Month: November 2014
A Question About Marriage You Might Not Be Able to Answer
Posted on November 14, 2014 in Marriage by Nathan Cherry
What is marriage?
That appears on the surface to be an easy question to answer. Perhaps you already have a clearly defined answer at the ready to share with anyone that might ask.
But if we go deeper in this discussion we will inevitably arrive at the root question of “where did your definition of marriage originate?”
Did you get your definition of marriage from your parents? Maybe it came from your church? Perhaps it comes from your understanding of social order and function. Regardless of where it came from we can be certain that our definition of marriage is influenced by its source.
A Gay Man Wants to Help Christian Bakers After They Refused to Bake a Cake for Homosexual Wedding
Posted on November 13, 2014 in Marriage, Theology by Nathan Cherry
A story not quite as well-known as the baker from Colorado is the one of the Klein’s, bakers from Oregon. These Christian bakers found themselves in the middle of a national controversy for refusing to bake a cake for a homosexual wedding. In doing so they garnered the wrath of the state which found them guilty of violating anti-discrimination laws. The penalty for adhering to their religious convictions has been the loss of their shop, legal fees, and the possibility of a massive fine that could bankrupt them.
The Klein’s closed their successful bakery in 2013 in the face of legal issues surrounding their case. They decided to operate out of their home in order to be able to do business according to their religious convictions. But this family of 7 is facing bankruptcy as a result of a possible $150,000 fine from the state.
But now, an unlikely ally is coming to their aid and seeking to raise enough money to erase any fines and ensure the family business continues.
That ally is a gay man.
Should Terminal Patients Like Brittany Maynard Kill Themselves?
Posted on November 12, 2014 in Life by Nathan Cherry
At 29 years old Brittany Maynard was given a terminal diagnosis. The brain cancer was terminal and in April she was given 6 months to live. Maynard then decided to her family to Oregon to take advantage of the state’s right-to-die law; which allows a person to take lethal medication to end her life “with dignity.”
Maynard decided to end her life on November 1. After much media attention and national pleading she seemed to change her mind. But then news spread across the nation on Sunday, November 2 that Brittany had taken her life.
Maynard and others want to “die with dignity, on my terms, my time, my way.”
But I have a problem with this use of speech.
Recent Survey Discovers the Most Popular Heresies Among Evangelical Christians
Posted on November 11, 2014 in Theology by Nathan Cherry
As my church prepares to begin walking through the book of Ecclesiastes on Sunday mornings, I am already reminded of Solomon’s oft-repeated phrase: “There’s nothing new under the sun.”
That phrase comes to mind as I read the results of a recent survey conducted by LifeWay Research for Ligonier Ministries concerning the theological beliefs of evangelical Christians. These views, heretical at best, show the lack of theological training and how it has caused a host of ancient heresies to resurface today.
Here is a list of some of the troubling statistics:
Do Kids Really Need Stay At Home Moms?
Posted on November 10, 2014 in Family, Marriage by Nathan Cherry
President Obama supports a woman’s choice.
Unless that choice is to be a stay-at-home mom, then he doesn’t want you to make that choice. He would rather you choose your job and earn more money than to stay home with your children.
That’s the main take away from his recent speech at Rhode Island College in Providence, RI recently. It sounds as though our president would like the government to discourage mother from staying home with their kids. As though money, career advancement, and those things the business world offers are more important than raising children. The President said:
What the Historic Mid-Term Elections Mean for the GOP and America
Posted on November 7, 2014 in Life, Marriage, Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
To say that the 2014 mid-term elections were historic is an understatement. The first black senator from the south since reconstruction was elected when Sen. Tim Scott won his race in South Carolina. The first black, female, conservative woman was sent to Congress when Mia Love won her race in Utah.
Blue states such as Illinois, Maryland, and Massachusetts, elected Republican governors.
West Virginia sent its first-ever woman to Congress – and she’s a Republican!
The GOP made gains in the House of Representatives, giving them their largest majority since World War 2.
And the GOP took control of the Senate, firing both Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi from their speaker positions.
President Obama made the statement that his policies were on the ballot during this election. He said America would voting on his policies and leadership of our country at the polls on Tuesday.
America has spoken. America has soundly, loudly rejected the policies of President Obama and sent a clear message that we do not support his agenda. It’s a message that continues to ripple across the country.
But what does this historic win for conservatives mean for the Republican Party and for America?
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.
Government Demands Christian Support and Promote Gay Pride Parade (Video)
Posted on November 5, 2014 in Religious Freedom, Sexuality by Nathan Cherry
What if you were asked to produce a message supporting something that violated your conscience, or religious convictions? Would you do it?
That is exactly the position the owner of a Christian t-shirt printing business found himself in when he was asked to print a t-shirt promoting the local gay-pride festival. When the Lexington, KY based Gay and Lesbian Services Organization asked Hands On Originals, a Christian-owned printing company, to print their gay-pride parade shirts, owner Blaine Adamson declined.
But, lest anyone believe this is a case of hate, bigotry, or discrimination, a few details need to be known. First, Hands On Originals has worked with gays in the past, even employing gay people at one time. A recent article at The Blaze notes:
UPDATE: Houston Mayor Withdraws Subpoena Request for Pastors Sermons (VIDEO)
Posted on November 4, 2014 in Religious Freedom, Sexuality by Nathan Cherry
Just days after the City of Coeur d’Alene reversed course and declared that a pastor would not have to perform same-sex wedding ceremonies; Houston Mayor Anise Parker has dropped her unconstitutional subpoena of pastor’s sermons.
An article at the Christian Post notes that Mayor Parker intends to defend the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance (HERO), but has decided to drop her request for the sermons, speeches, and other communications of local pastors.
“After much contemplation and discussion, I am directing the city legal department to withdraw the subpoenas issued to the five Houston pastors who delivered the petitions, the anti-HERO petitions, to the city of Houston and who indicated that they were responsible for the overall petition effort. It is extremely important to me to protect our equal rights ordinance from repeal, and it is extremely important to me to make sure that every Houstonian knows that their lives are valid and protected and acknowledged.”
Roundup: Houston Pastors Facing Unconstitutional Government Power Grab Over Sermons
Posted on November 3, 2014 in Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
As the battle in Houston continues over the city subpoenaing the sermons of at least five pastors for their involvement in opposing a local “bathroom bill,” the commentary continues to flow. Below you will find some notable voices and their thoughts on the subject to help you stay on top of the issue. Every American should be angry over the fact that any government entity would dare subpoena the speech of anyone, let alone pastors. All speech, and religious speech such as sermons is certainly included, is protected by the First Amendment and the government has no business seeking it. Prayerfully the city will back down. If not, I hope the Texas State Supreme Court squashes the subpoena request and ends the city is sued inquisition. Mayor Parker needs a strong wake-up call and reminder that she has no business intimidating people by violating their civil rights.
CBN: ADF Unimpressed by Houston’s Revised Subpoena’s
The Alliance Defending Freedom released a statement on the changes. “The city of Houston still doesn’t get it. It thinks that by changing nothing in its subpoenas other than to remove the word ‘sermons’ that it has solved the problem. That solves nothing,” ADF Senior Legal Counsel Erik Stanley said in the statement. “Even though the pastors are not parties in this lawsuit, the subpoenas still demand from them 17 different categories of information – information that encompasses speeches made by the pastors and private communications with their church members,” he continued. “As we have stated many times, the problem is the subpoenas themselves; they must be rescinded entirely.”