West Virginia Lawmakers Ready to Override Governor Veto – If Necessary
Posted on February 4, 2015 in Life by Nathan Cherry
West Virginia did something historic last fall when citizens of the state changed the color of the legislature from blue to red. It has been 80 years since Republicans had a majority voice in the state house. But citizens made their displeasure with current leadership clear when many Democratic incumbents were ousted in favor of Republican challengers. The same trend carried to federal races where two long-time Democratic congressional seats were won by Republicans.
After this historic “West Virginia Red Wave” the question on everyone’s mind was “will Republicans take advantage of this opportunity and actually do something?”
It seems the answer to that question is becoming clearer concerning one of the most pressing issues in our state.
West Virginia is one of just 9 states that have absolutely no abortion laws. An unborn child can be aborted up to the moment of birth for any reason in the state of West Virginia despite the fact that most of our residents identify as pro-life. The fact that ur state is primarily pro-life can also be seen in the fact that most of our elected officials are pro-life; even many among the Democratic party. West Virginians value life.
But last year when a bi-partisan majority in the state legislature passed our version of the pain capable unborn child protection act, our “pro-life” governor vetoed it. Gov. Tomblin said simply that he thought it was unconstitutional and therefore vetoed it. Continue reading…
Seriously!? Pastor Sues Michigan for the Right to Marry Homosexuals
Posted on February 3, 2015 in Marriage, Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
A Detroit “pastor” is suing the state of Michigan claiming infringement on his religious freedom. That’s becoming an increasingly normal headline. The problem with that headline in this case is the damage this “pastor” is causing to marriage and the Gospel.
Neil Patrick Carrick was a “pastor” with the United Church of Christ. This is, presumably, a quasi-denomination not serious about being true to the Gospel or God’s design for marriage. Mr. Carrick – because I really have a hard time referring to him as pastor – believes in same-sex “marriage” and wants the freedom to marry homosexuals in his church. Carrick not only wants the freedom to marry homosexuals but also to marry people in polygamous relationships as well.
Carrick recently commented that laws defining marriage between one man and one woman result in the state engaging in “the disparate treatment” of gays, lesbians and “plural relationships.”
“Churches should have the right to marry who they want to marry. I’ve been told by others that ‘we would love to marry (gays and lesbians) but we can’t because we would be breaking the law. The state of Michigan does not have the right to tell us what to do in our church.”
I agree with him: the state does not have the right to tell any pastor what to do in his church. But Carrick fails to recognize the authority of God’s Word in defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman. Accepting and celebrating what God calls sin is sin itself. God surely has the authority to tell His church what to do in the place dedicated to worshipping Him. Continue reading…
Maybe in all the excitement of the Super Bowl you missed this commercial. It is well worth taking a minute to watch to be reminded that every life counts, and that parents and kids are on this crazy journey together. Nothing more needs to be said, just watch the video.
If the video doesn’t appear automatically, please refresh your browser.
The Message A Man Requested Had the Baker Saying No – Now She’s in Trouble
Posted on January 29, 2015 in Marriage, Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
Image Credit: NY Daily News
I don’t even want to talk about a person calling himself a “Christian” wanting a cake with the words “God hates gays” on it; and what the cake was for. I’m angry at the fact that such a person exists and the damage to the Gospel said person is doing. The fact, however, that the cake shop refused to print the message is another story entirely. That is something we need to talk about.
Azucar Bakery in Denver, CO. was asked to print the cake for a man named Bill Jack. Jack also requested the cake to be in the shape of a Bible with an image of two men holding hands with a big X through them. The bakery refused to comply with the request saying the message was “discriminatory, and hateful.”
Who! Wait a minute. I thought business owners had no rights to refuse such requests based on their personal views. I thought “discriminating” against customers because of a business owners core convictions and beliefs was no frowned upon and illegal. Isn’t the idea that business owners are not allowed to refuse such requests at the heart of the Masterpiece Cake Shop story and Jack Phillips, the owner?
In this case, Jack Phillips, a Christian bakery owner, refused to make a cake celebrating same-sex “marriage.” He was sued, convicted of discrimination and told to either start making cakes or shut his shop down. He was further told that he and his staff would be regularly inspected to make sure they were complying with the law and needed to attend a special training to ensure such an event didn’t happen again.
Jack’s crime was simply refusing to make a cake that violated his core convictions and personal views. But, isn’t that exactly what this cake maker is doing by refusing to make a cake she believes to be discriminatory? According to the ACLU the two incidents are entirely different and should not be compared. An ACLU spokesperson told Buzzfeed: Continue reading…
Next Step: Daughter Planning to Marry Father After Dating for 2 Years
Posted on January 28, 2015 in Marriage by Nathan Cherry
I don’t even feel like saying “I told you so.” Back when same-sex “marriage” was gaining steam and people were lining up to support it so they wouldn’t be called names, many refused to compromise and withstood the onslaught of attacks. One of our main concerns was that if marriage was redefined to include homosexuals, what legal or moral ground would there be to refuse redefining marriage for polygamists, pedophiles, and anyone else that wanted to get married?
One of our greatest concerns has been realized.
This case, this 18-year old girl, will be the catalyst for the movement to normalize and then legalize incestuous relationships. The slippery slope is getting slipperier. In the exact same way that homosexuals first normalized and then legalized same-sex “marriage,” this girl and her father are taking pages right out of the LGBT playbook.
The girl, unnamed at this point, was interviewed by New York Magazine, a rather lengthy interview that details how the relationship began. While most would assume some abuse must be present, the reality is that this girl was estranged from her father for 12 years before being reunited. The girl, at age 16, spent a week with her father and his live-in girlfriend, during which the two went from getting reacquainted to kissing, making out, and eventually having sex; which was the girls first time.
After this one-week encounter the two began dating and, now that the girl is 18 plan to get married and move to New Jersey where adult incestuous relationships are legal. Continue reading…
Duck Dynasty Wife Has Strange View on Abortion Issue
Posted on January 27, 2015 in Life by Nathan Cherry
The video below is a candid interview with Al and Lisa Robertson of the Duck Dynasty Robertson’s. In the video Al and Lisa discuss their views on abortion and, to the surprise of many I’m sure, Lisa shares that she considers herself pro-choice.
After revealing that she had an abortion when she was younger in discussing their new book “A New Season: A Robertson Family Love Story of Brokenness and Redemption,” Lisa says that while she opposes abortion based on her religious convictions, she does not want to force her beliefs on anyone else. Lisa says:
“I’m not going to put my belief on you. If that’s the way you feel then that’s your choice … in the end, you have to speak to God about that and so will I.”
It seems that Lisa is saying she is only against abortion because of her religious beliefs. And because her opposition to abortion is based on her religious beliefs she is not pro-life but pro-choice.
Unfortunately her position is both logically and philosophically untenable. Continue reading…
Video: Matt Chandler Nails Abortion Rhetoric to the Wall as “Nazi-Germany Excrement”
Posted on January 26, 2015 in Life by Nathan Cherry
In this short video, Pastor Matt Chandler discusses the issue of abortion around the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision. (The video is about a year old.)
Chandler starts out by reminding us all that when this landmark decision was handed down in 1973 that the science of pregnancy and the unborn was far different than it is today. Back then we didn’t know just how fully developed unborn children were at 8 weeks, 12 weeks, and 20 weeks. One of the most regrettable decision in American history was made not knowing that the unborn can feel pain as early as 20 weeks (for certain) but perhaps even earlier; making abortion nothing less than the legal torture and murder of innocent unborn children.
One of the aspects of this video that makes it important is the fact that Chandler is the pastor of a Southern Baptist Church. Up until roughly 1979 the Southern Baptist Convention endorsed and support abortion. Thankfully, realizing their mistake, the convention renounced this position and has been a tireless defender of life ever since.
I particularly enjoyed Chandler’s treatment of the pro-abortion rhetoric that a “woman gets to choose what she does with her body.” He frankly calls that lack of logic “bull” and suggests a woman “go prostitute” herself to see if she is truly free to do what she wants with her body.
The fact of the matter is that a woman is not free to do whatever she wants with her body. Let’s examine to verify this reality: Continue reading…
The Largest Picture In Human History Shares a Powerful Message (VIDEO)
Posted on January 23, 2015 in Theology by Nathan Cherry
Andromeda Galaxy
The largest picture ever taken has been released. It is an astounding 1.5 billion pixel image (69,536 x 22,230) requiring 4.3 GB of disk space. The picture just happens to be the Andromeda Galaxy!
The image was released on January 5 by NASA of our closest neighboring galaxy: Andromeda. The image was comprised of 411 Hubble Space Telescope images spanning an incredible 100 million stars and covering more than 40,000 light years. And that is just one section of the image!
See the amazing video and image below.
As I look at this unreal image I am reminded of Scripture, which says:
“And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” (Gen. 15:5)
“When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place.” (Psa. 8:3)
“He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names.” (Psa. 147:4)
“The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.'” (Psa. 14:1; 53:1)
It’s hard for me to see the vastness of just one very small part of the known (and I emphasize known) universe and then accept the idea that there is not an Almighty, Infinite, Transcendent Creator.
Watch the video and be amazed. If the video doesn’t appear automatically, please refresh your browser.
Are You Harmed By Graphic Sex and Violence? Are Your Kids?
Posted on January 22, 2015 in Marriage, Sexuality by Nathan Cherry
Far too few people are concerned about the saturation of graphic sex and violence that has become common in our culture. Images that were once considered pornography are now teased by middle school kids. Technology has made almost certain that by the time a child leaves elementary school he or she will have seen many sexually and violently explicit images.
Take for example a video aired in Sweden aimed at kids between the ages of 3 and 6. The video shows a dancing penis (named Willie) and vagina (named Snippan) in a light-hearted cartoon. Some of the lyrics of the song that accompany the video include:
“Here comes Willie at a run, he has no pants. Even on an old woman, the vagina is sitting there so elegant. The vagina is awesome. Yes it is!”
Lest any person watching the video should have any doubt that this is indeed a penis and vagina, the cartoonish images appear in their anatomically correct positions of a male and female image.
But why? Why would any television channel find it necessary to air such a video for children so young? When angry parents responded that the station had gone too far or that their kids would no longer be watching, the company responded:
“Our program is based on questions from the kids and we have received lots of questions about Willie and Snippan…For children, it is quite natural, as any body part. And in each program, we also do a song. We hope that this song will help to make it easier for parents to talk about Willie and Snippan with their children, there is a pedagogical purpose to it.”
In other words, “we want to make sure you are talking to your kids about sex between the ages of 3 and 6 because we think you should be.” Continue reading…
Former NFL Player Has Strong Words About Race Relations
Posted on January 21, 2015 in Theology by Nathan Cherry
President Obama says that race relations have been better, more improved under his administration than in recent years.
Umm…what!?
Maybe what he meant to say is that race relations have been more prominent in his administration. Or that race relations have been in the media more. Or perhaps he meant to say that race relations have been discussed more. Whatever his intent, the reality is that I can’t remember when race relations were as bad as they’ve been over the last few years. Maybe the L.A riots – I’m not that old so that’s all I got.
Presently we are a severely divided nation. Instances of small scale riots and violence are happening more often and in a wide variety of places. It’s not just in Florida after the Trayvon Martin shooting. It’s not just in Chicago with the gangs. It’s not just in Ferguson with the Michael Brown case. Race related violence is at an all-time high and seems to be getting worse. And unfortunately, race relations between people calling themselves Christians is not much better.
I am thinking of a friend pastoring a church in North Carolina. He recently told me that there is black church and white churches in his town where men stand at the door to stop people of the opposite color from coming inside. Imagine, pulling up to a church on Sunday morning to visit and being told you can’t come in because you are white; or because you are black! And then, after turning away people because of their skin color you listen to someone preach that “God loves everyone.”
The idea that people are treated differently because of the color of their skin is patently wrong; it’s unbiblical in every way. Any church claiming to be led by Jesus but refusing to accept people because of their skin is a fraud. There is nothing biblical or Christ-like about such a place. Continue reading…