Ah, dear friends, God has only to give you what you want, to make you feel the emptiness of it! —C.H. Spurgeon
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Daily Archives: September 5, 2017
Barna Update | Should Sex Ed Teach Abstinence? Most Americans Say Yes
Sexual norms have changed dramatically over the years, and young people are often left to their own devices (sometimes literally) when it comes to navigating sexuality. A new Barna study uncovers how Americans see their responsibility to educate and equip teens to make choices about sex.
My brethren, do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good
by Mike Ratliff
1 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:1-2 (NASB)
In our daily Christian walk it is a rare day in which we take every thought captive and, through our active repentance, successfully deny ourselves through every circumstance. I don’t think I could claim that I have successfully done this the majority of the time. However, our God is wise and omniscient. It should be a matter of great rejoicing on our part that our perseverance is in His hands and is based on the work of the…
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Why the Rejection of the Nashville Statement on Sexuality Is a Rejection of the Bible
The problem is not with the Nashville Statement. It is with the Bible, since the statement only reaffirms what the Bible clearly teaches, namely that: 1) God made humans male and female; 2) marriage, as intended by God, is the lifelong union of a man and a woman; 3) homosexual practice is always sinful in God’s sight; 4) God offers forgiveness for all human beings through the cross of Jesus; and 5) those who struggle with same-sex attraction or gender identity confusion can be welcomed into the Body of Christ like any other struggling individual, as long as they do not celebrate or affirm that which is wrong.
If a group of astronomers issued a major document stating that the Earth revolves around the sun and the moon revolves around the Earth, it would be greeted with a shrug of the shoulders. Who didn’t know that? Why, then, has a recent statement by Christian leaders affirming the basics of biblical sexuality been greeted with such protest from other professing Christian leaders? It is because these other “Christian” leaders have rejected the authority of the Word of God.
For those who haven’t read the Nashville Statement, the Babylon Bee, a Christian satirical website, actually sums things up well, and with some well-placed sarcasm: “It says some really controversial stuff for Bible-believing Christians, like that God made Adam and Eve as (trigger warning) male and female, that marriage was created by God to be the union between one man and one woman, that He loves people with gender dysphoria and same-sex attraction even if He doesn’t approve of all of their actions, and that He offers His grace and mercy to sinners of all stripes.”
Yes, just the most basic of the basics, reaffirming what the Church (and Synagogue) have believed about marriage and sexuality for two millennia and offering grace and mercy to all. That’s why, when I was asked to be one of the initial signatories, I signed on without hesitation. What was there to disagree with?
Yet in response to the Nashville Statement a headline on the Huffington Post declared, “Hundreds Of Christian Leaders Denounce Anti-LGBTQ ‘Nashville Statement.’” The Post called the statement “divisive and bizarrely-timed,” noting that it “drew harsh criticism from many other Christians, members of the LGBTQ community and even the mayor of Nashville.”
Need I tell you that this article was penned by Antonia Blumberg for the Post’s “Queer Voices” section?
Of course LGBT activists and their allies will condemn a statement that reaffirms God’s standards for marriage and sexuality. Why should that occasion surprise?
Likewise, a September 1 op-ed piece in the New York Times stated that, “This week, an influential group of evangelical Christians publicly doubled down on intolerance in a message about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people that represents a renewed commitment to open bigotry.”
Yes, “The Nashville Statement’s harm is more than symbolic. The hateful beliefs it endorses have real-life, devastating consequences.”
And who is the author of this article? Eliel Cruz, a self-described “leading bisexual activist.”
Are you seeing a pattern here?
The problem is not with the Nashville Statement. It is with the Bible, since the statement only reaffirms what the Bible clearly teaches, namely that: 1) God made humans male and female; 2) marriage, as intended by God, is the lifelong union of a man and a woman; 3) homosexual practice is always sinful in God’s sight; 4) God offers forgiveness for all human beings through the cross of Jesus; and 5) those who struggle with same-sex attraction or gender identity confusion can be welcomed into the Body of Christ like any other struggling individual, as long as they do not celebrate or affirm that which is wrong.
The post Why the Rejection of the Nashville Statement on Sexuality Is a Rejection of the Bible appeared first on The Aquila Report.
The Briefing 09-05-17
Lessons small become lessons large: North Korean threat reveals necessity of stability and order
- New York Times ( Motoko Rich and David Sanger) — Motives of North Korea’s Leader Baffle Americans and Allies
- Financial Times (Gideon Rachman) — Miscalculation could lead to a Korean war
The strength of relationships vs. the fragility of stuff in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey
Two rival visions of Christianity on display in the response to the Nashville Statement
The post The Briefing 09-05-17 appeared first on AlbertMohler.com.
Victims of Bill Johnson’s SOZO Ministry speak out
Amy Spreeman of Berean Research (BR) examines the dangerous inner healing and deliverance ministry known as SOZO. In an earlier piece, BR revealed that “SOZO prayer is the brain child of husband and wife team Bill (self-proclaimed modern-day apostle) and Beni (New Age guru) Johnson, both of whom are pastors of the infamous Bethel Church in Redding CA.” Supposedly the SOZO ministry will help participants solve problems that are blocking their spiritual growth. But what those who take part in this are unaware of is that some of the techniques used are drawn from occult methodologies.
Now to the first installment of a series Amy’s doing on SOZO prayer:
Many churches are bringing a practice called SOZO into their ministry, at the peril of damaging the sheep and possibly shipwrecking their faith. SOZO Prayer is a technique based on psychology and used by so-called “inner healing ministries” sweeping churches today.
This psycho-spiritual deliverance and inner healing methodology is designed to exorcise demons from Christians. Not that a Christian can be possessed by demons, but that is one of many apostate teachings from the New Apostolic Reformation, or NAR. (See, What your church needs to know about NAR.)
How Fashion Is Helping Megachurch Pastors Reach A New Demographic
We’ll begin with a quote from a celebrity pastor:
“I don’t see myself as an influencer in fashion at all,” says [Chad] Veach. “I’ve been just really blessed to have guys that are close friends in the [fashion] industry.” Still, he acknowledges that dressing a certain way can provide a quick “in” with people who might otherwise write him off. “If I walk into a place and I’m wearing something that makes people go, ‘that’s a cool outfit,’ I am working with an advantage, rather than a disadvantage of like, ‘man, those are really whack sneakers.’”
Whitney Bauck of Fashionista tells us how “pastors” who are into fashion are winning back millennials who are leaving the Church in droves. According to Bauck, “there’s no doubt that fashion plays at least a supporting role” in bringing them back to what is considered a church these days.
Megachurch pastor Chad Veach
Hailey Baldwin considers “church wife” to be an aspirational look, according to her Twitter and her stylist’s Instagram.
If you mostly know Baldwin through social media, which features myriad images of the model wearing scanty lingerie or revealing dresses, that may seem incongruous. But if you know the churches she’s referencing — and the ministers that lead them — it’s less surprising.
Source: How Fashion Is Helping Megachurch Pastors Reach A New Demographic
September 5, 2017: Verse of the day
15 In his total abandonment, the psalmist cries out to God as his sole refuge. Because of his sin, guilt, and the consequences of sin, he has no argument against his foes. His foes would desire nothing better than his destruction. But even in the darkest moments, there is still the glimmer of light born out of a living faith. He knows that God can answer. In his address to God, the psalmist still calls him “Lord my God.” In the Psalter this form of address is far from being a pious phrase, a liturgical form, or an impersonal manner of address. The psalmist claims that the Ruler of the universe is his God.[1]
[1] VanGemeren, W. A. (2008). Psalms. In T. Longman III & D. E. Garland (Eds.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Psalms (Revised Edition) (Vol. 5, p. 356). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
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