Tag: marriage
Why Christians Seeing 50 Shades of Grey Should Be Embarrassed (and Repent) – Part 1
Posted on February 18, 2015 in Marriage, Sexuality by Nathan Cherry
It seems West Virginia has yet another dubious honor: pre-release ticket sales for the pending movie “Fifty Shades of Grey” are higher than expected.
Yep, apparently the controversial movie is seeing higher than expected ticket sales in states known to be “conservative and Christian.” These states include Mississippi, Arkansas, West Virginia, Kentucky, Alabama, and Louisiana. According to ticket tracking groups, it was surprising to see pre-release ticket sales so high in these so-called “conservative and Christian” states.
What has also been commented on as the movie is set to release is the number of Christian women planning to see it. Not only are they eager to see the movie, they are getting all their gal-pals together for a night at the theater. (I suppose Magic Mike 2 will be next on their list.)
Somehow our Christian culture has entirely lost its moral compass. The very idea that groups of Christian women would be planning to see this movie is indicative of the fact that we’ve lost our way. The fact that they would so casually trump the movie as some epic story worthy of attention indicates a complete lack of biblical understanding regarding sexuality, intimacy, and marriage. And the fact that what would have been considered porn just 25 years ago is now accepted and celebrated by our culture…our Christian culture.
Let’s be clear, what a married man and woman do in the privacy of their own bedroom is their business. As long as that activity does not violate any explicit or implicit biblical principle then it’s entirely up to them. This means viewing pornography together and threesomes are wrong even if the man and woman consent. This simple fact also means that gathering my buddies to go watch a sexually explicit movie together is wrong – as in the case of “50 Shades of Grey.”
Let’s review the basic premise of the movie.
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.”
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.
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.
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.
Federal Court: Marriage Is the Union of One Man and One Woman
Posted on November 18, 2014 in Marriage by Nathan Cherry
A surprise decision by the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the traditional definition of marriage in the states of Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and Tennessee. State bans against same-sex marriage were previously ruled unconstitutional by lower courts, setting up the decision by the Sixth Circuit.
This decision is not only a surprise to advocates of same-sex “marriage,” but is also surprising to traditional marriage advocates that have watched marriage bans struck down by numerous Appeal Court decision around the country. What is not a surprise though is that this decision by the Sixth Circuit all but guarantees that marriage will once again come before the Supreme Court. There is a very real possibility that by next summer a Supreme Court decision on the definition of marriage could be reached.