Tag: Bible
Too Little Too Late? Lifeway Stores Pull “Heavenly Visitation” Items
Posted on March 31, 2015 in Theology by Nathan Cherry
In case you didn’t know, Lifeway Christian Stores, the main retail outlet owned by the Southern Baptist Convention, has announced it will pull all “heaven visitation items” from their shelves. This is a great announcement, but one that comes with a bitter side.
If you are wondering what a “heaven visitation item” is, it is simply any book or DVD sharing the personal account of a visitation to heaven. Think: “Heaven is for Real,” or “The boy Who Came Back from Heaven.” These accounts are supposedly the tales of people who for one reason or another (trauma, accident) claim to have visited heaven but came back. They are sharing their accounts via books and movies under the guise of “heaven visitation.”
So why is it a good thing that Lifeway is pulling such items from their shelves? Well, for starters, the accounts given by most people who claim to have died and gone to heaven contradict accounts in the Bible. For this reason such claims cannot be trusted, and should not be given credit by Christians.
Let’s take for a moment the account given by Alex Malarkey. He is the teenager that claimed is his 2010 book “The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven” to have died during a medical emergency, visited heaven, then came back. The book was a big success and Malarkey and his family made a lot of money on the back of that account.
But, just recently Malarkey released a statement saying the whole thing was made up. Kind of ironic considering his last name. Or perhaps more apropos. Malarkey’s statement reads in part:
A Polyamory Advocate Used a Pastor’s Words Against Him – It Didn’t End Well…for the Pastor!
Posted on March 24, 2015 in Marriage by Nathan Cherry
In case you didn’t know, there is an effort to redefine marriage. One of the most deceptive and false narratives in this effort is that the redefinition will stop with homosexuals and same-sex “marriage.” For several years now many of us have been issuing constant warnings that if marriage is redefined for homosexuals it will have to be redefined for any other group, person, or group of people that want to be “married.”
My typical warning goes something like this: If the government redefines marriage to include same-sex “marriage” it will have to continue redefining marriage to include polygamy, polyamory, pedophilia, incest, and bestiality. There will be no logical, moral, or political reason not to continue redefining marriage. If the government does not continue to redefine marriage for these groups it will be guilty of the same “discrimination” it now accuses traditional marriage supporters of.
Professing Christians that attempt to “love” their neighbor by supporting their sin and advocating for marriage redefinition will, in the end, either limit their support to homosexuals – thereby becoming guilty of the same “discrimination” they now accuse traditional marriage supporters of, or, endorse any and all forms of “marriage”; including polygamy, polyamory, et. al.
If these Christians that now support redefining marriage for homosexuals end their support of marriage redefinition there, they will have a hard time explaining their position using Scripture; or logic. The reality that many will broaden their support to include polygamy and polyamory is an easy conclusion given their existing ability to twist and stretch Scripture to support same-sex “marriage.”
“Gay Christian”: Is Such a Term Compatible With Biblical Teaching?
Posted on February 11, 2015 in Marriage, Sexuality, Theology by Nathan Cherry
I wrote recently about the curious practice of parents changing their theology to accommodate their child’s sexual orientation. Many evangelical parents are suddenly realizing that it is perfectly acceptable to be both a “faithful Christian” and a “practicing homosexual.” More often than not this revelation comes in the after math of their child announcing that he or she is gay. Are we standing on the precipice of the normalization of “gay Christians”?
A recent article at Answers In Genesis (AIG) addresses this very topic.
Dr. Terry Mortensen, writing at AIG, comments on an article written by Brandan Robertson, the national spokesperson for the newly formed Evangelicals for Marriage Equality (EME). This organization seeks to change the dialogue Christians are having about homosexuality and to encourage them to reconsider what the Bible teaches. EME believes it is absolutely possible to be a faithful Christian and proud homosexual; and they’d like more Christians to agree with them.
Robertson went to a conference for LGBTQ Christians organized by the Gay Christian Network. Afterwards he wrote about his experience in extremely glowing terms. Dr. Mortensen addresses those comments with a little more biblical clarity.
First you have to understand where EME is coming from, what they are attempting to effect in the conversation regarding the biblical definition of marriage. They plainly state that their goal is:
Why Does Having a Gay Kid Change a Parents Theology?
Posted on February 5, 2015 in Marriage, Sexuality by Nathan Cherry
A headline caught my attention a couple of weeks ago. The headline reads “Evangelicals with gay children challenge church.” Being an active participant in the effort to strengthen marriage and convey the biblical definition and image of marriage God designed to the next generation, I couldn’t help but read the article.
The story is about parents, Rob and Linda Robertson, whose 12-year old son Ryan told them he was gay. The Robertson’s sought o help their son by loving him, seeking counseling for him, and through church participation. Sadly though, at age 18, after a six year battle that eventually led to drug use, Ryan overdosed and died.
What strikes me about this story is not the circumstances, the Robertson’s story is one of many that are very similar. (That is a tragic reality of our culture.) Instead, I am struck by the Robertson’s response. They are seeking to help the church change the way it responds to evangelical kids that come out as gay. In essence, the Robertson’s want Christian parents to affirm their kids’ homosexual lifestyle.
Linda Robertson recently said:
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.”
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
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?
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.
Should Christian Pastors and Leaders Refuse to Speak About Ferguson and New York?
Posted on December 17, 2014 in Theology by Nathan Cherry
I’ve watched with interest at the discussion surrounding the events in Ferguson, MO, and New York with regard to Eric Garner. They are very different events that each have the same outcome: loss of life.
What has interested me most is the response by evangelical leaders concerning the events. As a culture we have come to expect the most influential voices to speak when something gains national attention. Whether this is a good or bad thing is not my point here. But for an excellent perspective on this very topic you can read Voddie Baucham’s post “Thoughts On Ferguson.”
As typical, some leaders have spoken biblical truth into the events in Ferguson and New York and sought to shine a light on the Gospel by doing so. Others however, and these are the ones that most intrigue me, have remained silent.
I’ve even watched with curiosity as several leaders have declared that since they don’t know all the facts there is no need to speak and remaining silent is wiser. And a few have used the “I’m going to focus on the Gospel rather than these events” line.
But here’s my question, and where my curiosity naturally leads me: if Christians, especially influential Christian leaders refuse to speak biblical truth into these tumultuous situations – who’s left speaking?
The conclusion I have come to is…
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.