Historical Posts
On the Contrary
Are Christians Contrary?
Living a different, or contrary, lifestyle than another can cause curiosity. Sometimes that curiosity might lead to trouble; other times that curiosity can open doors to open and honest communication. For example, Haman noted to King Ahasuerus that the Jews’ “laws are different from all other people’s, and they do not keep the king’s laws (Esther 3:8).” He did not want them to remain, yet Ester was chosen to be queen to Ahasuerus and helped to save the Jewish people.
Paul called a spirit of divination out of a girl in Philippi, contrary to her masters desires. Since their profit was gone, they brought them to the magistrates and accused them of “exceedingly troubling our city; and…teaching customs which are not lawful (Acts 16:16-21)…” As a result, Paul and Silas were thrown into prison. However, this resulted in the other prisoners and Philippian jailer having a chance to hear the gospel. The latter heard it and obeyed it!
Paul also commended the Thessalonians for following the Christian examples of others. However, by doing so, they had to suffer persecution from their own countrymen, even as they did from the Judeans. The Judeans were guilty of killing the Lord and their own prophets, and thus did not seek to please God. Thus, they were “contrary to all men (1 Thessalonians 2:13-16).”
We must live our lives according to God, even if it is contrary to the world and what is accepted by the world, for the world has no authority to change God’s Word. In a dark world, Jesus said to “let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16).” Hopefully our contrary lifestyle will open the door for communication and salvation!
Content by Richard Dillon
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50 Shades of Facebook
You may have missed this in the news cycle, but the social-media giant, Facebook, made an interesting announcement last week. In the midst of so much controversy about granting special rights and privileges to homosexuals in America, Facebook has added a new feature to the “about” section of everyone’s personal profiles. In addition to the gender distinctions “male” and “female,” it is now possible to list oneself as any one of fifty other possible choices. Options like “transgender,” “cisgender,” “gender fluid,” “intersex” and “neither” are now available to users in the United States. As CNN put it in an article on their web site, “You don’t have to be a man or a woman on Facebook anymore.”
In an explanation posted on Facebook’s “Diversity” page, a spokesperson said, “When you came to Facebook to connect with other people, causes, and organizations you care about, we want you to feel comfortable being your true, authentic self.” The post then added, “An important part of this is the expression of gender, especially when it extends beyond the definitions of just ‘male’ or ‘female,’… So today, we’re proud to offer a new custom gender option to help you express your own identity on Facebook.” Facebook says that it worked with a group of leading advocacy organizations to come up with the new gender categories. According to Allison Palmer, a former GLAAD vice president, who worked on the project, “Facebook users from across the country have been asking for the ability to reflect their gender accurately, and today Facebook showed they have been listening.”
In light of the moral confusion reigning in today’s society, it is not altogether shocking than an influential web site like Facebook would submit to pressure from militant homosexual advocacy groups. As a part of their ongoing struggle against reality, many such groups have sought to redefine universally recognized terms in order to skew the discussion in their favor. The promotion of gender confusion is a tactic that has served them well. It does not win them many battles in the present, but will assure victory for them in the future. By confusing children about the issue of gender, the homosexual movement in America hopes to recruit more of the next generation to its cause.
Recently, there have been numerous reports of parents demanding access for their elementary school age boys to the girls restrooms and vice versa, because they assert that their children are “confused” about their gender. In middle school and high school, gender confusion has led some boys to be granted special permission to compete in girls sports and vice versa. Some parents have even sought to have their children surgically altered, because of gender confusion. At a time when children are vulnerable and need their parents to guide them, some parents are being influenced by homosexual propaganda to feed their children’s insecurities, rather than to help them understand and interact with society at large. We are becoming a nation of “enablers,” as we celebrate and encourage homosexual behavior, instead of trying to correct it.
I know that this is a controversial thing to say, but homosexuality is condemned in the Bible – just as fornication, adultery, incest and transexuality are condemned as sin. “For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due” (Romans 1:26-27; NKJV). Notice that Paul described homosexual behavior as “shameful.” Today, it is precisely the opposite of that. “Do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). The terms, “homosexuals” and “sodomites” are translated from a Greek term, which mean “submissive” and “dominant” homosexuals, respectively. Paul was anything but ambiguous in his condemnation of homosexual behavior.
I still have a profile on Facebook and I hope that I can use it to accomplish some good. The Internet, like other forms of media, can be used either to promote good or evil. It is up to us to decide which.
Content by Russell Kline
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Maybe They Are Born That Way?
Sin results from life choices, not because people are born that way.
Much has been reported lately about an effort that is being put forth to allow “transgender” students at Madisonville North Hopkins High School to use the restroom of the opposite sex, if they choose to do so. Furthermore, these students want their teachers to refer to them using the personal pronouns of their choosing. By “transgender,” I mean students who are convinced that they are actually not the gender with which they were born. They say that they are “a man trapped in a woman’s body,” or “a woman trapped in a man’s body”, that they are born that way. They suffer from what was once considered a psychological disorder, but instead of seeking treatment, they are trying to convince everyone else to support them in their delusion. In their effort to do so, they “crossdress” (girls dress as boys and boys dress as girls), “roleplay” (girls behave as boys and boys behave as girls), and attempt to gain legal standing from the authorities, as well as sympathy from the general public. This is what is taking place in our community, at our local high school.
The primary claim of those who suffer from transgender disorder is that they are born that way and cannot help being who they are. Like homosexuals, they claim that they are the way that they are as a result of some kind of genetic, or birth defect. For many years, the “LGBT” (Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Transgender) community, as they have styled themselves, has argued that there must be a “gay gene,” which is responsible for their sexual orientation. But, in the course of mapping the human genome, a “gay gene” has never been found. Of course, if one was ever found, that would mean that parents, through genetic engineering, could ensure that their children would not be born that way, and the population of the LGBT community could be wiped out in a generation. Other theories have suggested that one becomes a homosexual through some abnormality that takes place during gestation, or even childbirth. It has been postulated that some boys are so bombarded by female hormones in their mother’s womb that they become “feminized” prior to birth. Of course, there is no actual science to back up this theory, but even if it were true, that would still make homosexuality an abnormality that can be prevented, and this theory does not account for women who are attracted to women.
The greatest problem with the so-called “science” of homosexuality is that the LGBT community uses it to try to explain why they are the way that they are, while at the same time trying to convince everyone that there is nothing wrong with them, and that they should be accepted as a normal part of society. In their failed attempts to explain homosexuality as natural and normal, they are forced to concede that it is both unnatural and abnormal. The truth of the matter is that people who are lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender are what they are because of the choices they have made in their lives, not because they are born that way. Like fornicators, adulterers, pedophiles and other sexual miscreants, their consciences have been seared to such a degree that they are convinced of their incapacity to change. This amplified degree of self-denial is what keeps them trapped in a lifestyle that is self-destructive for their bodies and for their souls.
Homosexuality is a sin. Both lesbians and gays are condemned, in the Scriptures, as sinners (Romans 1:26-27). Bi-sexuality is a sin. It is condemned by the same passages that condemn homosexuality. Being transgender is a sin. The Scriptures teach that men must dress and act like men, and that women must dress and act like women. Those men who are “effeminate” and “abusers of themselves with mankind” are classified as “unrighteous” in the New Testament (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). These behaviors have always been sinful, according to the Old Testament (Leviticus 18:22-23; 20:13; Deuteronomy 23:17). Even in nature, it must be admitted that homosexual behavior is not normal behavior (1 Corinthians 11:14).
One fact in this debate, which is often overlooked is that it is possible for people in the LGBT community to get out, and to live a life that is free from sexual sin. In 1 Corinthians 6:11, Paul wrote, “And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.” On the heels of a condemnation of homosexuality, Paul declared that he knew people who had been in that lifestyle, but had changed their lives for the better. There are cases in the modern world of such successes. Members of the LGBT community have no excuse for failing to repent!
Content by Russell Kline
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Is Homosexuality Acceptable to God? audio
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Introduction
With all the hype surrounding A&E’s “Duck Dynasty,” it would be helpful to see exactly what the Bible teaches regarding the issue of homosexuality.
It is widely accepted in society, but is it accepted by God, to whom we must give an account?
Body
I. God’s original plan for mankind.
A. In the beginning, God made two sexes: male and female. He did not make male and male, nor female and female (Genesis 1:27-28). The reason? They were to go forth and multiply! Reproduction can only occur with members of the opposite sex! When God saw that man was alone, He made a helper comparable to him. Did He make another man? No! He made a woman (Genesis 2:18-24).
B. God commanded the children of Israel not to have relations with members of the opposite sex (Leviticus 18:22; 20:13). It is an abomination before the LORD!
C. Jesus often taught people the words of His Heavenly Father concerning marriage. He put His seal of approval on the fact that God joins men and women in marriage (Matthew 19:4-6; Mark 10:6-9).
D. The apostle Paul taught the Ephesians the relationship Christ has with His church, as a husband has with his wife. He affirmed the same words of Jesus that a “man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh (Ephesians 5:31).” He taught the Romans that we must follow God’s design. If not, He will allow us to continue to live in sin with dire consequences (Romans 1:21-32). This is “shameful!”
II. God punishes those who do not follow His plan.
A. The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were known for their exceeding wickedness, including sexual immorality (Genesis 13:13; 18:20,23,25). Men tried to commit immortality with the men that stayed in Lot’s house; these same men told Lot to leave before God destroyed those cities (Genesis 19). Later, Peter and Jude remind us of these examples so we will not suffer the same destruction (2 Peter 2:6-7; Jude 7).
B. Another similar instance occurred in the land of Gibeah. Men came to the house where a certain Levite was staying, and wanted to know him carnally. He would not give in, but instead gave them his concubine. Her death came as a result (Judges 19).
C. Paul reminds us that those that practice homosexuality will not inherit the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9-10).
Conclusion
God clearly disapproves of homosexuality, but makes it possible to not continue practicing it! Just as the Corinthians, we can be washed by the blood of Jesus Christ after repenting (1 Corinthians 6:11).
It is good to know God’s law, but one must use it lawfully. Paul taught Timothy that God gives His law to sinners to know right from wrong, and the gospel to save them (1 Timothy 1:8-11). Notice that sodomites again are mentioned as sinners in this context.
Content by Richard Dillon
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A Matter of Interpretation
It is rather commonplace for those who come in conflict with the scriptures to go on the offensive. They usually charge that the Bible is outdated or irrelevant in their case. Further, they argue that those who oppose their view have a warped interpretation of the word of God. Then they proceed to show that commonly held beliefs are based on a misinterpretation of the Bible. Their interpretation is more in line with the teachings of Jesus, and therefore, we must not be judgmental. This is precisely what the homosexual community does.
The Bible is very clear on this matter. The Old Testament is explicit. “Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable” (Leviticus 18:22). The New Testament is equally clear. “Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:9, 10).
Someone will usually respond, “But Jesus didn’t say anything about homosexuality!” Some have even sought to portray Him as a homosexual.
But Jesus never sanctioned sexual immorality of any kind.
- Not adultery!
- Not fornication!
- Not homosexuality!
What should our message be?
When the adulterous woman was brought to Jesus he had compassion on her. He did not, however, sanction her sin. He sent her away with these words, “Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more” (John 8:11). Jesus loved and forgave her, but He still demanded change. She was told to cease her sinful ways. The message is the same for homosexuals. There is forgiveness in Christ (1 Corinthians 6:11).
No, Jesus would not, and we do not sanction hate crimes against homosexuals, or anyone else. Christians must treat others with love and kindness, but we cannot and will not approve of that which God has clearly condemned. Homosexuality is sin. Homosexuals, like adulterers and fornicators, must repent and live chaste lives.
It is the sin and not the sinner which is detestable.
— Roger
Content by Roger Rush
Visit Roger at the 6th and Washington Street Church of Christ in Marietta OH.
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Headed Our Way
Legalize same-sex marriage?
If I’m not mistaken, nine states and the District of Colombia have now legalized same-sex marriage, and if the Ohio Freedom to Marry Coalition has its way, Ohio will be added to the list. An effort is currently underway to secure enough signatures to get the issue on the ballot in 2013. Then, if enough people can be persuaded to vote for the change, it will become law.
Proponents of same-sex marriage argue that this is a civil rights issue
In their judgment, religion should play no part in the matter. Further, they say that politics or personal views on morality are also irrelevant. They argue that all American citizens should be entitled to the same rights. Correct me if I am wrong, but don’t we all have the same rights already. Every man has the right to take a wife, and every woman has the right to take a husband. The fact that a small segment of our population wishes to demand an additional right to a union contrary to nature, is not a civil right but a moral matter.
Morality is not on the minds of many people
A sizable portion of the electorate, without giving serious consideration to what is at stake, will no doubt accept the civil rights argument. Sadly, morality is not upper most on the minds of many people. They reason, as long as it doesn’t affect them personally, who are they to tell someone else what they may or may not do? I can’t help but wonder at what point society will say “enough is enough!” Once same-sex marriage is embraced, the floodgates will open. The proponents of plural marriages will assert their civil right to multiple marriages. Others will assert their civil right to marry their cat. Another will claim it their civil right to marry a child. Yes, some will say that this is all nonsense, but advocates for these ideas are already out there.
Homosexuality is not a civil rights issue, but a moral issue
There is no homosexual gene. No one is compelled to engage in homosexual activity any more than they are compelled to engage in heterosexual activity. Adultery and fornication are just as sinful as homosexual activity. And, yes, homosexuality is clearly condemned in Scripture (Leviticus 18:22; 20:13; Romans 1:26-27; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; 1 Timothy 1:8-10). I understand that the world places no value on the word of God, but surely Christians do!
God has spoken with clarity and force
Please understand, I have no animosity toward homosexuals or anyone else, but God has spoken with clarity and force regarding this issue. Homosexual conduct is sinful. No amount of human reasoning can change that. If asked to sign a petition or given the opportunity to vote on the matter, I would hope we would stand for what the Bible teaches, even though it is counter to modern culture.
— Roger
MAY 6, 2012
Content by Roger Rush
Visit Roger at the 6th and Washington Street Church of Christ in Marietta OH.
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