The Reformed Advisor

Tag: Bible

She Claims to be a Christian, Minister, AND a Planned Parenthood Volunteer

Posted on January 5, 2016 in Life by

I’ve almost come to the conclusion that nothing is shocking anymore. In a world where people get paid obscene amounts of money to sing, act, or play sports while the people educating our kids struggle to get by. It’s hard to fathom too much that would be shocking.

For that matter, we live in a world where our government works hard to protect plants and animals while they endorse the whole-sale murder of unborn children. So I say once again that it seems we are living a time when nothing can shock us.

Then I ran across this gem of a story.

Methodist Minister: I Help Women Get Abortions at Planned Parenthood Because I’m a Christian

Emma Akpan is a self-identified Christian, minister, and Planned Parenthood volunteer. She says that helping women at Planned Parenthood to kill their unborn children is something she does “because of my faith.” She recently said:

These 5 Tips for Christian Parents Will Help Teach Our Faith to Our Children

Posted on December 9, 2015 in Family, Theology by

Once upon a time people thought it was the church’s job to instill faith into their children. Now only the naïve and mistaken parent adheres to that misguided idea. The faith of my children is primarily my responsibility; the church is there to supplement what I am doing to grow my children in the “nurture and admonition” of the Lord. Knowing that I have such a great responsibility means placing a priority on their spiritual development. Before anything else, musical development, athletic development, or even vocational development, comes their spiritual development.

I’m not arrogant enough to think I can do it alone. I constantly search for resources to aid in my teaching and training. To that end I recently read an article at Monergism that stood out. It was a very simple reminder to Christian parents about what it takes to raise godly kids. One striking feature of the article is that it nowhere mentions the church. Now, this doesn’t mean the author is suggesting the church holds no importance in our children’s faith formation. To the contrary this article is merely giving some practical tips to parents with a deep burden to grow faith in their kids.

Another feature of the article is that every tip given was directly aimed at parents. This reiterates that the responsibility for my kids’ faith development is primarily my responsibility. At least for a while I must lead in instilling those seeds of faith that I want to see grow. It is a very dangerous thing to try and unload this responsibility on someone else; or even the church. Not only are we risking that those seeds won’t be planted at all; we are risking that the wrong seeds will be planted or that they won’t be properly watered and will die.

Take a look at some of the useful advice from the article that can help us instill a life-long faith in our children:

Have You Ever Wanted to Leave Church? You’re Not the Only One!

Posted on November 17, 2015 in Theology by

Have you ever considered walking away from church?

That question has become a central topic in many churches, conferences, and publications. The rise of the “dones” is a phenomenon that is both interesting to watch and terrifying. For many pastors and church leaders it is a nightmare that they are facing and trying to figure out. For church culture commentators it has become a routine topic of discussion.

So, who are the dones?

The dones are the most committed, involved, faithful members of a congregation. They are leaders in ministry; they are teachers; they are the biblically educated; they are the givers. And they are walking away from church. They don’t relocate to another church, and they aren’t retreating to house churches (not all of them). They are simply walking away from the organized, institutional church…forever.

Some will be quick to judge and say that these are backslidden people that need to “get right with God,” and get back in church. Others are little more judgmental and claim that these are people that “may not be saved at all.” Name-calling and judgment won’t stop the dones from walking away so it might be a better use of our time to figure out why they are leaving.

People Claim Jesus Was “Inclusive.” Did Jesus Really Accept Sin?

Posted on October 27, 2015 in Public Policy, Sexuality, Theology by

Lately, much has been made of the word “inclusive.” We want to make sure no one is excluded, unwelcome, or alienated. We want to be one big happy family that gets along all the time. And in order to do that, we are hell-bent on accepting people – and their views – just as they are.

So dedicated are we to this idea of universal inclusion that we stand ready to revise centuries of tradition, values, and faith in order to ensure everyone has a seat at the table. For Christians the struggle to rightly live our faith each and every day according to the transcendent truth of Scripture has never been more difficult.

How do we “love your neighbor as yourself” in a culture that says unless you celebrate and advocate for my sin you are a discriminatory bigot? That might be the question of the century for every Christian. And some Christians have decided the only way to “love your neighbor” is to joyfully accept, celebrate, and endorse his sin. So whether that sin is homosexuality, co-habitation, gambling, or any other form of sin – they cheer.

Weak Preaching Has Left Millennials with Weak Theology. Will They Weaken the Church?

Posted on October 20, 2015 in Theology by

The reality is that the churches’ silence on many of the difficult, controversial topics of our day has created a vacuum that is being filled by secularists and others that see the Bible as a book of fairy tales. Because more pastors are not willing to address tough topics – they don’t produce warm fuzzies – many young believers are left to fend for themselves when it comes to being educated about these topics. The drive inside many churches to avoid conflict is a misguided attempt to produce unity. Pastors believe if they only focus on the main issues in Scripture that the church will be united. Two decades of this mentality has proven otherwise.

I’ll be the first to say that issues such as abortion, gay marriage, gender identity and immigration are tough. Some of these the Bible speaks directly to; others are not so clear. But the one thing I am absolutely convinced of is that clear guidance can be gleaned from the pages of Scripture. But it takes a man dedicated to clearly communicating what the Bible does say about these topics, and a willingness to teach the biblical principles concerning each topic regardless of public opinion.

What Message is Your Church Sending to Hurting People?

Posted on October 13, 2015 in Theology by

Last week was a little chaotic for me. During the whirlwind week, which involved a last minute flight to St. Louis, I had the chance to spend some time talking with a man that shares a very similar story as mine. By “similar story” I mean a man that spent many years in full-time vocational church ministry and is now doing something else.

But, the similarities in our stories did not end with our transition from vocational ministry to secular work. What became apparent is that we both found ourselves making similar observations about the church and our own theology. Let me share an example.

I was talking with a friend some weeks back and said “for all the talk the church does about grace and forgiveness, there seems to be very little offered.” My comment came after many people called for pastors and church leaders caught in the Ashley Madison hack to be removed from their positions (some even calling for them to be removed from church membership). This struck me as so odd. I recalled Peter denying he even knew Jesus and yet Jesus never once thought about stripping his Apostleship.

The overtone of responses by many Christians to this event left me wondering what our communities and religious skeptics thought of us when we decided it was a good idea to shoot our wounded. Fast forward to one of the first conversations I had with my new friend in St. Louis. I asked him why he was no longer in vocational ministry. He offered several reasons but included in his answer that he has been less than excited by the lack of grace and forgiveness in the local church.

The Governmental Persecution of the Church Has Begun

Posted on September 29, 2015 in Public Policy, Religious Freedom by

If I were to ask you whether churches would ever lose their tax-exempt status (or be sued) for refusing to support homosexuality, what would you say?

Can you imagine a time in our nation when a church would be forced, under penalty of law, to accept something that it believes is sin? That is the question many people are currently wondering. In light of the earlier Supreme Court ruling in the Obergfell case, political analysts are speculating that it is just a matter of time before churches are in one way or another forced to support homosexuality and same-sex “marriage.”

In particular, commentator Bill O’Reilly said he thinks it’s “just a matter of time” before churches are sued for refusing to perform same-sex weddings. In a video after the Supreme Court decision he said:

“It’s just a matter of time before lawsuits are filed against churches and religious organizations, trying to strip them of their tax-exempt status if they don’t toe the line on gay marriage and other progressive causes.”

Let’s be honest here, it has always been religious people that have stood in the way of liberal causes. When you think of the primary opposition to abortion, homosexuality, and other liberal social ideas, it is Christians and those with deeply held religious convictions that stand opposed. For this reason people of faith are a target, an obstacle to be removed in order to achieve some liberal idea of a utopian society.

Here’s What I Think About Kim Davis and Christians Ignoring the “Law of the Land”

Posted on September 23, 2015 in Marriage, Religious Freedom by

The more I read the less I’m sure of. Is Kim Davis an example that Christians should take note of for her refusal to compromise her religious convictions? Is she a criminal interfering with “the law of the land” that needs to either “get with the program” or get out of the way?

One thing I am sure of is that most people, by now, have at least heard of Kim Davis. And I am fairly certain that most people have made up their mind about whether they view Davis as a hero or a villain. But all the noise and static in the media and on blogs takes time to wade through.

At the risk of personifying irony by becoming part of the noise and static, I wanted to share some thoughts on what could, potentially, be one of the most crucial incidents in our nation’s history.

There seems to be a grave misunderstanding taking place that could alter the course of events if not adequately cleared up. Some are inclined to think that the Supreme Court of the United States makes laws in our country when, in fact, they do not. The Supreme Court has no authority to make laws but, in reality, is to uphold existing laws. It is Congress that has the task of making laws. For this reason Kim Davis is well within the bounds of law to refuse to sign a marriage certificate for a same-sex couple. Why?

A Church That Wants to Grow Must Do These 2 Things Really Well

Posted on September 15, 2015 in Theology by

I was struck by the juxtaposition of two article recently. One discussed the “effective things churches do well,” while the other detailed the “internal barriers to growth in a church.” What makes these two articles so interesting is their relationship to one another.

The things one church does well, resulting in growth, is often the same thing another church does poorly, resulting in declining attendance. For this reason church leaders ought to make it a point to pay attention to their cultural context in order to determine what things need done, what needs changed, and the difference between the two.

Let’s look at several examples:

Maybe The Kentucky Clerk Should Be Jailed For Refusing to Issue Marriage Licenses. Maybe?

Posted on September 9, 2015 in Marriage, Religious Freedom by

So Daniel refused to compromise his convictions, even while working for the king (a secular entity). That decision led to his punishment; a punishment Daniel was fully prepared to accept, even to the point of death. At no time did Daniel plead his case or demand his “religious convictions” be honored. The end result was that Daniel’s accusers were thrown into the den of lions where they all perished, and the king decreed that only the “God of Daniel” was the true God.

Does this biblical account relate to the Kentucky clerk that now sits in prison for refusing to compromise her convictions?

I think there is a relationship between the account of Daniel and this Kentucky clerk refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. The relationship is that Ms. Davis – the clerk – is living according to her religious convictions despite the laws of the land. The current law makes it illegal to deny a marriage license to any couple seeking to be married, refusing to comply with that law is an act of disobedience to the law.

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