Month: October 2015
The New War on Women: A Man Has Just Been Named “Woman” of the Year
Posted on October 28, 2015 in Marriage, Public Policy, Sexuality by Nathan Cherry
This post will likely be deemed “offensive” and “hate speech” by some. It will certainly be considered politically incorrect. Those realities make it all the more necessary and bewildering.
It seems Caitlyn Jenner, the new identity of the man formerly known as Bruce Jenner, will be named “Woman of the Year” by Glamour magazine. Now, there is so much packed into that statement that needs addressed, it is hard to know where to start.
Let’s consider the state of a society that celebrates and throws parties when a man is named “Woman of the Year.” It seems our culture loves embracing confusing ideas that aren’t based in realty. And by doing so we have become hypocrites that loathe the truth. We tell a man dressing as a woman that “she” is courageous and beautiful. We then tell people that believe in God, heaven, and eternity that they are “anti-science.” Even though biologically Bruce Jenner is a man and, therefore, scientifically he is living a lie. Our culture says we should celebrate his decision and support him in his confusion. But don’t you dare claim to pray or believe in divine intervention because that is unscientific.
Speaking of science. It has been shown, scientifically, that unborn babies have a heartbeat by 8 weeks. They can hear sounds and have recordable brain activity by 12 weeks. And by 20 weeks they can feel pain. And yet our President and many others praise Planned Parenthood for killing unborn babies. All the while, Planned Parenthood (and many abortion advocates) can’t really say when an unborn child really becomes human. You know, scientifically speaking. But let’s go ahead and tell a man dressed as a woman that he is in fact, a woman. Because, you know, equality and all.
People Claim Jesus Was “Inclusive.” Did Jesus Really Accept Sin?
Posted on October 27, 2015 in Public Policy, Sexuality, Theology by Nathan Cherry
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.
Hackers Release More Undercover Planned Parenthood Videos
Posted on October 26, 2015 in Uncategorized by Nathan Cherry
Efforts have been made to censor the footage almost since the day the very first undercover Planned Parenthood video was released. Planned Parenthood and their affiliates and partners have tried to keep the videos from the public in order to keep their whitewashed image squeaky clean. The mainstream media has been a willing partner in that effort. Nonetheless, the videos have been released and sparked public outrage over the bloody business of harvesting aborted baby body parts for profit.
The video below, however, was released by hackers.
The videos were first released to the Congressional committee investigating Planned Parenthood. Someone, from somewhere on the inside leaked the videos to the public. When a legal firm issued a cease and desist order the videos were then hacked and released to the public. Here’s some commentary on the content of the new series of videos:
Down the Drain: University Reverses Gender-Neutral Bathroom Decision for the Reason You are Probably Thinking
Posted on October 21, 2015 in Sexuality by Nathan Cherry
I just don’t understand this. This makes no sense.
The University of Toronto is changing its bathroom policy and reducing the number of gender-neutral bathrooms. Why in the world would anyone want to do that? Don’t they want to be “all-inclusive” and make transgender people feel welcome in any bathroom they choose to use?
In fact, the University of Toronto set out to do just that. They eliminated all male and all female bathrooms in order to accommodate transgender students. A move that was praised by everyone that thought making men and women share bathrooms was a good idea. Of course, only people with an incredible lack of common sense would think such an idea was good. And wouldn’t you know it, the people that said it was a terrible idea and warned that incidents of voyeurism and peeping (or worse) could occur, seem to be right.
Yep, you guessed it. Not long after the University of Toronto mandated that men and women share a bathroom and several reports of voyeurism happened.
According to an article at The Star, several women reported seeing cell phones peek above the shower stalls attempting to get images and videos of them showering. The article states:
Weak Preaching Has Left Millennials with Weak Theology. Will They Weaken the Church?
Posted on October 20, 2015 in Theology by Nathan Cherry
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.
Man Behind Undercover Planned Parenthood Videos Shares About the “Evil” He Encountered
Posted on October 19, 2015 in Life by Nathan Cherry
The man behind the undercover videos that exposed the atrocities of planned Parenthood shared with Glenn Beck a memorable moment when he believed he encountered “evil” at a Planned Parenthood clinic. David Daleiden told Beck that while he was at the clinic of a late-term abortionist, a woman that routinely kills babies days before they are supposed to be born, he had a moment when he felt the “evil” of the abortion clinic:
“And for the first time during this entire project, I felt really afraid, like an actual fear, a fight-or-flight kind of response. I felt very exposed, like she knew everything about me. And then all of a sudden … back to laughing and joking, totally casual, normal. And I talked about that with several people afterwards, and some people have kind of a spiritual interpretation, and others have a more psychological interpretation. But on some level, we feel like that was the predator look or the predator instinct that you see in someone who is accustomed to killing people.
All 10 Undercover Videos Exposing Planned Parenthood for Selling Aborted Baby Body Parts
Posted on October 14, 2015 in Life by Nathan Cherry
Over the last 3 months ten videos exposing the atrocious practices of Planned Parenthood have been released. The Center for Medical Progress began releasing the videos in July, for the purpose of showing how Planned Parenthood traffics aborted baby body parts. The 10 videos are at times very graphic and the conversations are almost too disturbing to believe. But these videos, taken over the course of several years, have exposed the evil of Planned Parenthood and reignited a fire to defund the abortion group and hold them accountable.
Below is all 10 videos and a brief description of what is contained on each. A big thanks to Mollie Hemingway at The Federalist for her work compiling this list. Take a moment to review each video and consider sharing this information with others. As more people discover the treachery of Planned Parenthood more progress is made to hold them accountable. One thing I want to make clear about these videos is that they are, in fact, authentic. Independent tests have shown that no manipulation or altering has been done, the videos are authentic and real. If the videos posted below don’t appear automatically, please refresh your browser.
1) Planned Parenthood Uses Partial-Birth Abortions to Sell Baby Parts: This 9-minute-video with more than 3 million views on YouTube features Dr. Deborah Nucatola, Planned Parenthood’s senior director for medical services, munching on a salad and sipping wine while she admits to altering abortion procedures in such a way that baby body parts can later be sold to human organ buyers. Laws prohibit altering abortion procedures for organ procurement.
What Message is Your Church Sending to Hurting People?
Posted on October 13, 2015 in Theology by Nathan Cherry
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.
Dr. Frasier Crane – Kelsey Grammer – Has a Message to Gun Control Advocates About Life
Posted on October 12, 2015 in Life by Nathan Cherry
I’m not sure if it’s a good idea to admit this, but I’m a big “Frasier” fan. I used to watch the show all the time. Partly for it’s witty banter and robust vocabulary; partly because they shared my views and values (which is why I currently watch Tim Allen and Jim Gaffigan shows). So when I saw “Frasier” star Kelsey Grammer wearing this pro-life t-shirt I was encouraged by his defense of life and reminded of why I enjoyed his show.
Grammer has always been an outspoken conservative in Hollywood; not an easy task I’m sure. But he refuses to back down and is unashamed of his views on issues such as abortion. The shirt he is wearing makes a powerful statement about the value of life in America, and the hypocrisy of those who call for gun control. When people like President Obama tell us that if even one life can be saved we should enact stronger gun laws, and then in the next breath praises Planned Parenthood and abortion, something is wrong. If every life matters then even the unborn should be fiercely protected from violence, like the being torn apart in order to sell their body parts (that’s what Planned Parenthood does).
My hat is off to Grammer and his bold defense of life. I wonder where I can get one of those shirts?
How Would You Answer This Simple Question About the Church?
Posted on October 7, 2015 in Theology by Nathan Cherry
How would you answer the question “What is the church?”
This question might evoke answers ranging from a building with a steeple on top to a group of people that come together to worship Jesus. Whatever your answer might be there is a chance that you have not thought through the depth and intricacies of all that the church is.
The doctrine of the church, called Ecclesiology, is a foundational and yet often neglected aspect of biblical doctrine. Ecclesiology shapes everything from the leadership of the church to the way we live out our purpose each and every week. Knowing how central Ecclesiology is to the purpose and function of the church it is unfortunate that so many established churches have not given considerable attention to this critical doctrine.
In a recent post, blogger Ed Stetzer writes that Ecclesiology “must bear a great deal of theological weight” due to its importance in shaping the church.