Author: Nathan Cherry
Christian Business Owner Wins Important Court Case Protecting Religious Liberty
Posted on August 30, 2017 in Public Policy, Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
The judge in this case determined that Lawson’s home-based business is not subject to the city of Madison’s public accommodations ordinance or the state of Wisconsin’s public accommodations law.
Furthermore, the city of Madison and the state of Wisconsin agreed to this judgment.
This is welcomed news to Christians that have come under fire for trying to live and do business according to their deeply held religious convictions. Certainly the photographer in New Mexico, the baker in Colorado, the florist in Washington, and many others will be overjoyed to hear of this news; even as they have faced lawsuits, fines, and a total loss of their livelihood.
What is the Biblical Argument for Prohibiting Transgender Military Service?
Posted on August 22, 2017 in Public Policy, Sexuality by Nathan Cherry
About a year ago former president Obama announced that transgender people could serve openly in the military. The decision was criticized by many saying it would affect unit cohesion and military readiness. Others panned the decision as a drain on tax dollars that would be needed to fund hormone treatments and sex-reassignment surgeries. And of course there were plenty of privacy discussions.
One thing to be clear about in our “everything is a right” culture is that serving in the military is not a right. There’s nothing in the Constitution or the Bill of Rights that says a person has the right to serve in the military. It is a privilege. If serving in the military were a right there would be no entrance requirements and people could not be disqualified based on bad eyesight, diabetes, or any other physical limitation. But, people are disqualified for any number of reasons, which is further evidence that military service is a privilege and not a right.
Planned Parenthood Has Some Advice for Your Pre-Schooler
Posted on August 16, 2017 in Life, Sexuality by Nathan Cherry
If you thought that Planned Parenthood couldn’t stoop any lower into the sewer of culture, you clearly don’t know this criminal organization. Planned Parenthood recently released new guidelines and talking points for talking with kids about sex and gender. In case you didn’t know, this is the last group of people you want involved in any discussion with your kids about sex and gender. If you’re not sure whether this is true or not, consider:
Charlottesville: Thinking Biblically About Racism and Race-Based Violence
Posted on August 15, 2017 in Theology by Nathan Cherry
As Christians, we need to think biblically about this incident, and about racism in general. Before we do that, I want to point out a couple of things that are important for us to consider.
First, the people involved in this demonstration were young. It has been common to think that racists are old, outdated people that will soon die and take their evil ideas with them. But, the faces in the crowd in Charlottesville were young. I can only assume that their grandfathers are dead because, if they were alive, they would denounce their activity and remind them that they fought a world war because of racism.
Second, racism is a human thing. It’s not merely a white thing,
Pastor Says it is “Bordering on Heresy” to Pray for the President?
Posted on August 10, 2017 in Public Policy, Religious Freedom, Theology by Nathan Cherry
These comments were made on an MSNBC show by the pastor and NAACP leader much to the surprise of many that saw the photo as something to be encouraged by. After all, many presidents in history have asked for prayer for wisdom and courage during their time as president. Apparently Barber is not one of those that is encouraged.
I’m trying to figure out why a “pastor” is so vocally opposed to the world’s most powerful leader being prayed over by faith leaders. What could possibly be so offensive to a “pastor” about our president seeking and receiving spiritual direction? What am I missing about this image of the President of the United States and his Vice President seeking prayer and wisdom from God that is so problematic?
I have a friend that moved his family to Belize for the purpose of sharing the Gospel with the people there. One of the reasons he felt called to be there was that the people did not have a Bible in their native language. My friend wanted to go and help translate a Bible and use it to share the Gospel. People often comment about how incredible it is that my friend would make this decision.
But is it really a good thing?
R.C. Sproul is one of the world’s leading theologians, pastors, apologists, and evangelical authors. His podcast is listened to daily by people across the globe. His books are in house all over the world. He is a respected Christian that ahs dedicated his life to addressing the tough questions we often ask. Recently I was listening to one of his podcasts in which he was addressing the question of whether innocent people that have never heard the Gospel go to hell. Sproul says the question is loaded with presumptions, but the answer is very simple:
Here’s Some Verses Christians Need to Stop Taking Out of Context
Posted on August 3, 2017 in Theology by Nathan Cherry
The lost world often takes Scripture out of context in order to make it mean what they want it to mean. Verses are twisted and little to no exegesis is ever used in the effort to justify sin. This is completely understandable, as lost people do not have the Holy Spirit to guide them in understanding the Bible.
What about Christians that seem to do the same thing? How do we make sense of a professing Christian that holds to an unbiblical view or takes verses out of context? That’s a big conversation reserved for another day. For today, let’s focus on some of the most abused verses in the Bible and see if we can gain some clarity on their proper, contextual and biblical meaning.
Here’s a short list of some of the most misused, abused, and taken out of context verses in the Bible.
Altar Call? What’s An Altar Call?
Posted on August 1, 2017 in Theology by Nathan Cherry
The preacher would end his sermon by saying “every head bowed and every eye closed.” I knew that the next few minutes would be spent listening to the pianist play “Just As I Am” on the piano while the preacher encouraged people to come down front and pray. At some point the preacher would inevitably say “if you want to be saved, repeat this simple prayer after me,” after which he would recite the “sinners prayer” from memory. Then, with every head bowed and every eye closed, the preacher would ask if anyone said that prayer. He would ask people that said the prayer to raise their hand while assuring them that “no one will see and no one will approach you.”
That might be a familiar routine to you. You also might be wondering what it is and why some churches do it.
First, let’s talk about the history of the altar call and how it came to be a sacred ritual in many churches today. An article at Christianity Today shares some of the history of the altar call:
Christians Support Abortion and Britain Seeks to Legalize It
Posted on July 27, 2017 in Life by Nathan Cherry
Even though abortion is still technically illegal in Britain, the law has not been enforced for quite some time. This effort to decriminalize abortion has little to do with the law and more to do with creating a culture of abortion in Britain. If abortion were no longer illegal, providers such as BPAS (British Pregnancy Advisory Service) and Planned Parenthood would have free access to market their services. This would lead to abortion services being marketed to schools, women’s groups, and other public services.
The author of the article cited above said that perhaps some of the blame lies with doctors that oppose legalizing abortion but have remained silent. He also said “the church has also been largely silent.”
Perhaps British Christians should learn from our mistakes as it is currently reported that 29% of American evangelicals say abortion should be legal.