Join Me in Thanking A&E for Firing Phil Robertson
Posted on December 21, 2013 in Marriage, Religious Freedom, Sexuality by Nathan Cherry
Would you join me in thanking A&E for firing Phil Robertson for sharing his personal views on sexuality?
I know many are upset over this decision to fire one of the most popular television personalities in history for simply sharing his religious beliefs when asked. But I want to take a moment and thank A&E for doing so.
While others are sharing viral images, meme’s and signing petitions demanding A&E reverse their decision to punish Phil Robertson, I am going to thank A&E.
Sure, a savvy business person might have looked back on last year’s attempt to “boycott” Chick-Fil-A and realized it was an epic failure and thought for a moment before “firing” the Patriarch of televisions most popular show. But not A&E. They promptly listened to the tiny group of angry voices – the same voices that thought it was a good idea to boycott Chick-Fil-A – and decided to alienate the millions of Duck Dynasty viewers instead. For that I want to thank them.
Just to the be clear, the attempt to boycott Chick-Fil-A resulted in a rally of support rarely, if ever seen, for a restaurant. Chick-Fil-A set one day, one week, and one month sales records, gained nationwide publicity, secured a base of lifetime customers, and made a ton of money. Those calling for a boycott looked so foolish that no one dared step forward to say it was their idea. But I guess no one at A&E remembered that and decided it was a good idea to fire one of the star’s of cable televisions most watched show. And I want to thank A&E for doing so.
Why do I want to thank A&E? (And want you to join me in thanking them.) I’ll tell you why! Continue reading…
Does Anything On This Flier Seem “Ludicrous” to You?
Posted on December 20, 2013 in Marriage, Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
A group in Indiana is under attack for speaking truthfully about the danger same-sex “marriage” presents to religious freedom. The group put out a bulletin insert to churches which listed “Just Four Dangers of Same-Sex Marriage” that is being blasted as “promulgating panic” by those who don’t agree. The flier says the four dangers are:
– Authorities jailing pastors for preaching against homosexuality.
– Cross-dressing men violating women’s privacy in their restrooms.
– Government forcing business owners to cater to same-sex weddings.
– Schools teaching children that gay marriage is normal.
One local law professor said of the flier: “This is just ludicrous. This is just promulgating panic — and misinformed panic.” Hmm, let’s see if the statements in this flier are more truth than “ludicrous.”
Is the government jailing pastors for preaching against homosexuality? No, not that I am aware of. At least not in America. But in countries where same-sex “marriage” has been legalized and codified in law pastors and Christians have been jailed for speaking against the homosexual lifestyle. It’s called “sexual orientation discrimination.” In other words, what the government deems to be morally appropriate the church, including the pastor, is not allowed to preach against; even I the Bible clearly calls something sin. Continue reading…
Dangerous: PA Bill Would Force Christian Schools to Employ Homosexuals
Posted on December 19, 2013 in Public Policy, Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
A proposed bill in Pennsylvania would make it illegal to fire a person for violating the doctrinal beliefs of Christian or Catholic schools and other religious employers. A report discusses the case of a Catholic school where:
“Headmaster and school President Father James McCloskey noted that Griffin’s contract ‘requires all faculty and staff to follow the teachings of the Church as a condition of their employment.’ The Catholic Church teaches that homosexual acts, as all sexual acts outside marriage, are immoral, and homosexual activity is ‘intrinsically disordered.’ Marriage is the lifelong and unbreakable union of one man and one woman. Fr. McCloskey says that when he confronted the teacher, Griffin ‘acknowledged that he was aware of this provision’ of his contract, ‘yet he said that he intended to go ahead with the ceremony.’ The school said it let Griffin go ‘with regret.'”
In other words, a Catholic school fired a teacher because he violated his contract which stated that he would abide by all Catholic doctrine. The teacher violated this contract by entering into a homosexual marriage and was therefore fired in accordance with his contract.
The proposed bill would make it illegal to fire someone based on these circumstances. This means Christian and Catholic schools, along with other religious employers, would not be able to fire someone for refusing to adhere to church doctrine. Not only is this dangerous for these schools, but it is not hard to imagine that churches will be next. This truly is an assault on religious freedom. Click here for original article.
A&E Tries to Silence Duck Dynasty Star for Being Christian
Posted on December 19, 2013 in Marriage, Sexuality by Nathan Cherry
It was just a matter of time before it happened.
Ever since reports surfaced that A&E was trying to crack down on religious expressions by the Robertson family during taping of their mega-hit show Duck Dynasty, we knew it was just a matter of time. And now it’s finally happened.
In case you’ve been under a rock in the last 24 hours, it has been reported by every media outlet in the country that Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson has been placed on “indefinite hiatus” for his remarks on homosexuality. When this news broke, the Internet and social media exploded. Here’s the story.
Robertson was doing an interview with GQ magazine when he was asked about his faith and the faith of the Robertson clan. The faith of this beloved all-American family is well-known. So when asked the questions about faith and sexuality, Robertson didn’t hold back. He said:
“Start with homosexual behavior and just morph out from there. Bestiality, sleeping around with this woman and that woman and that woman and those men…Don’t be deceived. Neither the adulterers, the idolaters, the male prostitutes, the homosexual offenders, the greedy, the drunkards, the slanderers, the swindlers—they won’t inherit the kingdom of God. Don’t deceive yourself. It’s not right…It seems like, to me, a vagina—as a man—would be more desirable than a man’s anus. That’s just me. I’m just thinking: There’s more there! She’s got more to offer. I mean, come on, dudes! You know what I’m saying? But hey, sin: It’s not logical, my man. It’s just not logical.” Continue reading…
You’ve Heard of Wrongful Death, Now We Have “Wrongful Birth.”
Posted on December 18, 2013 in Life by Nathan Cherry
Abortion advocates so believe in the “right” to abortion that they have no trouble suing over what is being called “wrongful birth.” Here’s how the story was reported recently:
“A couple in Washington state have won what is being called the biggest so-called ‘wrongful birth’ lawsuit ever, when they claim they were denied information that could have led them to abort their disabled baby. A jury in Washington state awarded a couple $50 million after genetic tests didn’t give the couple the information they wanted to know about whether their baby had a rare genetic disorder. Had the baby had the disorder, the couple planned to take his or her life in an abortion.”
In short, this couple wanted genetic testing so they could determine if they were going to kill their unborn child. When they didn’t get what they wanted and had the child, who was found to be with a rare genetic disorder, they sued.
Can you imagine looking at your child and thinking “we would have killed you if we’d only known you would be like this.” That’s the mindset of these parents. They don’t see a precious life, a joy, a gift. They see a mistake that they would not have made “if only.” Is this the society we’ve become? Have we degenerated to the place that we will actually sue someone over a “wrongful birth”?
I feel sorry for this child. I don’t see how he could possibly receive the love a child deserves from parents that consider him a mistake and regret that they didn’t kill him. I fear one day we will hear about this child being euthanized. This is truly tragic. Click here for original article.
Can Christians Handle the “Tough Truths” Taught in the Bible?
Posted on December 18, 2013 in Sexuality by Nathan Cherry
Jesus was teaching in the Synagogue at Capernaum one day when He said something that caused many of His “disciples” to leave because of how hard a saying it was. What kind of teaching could cause people previously devoted to Jesus to abandon Him? It was this:
“Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6: 53-54)
After hearing these words many of the people following Jesus mumbled about it being a “hard saying,” and no longer followed Him. In other words, this “tough truth” revealed by the Son of God was too much to handle for some people.
We can discuss the theological implications of what Jesus said another time. Right now I’d like to talk about whether or not Christians are able to handle the “tough truths” taught in the Bible amidst a culture that seems to be increasingly immoral and perverse.
Bishop Thomas Olmstead, speaking at a conference in South America recently, made this statement: Continue reading…
Woman Carries “Stone Baby” in Her Stomach for 40 Years
Posted on December 17, 2013 in Life by Nathan Cherry
Image courtesy News 4 San Antonio
When an 82 year-old Colombian woman went to the doctor for her stomach pains, she never expected to hear that she was carrying a 40-year-old “stone baby.” The condition, known as lithopedion, or stone baby, occurs when the baby begins developing outside the womb. Because a woman’s stomach is not suitable to sustaining life, the body fights what it believes to be an infection by calcifying the unborn child. The result is a “stone baby” that can go undetected for years.
It’s interesting to note that even the laymen’s term for this condition, “stone baby” makes reference to the fact that what is inside the woman is indeed a baby. Just as kidney stones or gall stones refer to the type of stone growing inside a person, so too does this name, stone baby, refer to what is inside the woman: a baby.
Even when things don’t happen as they should in order to produce a healthy, living baby, the humanity of the unborn can be seen. Click here for original article.
Did You Hear Polygamy is Now Legal?
Posted on December 17, 2013 in Marriage by Nathan Cherry
Image courtesy of TLC
Remember when defenders of traditional marriage said that any attempt to redefine marriage would result in opening the door to any kind “relationship” and calling it “marriage”? The argument said that if the government redefine marriage for homosexuals it will have to continue redefining marriage for other groups of be guilty of the same discrimination it now accuses traditional marriage supporters of.
That day came sooner than anyone expected.
The result is the legalization of polygamy in the wake of a decision by a federal judge in Utah that found the states laws banning polygamy unconstitutional.
Brietbart Senior Legal Analyst Ken Klukowski says that this decision relies on the very same arguments made by homosexuals:
“In a game-changer for the legal fight over same-sex marriage that gives credence to opponents’ ‘slippery slope’ arguments, a federal judge has now ruled that the legal reasoning for same-sex marriage means that laws against polygamy are likewise unconstitutional…Waddoups’ opinion would not only cover such groups, however, but also Muslims or anyone else who claims a right—religious or otherwise—to have multiple-person marriages.” Continue reading…
If Your State Did NOT Vote for Obama Insurance Rates Are Higher
Posted on December 16, 2013 in Life, Public Policy by Nathan Cherry
A recent article explains: “If you live in a state that did not vote for Barack Obama for president, chances are your rates are going up more than if you reside in one that did vote for him. According to pricing analysis by the Heritage Foundation, premiums for 27-year-olds rose an average of 78 percent on Obamacare exchanges in Republican states. But premiums for those same young adults in states that voted Democrat rose by only 50 percent.”
Experts say this could be due to the fact that lightly regulated states – red states – will now be under heavy regulation, causing prices to rise more than already regulated states. But however you look at it, the fact is, prices are rising, coverage is shrinking, and no, you can’t keep your plan or your doctor. And if you oppose abortion you will still have to pay for it unless your state blocks that part of Obamacare.
For those of us in West Virginia, our state makes us pay for abortion with our taxes through medicare and will do the same through ObamaCare. While most of our elected officials claim to be pro-life they continue to force us to support the abortion industry in our state. Click here for original article.
Millennials Complain About Politics and Sex in the Church. Should We Care?
Posted on December 16, 2013 in Marriage, Theology by Nathan Cherry
Much has been said and written in the last decade concerning the troubling trend of Millennials leaving the church. Those that were born between 1980 and 2000 have been the subject of much speculation as they walk out of the church doors and appear to abandon their faith. The alarm has been sounded so loudly that it has reshaped the landscape of the American church as young pastors and seasoned veterans of ministry seek to retain the Millennials they have and reach the ones down the street.
A recent article titled “5 Possible Reasons Young Americans are Leaving Church and Christianity Behind” explores this topic with analysis gained from the vast resources of groups like Focus on the Family and the Barna Resource Group. It’s an interesting read.
While several of these reasons are suspect, to me, at least two of the stated reasons were easy to guess; and I would have been surprised if they were not on the list. The two are: Politics in the Pulpit and Sex.
It seems with every list of reasons why younger generations are upset with the church or leaving their faith that politics and sex are among the most frequently cited. This fact is something I find intriguing and troubling. Continue reading…