Author: Nathan Cherry
Did You Know Abstinence Is The Best Way to Avoid STD’s?
Posted on June 15, 2015 in Sexuality by Nathan Cherry
Common sense would dictate that the best way to avoid things like pregnancy and STD’s is abstinence. After all, if you are not having sex, it would be hard to get pregnant or get a disease transmitted by having sex. Right?
Well, for a number of years the current administration has been trying to convince us that abstinence is one option, but it’s not the best. They want us to consider condoms, and birth control as some of the best ways to avoid these issues.
It’s hard to take seriously anyone that argues condoms over abstinence as a more effective preventative against STD’s. But finally some common sense has kicked in and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has made a two-word change that makes all the difference.
As reported by LifeNews:
How Will Christians Respond to Bruce Jenner?
Posted on June 10, 2015 in Sexuality, Theology by Nathan Cherry
Let’s not pretend that everyone hasn’t seen the Vanity Fair cover featuring acclaimed Olympian Bruce Jenner. Let’s start off being honest enough to admit that we’ve seen it, considered it, and have many mixed emotions and thoughts about it.
Now that we are on the same page about a magazine cover that will become an iconic American symbol (whether we like it or not), we can begin discussing the proper response to it.
As is often the case, our initial response to shocking things can be less than our best. We need time to process things, to fully consider the ramifications, and to understand the details in order to prepare a response. We’ve reached that time. The magazine cover is so widely circulated now that at some point you will be asked if you’ve seen it, and what your thoughts are. Are you prepared for that question?
First, we have to understand the cultural push to recreate “normal.” This isn’t the 50’s when it was as simple as boys are boys and girls are girls. The new normal is nothing less than a full frontal assault on gender and sexuality such as has never been seen in history. Boys are now boys that identify at times as girls, while girls are attracted to other girls. And any combination and variation on that you can imagine is not only happening, it’s hip.
Even Bruce Jenner, in a promo video for his new reality series about his dramatic journey has proclaimed that he is, in fact, the “new normal.” If he is the new normal, how are we to respond with love and compassion to a culture that sees deviant behavior as both acceptable and celebrated?
A good place to start is an article found at The Gospel Coalition. The article puts forth a solid starting point for responding to questions about Bruce Jenner, the Vanity Fair cover, and new cultural norms in general. The article has three simple thoughts it asks us as Christians to keep in mind when we are faced with the need to respond to our culture. Those three simple thoughts are:
Same-Sex “Marriage” Supporters Defend Traditional Marriage Champion
Posted on June 9, 2015 in Marriage by Nathan Cherry
Anyone who has sought to support traditional marriage over the last few years has no doubt heard of Ryan T. Anderson. Perhaps no other voice in the debate over what marriage is (and is not) has carried more weight in recent history.
Though he is only 33 years old, Anderson has achieved a level of fame (and notoriety) that most his age don’t even know exist. As a professing Christian, PhD. Holder, editor of a highly successful online publication, and senior fellow at the highly respected Heritage Foundation, Anderson has risen to credible levels in a short time.
With the notoriety and influential voice comes a price.
For Anderson the price is the target on his back each and every day simply because he opposed same-sex “marriage” and argued for traditional marriage with inexhaustible vigilance. And though Anderson has established a reputation for being civil and respectful in his discussions and debates with his opponents (no matter how vile they treat him) he is attacked relentlessly for his views.
But it’s not his position that concerns me, after all, as a Christian I hold to the biblical complimentarian view of marriage and sexuality the same as Anderson. Rather, it’s the position of those that oppose him that concerns me most.
How to Protect Your Church: Supreme Court Marriage Ruling Could Mean Trouble for Marriage
Posted on June 8, 2015 in Marriage, Public Policy by Nathan Cherry
The Supreme Court is preparing to rule on the issue of marriage. Potentially the court could decide that same-sex “marriage” is to be recognized across the nation regardless of state laws – effectively overriding current state laws. If this occurs one area that everyone will be watching to see how it is affected is the church.
Will the court ruling, if unfavorable, demand that churches recognize same-sex “marriage”? Will the ruling demand that pastors perform same-sex weddings against their religious convictions? Those questions are left unanswered at this time but many are taking proactive steps to protect their ministry.
Citizenlink has put together a short video with some information pastors and churches will find valuable in preparing for whatever ruling is handed down. In conjunction with Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), Citizenlink is sharing resources designed to protect churches and pastors in the event of a lawsuit. I highly recommend that this information be shared with any pastor or church leader now, don’t wait.
A Court Just Ruled That A Pro-Life License Plate is the Same as Pornography and Bans It!
Posted on June 3, 2015 in Life by Nathan Cherry
A federal appeals court has decided that the New York DMV can refuse to issue a license plate stating simply “choose life” because the DMV (and court) finds the plate “patently offensive.”
The rejection based on the “patently offensive” criteria is the same measure used to ban pornography from public view. The court ruled that since the message of life is “patently offensive” to so many New Yorkers, it could cause road rage, and therefore it is acceptable to ban.
Where do I start in criticizing this absurd ruling by the court?
Let’s start with the idea that it is better to ban a license plate someone might find offensive than to allow on the grounds that it may cause an incident of road rage. First of all, if adults are not capable of driving on the road with another car carrying a license plate with a message they disagree with without engaging in road rage – I’m not sure they are fit to have a driver’s license. This line of reasoning is in itself “patently offensive” as it implies that people are not able to control themselves when faced with a message they disagree with.
Have You Ever Heard of “The Dones”? You Probably Know Someone in This Group
Posted on June 2, 2015 in Theology by Nathan Cherry
I’ve been having this conversation more with people who are curious about this particular group. It’s becoming noticeable that the “dones” are rapidly growing into an easily recognizable group. Whereas at one time a few people knew someone who was once solidly committed to their faith but has since walked away. Now, many people such a person. In fact, you might talk to that person often and not even know it.
The “dones” exist because the church is broken. Now, we’ve all known the church is broken for a long time. And no one of any kind of theological depth would expect it to be anything but broken. The church is filled with sinful humans that, despite the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit, continue to sin. But the church is also broken because it has morphed into something it was never meant to be.
BOOM! West Virginia Gets It Right By Passing Pro Life Law
Posted on June 1, 2015 in Life by Nathan Cherry
West Virginia has been on a dubious list for a very long time. We were one of just 9 states that had not one single law limiting abortion in any way. What that meant is that anyone could abort a child for any reason up to the moment of birth in West Virginia. And yet West Virginia has always been held as one of the most pro-life states in the country. It doesn’t make any sense.
But the state changed all that by becoming one of 11 states to pass a 20 week abortion bill. This means that abortions beyond the 20 week period without significant medical reason are now illegal. The Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act is a significant step in the right direction in defending the most vulnerable West Virginians.
Despite being vetoed twice by our “pro-life” governor, the State Legislature did the right thing in overriding Gov. Tomblins veto and making sure this important piece of legislation was passed. Now it has become law and West Virginians can be proud of the work of their legislature.
A recent article comments on this new law:
Christians Don’t Hate – But They Do Have Convictions
Posted on May 27, 2015 in Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
A very significant court ruling was handed down not long ago and I bet you didn’t know anything about it.
The Fayette Circuit Court in Kentucky ruled that a printer did not discriminate by refusing to print a t-shirt for a gay pride parade.
Blaine Adamson owns Hands On Originals. This printing company prints many items, including t-shirts. Not long ago an LGBT pride group came to HOO asking them to print a t-shirt for the upcoming pride rally in Lexington. Adamson refused their request based on his religious convictions and offered to set them up with another local printer for the same price.
The group went elsewhere to get their shirt printed.
But, I’m sure you can guess where this is going, a discrimination suit was filed against HOO and Adamson.
I reported on this incident a while back because of some of the unique aspects to the case. For starters, this is one of a few cases that does not involve someone in the wedding services industry. Most of the cases of “discrimination” we are seeing take place involve photographers, bakers, and florists refusing services for gay weddings. Btu this is a printer being asked to print something for a gay pride parade.
If ever there was a need for protection surely it would be for someone printing actual words. Right? No one would try to force another person to print words that violate his religious and moral convictions, right? Wrong.
Are You Male or Female? Or Something Else?
Posted on May 26, 2015 in Sexuality by Nathan Cherry
Wouldn’t it be a good idea to teach impressionable children that gender is just a construct of society and is really as fluid as they want it to be? In fact, we should teach them that there are many genders, perhaps a dozen, and let them pick and choose which they want to be.
That’s what one of the nation’s largest public school systems is preparing to teach its students via a new health and sexuality curriculum.
At a time when gender is suddenly a debatable topic – because apparently we’re not content with just boys and girls – this school system wants to further confuse the situation by affirming that people can be more than just male and female. No longer is your anatomy the definer of your gender identity, now you can choose; you can even choose to be something other than male and female! (Could someone please explain that one to me!?)
The Fairfax County Public School system is preparing to implement changes to their family life curriculum which includes teaching on gender identity that can only be described as disastrous and unscientific. A report describes the curriculum for middle school this way:
The Church is Partially to Blame for Efforts to Redefine Marriage
Posted on May 20, 2015 in Marriage, Sexuality by Nathan Cherry
Abigail Rine is a professor of English at George Fox University. Each year she hands out a reading assignment to her gender theory students designed to provoke them. She recently decided to assign the book “What Is Marriage” by noted Princeton professor Robert P. George, Ryan T. Anderson, and Sherif Girgis. The book is a simple explanation of the conjugal view of traditional marriage.
Rine reports that the book, which is a manual of sorts on the traditional view of marriage as it relates to procreation, was offensive to her evangelical students at her evangelical university. Let that sink in for a moment.
But Rine said something that needs to be admitted: the church helped create the effort to redefine marriage.
I don’t mean that the church altered biblical teaching or even advocated marriage redefinition. Certainly some churches have done this but the vast majority of churches today continue to adhere to traditional biblical teaching of marriage as the union of one man and one woman. What I mean is that how the church handled the issue of marriage and sexuality in past decades aided the rise of marriage redefinition efforts.
Rine writes: