Category: Marriage
Are You a Christian That Affirms Homosexuality? You Need to Read This!
Posted on January 14, 2015 in Marriage, Sexuality by Nathan Cherry
What is the message being communicated by Christians and the church regarding homosexuality? In years past we might be quick to answer the question and our chance of accuracy would be fairly certain. Not so much today. The push to normalize homosexuality has caught many churches and Christians up in its net and seemingly dragged them along. The result is a Christian culture that is frayed at the ends with churches that have decided to abandon biblical teaching in favor of a cultural message.
The new message declares the Bible old, outdated, irrelevant for today’s culture, or even just plain wrong. Somehow pastors want their congregations to believe in the veracity and inerrancy of Scripture when it comes to the existence of heaven and hell, the creation of the world, salvation and eternity. But not about human sexuality.
Pastors want people to believe that God created man and woman, that He formed them from the dust of the earth and gave them life – but not that He knows what is best for them. It must be a weird sort of tension to try and affirm Genesis 1 -3 as biblical truth then relate Romans 1 as outdated and irrelevant.
Gay Bakeries Refuse to Bake Pro-Traditional Marriage Cake? Isn’t That Discrimination?
Posted on December 30, 2014 in Marriage by Nathan Cherry
Gay people want Christians to bake cakes celebrating their same-sex weddings. Christians want the right to respectfully decline in order to adhere to their religious convictions. Gay people want to sue Christians for refusing saying that it is “discriminatory,” and that business owners should not be allowed to refuse any customers.
Now, what happens when a gay bakery is asked to bake a cake celebrating traditional marriage?
Such a scenario, until now, has been nothing but speculation. Many of us have wondered out loud about this scenario saying that we suspect a gay baker would refuse and the story would be ignored. To this point the tolerance often demanded by many homosexuals is rarely extended to others. The double standards many activists employ is hard to fathom.
Theodore Shoebat decided to turn the tables and see what would happen if he asked gay bakers to bake him a cake with the message “Gay Marriage is Wrong” on it. The videos that follow chronicle his encounters with 13 gay bakers. To say the least, the tolerance many homosexuals demand is not afforded to Shoebat in his request. He writes of his experience:
Is It Really Important for Kids to Be Raised By Their Mother and Father?
Posted on December 22, 2014 in Family, Marriage by Nathan Cherry
Is it fair to say that children do best with their mother and a father? Is that statement both specific enough and true to be made without argument? Maybe, but it might need just a little editing to make it the most accurate and true statement possible.
Of course LGBT activists would argue that children do just as good with two moms or two dads as they do with a mother and a father. They might have a solid argument if we leave the statement as is. But, if we edit the statement by adding just one word, it becomes a nearly irrefutable statement. That one word: biological.
The statement now reads: children do best with their biological mother and father.
That statement can hardly be argued by anyone considering the rapidly growing body of evidence that shows the truth in the statement. We know from decades of evidence that children with step-parents and children in single parent homes do not do nearly as well as those in homes with their biological mother and father. And try as they may, advocates of marriage redefinition have a hard time arguing that children in same-sex homes do as well as children in homes with their biological parents.
Gay Couple Formally Charges Pastor for Not Marrying Them
Posted on December 10, 2014 in Marriage, Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
It finally happened.
I wondered how long it would take before the first “complaint” was lodged.
I think a lot of people expected it to happen long before now. But to this point the inevitability was carefully avoided. Perhaps it was due to waning support. Or maybe it was simply ignored. Whatever the reason, it doesn’t matter now because the first “complaint” against a pastor for refusing to perform a same-sex ceremony has taken place.
We’ve seen hints that this was coming for some time now. The most obvious being the wedding chapel pastor in Idaho that was sued for refusing to perform a same-sex ceremony. He was vindicated and his right to adhere to his religious convictions upheld. That must have irritated a lot of people.
But this case. This is different. This is a pastor in a church being sued for refusing to perform a same-sex ceremony.
How Christians Can Impact Society Regarding Marriage by Being Different
Posted on December 4, 2014 in Marriage, Sexuality by Nathan Cherry
A majority of the world, including a majority if Christians support marriage redefinition!
That is what the media would have us all believe. One post after another constantly trumps the “fact” that people the world over have almost unanimously embraced marriage redefinition. Not to mention the world’s Christians have decided to be “on the right side of history” and support marriage redefinition.
If I didn’t know better I would be tempted to believe that my biblical view of marriage as the union of one man and one woman the way God designed and ordained it – is a minority view no longer within the mainstream of respectable thought.
Thankfully, I know better.
But while the media and those seeking to recreate what God ordained are busy trying to convince everyone that the world, especially Christians, now support marriage redefinition and homosexuality, history reminds us that such is not the case. In fact, history reminds us that Christians have been, and continue to be distinctive based on their sexual ethic.
In an article at The Gospel Coalition, Michael J. Kruger takes us back to the 2nd century A.D. where Christianity has gained some popularity, much to the chagrin of the Roman Empire.
Former Lesbian Says It’s Cruel for Churches to Condone Homosexuality – Calls for Repentance
Posted on December 3, 2014 in Marriage, Sexuality by Nathan Cherry
My frustration with churches on the issue of homosexuality is simply that they seem to avoid the topic altogether. The issue of gender, sexuality, and marriage may be the most critical of our day and yet pastors don’t seem to want to talk about it. The consequence is a congregation that is ignorant of biblical teaching and unable to engage or help people struggling with this sin.
More specifically, the consequence of the silent church is people that are either so filled with “truth” that they are hateful legalists, or people so “loving” that they are willing to compromise scripture and justify sin.
And still pastors and churches are silent, conveniently skipping over passages like Romans 1, 1 Corinthians 6, and Revelation 22; which clearly speak of homosexuality as sin.
Having a biblical theology creates a biblical worldview which, should, create a biblical sexual ethic that includes a proper view of gender roles, sexuality, and marriage. This proper, biblical sexual ethic is critical in addressing the needs of people in our current cultural climate. Being able to address the struggles people are facing concerning sexuality is perhaps the greatest way the church can serve people in their community.
Jackie Hill-Perry: A Former Lesbian Now Sharing Christ with Spoken Word Poetry
Posted on November 25, 2014 in Marriage, Sexuality by Nathan Cherry
Do you believe that sexuality is an inherent quality a person has no ability to control? Is human sexuality little more than a biological function of our human nature that we are hopeless to change, even if we wanted to?
Those are the sentiments our society wants us to believe.
At least one outspoken former homosexual is disagreeing.
Jackie Hill-Perry is a Christian spoken-word poet that rhymes about theology and the grace of Christ. What makes her a little different in this discussion is that she is a former lesbian. Hill-Perry’s journey from homosexuality to the light of the Gospel is not too unfamiliar to many.
Hill-Perry recently said that she was sexually abused by a family friend when she was just 5 years old. This triggered gender confusion in her that carried her into her adolescent years. By 17 years old Hill-Perry was sexually active with women and a regular at gay clubs and pride events in St. Louis.
Hill-Perry’s story sounds like many former and current homosexuals. If asked to trace their life back they end up talking about abuse at a young age. It’s sad that such details are ignored or even covered up in the media but they are nonetheless true. Much more than that, they are relevant to the discussion.
New Song by Garth Brooks is Leaving A Lot of People In Tears
Posted on November 21, 2014 in Life, Marriage by Nathan Cherry
If you’re a fan of country music you are no doubt familiar with Garth Brooks. Even if you don’t like country music there is still a chance you like Garth. He’s just one of those singers, performers, that people like.
Brooks’ new song shares a simultaneous pro-life and pro-mom message. And it seems to be causing a lot of folks to grab a tissue.
Brooks recently shared that the song is “a conversation between God and this unborn child about ready to go down to earth. And when God describes what a mom is – whew, it kills me.”
Those lyrics that describe what a mom is say:
“So hush now baby, don’t you cry / Cause there’s someone down there waiting whose only goal in life / Is making sure you’re always going to be all right / A loving angel, tender, tough and strong / It’s almost time to go and meet your mom.”
Take a few moments to watch the video – posted below – and remember that life is precious, and kids need a mom and a dad.
Christian Business Owner Refuses to Print Gay T-Shirt. Gay Business Owner Agrees?
Posted on November 19, 2014 in Marriage, Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
Are you willing to promote messages and ideas that you don’t support?
Would you be willing to help support an organization, parade, or message that violates your values and beliefs?
That’s the position Blaine Adamson, owner of Hands On Originals, a Christian-owned T-shirt printing company has found himself in.
When Adamson refused to print a T-shirt promoting a homosexual message and parade, which would have violated his religious convictions, he was sued. He was accused of discrimination and bigotry for his actions though Adamson and his company have not only worked with homosexuals, but employed them, in the past.
Nevertheless, the lawsuit proceeded and Adamson was charged with discrimination and found guilty after the incident in 2012. Adamson has since been ordered to attend “diversity training” in order to make sure a similar incident doesn’t happen in the future.
While this story seems to be common in our society, what is not common is an uncommon ally coming to the defense of Adamson and his right to refuse to violate his values and convictions.