Abraham Lincoln was fond of asking, "If you call a dog's tail a leg, how many legs does a dog have?" "Five," his audience would invariably answer. "No," he'd politely respond, " the correct answer is four. Calling a tail a leg does not make it a leg."
Like Lincoln's associates, many of our fellow citizens - including many Christians - appear to fall for the notion that changing a definition causes a change in essence. A prime example is the attempt to change the definition of marriage to include same-sex unions. Simply calling such relationships "gay marriages," many believe, will actually make them marriages. Such reasoning, however, is as flawed as thinking that changing tail to leg changes the function of the appendage.
Consider the change that must occur in our tail/leg example. A dog's tail cannot perform the same functions as its leg. He can't use his tail to run or swim or scratch an itch. In order to use the term for both parts, we must discard all qualities that make a tail different from a leg. The new meaning of leg will require that we exclude any difference of form ( for example, we can no longer say that a paw can be found at the end of a leg) or function (for example, legs are not necessarily used for standing). In other words, by redefining the term tail we have not made it equivalent in form or function to a leg: we've merely stripped the term leg of its previous meaning and made it as generic a term as appendage.
The same is true with the attempts to redefine marriage. Because marriage requires the specific form of a union of man and woman (Gen. 2:24), applying the term to same-sex unions alters the very concept of what a marriage is for and what functions it takes.
For example, a significant percentage of people in same-sex sexual partnerships do not view monogamy or sexual exclusivity as part of the meaning of marriage. They may still use the term monogamy, but they have redefined that term too, in a way that means "monogamish," that is, relationships in which they are emotionally intimate with only one partner yet remain free to engage in sexual infidelities or group sexual activity. Changing the definition of marriage to include same-sex unions does not make it more inclusive, but rather more exclusive, since it requires excluding all the functions that were previously beieved to be essential to the institutiion of marriage (for example, sexual fidelity).
Some Christians, recognizing the change that occurs because of the redefinition of marriage, argue that we need a two-track system: marriage as defined by the state and marriage as defined by the church. The problem with this view is that it also misunderstands the nature of marriage. Neither the state nor the church has the authority to change the essential nature of marriage, since the institution was neither created by nor belongs to either the church or the state. As Dr. R. C. Sproul wrote in a previous issue of Tabletalk (June 2013): Marriage is ordained and instituted by God - that is to say, marriage did not just spring up arbitrarily out of social conventions or human taboos. Marriage was not invented by men but by God.
Because the three institutions of church, state, and marriage have interdependent yet independent existance, they can decide whether to recognize each other's legitimacy, but they cannot delineate each other's boundaries. In this way, the relationship is similar to nation-states. The U.S government, for example, can decide to "recognize" the state of Israel, but it cannot redefine the country in a way that contracts its border to exclue the Gaza Strip. The U.S. either recognizes Israel as it defines itself or it rejects its legitimacy altogether.
Some Christians may even concede that while the state doesn't truly have the authority to redefine marriage, we should go along with the legal fiction for the sake of the gospel witness. Although such Christians may have the best of intentions, they are actually subverting the very gospel they want to protect.
In acceding to laws that redefine marriage, they are doing the very opposite of what Jesus calls us to do: they are hating their neighbors, including their gay and lesbian neighbors. You do not love your neighbor by encouraging them to engage in actions that invoke God's wrath (Ps. 5:4-5; Rom. 1:18). As Christians, we may be required to tolerate ungodly behavior, but the moment we begin to endorse it, we too become suppressors of the truth. You cannot love your neighbor and want to see them excluded from the kingdom of Christ (Eph. 5:5).
What is needed is for the church to have the courage to speak the truth of the gospel: we cannot love our neighbor and tolerate unrepentant rebellion against God. We cannot continue with the "go along to get along" mentality that is leading those we love to destruction. We must speak the Word of God with boldness (Acts 4:31) and accept the fact that those who have fallen away may not ever return. We must choose this day whom we will serve. Will we stand with the only wise God or with the foolish idol-makers of same-sex marriage?
(by Joe Carter, Tabletalk, February 2014,www.ligonier.org)
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Thursday, February 13, 2014
Our Anchor in a Changing World
"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me." Galatians 2:20
"But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident; for, The just shall live by faith." Galatians 3:11
We live in a rapidly changing world and hardly know what to depend on from day to day, but we desperately need something unchanging and secure to anchor our lives to and God has provided that security. It is called the Gospel of Jesus Christ and it is 100% secure and trustworthy.
Paul preached and lived the Gospel of JesusChrist. He claimed that he lived by faith in the Son of God and assures us that we can and must live the same way.
Things didn't always go smoothly for Paul! He was attacked by mobs, falsely accused by his enemies, arrested by the Roman authorities and saw the inside of several Roman jails. The future often looked bleak for Paul, but his faith in the Gospel and in the Lord Jesus never wavered. He knew, as we must learn, that we cannot always depend on things as they appear to be, but we must depend on things to be as God promises that they shall be and that is called "walking by faith."
Someone wrote the following words;
'Tis better to walk by faith than sight,
in this path of ours and mine;
And the pitch-black night, when there's no outer light
is the time for faith to shine.
The world of our generation has a lot of serious problems and we hear a lot of proposed solutions. No doubt some are good and some not so good but of one thing I am sure, denying the claims of God and breaking His commandments is not a good solution. Many years ago a man called "The Preacher" wrote, "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man." (Ecclesiastes 12:13)
There will, no doubt, be political and judicial decisions made in the days to come that will be, as we see things, definitely wrong. There are now and will be more, developments on the world scene that are scary but don't be troubled. We are men and women who, "...walk by faith, not by sight." (2nd Corinthians 5:7) and our lives are controlled by and our hope is built on, "...things not seen as yet...." (Hebrews 11:7). Like Moses of old we shall "...endure, as seeing Him who is invisible." (Hebrews 11:27). (Invisible to the eyes of unbelief but seen by eyes of faith).
In the end it will be as God has determined.
(Pastor Bill Cummins, Sheridan, Wyoming, drbc@bresnan.net)
"But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident; for, The just shall live by faith." Galatians 3:11
We live in a rapidly changing world and hardly know what to depend on from day to day, but we desperately need something unchanging and secure to anchor our lives to and God has provided that security. It is called the Gospel of Jesus Christ and it is 100% secure and trustworthy.
Paul preached and lived the Gospel of JesusChrist. He claimed that he lived by faith in the Son of God and assures us that we can and must live the same way.
Things didn't always go smoothly for Paul! He was attacked by mobs, falsely accused by his enemies, arrested by the Roman authorities and saw the inside of several Roman jails. The future often looked bleak for Paul, but his faith in the Gospel and in the Lord Jesus never wavered. He knew, as we must learn, that we cannot always depend on things as they appear to be, but we must depend on things to be as God promises that they shall be and that is called "walking by faith."
Someone wrote the following words;
'Tis better to walk by faith than sight,
in this path of ours and mine;
And the pitch-black night, when there's no outer light
is the time for faith to shine.
The world of our generation has a lot of serious problems and we hear a lot of proposed solutions. No doubt some are good and some not so good but of one thing I am sure, denying the claims of God and breaking His commandments is not a good solution. Many years ago a man called "The Preacher" wrote, "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man." (Ecclesiastes 12:13)
There will, no doubt, be political and judicial decisions made in the days to come that will be, as we see things, definitely wrong. There are now and will be more, developments on the world scene that are scary but don't be troubled. We are men and women who, "...walk by faith, not by sight." (2nd Corinthians 5:7) and our lives are controlled by and our hope is built on, "...things not seen as yet...." (Hebrews 11:7). Like Moses of old we shall "...endure, as seeing Him who is invisible." (Hebrews 11:27). (Invisible to the eyes of unbelief but seen by eyes of faith).
In the end it will be as God has determined.
(Pastor Bill Cummins, Sheridan, Wyoming, drbc@bresnan.net)
Saturday, February 8, 2014
Appearance Is Everything?
An advertising agency wrote seeking our ministry's business: "Let's face it: appearance is everything. Let us help you enhance your image."
My first thought was that this agency doesn't reaize they are dealing with a Christian organization. Then it occurred to me that this is precisely the impression many unbelievers get from the state of evangelical Christianity today: appearance is everything. Truth and reality often take a back seat to image.
That mentality has long been a plague on the church, but in recent years it has reached epidemic proportions. Sadly enough, Christian leaders are often the most image-conscious of all. Whole churches are built on the philosophy that image is everything, while truth must be downplayed so that the church can appear in more appealing dress.
For example, in order to appear as genial and nonthreatening as possible, many churches forgo the practice of church discipline altogether, lest the all-important image be tarnished. Sin in the body is tolerable as long as the carefully polished veneer remains in place.
Worst of all, this attitude is pervasive at the individual level. Far too many Christians live as if a pretense of righteousness were as good as the real thing. That is precisely the error committed by most of the Pharisees of Jesus' day. They lived as though external compliance with the law fulfilled all the demands of divine righteousness while they harbored iniquity in their hearts or indulged in gross sin secretly.
Again and again, Christ rebuked the pharisees for their fastidious observance of the external, ceremonial law - married with a wanton neglect of the law's fundamental moral requirements. The Pharisees' teaching placed so much emphasis on external appearance that it was commonly believed that evil thoughts were not really sinful as long as they did not become acts. The Pharisees and their followers became utterly preoccupied with appearing righteous. Jesus likened them to white-washed tombs - spotless on the outside but filled wth corruption and defilement on the inside.
The notion that morality is merely external underlies all forms of hypocrisy. It is the very error Jesus decried in His exposition of the moral law in the Sermon on the Mount. The central lesson He underscored was this: external appearance is not what matters most.
Jesus' exposition of the law is a devastating blow against the lie that image is everything. Our Lord taught repeatedly that sin bottled up on the inside, concealed from everyone else's view, is no less damning than sin that manifests itself in the worst forms of ungodly behavior (Matt. 5:21-30). As Christians, we must never think of secret sins as somehow less wicked or more respectable than the sins everyone sees.
(Dr. John MacArthur, pastor of Grace Community Church, Sun Valley, Calif. and president of The Master's College and Seminary. Tabletalk, February 2014, www.ligonier.org)
My first thought was that this agency doesn't reaize they are dealing with a Christian organization. Then it occurred to me that this is precisely the impression many unbelievers get from the state of evangelical Christianity today: appearance is everything. Truth and reality often take a back seat to image.
That mentality has long been a plague on the church, but in recent years it has reached epidemic proportions. Sadly enough, Christian leaders are often the most image-conscious of all. Whole churches are built on the philosophy that image is everything, while truth must be downplayed so that the church can appear in more appealing dress.
For example, in order to appear as genial and nonthreatening as possible, many churches forgo the practice of church discipline altogether, lest the all-important image be tarnished. Sin in the body is tolerable as long as the carefully polished veneer remains in place.
Worst of all, this attitude is pervasive at the individual level. Far too many Christians live as if a pretense of righteousness were as good as the real thing. That is precisely the error committed by most of the Pharisees of Jesus' day. They lived as though external compliance with the law fulfilled all the demands of divine righteousness while they harbored iniquity in their hearts or indulged in gross sin secretly.
Again and again, Christ rebuked the pharisees for their fastidious observance of the external, ceremonial law - married with a wanton neglect of the law's fundamental moral requirements. The Pharisees' teaching placed so much emphasis on external appearance that it was commonly believed that evil thoughts were not really sinful as long as they did not become acts. The Pharisees and their followers became utterly preoccupied with appearing righteous. Jesus likened them to white-washed tombs - spotless on the outside but filled wth corruption and defilement on the inside.
The notion that morality is merely external underlies all forms of hypocrisy. It is the very error Jesus decried in His exposition of the moral law in the Sermon on the Mount. The central lesson He underscored was this: external appearance is not what matters most.
Jesus' exposition of the law is a devastating blow against the lie that image is everything. Our Lord taught repeatedly that sin bottled up on the inside, concealed from everyone else's view, is no less damning than sin that manifests itself in the worst forms of ungodly behavior (Matt. 5:21-30). As Christians, we must never think of secret sins as somehow less wicked or more respectable than the sins everyone sees.
(Dr. John MacArthur, pastor of Grace Community Church, Sun Valley, Calif. and president of The Master's College and Seminary. Tabletalk, February 2014, www.ligonier.org)
Saturday, February 1, 2014
Bowing To Shariah
Islamofascism: Caving to pressure from Muslim groups, the Pentagon has relaxed uniform rules to allow Islamic beards, turbans and hijabs. It's a major win for political correctness and a big loss for military unit cohesion.
Also, the sharia-compliant regulation threatens to expand the jihadi Fifth Column that counter-intelligence already is dealing with in the wake of theFort Hood massacre. The FBI is tracking more than 100 suspected jihadists within the military.
Making special accommodations for Islam will only attract more Muslims into the military at a time when two recent terror cases highlight the ongoing danger of Muslims in uniform.
Earlier this month, a former Army soldier was sentenced to seven years in prison in a terror investigation. Craig Benedict Baxam, a Muslim convert, was said to have trained with al-Qaida's branch in Somalia. In statements to federal agents, he justified violent jihad and vowed to fight the U.S. to defend Islamic lands.
Also this month, Homeland Security arrested an Iranian-American working for the Defense Department as a contract engineer. Mozaffar Khazaee was busted sending secret documents to Tehran.
In justifying the Pentagon's new religious accommodations, which took effect last week, a spokesman said they would "reduce both the instances and perception of discrimination among those whose religious expressions are less familiar to the command." The terror-tied Council on American-Islamic Relations, which lobbied for the beard exemption, cheered it as a civil rights victory.
Don't be misled. The beard now allowed is the same beard required by all jihadists. Recall that the Fort Hood shooter insisted on wearing a beard at his trial.
The administration is pushing sharia-compliance on the private sector. Last month, it successfully sued McDonanld's over its dress code after the burger chain refused to let a Muslim worker grow a beard. McDonald's insisted it was an issue of hygiene and food sanitation. Yet after Shaheed Khan invoked Islam, the company buckled and agreed to allow Islamic beards and put managers through Muslim sensitivity training. It even forked over $50,000 to Khan.
What next? Will McDonald's be forced to use only halal-butchered meat in its burgers? Will the Pentagon court-martial non-Muslim soldiers for mishandling their bunkmates' copies of the Quran?
The left dismisses as alarmist fears about sharia law creeping into Western society. Yet the evidence is all around us.
(Investor's Business Daily, January 30, 2014, www.investors.com)
Also, the sharia-compliant regulation threatens to expand the jihadi Fifth Column that counter-intelligence already is dealing with in the wake of theFort Hood massacre. The FBI is tracking more than 100 suspected jihadists within the military.
Making special accommodations for Islam will only attract more Muslims into the military at a time when two recent terror cases highlight the ongoing danger of Muslims in uniform.
Earlier this month, a former Army soldier was sentenced to seven years in prison in a terror investigation. Craig Benedict Baxam, a Muslim convert, was said to have trained with al-Qaida's branch in Somalia. In statements to federal agents, he justified violent jihad and vowed to fight the U.S. to defend Islamic lands.
Also this month, Homeland Security arrested an Iranian-American working for the Defense Department as a contract engineer. Mozaffar Khazaee was busted sending secret documents to Tehran.
In justifying the Pentagon's new religious accommodations, which took effect last week, a spokesman said they would "reduce both the instances and perception of discrimination among those whose religious expressions are less familiar to the command." The terror-tied Council on American-Islamic Relations, which lobbied for the beard exemption, cheered it as a civil rights victory.
Don't be misled. The beard now allowed is the same beard required by all jihadists. Recall that the Fort Hood shooter insisted on wearing a beard at his trial.
The administration is pushing sharia-compliance on the private sector. Last month, it successfully sued McDonanld's over its dress code after the burger chain refused to let a Muslim worker grow a beard. McDonald's insisted it was an issue of hygiene and food sanitation. Yet after Shaheed Khan invoked Islam, the company buckled and agreed to allow Islamic beards and put managers through Muslim sensitivity training. It even forked over $50,000 to Khan.
What next? Will McDonald's be forced to use only halal-butchered meat in its burgers? Will the Pentagon court-martial non-Muslim soldiers for mishandling their bunkmates' copies of the Quran?
The left dismisses as alarmist fears about sharia law creeping into Western society. Yet the evidence is all around us.
(Investor's Business Daily, January 30, 2014, www.investors.com)
Friday, January 24, 2014
Giving Up What Is Natural
"For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another." Romans 1:26-27a
The righteousness that can avail for us before the Lord must come through faith alone, because of the depravity of Jew and Gentile alike (Rom. 1:16-3:20). In due time, the Apostle Paul will tell us that human beings are depraved because they are in Adam (5:12-21), but at this point in his epistle to the Roman church, he is content simply to state the truth of the human condition, particularly the condition of those without access to God's special revelation in Scripture. Human beings have denied the God who is and have knowingly suppressed His truth, leading to the worship of the creature rather than the Creator (1:18-25).
Such idolatrous worship includes not only the praise of gods resembling men and animals, but also the twisting of the created order and the refusal to live according to the manner in which God has made us. In this context, Paul specifically mentions homosexual activity (vv.26-27). Just as human beings have exchanged the truth of the Lord for a lie, so have they "exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature."
To state the obvious, today's passage is not currently popular in Western culture. The idea that nature itself puts limitations on sexual activity is rejected. Homosexual behavior is less and less seen as a departure from what is good and holy, and calls for us all to affirm it as good and honorable grow stronger everyday. this should not surprise us in one respect. If the Lord gives some people over to dishonorable passions, we should expect those who engage in homosexual acts impenitentlyto demand our approval. Every time we do not do so, we are reminding them of the truth that they are trying so very hard to suppress.
Many people try to get around the teaching of today's passage, interpreting it to mean that Paul is not speaking of those with a "natural" homosexual orientation but of heterosexuals who commit homosexual acts. Others have said the text only concerns homosexual prostitution. Neither view can be substantiated. Even the most liberal scholars who do not like what the Bible has to say about human sexuality will admit that Scripture condemns all sexual activity outside of the heterosexual marriage relationship. In fact, these scholars say that Romans 1 is probably the clearest condemnation of homosexuality in the Bible.
Having said this, we must also be careful to note that while homosexuality is a particularly clear twisting of God's creative intent, it is not the unforgivable sin. Those who turn from this evil and trust in Christ alone also receive the gift of His righteousness.
Witnessing to our culture about God's standards for sexuality takes a good deal of wisdom. We must tell people that the Lord has a design for the sexual relationship, which is a privilege for husbands and wives in the context of a lawful marriage. We must also be clear that sexual sin is not unforgivable sin, and that God forgives all those who turn from sexual transgressions. Let us pray that the Lord would give us a bold, true, and compassionate gospel witness on these matters.
(Tabletalk, January 2014, www.ligonier.org)
The righteousness that can avail for us before the Lord must come through faith alone, because of the depravity of Jew and Gentile alike (Rom. 1:16-3:20). In due time, the Apostle Paul will tell us that human beings are depraved because they are in Adam (5:12-21), but at this point in his epistle to the Roman church, he is content simply to state the truth of the human condition, particularly the condition of those without access to God's special revelation in Scripture. Human beings have denied the God who is and have knowingly suppressed His truth, leading to the worship of the creature rather than the Creator (1:18-25).
Such idolatrous worship includes not only the praise of gods resembling men and animals, but also the twisting of the created order and the refusal to live according to the manner in which God has made us. In this context, Paul specifically mentions homosexual activity (vv.26-27). Just as human beings have exchanged the truth of the Lord for a lie, so have they "exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature."
To state the obvious, today's passage is not currently popular in Western culture. The idea that nature itself puts limitations on sexual activity is rejected. Homosexual behavior is less and less seen as a departure from what is good and holy, and calls for us all to affirm it as good and honorable grow stronger everyday. this should not surprise us in one respect. If the Lord gives some people over to dishonorable passions, we should expect those who engage in homosexual acts impenitentlyto demand our approval. Every time we do not do so, we are reminding them of the truth that they are trying so very hard to suppress.
Many people try to get around the teaching of today's passage, interpreting it to mean that Paul is not speaking of those with a "natural" homosexual orientation but of heterosexuals who commit homosexual acts. Others have said the text only concerns homosexual prostitution. Neither view can be substantiated. Even the most liberal scholars who do not like what the Bible has to say about human sexuality will admit that Scripture condemns all sexual activity outside of the heterosexual marriage relationship. In fact, these scholars say that Romans 1 is probably the clearest condemnation of homosexuality in the Bible.
Having said this, we must also be careful to note that while homosexuality is a particularly clear twisting of God's creative intent, it is not the unforgivable sin. Those who turn from this evil and trust in Christ alone also receive the gift of His righteousness.
Witnessing to our culture about God's standards for sexuality takes a good deal of wisdom. We must tell people that the Lord has a design for the sexual relationship, which is a privilege for husbands and wives in the context of a lawful marriage. We must also be clear that sexual sin is not unforgivable sin, and that God forgives all those who turn from sexual transgressions. Let us pray that the Lord would give us a bold, true, and compassionate gospel witness on these matters.
(Tabletalk, January 2014, www.ligonier.org)
Saturday, January 18, 2014
God's Word or man's word??
Letter from Ken Ham
I started to write this letter to you with a heavy heart just before Christmas - with a burden for this nation, including for the church. Now, I'm certainly not discouraged. If anything, I'm more motivated than ever to be as active as we possibly can to reach people with the truth of God's Word and the gospel.
Much has happened in the news over the past few weeks related to biblical authority in America, and I'm sure you are awar of them. Let me summarize a few:
In December, I had the opportunity to be interviewed for a four-minute segment on the "Fox & Friends" TV program (Fox News Channel) concerning atheist billboards popping up all over the country.
I praise the Lord for opening the door for AiG to say what needed to be said in a national program about an intolerant and angry minority, the atheists, who are in positions of influence to impose their anti-God religion on the culture.
I received an overwhelming number of positive responses from Christians after the TV interview. Many of them commented that we need to see more Christian leaders standing boldly and unashamedly and taking an uncompromising stand in regard to the Christian worldview and the authority of God's Word.
At the same time, the atheists went ballistic over the fact I was actually allowed to have a public platform to defend the Christian faith and warn people what was happening in the cuture as it turns away from biblical authority.
A secular professor at the University of Chicago was highly upset by my appearance on Fox, and that this network allowed a biblical creationist to be on the air! According to this evolutionist, because I'm a creationist, I apparently should not be allowed such a national opportunity. The reaction by these atheists certainly shows their increasing intolerance of anything Christian, and exposes the fact that these people don't want freedom of religion - they want freedom from Christianity.
Three days after my Fox TV interview, one of the stars of the popular Duck Dynasty cable TV program was supended by the A&E television network because of statements he made in a magazine against homosexual behavior. Although Phil Robertson used some language I wouldn't use, nonetheless he stood up for Christian morality and biblical marriage, and as a result has been greatly maligned and misquoted by those who oppose the Chrtistian teaching on marriage.
But there is a much deeper issue here than someone being suspended from a television program - a MUCH deeper one:
As Dr. Al Mohler, Jr., president of TheSouthern Bapist Theological Seminary (Louisville, KY) and who spoke at our Creation Museum a few years ago, stated on his December 19 blog: "So the controversy over Duck Dynasty sends a clear signal to anyone who has anything to risk in public life: Say nothing about the sinfulness of homosexual acts or risk sure and certain destruction by the revolutionaries of the new morality. You have been warned."
Steve Deace, a syndicated radio host and another friend of the Creation Museum, wrote this in an opinion piece for USA Today (December 19): "Especially in an era when government believes it has the power to compel a Christian baker to make wedding cakes for homosexuals, compel a Christian photographer to photograph a homosexual union in a state that doesn't even recognize them, and tell a Christian company it has to provide birth control to its employees in violation of its owner's moral conscience, we have reached the point where government believes it gets to play God."
And I could add - a government that has dictated that the religion of naturalism be taught to students in the public schools, and has allowed Christian symbols to be removed from society and public education facilities. At the same time, U.S. and state governments have dictated that symbols like illustrations of ape-like creatures evolving into people be allowed in schools. This endorsement forces the religion of naturalism (atheism) on generations of students. So much for the secularists' claim of a supposed separation of church and state - the state is now dictating a religion of atheism on the culture.
Christians want to continue to enjoy freedom of religion, as the Founding Fathers intended. But the intolerant elitist like those referred to in the USA Today opinion piece want freedom from Christianity and freedom of speech only for those with whom they agree.
It is really a battle of worldviews because it's a struggle over two main religions - God's Word or man's word.
(Ken Ham, Answers in Genesis newsletter, Jan. 2014, www.answersingenesis.org)
I started to write this letter to you with a heavy heart just before Christmas - with a burden for this nation, including for the church. Now, I'm certainly not discouraged. If anything, I'm more motivated than ever to be as active as we possibly can to reach people with the truth of God's Word and the gospel.
Much has happened in the news over the past few weeks related to biblical authority in America, and I'm sure you are awar of them. Let me summarize a few:
In December, I had the opportunity to be interviewed for a four-minute segment on the "Fox & Friends" TV program (Fox News Channel) concerning atheist billboards popping up all over the country.
I praise the Lord for opening the door for AiG to say what needed to be said in a national program about an intolerant and angry minority, the atheists, who are in positions of influence to impose their anti-God religion on the culture.
I received an overwhelming number of positive responses from Christians after the TV interview. Many of them commented that we need to see more Christian leaders standing boldly and unashamedly and taking an uncompromising stand in regard to the Christian worldview and the authority of God's Word.
At the same time, the atheists went ballistic over the fact I was actually allowed to have a public platform to defend the Christian faith and warn people what was happening in the cuture as it turns away from biblical authority.
A secular professor at the University of Chicago was highly upset by my appearance on Fox, and that this network allowed a biblical creationist to be on the air! According to this evolutionist, because I'm a creationist, I apparently should not be allowed such a national opportunity. The reaction by these atheists certainly shows their increasing intolerance of anything Christian, and exposes the fact that these people don't want freedom of religion - they want freedom from Christianity.
Three days after my Fox TV interview, one of the stars of the popular Duck Dynasty cable TV program was supended by the A&E television network because of statements he made in a magazine against homosexual behavior. Although Phil Robertson used some language I wouldn't use, nonetheless he stood up for Christian morality and biblical marriage, and as a result has been greatly maligned and misquoted by those who oppose the Chrtistian teaching on marriage.
But there is a much deeper issue here than someone being suspended from a television program - a MUCH deeper one:
As Dr. Al Mohler, Jr., president of TheSouthern Bapist Theological Seminary (Louisville, KY) and who spoke at our Creation Museum a few years ago, stated on his December 19 blog: "So the controversy over Duck Dynasty sends a clear signal to anyone who has anything to risk in public life: Say nothing about the sinfulness of homosexual acts or risk sure and certain destruction by the revolutionaries of the new morality. You have been warned."
Steve Deace, a syndicated radio host and another friend of the Creation Museum, wrote this in an opinion piece for USA Today (December 19): "Especially in an era when government believes it has the power to compel a Christian baker to make wedding cakes for homosexuals, compel a Christian photographer to photograph a homosexual union in a state that doesn't even recognize them, and tell a Christian company it has to provide birth control to its employees in violation of its owner's moral conscience, we have reached the point where government believes it gets to play God."
And I could add - a government that has dictated that the religion of naturalism be taught to students in the public schools, and has allowed Christian symbols to be removed from society and public education facilities. At the same time, U.S. and state governments have dictated that symbols like illustrations of ape-like creatures evolving into people be allowed in schools. This endorsement forces the religion of naturalism (atheism) on generations of students. So much for the secularists' claim of a supposed separation of church and state - the state is now dictating a religion of atheism on the culture.
Christians want to continue to enjoy freedom of religion, as the Founding Fathers intended. But the intolerant elitist like those referred to in the USA Today opinion piece want freedom from Christianity and freedom of speech only for those with whom they agree.
It is really a battle of worldviews because it's a struggle over two main religions - God's Word or man's word.
(Ken Ham, Answers in Genesis newsletter, Jan. 2014, www.answersingenesis.org)
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Do Not Fear
For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil. Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. "Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened." 1st Peter 3:12-14
We do not fear what the world fears, but we do fear that which the world does not fear and that is where our paths separate.
The world does not fear the Lord nor try to walk in His ways. As a result, the things that they have tolerated and even approved have now begun to bear fruit and they are fearful of where it is leading. Ungodly living habits, legalized pornograpy, uncensored TV violence, and the rejection of God's word have all resulted in a world of violence that is getting out of control.
We do fear the Lord and although we recognize the mounting dangers in our world we do not fear because we know that our future does not depend upon the world or it's leaders. God made the world, declared it good (Genesis 1:31) and placed men in charge but holds men accountable. It is about time to audit the books and it doesn't look very promising for mankind in general.
Men recognize the danger but cannot or will not, admit to the cause. I remember a comic strip of many years ago called "Pogo" in which the little imaginary creature announced, "We has met the enemy and he is us!"
Contrary to the claims of some politicians, lawyers, judges and special interest groups, God is not the problem, God is the solution. Men's own conduct, behavior and rejection of God is the problem.
Paul spoke of such a time and said, in part, "....Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know." (The reason) "There is no fear of God before their eyes." (Romans 3:15-18)
We recognize the danger but as those who "fear the Lord" we see beyond the coming judgment to the solution and we are not afraid.
But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice; let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them; let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee. Psalm 5:11 KJV
(Pastor Bill Cummins, Sheridan, Wyoming, drbc@bresnan.net)
We do not fear what the world fears, but we do fear that which the world does not fear and that is where our paths separate.
The world does not fear the Lord nor try to walk in His ways. As a result, the things that they have tolerated and even approved have now begun to bear fruit and they are fearful of where it is leading. Ungodly living habits, legalized pornograpy, uncensored TV violence, and the rejection of God's word have all resulted in a world of violence that is getting out of control.
We do fear the Lord and although we recognize the mounting dangers in our world we do not fear because we know that our future does not depend upon the world or it's leaders. God made the world, declared it good (Genesis 1:31) and placed men in charge but holds men accountable. It is about time to audit the books and it doesn't look very promising for mankind in general.
Men recognize the danger but cannot or will not, admit to the cause. I remember a comic strip of many years ago called "Pogo" in which the little imaginary creature announced, "We has met the enemy and he is us!"
Contrary to the claims of some politicians, lawyers, judges and special interest groups, God is not the problem, God is the solution. Men's own conduct, behavior and rejection of God is the problem.
Paul spoke of such a time and said, in part, "....Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know." (The reason) "There is no fear of God before their eyes." (Romans 3:15-18)
We recognize the danger but as those who "fear the Lord" we see beyond the coming judgment to the solution and we are not afraid.
But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice; let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them; let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee. Psalm 5:11 KJV
(Pastor Bill Cummins, Sheridan, Wyoming, drbc@bresnan.net)
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