Tag: issue
An NFL Player, Evangelist, and Pastor All Share Thoughts on the Transgender Issue. You Should Read Their Thoughts.
Posted on May 18, 2016 in Public Policy, Sexuality by Nathan Cherry
The transgender bathroom issue isn’t going away. Part of me wonders if it is a distraction to divert our attention from other critical issues facing our culture. But I also see this as an important issue in the gender identity battle; one that we can’t ignore or shrink away from.
Some notable voices have shared their thoughts on this issue. One of those notable voices is Baltimore Ravens Tight End Benjamin Watson. Watson is an outspoken Christian that is not afraid to share biblical truth on tough issues. The fact that he is a very public figure with a high-profile job makes his outspoken stance even more courageous.
Watson recently shared his thoughts on the transgender bathroom issue through a post on Facebook. (You can read the full post here.) Watson made a point that needs to be repeated over and over again. He lamented the fact that our society seems to be pushing us to simply accept the feelings of everyone, regardless of their validity or the truth of those feelings. He wrote:
A Millennial Writes an Open Letter to the Church. And He Nails It!
Posted on July 29, 2015 in Theology by Nathan Cherry
Church “experts” and analysts seem to be in a frenzy trying to figure out how to keep millennials from walking away from the church. There’s a panic to discover the strategic secret to making sure those younger generations stay connected, attending, and active in church.
The result has been a whole-sale failure on the part of the church.
Before anyone gets too mad at me, understand that I was part of the problem. I watched church trends and attended really cool conferences and seminars to learn new tips and tricks to bringing young families in and keeping them. What I’ve come to realize is that no matter how hard the church tries to keep millennials – they will eventually walk away IF they’ve never had a life-changing encounter with Jesus.
You see, the problem is not the church format, or ministries, or anything inside the church. The problem is what’s going on inside the people inside the church. Too many people inside the church have never encountered Jesus and been saved from their sin.
Now, don’t get me wrong. If you’re still preaching topical sermons from a King James Bible after you sing every verse of 5 hymns from a dusty hymnal then your church has some problems. But those problems are just symptoms of a larger problem. The root cause can be found by looking into the hearts of the people and seeing that many that claim to be saved are in fact lost.
So trying to start new – really cool – ministries, or change the format is like putting a band aid over a gunshot wound; it simply won’t help.
I was encouraged by a recent article in which a young millennial encouraged the church to stop trying to be cool and simply preach the Gospel and address tough issues from a biblical perspective. There’s a novel idea.
From One Heresy to the Next – Gnosticism, Pelagianism, and the New Sexuality Threaten the Church
Posted on November 26, 2014 in Sexuality, Theology by Nathan Cherry
The church of Jesus Christ has endured a host of theological debates and controversies over the centuries. One need only to look back in time to the debate over Gnosticism, or review the debate surrounding Pelagianism (to name just two) to see the scope of theological discussion the church has underwent.
While these heresies attempt to make a comeback once in a while – Gnosticism resembles new age teaching while Pelagianism and Semi-Pelagianism seem to always be lurking in the shadows of church history – the latest heresy to infiltrate the church is no less destructive.
The heresy of sexuality is causing just as great a disturbance in the church as any other throughout history. Denominations are dividing, churches are splitting, lines are being drawn and some are choosing to sit in silence. This new heresy is no less a doctrinal, theological, and moral issue than Gnosticism and Pelagianism.
Efforts to push a new sexuality complete with a new definition of family and marriage want to make sexuality about personal choice, identity, preference, or any other non-biological factor. The reality remains that gender and sexuality is an inherently biological factor determined at birth by no effort of the individual. For those that don’t believe the Bible this is can be a hard truth to handle. It leads to questions of “why am I attracted to the same-sex if it is wrong, or against nature?” Such questions are valid and not to be taken lightly.
Federal Court: Marriage Is the Union of One Man and One Woman
Posted on November 18, 2014 in Marriage by Nathan Cherry
A surprise decision by the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the traditional definition of marriage in the states of Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and Tennessee. State bans against same-sex marriage were previously ruled unconstitutional by lower courts, setting up the decision by the Sixth Circuit.
This decision is not only a surprise to advocates of same-sex “marriage,” but is also surprising to traditional marriage advocates that have watched marriage bans struck down by numerous Appeal Court decision around the country. What is not a surprise though is that this decision by the Sixth Circuit all but guarantees that marriage will once again come before the Supreme Court. There is a very real possibility that by next summer a Supreme Court decision on the definition of marriage could be reached.
Is The Supreme Court Leaning Pro-Life?
Posted on November 6, 2014 in Life by Nathan Cherry
There’s an argument in favor of legalizing same-sex “marriage” that says if legalized it will unite the country and remove a cultural wedge issue. One need only to look to the issue of abortion to know how absurdly false that claim is. The fact is, legalizing same-sex “marriage” will no more unite the country than the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision by the Supreme Court did.
Speaking of Roe and abortion, the Supreme Court has, in recent years, been a far more pro-life court than many have expected. Maybe it’s due to the advancement of science that was previously unavailable to the court. Maybe the court would have ruled differently had this science been available in 1973?
Or maybe it is the growing public sentiment supporting life that is having an impact on the court. As science increasingly reveals the humanity of the unborn the American public increasingly supports defending life at its earliest stages. As the American public makes their convictions known through elections, boycotts, and support for state level legislation, there is no doubt the Supreme Court is watching.
Will the SBC Discipline a California Church for Supporting Homosexuality?
Posted on June 13, 2014 in Marriage, Sexuality by Nathan Cherry
A motion was made from the floor of the SBC annual meeting this year to discipline a Southern California church.
This might sound like an odd motion, but upon understanding the reason for the motion the action might be warranted.
This particular church, The New Heart Community Church, in La Mirada, CA, based on the leadership of their pastor has decided to affirm homosexual behavior.
The move came after the pastors’ son revealed in a video that he was gay. The pastor then told the church that he had decided to support his sons behavior and lifestyle. The church decided to support their pastor and change church policy rather than adhering to biblical truth.
This is important because this is the first instance of a southern baptist church endorsing homosexuality.
How the Church is Failing Millennials on the Homosexual Issue
Posted on June 9, 2014 in Sexuality by Nathan Cherry
I was just talking Sunday night with some folks in my church about how the church is failing our younger generations on the issue of homosexuality. To my surprise, they agreed with me. We all agreed that the popular church strategies of either ignoring the issue or of being soft and not fully addressing the issue is not helping; and is doing more harm than any intended good.
There is a number of ways that I believe the church is failing on this issue. As I told my friends I was discussing with after church Sunday night, the world believes Christians are in one of two camps: the Westboro Baptist camp, or the we’re-all-God’s-children camp.
In other words, people think Christians either hate all homosexuals and want to see harm come to them; a la Westboro Baptist. Or that we believe we’re all God’s children (a heretical lie) and that God made people gay.
Either of these two positions is false and problematic. But there is one particular reason why I believe the church is failing millennials on this very critical issue.
Dr. Dobson Dares President Obama to “Come and Get Me”
Posted on May 8, 2014 in Life by Nathan Cherry
With all due respect to Russell Moore and Albert Mohler, we need more leaders like James Dobson. America needs leaders that will stand up when faced with evil and say, “come and get me.” Dr. Dobson has been standing strong in the face of culture for decades and he didn’t back down when face to face with President Obama.
To be fair I am a huge fan of both Russell Moore and Albert Mohler. Their work within the Southern Baptist Convention is, in my opinion, timely and on point. The difference between them and Dr. Dobson though is with regard to personal conviction.
Let me explain. It seems that when many leaders speak on issues, whether life or marriage, or religious freedoms, they do so in an almost passive way. It’s not that they don’t care, they just seem to speak from the realm of “what if’s” more than from a personal place. I hear a lot of “Christians should not be made to,” and “It’s wrong to force Christians to,” when they speak. While I agree with those sentiments, there’s an element of personal force lacking.
Rand Paul and Moral Leadership on Abortion
Posted on May 3, 2014 in Life by Derick Dickens
When William Wilberforce began his quest to end slavery, public opinion and the political forces were against him. In his greatest legal victory, years before they outlawed slavery, he achieved it knowing it was contrary to the majority of people in England and expected the law to bankrupt the nation.
Moral stands are some of the most difficult stands to take when you are facing headwinds. It is easy to think that moral issues are less important than economic or scientific, but as Christians we know they are not only as important, they are more important.
So, when Rand Paul (or any politician) says he believes life begins at conception, but pushes off any legislation until “we can get consensus”, he shows cowardliness not leadership. (Video below)
NARAL Pro-Choice America president Ilyse Hogue says pro-lifers are “outside the mainstream” on the issue of abortion and frequently “lie and cheat” in order to get pro-life legislation passed. Do you agree?
Watch the video below of Hogue’s comments to see if she is speaking for you and representing your views accurately. As a pro-life advocate I can say I disagree completely with her and believe it is abortion advocates that lie to women in order to support their agenda of killing the unborn (think, “it’s just a blob of tissue.”).
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