Tag: Christian
Why Should Anyone Believe What a Christian Says?
Posted on May 21, 2014 in Sexuality, Theology by Nathan Cherry
It’s hard to read news headlines each day. I try to stay informed by maintaining a robust news aggregator service that I check daily. This allows me to read several hundred headlines each day and keeps me as informed as any person would want to be. But I admit that it is a difficult task.
Part of the difficulty is reading headlines related to Christians.
With all that Christians face from a lost and dying world each day it only compounds our burdens when we harm ourselves and the Gospel from within. When Christians behave in such a way so as to bring shame and embarrassment upon the Gospel we preach and the name of Jesus we are doing no one any favors. Most of all, we are helping to push others further away from Christ rather than being a tool to draw them to the Savior.
Here’s a headline I wish didn’t exist: “Peeping Pastor Pleads Guilty to Very Creepy Crime.” The article reports:
UPDATE: Benham Brothers Speak Out About Unfair Canceling of HGTV Show
Posted on May 14, 2014 in Marriage, Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
In the wake of a home flipping show being cancelled on HGTV for its hosts having a pro-traditional marriage view, the Benham brothers have spoken about the incident.
In case you missed the absurd spectacle created by HGTV and the liberal group “rightwingwatch.org,” you can read my article about it here.
In today’s politically un-correct world where people and groups call for tolerance and diversity while shutting out people with diverse viewpoints, it’s hard to find the logic in much of what takes place. No doubt the Benham brothers were left scratching their heads when they were informed by HGTV that their anticipated show would be cancelled before a single episode aired. The reason, simply because the Benhams are Christians with a pro-traditional marriage view.
Now, here is the hard part to understand. I have no doubt that HGTV knew before they entered into contract with the Benhams that the brothers were Christians. At some point there was a discussions about their faith and how integral it is to their daily lives. Perhaps HGTV even gave some guidelines for speaking about their faith on air. One thing is for sure, HGTV knew the Benhams were committed Christians. Knowing that it is hard to imagine that HGTV didn’t know the Benhams hold to a traditional marriage viewpoint. So why did HGTV agree to the show in the first place if their traditional marriage view is so awful? Why give them a contract at all if HGTV is so opposed to this point of view?
The simple answer: fear and money.
Attention All Christians: Choose Between Your Job and Your Convictions
Posted on May 13, 2014 in Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
Here’s a memo to all Christians: you will probably be fired from your job for your biblical convictions.
You may be thinking that being fired for your biblical convictions is discrimination, religious discrimination, and illegal and unconstitutional. But apparently it is perfectly acceptable to fire Christians for their beliefs. Let’s examine the evidence.
Yes, we can look back to the Duck Dynasty fiasco that nearly cost the network their number one show. No one seriously believed A&E would fire Phil Robertson for sharing his Christian convictions because, at this point, the show is still making A&E relevant in the cable market. Give it a couple years and it is reasonable to assume Duck Dynasty will be no more and A&E will fade back into obscurity.
Sure, we could look to the firing of Mozilla CEO Brenden Eich for donating to the Prop 8 campaign. It seems that employees can now be fired from their job for choosing to exercise their free speech as private citizens. Better be careful what you say in public, or in private. If some snooping gay activist can dig it up you can bet it will be used to oust you from your job.
The latest example is the Benham brothers.
Video: Christian Buchanan at 2 Years Old Proves Abortion is Not the Answer
Posted on May 10, 2014 in Life by Nathan Cherry
I have been privileged to get to know Lacey Buchanan and Christian via Facebook over the last year. A number of dialogues have allowed me to see the fire that burns deeply in Lacey to show the world that she indeed did not make a mistake by refusing to abort Christian. Every picture, every story, every post about their life is another evidence that God’s grace flows freely to those who will accept it. Truly, the Buchanan family has been blessed.
Watch this short video update about Christian as a 2 year old and hear from Lacey and Chris about how God is working in their lives and the lives of millions around the world thanks to a little boy named Christian that looks a little different.
If the video doesn’t appear automatically, please refresh your browser.
Roundup: Supreme Court Upholds Public Prayer
Posted on May 7, 2014 in Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
Already this landmark decision is being called controversial by both opponents of public prayer and advocates. That might sound strange, but some are wondering if the fact that the court ruled on public prayer at all is a sign that our religious freedoms are being viewed as government granted rather than God-given, as our Founders believed. It is a valid thought to consider as increasing government intrusion on individual liberty and religious freedom has reached historic proportions.
But, for the moment we do need to celebrate what is potentially one of the most critical victories regarding religious freedom in our country in quite a while. Under one of the most religiously oppressive administrations in recent history we should celebrate every victory and be thankful for the freedoms that continue to shape America. Here’s a few of the articles commenting on the recent decision by the Supreme Court.
High Profile Christians Continue Embracing Sin Because – Culture?
Posted on May 1, 2014 in Marriage by Nathan Cherry
When the average, every day Christian decides to support something the Bible clearly calls sin, no one cares. That’s because no one knows except the small circle that person influences. That’s not to say it isn’t a problem, but only that it’s not nearly as egregious an abuse of influence. But when a Christian singer or major book publisher decides to support those same unbiblical positions, things gets weightier.
In this case a major book publisher known for such authors as Kay Arthur and David Jeremiah has decided to publish a book supporting same-sex “marriage.” Add to that the recent revelation that Jars of Clay front man Dan Haseltine has decided to also support homosexual “marriage” and one has to wonder if these Christians understand the weight of their decisions.
First, a recent article reports:
“WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group is planning to release, through its liberal sister imprint Convergent Books, a manuscript paradoxically titled God and the Gay Christian: The Biblical Case in Support of Same-Sex Relationships…The book’s author, Matthew Vines, is a homosexual activist and Bible revisionist known for manipulating Christian terminology to advance the counter-Christian homosexualist agenda. Despite his frequent use of a Christian-like lexicon, Vines surprisingly admits to running an apostate enterprise that he calls The Reformation Project. An unabashed denier of Biblical teaching on sexual morality, Vines has publicly acknowledged that his goal is to ‘reform church teaching on sexual orientation and gender identity.’”
Really? Do we have to go through this again?
Yes, what the world needs now is another so-called “Christian” trying desperately to convince the evangelical world that the current and historical majority understanding of biblical sexuality is all wrong and his “enlightened” view is correct. Not only has every conservative evangelical scholar since recorded time – such as Paul, Augustine, Luther, Calvin, Wayne Grudem and Albert Mohler – been completely wrong in their life time of study regarding biblical sexuality. But, so has the majority of Christians throughout history that has affirmed the understanding that homosexual behavior is sin.
Creation V. Evolution: Does One Take More Faith Than Another?
Posted on April 28, 2014 in Theology by Nathan Cherry
The issue of how the world began is one of the most controversial discussions of our day. The debate between Ken Ham and Bill Nye proved that people on both sides of the issue remain unconvinced by the arguments of the other side. For many adherents, whether they be to creation or evolution, the issue is a matter of faith.
If we are to be perfectly honest we must admit that whether one believes in evolution or creation there is a certain amount of faith that is involved. Line up the facts and the evidence for either argument and at the end of the day there will always be a small fragment of faith needed to resolutely proclaim belief in either side.
Why is that?
Simply put, we weren’t there.
If I visually witness a car accident I am able to give a very reliable testimony to police or even a jury if needed. My account of what took place would be considered far more reliable than that of someone that only heard the sound of the crash from inside their home.
If we translate this example to the issue of the origin of the iniverse we understand that since none of us were present when it happened, there will always be a measure of faith needed to believe in either evolution or Creation.
Christians Opposing Homosexuality Must Be Fired. Muslims Not So Much.
Posted on April 25, 2014 in Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
We learned from Brendan Eich that if you support traditional marriage and people at your job find out, you could be fired. But for anyone that thinks this is an isolated incident and nothing to worry about; think again.
The Telegraph is reporting that a Christian nursery worker has been fired for refusing to read books about homosexuals to children. Citing her religious beliefs, Sarah Mbuyi said it would violate her convictions to read such stories to children. She was fired for those convictions and is now suing her former employer.
This is only the latest in a string of incidents where Christians have been fired or forced to resign for their religious convictions. In some cases, people were fired for exercising their constitutional rights as private citizens outside their place of employment. The case of Crystal Dixon at the University of Toledo comes to mind.
PGA Player Bubba Watson Doesn’t Think Golf is Important. What is…?
Posted on April 23, 2014 in Family by Nathan Cherry
From The Gospel Coalition: The Story: On Sunday Bubba Watson, one of the most untraditional golfers on the PGA Tour, was the winner of the 2014 Masters Tournament. But golf isn’t Watson’s top priority. What he considers most important can be gleaned from the description on his Twitter account, @bubbawatson (“Christian. Husband. Daddy. Pro Golfer.”) and his website, BubbaWatson.com (“Loves Jesus and loves sharing his faith”).
The Background: In an interview with Trevor Freeze of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, Watson tells how he uses his Twitter account—along with his PGA platform—to share about his faith in Christ.
“For me, it’s just showing the Light,” said Watson. “There’s people who want to put down Christians. I try to tell them Jesus loves you. It’s just a way to be strong in my faith.”
NBA Star Says He Believes in Creationsim
Posted on April 22, 2014 in Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
I’ve you’ve ever watched NBA star Blake Griffin dunk a basketball, you know why sports commentators often refer to him as a “freak of nature.” The man can jump and dunk a ball in a way that seems almost super-human. Or perhaps Griffin would say it is supernatural. Griffin has been open about his faith and his upbringing in a Christian home and going to a Christian school. So his answer should have been no surprise when he was asked whether he was “team creationism or team evolution.”
Griffin responded by saying:
“I was raised in a Christian household and went to a Christian high school, so I believe in creationisim, for sure.”
Somehow this “stunned” sports writers and reporters who then took to the media to criticize Griffin for his position and speculate whether or not he was kidding. I’m not sure why anyone would be surprised that a professing Christian raised in a Christian home would believe the biblical account of Creation. Maybe the sports writers were kidding. I really, really hope they were kidding.