Month: June 2014
Remember that “pastoral letter” Planned Parenthood sent to their supporters saying the Bible doesn’t talk about abortion and people of all faiths support killing unborn children – so it’s okay?
Well, it seems they got some major backlash from people for issuing such a blasphemous letter. So much that they decided to remove it from their site and try to conceal the fact that they even attempted to use the Bible to justify murder. Yeah, using the Bible to justify murder is not the brightest idea in light of that whole “thou shalt not kill” thing.
Hopefully that will be a very well learned lesson for Planned Parenthood: don’t use a life affirming book to justify murder.
Incidentally, if you’ve not read Alliance Defending Freedom senior counsel Casey Mattox’s letter to Planned Parenthood in response to their “pastoral letter,” you really should. His offer is brilliant. After speaking to Mattox he let me know that he is still waiting to hear back from Planned Parenthood. Imagine that.
GOVERNMENT: DISCOURAGING COMPASSION AND CHARITY
Posted on June 19, 2014 in Public Policy by Derick Dickens
When Dr. Ben Burris saw a need in his community to help those who cannot afford dental care, he decided to offer greatly reduced cleanings and another doctor, Dr. Elizabeth Gohl, offered free extractions for the less fortunate. Having two highly trained professionals offering their services is what we need to encourage, but some do not like it. Who would be opposed to these great acts of compassion? The answer, the government!
Burris and Gohl are not the only ones being targeted. Dentists and doctors in West Virginia, Idaho, Nevada, Minnesota, New Mexico, Ohio, and Oklahoma, are running afoul of regulations established by federal and state governments that are limiting these physicians’ charity work.
That is right, charity is a target of regulations. These doctors have the possibility of losing their license if they continue to operate in their profession by offering free services.
The only people who are hurt by these charity services are other businesses who are losing money–money from people who can’t afford it. Other than that, the Doctor is giving his/her personal time, money, staff, and supplies for no other reason than wanting to help others.
Rebuking Planned Parenthood’s Attempt to Use the Bible to Justify Abortion
Posted on June 18, 2014 in Life by Nathan Cherry
Remember that awful “pastoral letter” that Planned Parenthood sent to their supporters? It was supposed to let them know that clergy support abortion and the Bible and God are play with abortion. Just the thought of such a letter makes me angry. To try to use the Bible to coerce people into believing abortion is morally or biblically acceptable is a sin that is hard to move past.
LifeNews has posted an article intended to combat the efforts of Planned Parenthood to deceive people. Using sound biblical exegesis, Brad Mattes, the author of the article and president of Life Issues Institute, has soundly rebuked Planed Parenthood with a proper understanding of what the Bible teaches regarding life.
I encourage you to read the article, posted below, and share it with others that might be unsure of what the Bible teaches.
The Great Commission: Talking the Talk Without Actually Doing Anything
Posted on June 17, 2014 in Theology by Nathan Cherry
Chuck Lawless, writing at Thom Rainer’s website, shares some insight on why many churches talk about the Great Commission but rarely do anything or follow up their talk with action. These points by Lawless are very much worth considering and perhaps, unfortunately, more true of our churches than we care to admit. But without first admitting there is a problem we won’t seek to correct it. So let’s be honest, admit there is a problem, the figure out how to make it right.
In seventeen years of doing church consulting, no church leader has said to me, “Our church really doesn’t want to do the Great Commission.” I’ve worked with many churches, though, that proclaim the Great Commission but never get around to doing it. Here are my conclusions about why churches so often fit this description.
Church leaders talk the language without letting the biblical texts “sink in.” They speak about the Great Commission because the Bible so obviously commands it (Matt. 28:18-20, Mark 16:15, Luke 24:45-47, John 20:21, Acts 1:8). I suspect many leaders, though, echo the words out of evangelical habit more than out of heartfelt burden. When we proclaim the message without obeying the command, the words have not settled firmly in our heart.
Recap: A Home School Convention Is Like No Other
Posted on June 17, 2014 in Home School by Derick Dickens
It was about 10 years ago when I attended the my first Home Education Association of Virginia conference. That year, my family relied on a trusted friend to tell us which break-out sessions were worth going to and which we should avoid.
This year, my wife and I didn’t need any mentoring. We are the experts going from session to session knowing what would be most beneficial for our family. Still, after being a part of the home education movement for over a decade, I am still learning and amazed. Here are some of what we learned or observed this year.
The average homeschooler is now scoring the top 15% of all students
Homeschoolers are knocking a home run academically. Our average student is not only excelling, but they are doing so in undeniable terms. Way to go homeschoolers.
Young People Explain Why They Want to Be a Virgin Until Marriage
Posted on June 16, 2014 in Marriage, Sexuality by Nathan Cherry
People wanting to remain a virgin until marriage are often confronted by a society that thinks they are strange, or that there’s something wrong with them. Sadly, our society is so sex-obsessed that anyone who is not, is considered strange. But, thankfully, young people are choosing to remain abstinent and sharing their reasons with others. Using a popular smartphone app, Whisper, which assures users of absolute privacy and anonymity, people are sharing their purpose for staying pure with others.
Here’s one of the images shared in a recent article showing the reason one user is staying a virgin until marriage. Click here for the full article which contains many more images.
Reflections from Inside the Southern Baptist Convention
Posted on June 16, 2014 in Theology by Nathan Cherry
After a couple of days I was inspired, refreshed, and encouraged to go back to my church and continue on the path God has laid out for me to reach my community; especially millennials and the younger generations. As I walked away from the convention I had a few reflections from my time in Baltimore that I wanted to share.
1. This ain’t your daddy’s Southern Baptist Convention. The days of old, white guys in suits with Bible’s big enough to choke a mule are gone. The SBC is younger, tech-ier, and dressed in blue jeans and flip flops. Yes, plenty of guys wore suits, but bow-ties were prominent. The old ways are dying as the focus shifts to Gospel-centric methods that don’t include dress codes. It’s a good shift for the SBC as we seek to engage our culture.
Education: Why We Choose to Home School Our Kids (Must Watch Video)
Posted on June 14, 2014 in Home School by Nathan Cherry
A new book being released by the Harding family of Montgomery, AL details how they were able to send 7 or their 10 kids to college by age 12. An article at The Blaze reports:
“In ‘The Brainy Bunch Book,’ parents Mona Lisa and Kip Harding of Montgomery, Alabama, explain how their seven children were home-schooled and ended up heading to college while most of their peers were still navigating middle school. The parents share their wisdom and experience, while answering the natural question: How did you accomplish such an unbelievable feat?…Just consider their kids’ astounding academic and professional accomplishments. Among the seven who went to college early, there’s a doctor, an architect and an engineer.”
The family recently did an interview where father, Kip, said that one of the reasons they favored home schooling was for the individual attention he and his wife were able to give the kids:
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.
Justin Bieber and Jonah Hill Prove Free Speech is Dying
Posted on June 12, 2014 in Public Policy, Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
Did you see the massive media firestorm over the comments made by both Jonah Hill and Justin Bieber?
It’s crazy, there has been nothing on my newsfeed, my Facebook and Twitter but stories about how angry people are over the comments made by these celebrities. Hill made a homophobic comment and Bieber made racist remarks not once, but twice on video. The result has been chaos as media across the country discusses the comments and the anger people are expressing as a result.
Except…