Tag: Russell Moore
Some Worthwhile Christian Opinions on Donald Trump. And Why He is Not a “Christian Candidate”
Posted on March 16, 2016 in Public Policy, Theology by Nathan Cherry
Donald Trump seems to be eliciting a reaction from nearly everyone with his presidential campaign. Some are energized by the un-politician and his blunt remarks. Others are angry over what they believe are racist, bigoted, xenophobic statements. And still others, like Pastor Max Lucado and well-known Christian media outlet The Christian Post are so incensed that they have broken political silence to denounce Trump.
Max Lucado has been a fixture of Christian culture for decades. I grew up reading his books and being inspired by his ability to paint word pictures from the biblical text. And though Lucado has written millions of words in his books, he has remained silent during presidential campaigns; refusing to endorse or condemn any candidate. Until now.
Likewise, The Christian Post has been a go-to resource for many people of faith for many years on all things religious. The Christian Post has never taken a position on a presidential candidate; even though many criticized their silence. All that has changed as The Christian Post makes it clear who they will not be supporting in this year’s election.
So why would two icons of Christian culture break their long-standing tradition of not endorsing or condemning a presidential candidate now? After all, President Obama ran for re-election; isn’t that enough to warrant an op-ed? What is it about Trump that has caused even the most reserved and controlled of Christian media outlets to break their silence?
I believe it is the mass support by self-identified “evangelical Christians” for Trump that has both Lucado and The Christian Post concerned. Specifically it is the concern that people outside of faith in Jesus Christ will conclude that all Christians are like Trump. This is particularly troubling given many of Trump’s claims. The Christian Post says:
Church Silence on Critical Moral Issues is Aiding Sin and Perverting the Gospel
Posted on November 4, 2015 in Public Policy, Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
I have long been an interested party in how the Gospel propels us into social involvement. The idea that as Christians we can stick our head in the sand and pretend everything is okay in our society seems both unbiblical and counter-intuitive to what Scripture teaches. That we should be active in helping “the least of these” and doing everything in our power to champion them seems obvious given the Bible’s teaching (see the book of James).
What I have come to realize is that many churches, pastors, and Christians are the least active, least involved (seemingly the least concerned) about matters that have come to be known as “social justice” issues. Whether this is due to such issues becoming highly politicized, or whether it is a result of poor theology is unclear. What is clear is that far too many Christians have little concern for anything that faintly smells political.
Please don’t misunderstand me. I’m not suggesting we all quit our jobs and run for political office. That calling must be clear as the person called to run for office will need every ounce of grace and strength God will grant. But as Christians we cannot sit on the sidelines and bemoan the state of our culture and society (politically or morally) while we do absolutely nothing. No one like a backseat driver or am armchair quarterback.
So while a few churches have taken any interest in the world outside their Bible-insulated walls, most have stayed content to meet each week to condemn society, gossip about sinful neighbors, and remain idle. This is lamentable at best. And I wish more churches would connect the Gospel to local and global action that reaches beyond week long mission trips. In fact, I firmly believe that if most churches became involved in “campaigning” for change in their communities we would see our society changed into something more in line with our theology.
But, to be honest, I am not optimistic or hopeful that this will happen.
The Southern Baptist Convention is Church-Planting Itself Out of Existence. Is That Good?
Posted on June 16, 2015 in Theology by Nathan Cherry
Church plants are on the rise, so are the “nones” and the “dones.” The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is getting smaller. Not only do I think these trends will continue, I think they are a good thing for Christians, the Gospel, and America.
I’ll confess that I am highly interested in church cultural trends. I’m not just a theology geek, but a geek in general that is fascinated by trends that I can see happening around me. When I read a statistic that matches up with the reality in my community I am curious. The trend of shrinking denominationalism coupled with more churches being planted is both fascinating and obvious. These trends, in conjunction with the rise of the “dones” is also interesting and obvious.
Christianity Today recently reported several statistics that are worth noting relating to the Southern Baptist Convention:
Reparative Therapy: What Russell Moore Said and What I Hope He Meant
Posted on December 11, 2014 in Sexuality by Nathan Cherry
FRC’s Peter Sprigg is one of many voices (and organizations) asking for “truth in the ex-gay debate.” His extensive article is worth reading as it outlines the extent of deception used in outlawing reparative therapy. Sprigg highlights the tactics being used to get reparative therapy outlawed:
“The organized ex-gay movement is small and poorly-funded, but it poses such an existential threat to pro-homosexual mythology that homosexual activists have mounted a furious assault upon it…to generate opposition to SOCE, its opponents have reached back decades to techniques some therapists once used called ‘aversion therapy’ — attempting to associate homosexual feelings with some sort of negative stimuli. No one has been able to identify a single therapist actually practicing today who uses ‘aversive’ techniques in SOCE — but that hasn’t stopped homosexual activists from pretending that they do.”
In other words, no one can corroborate the accounts of “witnesses” to the dangerous and inhumane “aversion” techniques supposedly used on them. But why should truth get in the way of a good story?
While opposition from LGBT activists to reparative therapy is no surprise and expected. Some believe that evangelicals are turning against this form of help for those seeking freedom from unwanted same-sex attractions. At a recent conference Dr. Russell Moore, president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Counsel, made remarks that many have said signal an abandonment of reparative therapy for evangelicals. Moore said:
Are Christians Abandoning the Biblical Position on Homosexuality?
Posted on June 26, 2014 in Sexuality, Theology by Nathan Cherry
A recent Gallup Poll found that 37% of people believe homosexuality is a product of environment, while 42% say people are “born gay.” Despite the absolute lack of evidence for a “gay gene” or any biological marker for homosexuality, the notion still persists that people are somehow born with homosexual tendencies. This also despite the growing mountain of evidence to showing environmental factors contribute to a person’s self-image and identity, which plays a major factor in sexual orientation.
While the number of people believing people are born gay is down from 2013 when it reached an all-time high, the trend of believing there is a genetic marker that forces people to be gay is still hanging around.
Some are citing this as proof that Christians will eventually “come around” and “get with the program” on the issue of homosexuality and accept it. Some are even saying that opposition to homosexuality on the part of Christians is “collapsing” and will eventually crumble.
Really?
Why Do Christians Need to Oppose Transgenderism?
Posted on June 25, 2014 in Sexuality, Theology by Nathan Cherry
Since the SBC annual meeting the issue of transgenderism has been on my mind a lot. Not because I hadn’t thought about it before, but because of the fact that a major denomination needed to adopt a unified statement clarifying biblical teaching on the issue. Something seems terribly wrong with this fact.
Why is it necessary for the SBC to adopt a formal resolution codifying biblical teaching on the issue of transgenderism? Dr. Russell Moore, head of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission answers the question:
“The cultural mindset is that gender is something that is constructed by the individual. So it’s disconnected from how the person is created. And that’s one of the reasons why I think this resolution … was so wise, because it spoke to what the Bible teaches about what gender means in the first place, about how God’s design is good.”
Dr. Moore is right. The fact that society has turned gender into something that can be bent and altered at will is part of the problem. The established gender binary’s that once created the foundation of our society have been attacked and weakened, prompting a surge of defense for the male-female complimentarian view that was once so…normal.
Will the SBC Discipline a California Church for Supporting Homosexuality?
Posted on June 13, 2014 in Marriage, Sexuality by Nathan Cherry
A motion was made from the floor of the SBC annual meeting this year to discipline a Southern California church.
This might sound like an odd motion, but upon understanding the reason for the motion the action might be warranted.
This particular church, The New Heart Community Church, in La Mirada, CA, based on the leadership of their pastor has decided to affirm homosexual behavior.
The move came after the pastors’ son revealed in a video that he was gay. The pastor then told the church that he had decided to support his sons behavior and lifestyle. The church decided to support their pastor and change church policy rather than adhering to biblical truth.
This is important because this is the first instance of a southern baptist church endorsing homosexuality.
Dr. Dobson Dares President Obama to “Come and Get Me”
Posted on May 8, 2014 in Life by Nathan Cherry
With all due respect to Russell Moore and Albert Mohler, we need more leaders like James Dobson. America needs leaders that will stand up when faced with evil and say, “come and get me.” Dr. Dobson has been standing strong in the face of culture for decades and he didn’t back down when face to face with President Obama.
To be fair I am a huge fan of both Russell Moore and Albert Mohler. Their work within the Southern Baptist Convention is, in my opinion, timely and on point. The difference between them and Dr. Dobson though is with regard to personal conviction.
Let me explain. It seems that when many leaders speak on issues, whether life or marriage, or religious freedoms, they do so in an almost passive way. It’s not that they don’t care, they just seem to speak from the realm of “what if’s” more than from a personal place. I hear a lot of “Christians should not be made to,” and “It’s wrong to force Christians to,” when they speak. While I agree with those sentiments, there’s an element of personal force lacking.
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.”