"Well you may not know this, but there's things that gnaw at a man worse than dying."
Posted on 10/20/2014 2:46:09 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
There is a point where decision on contentious, difficult issues is unavoidable. With respect to homosexual conduct, the American Evangelical church has reached that point.
There is no ignoring the determination of the gay and lesbian activists to insist upon complete social and legal normalization of homosexual conduct; from the adoption of children by same-sex couples to the judicial recognition of same-sex unions as marriages every bit as complete as those enjoyed by heterosexual couples. Thus, Christians cannot avoid the need to decide which side they are on.
The Supreme Court's decision earlier this month to allow current judicial rulings on same-sex marriage to stand is not the final blow to natural marriage some believe it is, but it does give the issue new and unavoidable prominence.
Fidelity to scriptural teaching on human sexuality has become, for believing Christians, a watershed issue. Issues involving same-sex marriage and homosexual behavior are for today's Evangelical community what the inerrancy debate was in the late 1970s.
Even as Evangelicals gently but firmly speak the truth about God's teaching regarding human sexual conduct, they need to extend the mercy of Christ to the homosexual men and women God brings into their lives. If Evangelicals have homosexual neighbors, they need to treat them with the same warmth and respect they should treat anyone else. If their kids become friends with children raised by same-sex couples, those little ones should be welcomed as eagerly as any other child. If one's homosexual colleague is in the hospital, visit him, do his yard work, drive him home, and so on....
(Excerpt) Read more at christianpost.com ...
I suppose this comes under the heading of “Hate the sin but love the sinner”. It remains to be seen if Christian Pastors hold onto God’s Word or change it to meet the times.
http://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Joshua-24-15/
“. . . as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”
God made His position perfectly clear in many passages within scripture, and my family has made our decision - we will serve the Lord. If God wants us to change our position on gay “marriage”, He will let us know unambiguously. Otherwise, I see no room for discussion. If the courts want to pretend that gay “marriage” is real, perhaps we cannot stop them, but we will not join in their game of make believe unless and until God changes His position. I suspect that means never, but, just as I will not argue with Him today, I would not argue if He announced a change.
Why not farm animals?
Polygamy, chain marriages, line marriages, or temporary marriages?
Child marriages?
What am I missing?
The point of marriage is to have a stable family unit capable of properly socializing and training children into well adjusted citizens.
Society cannot exist without this.
So, for an average male, the temptation exists to have relations with EVERY attractive female, with no responsibility for the outcome and without regard to the consequences. Marriage is not about the individual’s desires, but society’s. It is the template which creates a viable culture.
When marriage dies, that civilization dies.
I wish FRC, and many other so-called Christian political organizations, had decided which side they were on before they spent years lying for Mitt Romney.
Oh wait. They did tell us which side they were on.
Christians cannot avoid the need to decide which side they are on.
You can't be both a democRAT and a Christian.
“With respect to homosexual conduct, the American Evangelical church has reached that point.”
So all 30,000 different denominations got together and made a decision on homosexuality? Interesting. I don’t remember hearing about this “American Evangelical Church” synod. Last time I checked, they all do their own thing.
There are a great number of pastors that personally believe that homosexuality is wrong and are very much opposed to “gay marriage” yet they have remained completely silent throughout the entire debate occurring in society.
I’d be curious to see how these pastors would respond if they’re told they have to perform gay marriages.
Curious...
If my unbelieving neighbor is a serial hetero adulterer and wants the neighborhood to know, does the CP believe I should treat them with “warmth”? No question we are all broken, but the inference that we endorse or take lightly the glorification of sin is quite different than claiming I do not sin.
Paul instructed the Corinth. gathering to stop fellowshipping with the man who was sleeping with his (step)mother and let God deal with him. We are not to be seeker-friendly gatherings where “everyone is welcome”. Islam is not welcome, Satanism is not welcome, Homosexuals who claim they are behaving normally are not welcome. I am aware that they are not necessarily trying to assemble with us, but “warmth”? This is definitely a watershed era, but I believe the water is running the wrong direction.
As Nancy Reagan said: just say no.
That is why traditional marriage is not just an issue of religion. Western civilization is at stake. Same sex marriage is just another in a long line of recent attacks, i.e. divorce, sex outside of marriage, common law "marriage", against the family.
Nothing new, folks. God’s people have always had to decide their stance on morality outlined in the scriptures. We’re just back to being in the minority again. Be strong and be courageous.
If they change the Rules of the Catholic Church, that will be the end of the Church as we know it.
Will they still have Homosexual Priests taking care of children,These guys have short Memories.
The problem is the Leaders have taken their Eyes off Jesus Christ as the Center of Our Religion.
This is pie-in-the-sky thinking. The Catholic Church is global founded on Petrine authority with ONE truth and ONE credo for all peoples and for all times.
There is quite a difference between priests with homosexual tendencies many of who have been routed and rooted out based on new Guidelines but dogma remains unchanged. The Lutheran and Episcopalians Churches now allow for married gays and lesbian pastors based on “their” reading of Scripture. That’s “their” teaching. But that’s also another matter.
“Even as Evangelicals gently but firmly speak the truth about God’s teaching regarding human sexual conduct, they need to extend the mercy of Christ to the homosexual men and women God brings into their lives.”
This is kind of tough. Unless you compromise the message of the Gospel, in my experience, the homosexuals automatically go into spit-flecked spasms of rage. They simply don’t want to hear anything short of total, unconditional acceptance of their lifestyle.
Yes. I think the real watershed for the conservative Protestant churches will come when this current leader of the Roman Catholics imposes his vision of the gay agenda on them. An awful lot of Catholics will be looking for a safe place for their children to attend church and for sure a gay friendly RCC will not be the place.
Mark9:42 “And if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around his neck.” (NIV)
Jude1:4 “For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.” (NIV)
1Cor6:9 “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” (NIV)
What more needs to be said?
Not LC Missouri Synod. But, yes, most of the ELCA is lost.
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