9 Unbiblical Statements that Bible-Loving Christians Believe
Several of these unbiblical statements have gained enough traction that many people believe they’re actually Bible verses.
The fact that many of us Christians believe these unbiblical statements shows our unfortunate overall biblical illiteracy. Instead of swallowing popular statements hook-line-and-sinker; may we be like the Bereans in the Book of Acts. When they heard Paul preach, they wanted to research the Scriptures themselves to authenticate what he was saying: “The brothers immediately... Continue Reading
Same-Sex “Marriage” is Becoming the Established Religion
If you don’t agree to celebrate same sex marriage, the established religion will commence an inquisition and, without a trial, punish you for heresy.
What compelling government interest is there to force someone to support a same-sex wedding? It’s not like there is a shortage of people willing to do so. If a 70 year-old grandmother who is a florist can’t arrange flowers at your same-sex wedding, why not just go to someone else who would be happy to... Continue Reading
Did Jesus Talk about Homosexuality?
Jesus never explicitly says anything about same-sex relations though there are three texts that could mention or imply same-sex relations
A student, Derwin Gray, asked me this summer if I thought porneia included same-sex relations. I said, “Yes, in general” but I wasn’t sure it was explicit. I spent some time this winter working on this term and I would now sharpen this point to say when the term porneia is used in a general... Continue Reading
The Troubled Soul and the Instructed Mind
As you find yourselves sorely tried and troubled, put behind you the lies of Satan and ponder the truths of God
God promises that through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, you who are troubled can still contentment, peace, and joy. Yes, Moses can sing in the wilderness, David can sing in the cave, and the Apostles can sing in jail. Therefore, you too can simultaneously cry and sing as you walk through the Valley of the Shadow... Continue Reading
The Corporate Testimony of the Worship of Christ
The central work of the congregation in praising the name of the Lord in regular, corporate, public worship
A biblical understanding of worship sees every Lord’s Day corporate gathering as an extraordinary event where the people of God come into the presence of the Almighty and through His blessed gift of the means of grace grow spiritually in their understanding of His attributes and the thorough and perfect nature of the sacrifice of... Continue Reading
Naive Young Evangelicals and the Illiberal DNA of the Gay Rights Movement
There is no room for naivety about our current cultural crisis
There is no room for naivety about our current cultural crisis. Only within the evangelical world naivety is the dominant problem. Young evangelicals who are increasingly sympathetic to their cause want to make nice with gay marriage while supporting religious liberty, but until we are given arguments for how they can coexist given our current legal and political... Continue Reading
What They Despise Is the Fact that God Discriminates
The real issue behind the controversial RFRA is not primarily about religious freedom; it is about the character of God
God does discriminate according to morals. Now don’t get me wrong. Christians are justified by faith, but justification produces sanctification. Sanctification is all about morals. This is the reason that in the gospel all people are called to repentance. Christians pursue “sanctification without which no one shall see the Lord” (Heb. 12:14). This is why... Continue Reading
The Church of the Left
Whether you share in the particular substantive views of progressivism or not, surely you ought to agree that it should not become our state religion
They are in this sense more like religious believers under compulsion in a society with an established church than like believers denied the freedom to exercise their religion. Liberals are in this respect right to say they’re not trying to kill religious liberty. They’re trying to take it back to something like the form it... Continue Reading
Sorry to Disappoint the Social-Justice Warriors, but the Faithful Won’t Yield on Religious Liberty
The conventional wisdom is that moral opposition to same-sex marriage will eventually evaporate; this is an illusion and won’t happen.
GracePointe’s move is not without concrete consequences. January giving usually is about $100,000–so far this month the church has brought in an estimated $52,000. When GracePointe began the listening process in 2012, Sunday attendance averaged 800-1000. The Sunday he preached the inclusion sermon, attendance was 673, and two weeks later, it was down to 482.... Continue Reading
Gordon College Accuses Gay Activists Of Discriminating Against Its Christian Students
No college has taken more flak after running afoul of the gay rights movement than Gordon College, but it turns out the small Christian institution also has some supporters.
So far Gordon’s admissions have not suffered, with the number of applications received a little higher than last year, Mr. Sweeney said. The school has about 1,800 undergraduates and about 300 graduate students. “We’re hoping folks will remember the type of institution we are and respect the religious beliefs that are part of that, none of... Continue Reading