Tag: church
UPDATE: World Vision’s Near-Sighted Decision to Support Homosexuality Reversed!
Posted on March 27, 2014 in Marriage, Sexuality by Nathan Cherry
World Vision (hereafter referred to as WV) believes that changing its policy to allow homosexuals in same-sex “marriages” will help to “unite” the church around their mission of serving the poor. This change only affects the US division of WV and not the global umbrella. Richard Stearns, president of the US division, said:
“Changing the employee conduct policy to allow someone in a same-sex marriage who is a professed believer in Jesus Christ to work for us makes our policy more consistent with our practice on other divisive issues. It also allows us to treat all of our employees the same way: abstinence outside of marriage, and fidelity within marriage.”
Church Sign: Church is Cancelled Due to Lack of Interest
Posted on March 4, 2014 in Theology by Nathan Cherry
Imagine driving up to your church next Sunday morning only to see this written on the church sign: “Church is cancelled due to lack of interest.” You’d probably call the pastor immediately and demand an answer. What does he mean “lack of interest,” you are in church nearly every week.
There’s an old saying in churches that “20% of the people do 80% of the work.” I’ve heard it all my life and, worse yet, watched churches slowly die as a result of its truth. The same people volunteer to teach classes, stuff bulletins, make meals for new moms, visit shut-ins, serve the community, and do it with a tired smile on their face while many others sit back and “do church.”
Does the Bible Justify Refusing to Serve Homosexual Weddings?
Posted on February 27, 2014 in Public Policy, Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
Note: This article is a follow up to yesterday’s post in which I discussed the article by Kirsten Powers and responses to her article.
Predictably, the pending law in Arizona that would allow businesses to refuse service to homosexuals based on their religious convictions has stirred up controversy around the nation. Proponents of the legislation say it is needed to ensure the religious and conscience rights of Christian business owners are protected from government coercion and mandate. Opponents say the bills are just an excuse for people to discriminate.
What was not predictable in this discussion was how divided Christians themselves would be on the issue. Some Christians are saying no one should have the right to refuse service – not even Christians, and not even when rendering service would violate a person’s convictions. Other Christians are baffled by that position and reiterate that the government should not be allowed to force a person to violate his or her deeply held religious convictions. Dr. Albert Mohler recently said that this was “perhaps the strangest and most disappointing dimension of the current controversy.”
Must Watch: John Piper and Francis Chan Talk About Abortion in Church
Posted on February 22, 2014 in Life by Nathan Cherry
If you’ve ever wondered whether a pastor should discuss abortion church, or if the pastor should use graphic images of aborted babies as illustrations, you must watch this video.
John Piper and Francis Chan discuss how to discuss abortion while being sensitive to post-abortive women in your church. They further discuss the use of graphic images depicting abortion within the church. I think a lot of people will be surprised by this discussion an the positions taken by the two prominent pastors.
If the video doesn’t appear automatically, please refresh your browser.
Will the Religious Super-Majority Be Forced to Comply?
Posted on February 21, 2014 in Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
A number of times now President Obama has stated that America is “no longer a Christian nation.” I don’t believe that every person in America is a repentant follower of Jesus, and I am certain the president does not believe that either. What I believe the president was trying to accomplish with his remarks is to distance modern America from our religious founding and heritage. In President Obama’s ongoing attempts to replace “freedom of religion” with “freedom to worship” he would like nothing more than to imbed the idea that America is not founded and based on biblical principles.
In a solid refutation of the president’s claim, a recent Gallup poll released at the end of December in 2013 shows that a super-majority of Americans, 75%, identify with the Christian faith. Dr. Frank Newport, Galup’s Editor-in-Chief says:
Who Are the Lukewarm That Jesus Spits Out of His Mouth?
Posted on February 18, 2014 in Theology by Nathan Cherry
Quite often we hear lessons or illustrations about the “lukewarm” in the church. Almost unanimously these lessons center around teaching that the lukewarm are people that are saved but simply do not live out their faith, or are not active in growing in their faith. They are, according to most teaching, people that confess Christ but do not actively serve, worship, share, or serve Him.
Most often these teachings are based on Revelation chapter 3, the famous passage in which Christ describes people that are “neither hot nor cold” and for that reason he is sickened by the fact that these people are lukewarm and will “spit them out” of His mouth. This is strong language. And people have generally read this passage and believed that these are Christians not doing anything for Christ (which is what makes them lukewarm) and because of that Christ is sickened. But I believe this is an incorrect understanding of this passage; an incorrect view that could affect eternity.
Churches Are Now Being Sued for Discrimination
Posted on February 12, 2014 in Marriage by Nathan Cherry
My friend Joseph Backholm of the Family Policy Institute of Washington has written an article that is simply too good and poignant not to share.
Many have sat on the sidelines of the marriage battle hoping to outlast the attacks. But, as Backholm writes, they are now suing churches in Washington for “discrimination” while the United Nations demands the Catholic church change sacred teaching on sexuality. If that does’t wake you up and cause alarm at how dire the situation is then I question your sanity and coherence.
Read Joseph’s article below and reconsider your “hands off” position. If you continue to take this position you might find yourself in jail anyways, sitting next to the guy who fought on the front lines.
Washington: Now They’re Suing Churches
by Joseph Backholm
Recently, Eastside Catholic High School caused an uproar when they dismissed their vice-principal who entered a same-sex “marriage” in violation of church teaching.
In a story that could have implications for this case, as well as for churches everywhere, last week the Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders (GLAD) filed a complaint against a Catholic girl’s prep school which refused to hire a man who is “married” to another man.
Without Freedom of Religion There’s Only Tyranny
Posted on January 22, 2014 in Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
“The Church is the conscience of the state.”
These words were uttered by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Many wish such an influential man would have never said such a thing, and still others are actively seeking to remove any presence of a conscience from our society. Our government, undoubtedly based upon biblical principles designed to bring blessing from God and success, is now militantly removing God from every corner. The result of this push to redefine morality in our society and banish the church from influence will be devastating.
An article at the Acton Institute blog sheds light on these results:
Report: The Extent of Religious Persecution in America
Posted on January 18, 2014 in Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
The Texas based Liberty Institute has released a report showing the extent of religious persecution in America for the 2013 year. The report is called: UNDENIABLE: The Survey of Hostility to Religion in America
The thorough 190 page report discusses such topics as attacks on religious liberty of churches and ministries, attacks on religious liberty in the public arena, and attacks on religious liberty in the schoolhouse.
Citing legal cases from around the country this report shows definitively that there is a concerted effort to persecute people of faith for simply living out their religious convictions. This effort is being perpetrated by many groups that all seek to remove religion and God from our country’s public life while forcing religious expression into the walls of the church.
I would encourage you to take a look at this report in order to understand just how assaulted our religious freedom truly is. And also to motivate you to defend religious freedom both in private and in public. Now more than ever America needs people that believe the sentiment of Founding Father Thomas Jefferson: “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.”
Pope Francis: Abortion is “Horrific”
Posted on January 16, 2014 in Life by Nathan Cherry
Pope Francis delivered his most strongly worded address on the subject of abortion to date at his recent “State of the World” address. Critics of Pope Francis have often attacked the Pope for not speaking on the critical issue and leaving the world guessing as to where he really stands. The Pope removed all doubt when he said: