an attempt to muzzle into silence a Christian who is speaking out against sin. The often heard retort is, "Well, I know you are saying that X is wrong, but the Bible also says that God is love, so I just think we should focus on loving people." Now don't get me wrong, loving people is important, but what that statement attempted to do is produce an action - in this case, silencing the believer who is vocalizing the sinfulness of an action - by using other passages of Scripture. Does this look familiar?

The Bible exhorts believers to stand for the truth. Interestingly, Jesus, the most loving of all humans to ever live, had no problem calling out sin. Yes, he loved people and was merciful, but he did not tap-dance around the issues of the day in order to win the crowds affections. Another fascinating part of this is the reality that the verses used from Paul (1 Corinthians 13) and John (1 John 4:8) come from guys who do the very thing (call out sin) that those who cite their verses are trying to urge against. For example, John, the same John who wrote that God is love, is also the same guy who wrote in the same book(!) the words of 1 John 1:6 "If we say we have fellowship with him (God) while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth." Or consider this doozy in 1 John 3:6 "No one who abides in him (God) keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him." As you can see, to use verses from these guys to promote this idea that we should not speak out against sin, is to be deceptively selective in choosing verses, because they do the very thing you are using them to silence others from doing.

It is not loving to remain silent when people are sinning their way straight to hell. It is neither loving or noble to silence believers who are daring to show courage in the face of a culture and church that are not. Yes, believers should be tactful and wise as serpents and gentle as doves in the way they approach speaking out against sin. But when believers are quoting Scripture to other believers to produce an action that the particular passage doesn't warrant, it's wrong. By the way, this is how the Devil does Bible interpretation. It is time Christians stop using Satan's glasses to read Scripture.


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The Joke Is On Us

Ah danggit, we've been duped!! 

Go ahead and admit it, we fell for it. The joke is on us, and you know what, we deserve it. 

What am I talking about, you wonder? I'm talking about the lie we bought when we fell for the idea that moral absolutes were a thing of the past that everyone had outgrown. You remember, don't you? Christians were lectured by everyone about how morals were not absolute, but varied from culture to culture. Remember the rhetoric? We can't impose our views on others, it is wrong. We were made to feel like the scum of the earth for projecting our "superior" moral standards on those who have the right to do what they think is right for them. It is their life, as long as they are not bothering us. 

Do we all remember this narrative which circulated over recent years?

Now open your eyes and look where we are. The tables have turned. Those whose moral standards used to pace the culture, are now the one's having the absolute morality of the others pushed down their throats to point of asphyxiation. Like the revolutionary leader who stirs up the masses against the wicked king, only to become a harsher dictator once he's assumed power, so have the once "liberators" of tyrannical moralists become the tyrants themselves.

Proof In The Pudding

Take for example the upcoming Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. The games will be held in February and many Americans will compete against the best in other countries in all sorts of sports and events.

But in case you forgot, there was talk about the United States not participating in the Olympic Games. Do you remember why? Because in the summer of last year (2013), Russia passed a law against any public displays or expressions of homosexuality or distribution of information about homosexuality to children. Americans, especially news outlets, politicians, and activists (examples here, here, and here), were outraged at such bigoted, intolerant actions. They called for boycotts of the Olympics, even Russian vodka. Many took to the streets pouring out Russian vodka (that'll show'em!) to protest such laws. They could not believe anyone had the nerve to violate the moral ethic of approving and even celebrating homosexuality and the homosexual lifestyle. How draconian!

Interestingly, this Russian bill passed with a vote of 436-0. The reasons they stated for creating the legislation was to promote traditional Russian values as opposed to Western liberalism, which they see as corrupting Russian youth. According to the American narrative, we should respect that, right? It is their culture. That's what's right for them. Who are we to say what is right for them? Who are we to impose our moral judgments over their country?

Do you sniff the hypocrisy dripping from the American outcry? I thought we believed that morality was not legislated by any group of people, but rather it was relative to each culture? I thought what was good for them is good for them and what is good for us is good for us? Surely we are not inserting ourselves as Russia's moral police, right? After all, the same people upset over Russia's anti-gay laws would be the same people unwillingly to go to war over injustices like tyrannical governments killing its citizens. We don't want to be the world's policemen when it comes to saving lives, but if it comes down to who you can have sex with, then sure, we are there with our blue lights flashing and our sirens ringing.

Unbelievable, But Not Really

So let us say it together, "We. Were. Duped." They pulled one over on us pretty good. We were made to feel like the outdated grandpa who had longed lost his pulse on reality and "the way things are today," only to see those who tore down our belief in absolute morals, build their own version to stand from and cry the absoluteness of it. 

The joke is on us, but I don't see any of us laughing.


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The Calamity of Conceding Our Voice

It is safe to say that I will probably not be giving any Presidential Inauguration prayers in my lifetime. Is it possible I could be invited? Sure, I guess it is. But it is probably just as possible that I'll lead a space mission to explore Jupiter or be the next skipper of the Chicago Cubs to lead them to a World Series title (side note: we will probably be inhabiting condos on Jupiter before any skipper leads the Cubs to a World Series title). Bottom line: I don't have to worry about being asked for this honorable task.

But let's pretend for a moment that I was asked. Let's imagine for a moment that for some reason, some newly elected president had heard of me or knew me - it would probably have to be a hometown friend, but growing up in Lebanon, TN probably rules this theory out too - and wanted me to give the Inauguration Day prayer. Wow! What a privilege! What an honor! What an opportunity! It's ashamed I wouldn't be allowed to do it. 

"Why wouldn't you be allowed to do it?," you wonder. Legally speaking (at least right now), nothing would be able to keep me from doing it. However, the censorship police and mafia-like bullies represented by organizations like GLADD and others like them, would quickly pounce on the president-elect's choice of having me give the prestigious prayer. Why? Because I have written, spoken, and support the Bible's teachings on homosexuality being a sin. This would disqualify me for such a role in our ever-changing culture. The track-record is proving this.

The Silencing of Christians

Consider what happened to Pastor Louie Giglio in January of 2012. Giglio was asked by President Barak Obama to give the Inauguration Day prayer. Incredible! One of my guys (conservative evangelical) is given an incredible platform and opportunity. Yet, quickly after the announcement was made, Giglio rescinded the offer and issued a statement. He cited not wanting to be a distraction from the Inauguration. Giglio had been asked to participate because of his amazing work with Passion and leading a movement to end sex-trafficking and slavery around the world. What in the world could possibly make Louie Giglio offering a prayer a "distraction" on Inauguration Day? 

Are you ready for this? He preached a sermon speaking against homosexuality 15-20 years prior. There you have it. The censonship police and mafia-like bullies went rummaging through Giglio's past, searching tirelessly to find their silver bullet. They found it. A message where Giglio affirms Scripture's teachings on the sinfulness of same-sex practices. Hence, I will probably never be doing an Inauguration Day prayer.

While we are eliminating things I will never do, we can add being on a reality tv show now, especially on A&E. With the Phil Robertson/Duck Dynasty dust-up last week, we were reminded again that Christians are not allowed speak out or against homosexuality.  

The Bully Tactics

How did these things happen? How did Giglio get pressured into rescinding his invitation? How did A&E succumb to pressure to suspend Robertson? The answer: from the pressure of groups like GLADD and others. Their mission is to target and eliminate all views that oppose homosexuality. They intentionally target news media and entertainment media to push their agenda and to rid any conservative or biblical values on the subject from the discussion. 

How are they able to do this? Simple: they bully. They, along with the media, and others with liberal ideology, revert to bully tactics. They are not interested in rational conversation where ideas are exchanged and debated. They have one agenda: exalt their idea and demolish opposing ones. They have succeeded in winning some public opinion, not because they have debated ideas well, but because they have castigated their opponents. They name call: bigot, homophobe, racist, intolerant, judgmental, hate-monger. That's the strategy. Yet interestingly, amidst all the name-calling, they never provide evidence to back their accusations. This is classic bullying.

And before you are duped into thinking that the pro-choice, pro-homosexual movements are about tolerance, multiculturalism, and diversity, consider the truth. They are not tolerant of any view but theirs. GLADD exists to rid the media and entertainment of different views. Multiculturalism is a sham too. They do not want a culture with multiple streams of beliefs and values. Again, they want one - theirs. And if it is not self-evident already, diversity is not a value either. The conservative, Bible-believing Christian's ideas are not welcome or wanted by those on the left. There is no desire for a diversity of ideas; it's all lip service. It is a smoke-screen. It sounds good. But it is empty of any substance. 

Draw a Line in the Sand

At a time when Christians need to be speaking out, we find ourselves with a serious case of laryngitis. We have lost our voices. Many are silenced out of ignorance, they simply do not know what to say or how to say it. Others are silenced out of choice. The former issue is corrected through being taught about the issues and shown how to engage in them. The latter is only fixed when we get courage. Many do not want to speak out because they fear being rejected and/or persecuted by men. Many thought leaders in the evangelical world are making it a mark of spiritual maturity or gospel-nobleness to not fight this fight. I think they are wrong. (Doug Wilson makes a stinging case about this)
 
We need Christians and churches who stand strong and intelligently proclaim truth. We need not make homosexuality are only focus; however, we refuse to be bullied into silence. We need Christians who demand their pastors and leaders not be cowards. One of the saddest parts of the Giglio story often not discussed is the fact that detractors of Giglio had to search back 15-20 years to even find a sermon where he dealt with this issue. This issue has been raging in the culture for sometime now, and that type of extended silence is why we are in this current cultural landscape. It is a calamity to concede our voice. The church, which is made up of believers, needs to learn to speak again. 

The Voices of Saints From Old

Listen to Martin Luther's famous words when pushed to recant his beliefs that went against the power-structure of the Catholic Church: 

"Your Imperial Majesty and Your Lordships demand a simple answer. Here it is, plain and unvarnished. Unless I am convicted [convinced] of error by the testimony of Scripture or (since I put no trust in the unsupported authority of Pope or councils, since it is plain that they have often erred and often contradicted themselves) by manifest reasoning, I stand convicted [convinced] by the Scriptures to which I have appealed, and my conscience is taken captive by God's word, I cannot and will not recant anything, for to act against our conscience is neither safe for us, nor open to us. On this I take my stand. I can do no other. God help me. Amen."

Consider Calvin's words: 

“A dog barks when his master is attacked. I would be a coward if I saw that God’s truth is attacked and yet would remain silent."

In a sermon Charles Spurgeon preached about the jeer of critics he said:

"Whenever the world reproaches you, say, "Well, I thank you for that word, I will strive to deserve it and you shall be more displeased, if you will. If it be a vile thing to serve Christ, I will serve him more than I have ever done, and be viler still; if it be disgraceful to be numbered with the poor, tried, and afflicted people, I will be disgraced. Nay, the more disgraced I am, the more happy shall I be; I shall feel that disgrace is honor, that ignominy is glory, that shame and spitting from the lips of enemies, is but the same thing as praise and glory from the mouth of Christ." Instead of yielding, go forward, show your enemies that you do not know how to go back, that you are not made of the soft metal of these modern times."

And later in the sermon,

"I pray God to send a few men with what the Americans call "grit" in them; men who when they know a thing to be right, will not turn away, or turn aside, or stop; men who will persevere all the more true to their Master because they are opposed; who, the more they are thrust into the fire, the hotter they become; who, just like the bow, the further the string is drawn, the more powerfully will it send forth its arrows, and so, the more they are trodden upon, the more mighty will they become in the cause of truth against error."

I'm afraid Mr. Spurgeon's desire for his London congregation to reflect American "grit" would be unfounded today. We have lost our "grit," at least in the church. Yes, we are to preach the gospel. But we are also to speak truth to the culture we live in. Preaching the gospel should not be our excuse to sitting on the sidelines while our culture is imploding. The church needs a recovery of her voice. It begins with her leaders. It will then spill into the rest of the seats. If the leaders will not speak and lead the way, then the church needs to find new leaders. May God give us the courage to clear our throats for such a time as this.


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You're a Christian, huh? Hmm...

 I know what some of you were already thinking as you read the title of this post, "Who are you judge who is or who is not a Christian?" This is a natural question to ask, I suppose, but I do not believe it is really what you are asking. "Who are you to judge," is really seeking to find out by what authority I can make a definitive claim about somebody being a Christian or not. The answer to that question is easy: nobody. I'm nobody. I do not carry any inherent authority which makes what I say the rule of the day. However, before you type another domain into your browser and move on, that does not dismiss the issue.

Just because I am nobody, and lack inherent authority in myself, does not mean the right to identify as Christian is a free-for-all. Fundamentally, "Who are you to judge," is the wrong question. The more appropriate questions begging to be asked: is there any way to judge who is or who is not a Christian? Is there an objective standard by which Christians can be identified or is it simply a subjective endeavor? I believe the Bible and historic, orthodox Christianity answers without hesitation: yes, there is an objective standard!

So what?

Why do I raise this issue? We currently live in a cultural climate of debate and division over many hot-topic issues. Things including homosexuality and abortion are a couple of mainstream examples. In the midst of many of these debates the line drawn is between Christian beliefs vs secular beliefs. As a Christian, I find myself distinctively on one side of the dividing line in these arguments. Yet surprisingly, I often will have someone who is taking a stance distinctively rooted in secular philosophy claim to be a Christian. This makes no sense to me. 

**WARNING: This is the point in the article where your modern sensibilities may get aggravated, a seat belt or bit in your mouth may assist you in finishing** 

For someone to claim they are Christian, though they hold distinctly non-Christian views and have non-Christian behavior patterns, is absurd. Again, this raises the vitriol of folks to say, "Who are you to say?" My previous answer remains, "nobody," but that doesn't void my claim. There is a standard, an objective standard, by which a Christian can be deciphered. We do not make or move that standard. It is given through Scripture's revelation and teaching. "Yeah, but interpreting the Bible is so subjective; one group believes this way and another group that way," you quip. However, again, there is an objective standard on interpreting the Bible. You do not approach the Bible and impose your view on to it (though many do), there are rules and guidelines which inform interpretation (this is the discipline and field of hermeneutics).

But back to my point. To claim to be a Christian, while holding very clearly stated (from Scripture) non-Christian beliefs and behaviors, is a contradiction. The Bible would call this person a hypocrite. The word 'hypocrite' is from a Greek word meaning 'actor.' In other words, people who claim to be Christian while holding non-Christian beliefs and behaviors are actors. They are posers. Pretenders. I'm not afraid to say this. It may ruffle your feathers and send your politically correct alarms off, but it is only because you have been conditioned to respond this way. In actuality, it's nonsense, and there needs to be a recovery of the ability to call out nonsense. 

An Analogy

Suppose you met a guy at a crowded dinner party and proceeded to strike up a conversation. The two of you have a lot in common and are mutually enjoying the conversation. But at some point in the discussion he informs you he is a football player for the Tennessee Titans. He claims he is a tight end for the Titans, your favorite NFL team. You think to yourself, "this is amazing." Eventually the conversation is halted by his need to go to the bathroom and he lets you know he'll be right back. In your excitement, you pull your phone out and begin looking up the Titans roster to find your new pal (and to send out texts and tweets bragging to your friends). However when you pull it up, he's not there. You keep digging and looking, you search Google, nothing, he's nowhere to be found. You scan NFL.com, which lists every NFL player, nothing.

You think to yourself, "I bet none of his information has been loaded to the internet yet." No you don't. You think to yourself, "I've been duped." Most of you, if this happened to you, would conclude very quickly, this guy was a fraud. He was a pretender. He claimed to be a NFL player with the Tennessee Titans; however, all the things that objectively determine that (a contract, access to team facilities, on the team roster) are missing.

Your fake NFL player friend returns and begins to strike up conversation again. At this point you are attempting to probe deeper into his identity and whether he is telling the truth. Eventually you point blank ask him, "Did you actually have a contract with the Titans, because I tried to find you and couldn't?" 

To your surprise and dismay, he answers back to you, "No, I haven't signed any contracts." 

You fire back with frustration, "Then you're not really an NFL player or on the Titans." 

Thinking you could not be shocked by anything else he could possibly say, he hits you with, "Well who are you to judge whether or not I'm on the Tennessee Titans?" 

Unable to continue acting like this is a reasonable conversation, you passionately explain, "I'm nobody to judge, but the issue is very clear. If you have not signed a contract with the team or are not on the roster, then you're not a part of the team. Period. That is not debatable. That is a fact. It is an objective standard."

As you walk away you hear him mutter, "Well, that's your opinion and interpretation."

Not An Unfamiliar Scene

What I have described is a made up story, but the scenes and logic in this story resemble every day life. In the same way this guy claimed to be a NFL football player, but did not meet the objective standards for validating such a claim, many today profess to be Christians while believing and behaving in definitiely non-Christian ways. Many fail to meet the objective standards.

Some will say, "Well, those people claim to believe in Jesus, doesn't the Bible say that is sufficient for salvation? Doesn't that make them a Christian?" True, we are called to believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus for our salvation, but that belief, true belief, transforms us, not leaves us the same as before our belief. Believing a set of facts or premises is not what makes you a Christian. Even the Devil believes the right facts about Jesus. Doing this thing or that thing, or believing this fact or that fact, makes you no more a Christian than being in a garage makes you a car. 

Jesus says in Matthew 7 that a tree is known by its fruit. In other words, your life will tell the story of who/what you are. If you are a Christian, your life should reflect the beliefs and behaviors that are distinctively Christian. You are not free to make up your own rules or forge your own way and call it Christian. You are not free to slap your own operators manual to this thing we call the Christian life, it has already been written.

The Objective Standards

What is a Christian? Am I a Christian? These are not subjective questions. There is a distinction between being a Christian and not being one. This distinction is not determined by an individual's feelings or personal interpretation. It is objective. So what is it?

To determine whether someone is truly a Christian there should be evidences of two events in their life. First, there is the event of being born-again. Jesus himself teaches that unless a person is born-again he or she will not enter the kingdom of God (John 3:3). This event is also described as regeneration (Titus 3:5) or being saved (Romans 10:1-13). When we are born-again, saved, and experience regeneration, we are justified before God, pardoned of our sin, adopted into His family, and indwelled by the Holy Spirit, who testifies to our spirit that we are children of God (Romans 8:16). This is not a subjective feeling, this is an actual event. This is not believing a few facts about the Bible or Jesus, this is a profound changing of our heart of stone with a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26-27). It has either happened or it hasn't, no in-between.

This leads to the second event, transformation. Not only are we saved, born-again, and experience regeneration, this first event leads to the second event, we begin to change. Believers do not remain the same upon conversion. We do not go back to our old ways of living. We begin the process of transformation (Romans 12:1-2). We take off the old self and put on the new (Colossians 3:1-9). We pursue and strive for holiness, without which no one will see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14). We do not go back to our former ways when we walked in ignorance, but instead, we seek to be holy in all our conduct, just as the One who saved us and called us is holy (1 Peter 1:14-16). This event of transformation is not one time, but ongoing. We continue transforming in godliness for the rest of our lives. This is not subjective, it is measurable. (See Galatians 5:16-24)

Two events. We are born-again and we are transformed. These things are non-negotiable, objective standards of determining a Christian. If you have not been born-again, you are not a Christian, Jesus says so. And his opinion on the matter trumps your feelings about it. If your life is not being transformed to reflect more and more of God's will, as revealed through Scripture, then you are probably not a believer. True believers do not seek to justify their sinfulness by misinterpreting or reinterpreting the Bible. They humbly submit to God's Word and are transformed by it.

Who's Arrogant?

Finally, in the midst of all these debates in our culture, true believers will side with the Bible, not against it. True believers will reflect a biblical worldview, not the latest whims of the culture. True believers will see their lives transformed to reflect God's will, not remain in rebellion. True believers submit underneath God's Word, not stand above it.

John Piper has pointed out, and I believe him to be spot on, that believers are often charged with being arrogant because we try to teach everyone what the Scriptures teach concerning God and His will for mankind. But they are wrong. The opposite is true. Real arrogance is found in those who refuse to submit to an authority outside themselves, and instead, do whatever they please. Real arrogance is believing you make the rules. Refusing to submit to Scripture's teaching, and thinking you have the right to decide what a Christian is; that my friends, is the height of arrogance.

Amidst all the debates happening in our culture, it is time we call phooey on claims to be Christian that do not meet the criteria. As much as this raises the blood-pressure of some, it is time to give the Family Feud [X] (cue annoying buzzard sound) when folks self-identifying as Christians are living in habitual sin, without remorse, and holding distinctively non-Christian beliefs, without regard. Just ask them, "So you're a Christian, huh? Hmm..."

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I welcome your reactions and thoughts in the comment section below. Keep your responses mature, reasonable, and constructive.

Stand Firm!...But Don't Be An Idiot

As most of you reading this are aware, Phil Robertson of nationally acclaimed "Duck Dynasty," has gotten into some trouble. In an interview with GQ magazine, Robertson expressed his beliefs about homosexual behavior. In a nutshell, Robertson quoted Scripture about homosexual practice being sinful, and without repentance, something that will keep individuals from inheriting the kingdom of God. He also goes on to list other sins besides homosexuality, and he expresses that he too was a sinner who needed Jesus Christ as his Savior. 

The outrage from the LGBT community and organizations like GLADD led A&E to suspend Robertson indefinitely from the television show. Which - on a side note - I'm not sure how that is going to work considering the show is filmed at Robertson's house, business, and among his family. A&E immediately rushed to separate themselves from Robertson's comments by expressing that his words are an expression of his personal beliefs, not their beliefs.

A&E's decision yesterday went viral. Every other post and comment on Facebook and Twitter is talking about this decision. Many people are writing articles and blog posts, like this one, to give their opinion on the matter. Most of the people I follow, and are friends with, are outraged. Of course, there is a large segment of people in the country who are happy to see this decision made because the comments from Robertson were offensive to them. So once again we have a nation divided over morality, particularly over homosexuality. This issue is simply not going to go away or die down. 

A Piece of Advice

There are many good things written today about this topic (here and here). What I want to offer is a piece of advice for Christians on how to handle this and other situations that are sure to arise over this topic. 

1. Stand Firm. Christians may not be in the moral majority on this topic, but we must continue to stand firm on Scripture's teachings, not the culture's ebbs and flows. We do not take our cue from the opinions of man, but we lean in to what God has to say, through His Word, and allow that to form our worldview. 

2. Don't Be An Idiot. There is not a gentler way for me to say it. Yes, as Christians, we think Phil Robertson got hosed. We see this as an attack not on just his family, but us. We feel attacked. We feel ostracized. We feel muzzled. However, "how" we stand up in this world to represent Scripture's teachings is just as important as "what" we are standing up for. 

I have already witnessed Christians on Facebook and Twitter ranting and raving about how the culture just wants to make us all love homosexuality. I have seen people ready to boycott A&E. I have seen people quoting Scripture about homosexuality's sinfulness. I'm not saying that any of these people are wrong in their response to Robertson's suspension/firing, but I am saying we could easily cross over into sin in our response if we are not careful.

Consider Jesus' Example

Did Jesus affirm sin or wink at it from a distance? No. He stood firm on the truths of God's Word. But we do not see Jesus protesting in order to be heard. We do not see Jesus demonizing the sinners he was trying to rescue from bondage. Think about the woman caught in adultery in John 8. She was thrown at Jesus' feet, apparently caught in the act of adultery. The religious leaders want Jesus to condemn her according to the law. But instead of grab stones to hurl at her, Jesus confronts the religious leaders about their own sin. He gives them permission to stone her, if they are able to say they are without sin. When they are unable to lift a rock, they leave. However, Jesus, before parting with the woman, says to her, "Go and sin no more." 

Jesus showed compassion to the woman. He did not demonize her as "one of those people." He did not excuse her actions or say that it was okay. He gave her a strong command to go and sin no more. He called her to repent and leave her sin behind. He called her to a new way. But he also demonstrated a humble compassion for her. He showed gentleness. 

The Pharisees were outraged at her. Jesus was calm and kind. The Pharisees wanted blood, to prove they were right and to stand up for God's Word. Jesus, stood up for God's Word, but did it in such a way that is was less about being proven right, and more about the person.

Closing Thought

I give this example as a guide for us believers. Do I believe homosexuality is a sin? Yes. Do I believe Scripture teaches very clearly about this topic? Yes. Do I believe Phil Robertson is getting a raw deal? Yes. Do I believe Christians are being increasingly muzzled in our culture about our beliefs? Yes. So let's stand firm in our support of Phil. Let's stand firm in our beliefs about what the Bible teaches. Let's stand firm on our rights to voice our opinions and exercise free speech. But let's not act like idiots in the process. 

Not every gay person or non-believer is out to get you. Believers, not everyone in the world has a bone to pick with us. In the aftermath of the "Duck Dynasty" controversy, let's not respond sinfully in our responses. Let's fight for our responses to honor God, show compassion, and exercise wisdom. People in the LGBT community are fighting for what they believe is right. They do not believe the way we believe. They do not have the eyes to see the truth. To them, the gospel way is foolishness.

However, gay people are not our enemies...and even if they were, we serve a Master who commands us to "love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" (Matthew 5:44). Let's remember this in our social media and water cooler conversations. 

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Wisdom Cries Aloud: The Foolishness of the Sexting Craze

Where has wisdom gone to hide? She is noticeably absent and missing. Everywhere you turn you feel the void her absence brings. Like Kevin waking up to find out he is all alone while the rest of the McAllister family is cruising at 30,000 feet Paris bound, it seems we awaken to find ourselves looking around to discover wisdom is nowhere to be found. We appear to be home alone. 

Wisdom is interesting. You cannot touch wisdom. You cannot buy wisdom. You cannot smell, taste, hear, or see wisdom. Yet, interestingly, we all know when we encounter wisdom, and, as I hope to highlight, we all know when it is missing. A simple description of wisdom would be: the ability to connect cause and effect. Wisdom is knowing how decision x will produce consequence y. If I do this, this will happen. If I fail to do this, this will happen. Wisdom is the ability to see these factors and conditions, and with all the information, make the smartest and best decision. That is wisdom.  

What is the evidence that wisdom has long left us to our own devises? There are endless examples that could be pointed out to support the claim that wisdom, along with Elvis, has left the building. 

The Sexting Dilemma 

One such craze happening right now all over the world, and in all age groups, is sexting. This is a particular practice among young adults. For those who have been hanging out in a bunker somewhere and are not familiar with sexting, it is simply take nude photographs of yourself and sending them to someone via text message. Yes, this person is usually a boyfriend/girlfriend or someone trusted, and not a stranger. But it is unwise nonetheless. 

Why does this demonstrate a lack of wisdom? Okay, let's evaluate: taking a picture of your genitals or breasts to send to someone who then has the image on their phone, for as long as they desire, to show anyone they please, to send to infinite numbers of people...hey, you're right, what could go wrong? 

This phenomena has and continues to wreak havoc in countless people's lives. People are having their nude selves broadcasted to their entire school, or worse yet, online for endless millions. "How dare someone violate my trust by sharing my photo with other people?," you say. How foolish! What did you expect would happen! Forget the fact that you should not be showing your naked body to anyone other than your spouse - which means if you are spouseless you should not be showing your naked body to anyone - taking pictures with your electronics and sharing them with others is just plain dumb. 

Do you really think the person you are sending these pics to respects you? Do you think that the person you are sending these pics to wants to have a relationship based on friendship and something of substance? No way! Not when your willing to act like one of Hugh Hefner's insecure ladies who try to garner the affections and attention of others using their bodies.

Will your future spouse - because I can almost guarantee you the person your sending these pics too is not the one - going to be excited to know your genitals have had 5,698 views via the internet sites created to house such photos? What is your plan for when the "relationship" doesn't work out? Are you going to send a friendly text that says: "Hey, sorry it didn't work out, would you mind erasing that picture of my boobs I sent you? LOL #embarassing" I hate to break the bad news, by the time you have sent that text, your lady parts have already been shown to all his buds, plus a few of his female friends (who all think you are a skank now).

Foolish, Foolish, Foolish

"I just didn't think he/she would hurt me like that. I can't believe they shared my pics with others." This is spoken by a fool. If wisdom is defined by the ability to connect cause and effect, the fool is defined as someone who cannot make this connection. The fool is the person who acts without thinking of the consequences. The fool keeps repeating mistakes because they never learn to assess how one decision may bring about a set of consequences they do not desire. 

At the heart of the sexting craze is rampant foolishness. Guys and gals alike are both acting foolishly. Because they hear of other couples sharing pictures with each other, it becomes the thing to do. Many are just burning with lust, seeking to find fulfillment through sexual contact and exploitation, rather than relationships built on friendships and shared beliefs. The truth is, everyone knows it could backfire and that it's wrong, but they do it anyway. This is why it is foolish. Friends, when you press "send," you can never ever get the picture back. You no longer have control as to who will see your naked body. This is also why you should not be surprised when your worst fears have come true and your desire to run and hide far outweighs the adrenaline rush you had when sending the pics. 

A Closing Plea

As a father of three younger children, two being girls, I greatly desire to teach them to be wise. I do not want them doing things simply to blend with the crowd and culture. I want them to respect themselves enough to not broadcast the body God gave them to people who have no business seeing it. I want them to know their dignity and respect is far more important to keep than some zit-face kid with raging hormones and desire to impress his buds. 

What I would say to them, I say to you. Exercise wisdom. The Bible says that fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10). Fearing the Lord is about reverence and honor to Him as your Creator. He made your body. You were made in the image of God which is what gives you dignity and worth. You deface that dignity and worth when you seek your value from your body. Your body was made by God. Your body is not God. Your body has worth because you are made in the image of God. You do not find your worth in your body. This is crucial to understand. 

Wisdom cries aloud in the streets (Proverbs 1:20). She is seeking for all who will listen to her. She desires to protect us. We must heed her instructions and listen to her pleas. She'll return to us again if we would open our ears. If we would stop and think, she will dwell among us. Unlike Kevin, I do not think we will survive long with our house absent of her presence. We need wisdom to return and take her rightful place in our lives. I have smelled the repugnant fragrance of foolishness in our culture long enough.

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Karma, Really?

If you are a Christian or Materialist Atheist who references karma, you are bearing witness that you are inconsistent in your worldview.

Karma is the concept of an immaterial force in the universe which exacts justice and vindicates wrongs. The idea is if you are mean to people, karma is going to get you back. If you are nice to people, karma will reward you. Karma is a tenet of Hindu and Buddhist religious belief. These Eastern religions teach of this impersonal force that governs people's actions and regulates the affairs of the world with the scales of justice.

What is most disturbing about this idea is that many professing Christians talk about and reference it. Karma is not a Christian belief. We do not believe in karma. We do not believe in an impersonal force operating in the universe to right wrongs and reward good. We believe in a God who rules and reigns over the universe. Galatians 6:7 teaches that we reap what we sow. This means that if we sow sinful actions and behaviors, we will reap the consequences such actions bring. Likewise if we sow godly actions, we will likely experience the blessing of such actions. This is a far cry from karma. Galatians 6:7 supports the idea of cause and effect. If I train extremely hard to run a marathon, eat right, and prepare myself, I will reap the benefits of a solid race. If I sow the habits of laziness, eating unhealthy, and fail to train, I will reap the consequences of a miserable day if I attempt to run 26.2 miles. However, life doesn't always work that way. Sometimes the guy who trains for months for the marathon gets hurt as soon as the race starts and is unable to finish. That is life. 

Christians who talk about karma are demonstrating they do not read their Bible's very often. At a minimum, they demonstrate they have been seduced by unbiblical thinking and ideas. For Christians to speak of karma is to syncretize unbiblical beliefs into a Christian belief system, which is creating an entirely separate system - a melting pot of contradictory ideas. 

For the non-Christian, particularly the Materialist Atheist, speaking of karma is also inconsistent with their worldview. The Materialist Atheist believes the world consists of matter. All that exists is physical in nature. For this same person to speak and reference karma, which is an invisible and impersonal force in the universe which brings about justice, is a contradiction. The Materialist Atheist cannot account for such a belief within the framework of his/her belief system. He is borrowing from Eastern religions and incorporating it into his worldview. 

Karma does not exist. Sometimes good people suffer much in this world. Sometimes bad people have it made. Great parents can have unhealthy children and negligent parents can have healthy children. The guy who gets drunk every night and cheats on his wife may catch a lot of business breaks and strike it rich. The guy who is faithful to his wife and family may get fired by the previous guy. 

There is no impersonal force in the world governing the universe. There is a God, Triune in nature, who is personal, who rules the universe. Wrongs will be made right one day, He promises so. But on this side of heaven, sometimes good guys lose, and bad guys win (read Asaph's psalm - Psalm 78). Karma is a joke. Do yourself a favor and eliminate it from your vocabulary and way of expressing the happenings in the world. It is simply not a reality.

Homosexuality & Abortion

At The Journey Church, we have been teaching through a series called Counter-Culture: Living for Christ in a world that hates Him. It is a five week series, and we complete the last message this coming Sunday. 

The first week we spent time establishing the reality that everyone has a worldview and an ultimate authority. We talked about the different worldviews and authorities that exist, and outlined how and why Christians look to the Bible to inform and shape our worldview.
The second message focused on the accusation and charge against Christians of being judgmental and intolerant. We looked at what the Bible says about this and explored how we as Christians can be both vocal about truth and graceful in our approach. 

Our third and fourth messages in the series have been by far the most difficult and the most important. We have looked at the issues of homosexuality and abortion, two of the most controversial topics in our society today. We believe Christians need to know how to speak into our culture the gospel of truth on this subjects, but we believe there is a way in which we should do it. 

These two messages are some of the most important messages we have preached out our church and we would be pleased if they can serve to help you too. 

Here is the link for Week 3's message: Homosexuality and Christian Belief

Here is the link for Week 4's message: Abortion and Christian Belief

May God use these messages to sound the trumpet of truth in our world, equip the saints for engaging our culture, and display the triumphant grace and mercy of our Savior Jesus Christ.

Which of these messages have been most helpful to you? Why do you believe churches remain largely silent on these topics?

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Rid of My Shame: Opening Up About Mental Health Issues (Part I)

Last night, Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Community Church in California shared his family's story of their son's suicide in April after a lifelong battle with mental health issues. My wife and I watched with tears as we imagined their anguish and grief. 

One of the things that stood out to me from the interview was Pastor Rick's words about mental health issues in our country. He spoke about how mental health problems are still a lingering taboo in our culture. People don't like talking about or admitting they struggle with these things. As somebody who has dealt with ongoing bouts of anxiety and panic attacks, I know exactly what he is talking about.

My Story

When my son, Kaleb, was born, he had numerous medical issues. We lived in the hospital for months. Two months after he was born, doctors felt he needed to have surgery to fix what was going on. To make a long story much shorter, the surgery went incredibly wrong, leaving his life in the balance. We were faced with decisions about his care that would determine whether he lived or died. We chose to fight. That fight was a two year battle which finally led to Kaleb receiving a kidney transplant. However, the battle had taken its toll. 

Approximately six months into Kaleb's treatment and hospitalization, I had a panic attack driving down the road. I was on my way to a college class, and out of nowhere, had a full scale panic attack. My heart was pounding rapidly. I thought I was having a heart attack. I broke into a cold sweat. I was freaking out. I pulled over on the side of the road and started crying. I called my wife, trying to calm myself down. I explained to her what had just happened, but even as I explained it, I felt foolish. What was wrong with me? Am I going crazy? What just happened? Will this happen again? All these questions and more lingered the entire day at school. 

Living with Mental Health Struggles

Nothing like this had ever happened to me. Until this point, I was a picture of perfect health, especially mentally. Over the course of the next several months and years, I would deal with these attacks. I would feel anxiety driving in my car, laying in the bed to sleep at night, sitting in a movie theatre, riding in a plane, and many other places. I learned a few weeks after my first attack this was called anxiety. I was told many people suffer with it. This both comforted me and saddened me. I had never had any issues like this before. Prior to these episodes, I would have dismissed such things as created in the mind, not a real issue.

I felt I was crazy, or at least going crazy. I wondered if telling other people about my struggles would only confirm this thought. I didn't know how to explain to people what was happening, because explaining it only confirmed (in my own mind) how ridiculous it was. I was ashamed. I attempted so hard to "think about something different." But it doesn't work that way. You cannot control it with mind over matter. Mental health doesn't work like that. It is real. You can't outtalk it. You can't manipulate yourself into dismissing its realness. You can't reason your way out of it.

At one point, during some of the worse times I faced, I remember thinking to myself: this is why some people commit suicide. I get it now. I wasn't suicidal, nor have I ever considered it. But for the first time in my life, I finally understood the feeling of hopelessness that ensues when you think your misery and suffering will never end. When I would sit and think about struggling with anxiety and panic attacks for the rest of my life, it would depress me. 

Finding Hope

But friends, we are not hopeless. There is a God who gives grace to us in our hour of need. It is a sufficient grace that comforts us, even in our afflictions (2 Corinthians 12:9). I have found this true. It doesn't mean that my problems always go away or get better. It means that I have a hope and comfort from God that accompanies me in the suffering. Even when the suffering doesn't lift, I know He is with me.

Lastly, to all who have or are struggling with mental health issues, it's okay to talk about it. You are not strange. You do not have to be ashamed. There are others who face the things you battle each day. I have found that sharing my struggles over the last few years with others has opened conversations about their own struggles. Talking about it has actually helped me. I hope this post will serve to do the same. You don't have to live silent about your struggles. Get rid of your shame. You are not alone.

Tomorrow in Part II, I will discuss ways that I have found hope and help in my struggles with mental health. We'll talk about misconceptions and what I believe to be poor Christian counsel on this subject. 

Leave a comment below if this is something you or someone you loved has faced. What do you struggle with? What has been helpful to you? What feelings and emotions have you carried with this battle?

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