Month: April 2017
Maryland Will Take Funds from Low-Income Families to Pay for Abortion
Posted on April 26, 2017 in Life, Public Policy by Nathan Cherry
A law requiring Maryland taxpayers to fund Planned Parenthood if the federal government defunds the abortion merchant will go into effect on July 1. The law sat on Gov. Hogan’s desk but did not receive his signature or a veto. This means, without his support, the law will go into effect. Why the self-described pro-life governor did not veto the legislation is unclear.
The law stipulates that if the federal government defunds Planned Parenthood, Maryland will take $2 million from the Medicaid fund for low-income families and give it to the abortion chain. Another $700,000 from the state’s general fund will also be given. Rather than helping low-income families with their healthcare, Maryland has decided to prioritize abortion. And all of it will be paid for with our tax money.
Judas Shows Us Why the Doctrine of Election is So Important to Understand
Posted on April 25, 2017 in Theology by Nathan Cherry
Some would say that if we only make our churches cool enough, make them “inclusive,” or “approachable,” that people will come and will find Jesus. But this understanding of the Gospel and the purpose of the church is wrong. The Bible makes it clear that “no one seeks God.” (Rom. 3:11) Even more blunt than that is the truth that Jesus spoke when He told us “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.” (John 6:44) In these verses we have clear teaching that no one is seeking God, no one is looking for salvation in Jesus. In fact, no one has the ability to “find Jesus” unless the Father first draws that person. And Judas is a perfect example of this truth.
Judas was a devil.
Have You Begun to Catechize Your Children? Should You?
Posted on April 20, 2017 in Family, Theology by Nathan Cherry
Most Protestant parents have never given catechism a first thought, much less a second-thought. Our Protestant churches, Baptist in particular, don’t consider catechism important and give no effort to teaching parents its importance.
In this short video, however, Tim Keller gives a few reasons why catechism is an important aspect of spiritual formation in children. Rather than relying solely on the church to teach and train kids parents are to be intimately involved in this process.
Catechism, meaning memorization, is not something only Catholics do, although we tend to think of Catholics when we think of catechism. Catechism is the process of spiritual formation designed to impart biblical knowledge and teach children God’s word. And, as Keller points out, “memorization always leads to mediation.” This memorization and meditation is one of the key benefits of catechism. But it’s also critical for spiritual formation in a culture that is saturated with information.
Experiencing Sex Before Your First Kiss – We Have a Porn Problem
Posted on April 18, 2017 in Sexuality by Nathan Cherry
As a father it is heartbreaking to think that many teenage girls are being pressured daily to provide naked pictures and sexual favors to hyper-sexualized boys. At one time boys first viewed pornography around ages 11-13. That number has now been moved back to age 8. But even the pornography they viewed was not the hard-core images and videos available at the touch of a finger today.
But we also have to acknowledge that previous generations primarily viewed static images, not video clips or even full-length movies. The average male first experienced pornography in the pages of a magazine where images could not talk or do more than hold a single pose. Today however, the pornography being viewed is video clips from all over the world being uploaded by porn producers, movie and music stars, and the average person next door. The world of porn has gone global.
5 Tax Tips You Don’t Want to Miss Out On
Posted on April 13, 2017 in Money by Nathan Cherry
Now that the “most wonderful time of the year” is behind us, it’s time for the most dreaded time of the year: tax season. But if you take advantage of these tax breaks you can make this time of a year a lot more jolly.
We can all agree that no one likes paying taxes. As a financial professional I spend time talking about taxes with a lot of people and nearly everyone agrees that they don’t like paying taxes. I did run into one person that said she did not mind paying taxes and, frankly, I had no comment for that. I don’t know where to go when someone says they don’t mind taxes.
For most of us though, taxes are not something we enjoy. But they are necessary. Since we have to pay taxes we should at least know about the different tax breaks we can take advantage of to help reduce our tax burden. Let me share 5 valuable tax breaks with you.
Should a Woman Be Allowed to Kill a Living, Breathing Baby Already Born?
Posted on April 11, 2017 in Life by Nathan Cherry
For some people, the abortion issue is complicated. There’s the line, some extensions of the line, the grey areas, and the loopholes. Very few people, despite what you might hear from the media, support abortion on demand through an entire pregnancy. Far more people support abortion restrictions as a pregnancy progresses later in the term.
For a larger percentage of the population abortion is filled with what-ifs and lines to be crossed. Someone might claim to be pro-life but support abortion in the case of rape. That’s not a pro-life position. That’s supporting abortion. If abortion is morally wrong, and it is, then it’s always wrong. The circumstances for the conception of a child don’t change the reality that killing a living human being is wrong. Supporting abortion the case of rape then, is also wrong.
Is It Fair to Let Men Compete Against Women in Sports?
Posted on April 6, 2017 in Public Policy, Sexuality by Nathan Cherry
If I was a woman, training to compete in national and international competition, I would be concerned. I would recognize that I am about to compete against biological men that will have a natural advantage over me. So we now have to wonder, where’s the outrage from feminists over this obviously unfair treatment of women?
Biblical Election Works Much Like a Political Election
Posted on April 4, 2017 in Theology by Nathan Cherry
The fact that God chose Abraham out of the many He could have chosen makes the concept of biblical election clear. This example also shows us that election is an act of God’s sovereign will, having nothing to do with the person being chosen (elected). Abraham didn’t petition God to be elected, God chose Abraham before Abraham chose God. But, and this is important, once God chose Abraham, Abraham then chose God. When God called Abraham to leave his country, Abraham obeyed. This is the perfect picture of election because God chose Abraham, then Abraham chose God, just as the American people choose their president and then the “president-elect” chooses the American people by accepting the position.