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Patrick Willis

Calvin on Divorce

John Calvin:
“They who, for slight causes, rashly allow of divorces, violate, in one single particular, all the laws of nature, and reduce them to nothing. If we should make it a point of conscience not to separate a father from his son, it is still greater wickedness to dissolve the bond which God has preferred to all others.” –John Calvin’s commentary on Genesis 2:24


(Denny Burke)

Beast!

Are you a Bigot??

Eric Metaxas said:

Tolerance used to be defined as a willingness to put up with the beliefs or practices of those with whom we disagree. Today, tolerance means we must accept the beliefs and practices of others as correct — or risk being called a bigot. It’s interesting that this redefinition of tolerance almost always involves debates over homosexuality — and it always seems to be people on just one side of the debate calling those with whom they disagree “intolerant.”

I mean, when was the last time you heard a Christian accusing a gay-rights activist of intolerance because he refused to acknowledge that biblical teachings about homosexuality are correct?

And now we’re seeing the same kind of redefinition going on regarding the word bullying. If you so much as whisper that you believe that true marriage can take place only between one man and one woman, you’re accused of bullying.

Three Responses to Same-Sex Attractions

by Tim Wilkins  

In most cases, same-sex attractions are not chosen. They probably result from many complex factors over a period of time. One of the mysteries of life is that we don’t get to choose what we are tempted by. Someone has said, “I can resist everything except temptation.” The Bible clearly states all are tempted. 1 Corinthians 10:13 reads, “But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” Note that Paul said “but when you are tempted” not “if.” The fact is that temptation is inevitable and though we may not choose to be tempted by something, we do choose our response to the temptation.

There are at least three responses to same-sex attractions. This brief article is not meant to answer all the questions surrounding homosexuality, but to provide an understanding of what we can do when homosexual temptation rears its ugly head.

One response is to repress it! From a psychological perspective, repress means to “to exclude (painful or unpleasant memories, for example) from the conscious mind.” Repressing same-sex attractions is like trying to hold a large beach ball under the water forever. Although it can be done for short periods of time, it’s an exhausting task and requires almost undivided attention. Many men and women who are tempted by homosexuality mistakenly think they have mastered this technique. They never really deal with the issue; rather they try to keep it in check, until one day they give in to a second response.

They express it! They give in and act on the temptation; what follows is a snowball effect. Very soon one act of indiscretion takes control and they find themselves imprisoned. The brief sexual pleasure becomes the dominating factor in their life. Career, healthy friendships, hobbies begin to suffer. As a wise sage said, “The devil will take you farther than you want to go and keep you longer than you want to stay.”

Fortunately there is a third response to same-sex attractions. Confess it! John the Apostle wrote “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) Confessing a temptation or sin to God is agreeing with God that it is wrong. It is not a sin to struggle with temptation; it is a sin to give in to temptation.

A wonderful thing happens when we agree with God that He is right. His power is unleashed in our lives to keep us from giving into the temptation. Additionally, James 5:16 reads, “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” You say you cannot tell anyone your struggle? Yes you can, but it takes time to find a mature Christian who will listen. Take the first step and He will provide light for each subsequent step.

(cross ministry)

Billy Graham Evangelistic Association on gay marriage

The Bible provides God's blueprint for marriage and for His good gift of sex in Genesis 2:24. The gift is only to be enjoyed within a marriage between a man and a woman.

There are no exceptions suggested, such as homosexual partnerships. From Genesis on, the Bible praises the marriage of a man and a woman, but it speaks only negatively of homosexual behavior whenever it is mentioned.

The Old Testament states, "Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable" (Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13). The New Testament agrees, listing "homosexual offenders" among a list of people who "will not inherit the kingdom of God" unless they are cleansed through Christ (1 Corinthians 6:9-11).

Other passages are Genesis, chapter 19; Romans 1:18-32; 1 Timothy 1:8-11; and Jude, verse 7. However, it is important to note that the Bible speaks only of homosexual behavior (which would include lust—choosing to fantasize about behavior), not unchosen feelings. God will not judge a Christian guilty for his or her involuntary feelings.

Sometimes it is said that the Bible does not record any words of Jesus about homosexuality, and therefore it must be acceptable to God. However, the Bible does not record sayings of Jesus about a number of other specific sins either. When people asked Jesus about marriage, He told them to remember what Genesis said about God's plan for marriage (Matthew 19:1-12). So, in this sense, Jesus did have something to say about homosexual partnerships. God only blessed sex within the committed marriage relationship of a man and a woman.

Some have tried to reinterpret what the Bible says, in an effort to approve homosexual relationships. For a reply to such efforts, read "Straight and Narrow" by Thomas Schmidt or "A Strong Delusion" by Joe Dallas. 

TIm Challies walking by an Abortion Clinic

Last week in Louisville I ended up staying in a hotel that was a little bit off the beaten path, so to speak, just outside the downtown core, out where most of the storefronts were boarded up and only fast food restaurants and strip clubs kept their lights on at night. Every time I walked from my hotel to the conference or from the conference to the hotel, I had to pass by an abortion clinic, a building with a sign that declared it a “Women’s Surgical Center.”

One morning, as I walked by that clinic, passing directly in front of it, I saw that three or four people were just outside, holding signs and passing out pamphlets. I was taken aback; here in Ontario it has long since been declared illegal to protest outside a clinic. Yet there they were, quietly and peacefully protesting.

Standing a little bit apart from those people were two men and a woman, each wearing an orange vest emblazoned with “Escort.” These three people were escorting young women from the parking lot to the clinic, walking them past the protestors, all of whom were behaving peacefully; two were seated on the sidewalk praying, the others were calling to the women and saying, “Please don’t kill your baby. You don’t have to do this!” One young woman walked by them—she couldn’t have been older than sixteen or seventeen—with her mother beside her, her head down. She quietly took a pamphlet and disappeared inside. The people on the sidewalk kept praying. A moment later another woman, perhaps in her twenties or thirties, passed by the protestors and went inside as well.

All of that unraveled in the few seconds it took for me to pass by—a very powerful few seconds. I was shocked and gravely disappointed—shocked again, shocked anew, that we allow this to happen, that our society not only allows this to happen, but is actually complicit in this genocide. And I was so gravely disappointed in myself, so ashamed. I felt no animosity toward those young women. They were doing only what they have been instructed to do, what parents and friends and guidance counselors and maybe even pastors have told them is the happiest outcome. “It’s just like having a tumor removed. It’s just a small surgery; it will be over before you know it. It’s better this way.”

That little girl who went in there was a sinner behaving like a sinner, an unbeliever acting out of unbelief, desperate to rid herself of the evidence of her sin or perhaps the evidence of a sin committed against her. She was wrong, of course, and will have to give an account for what she has done; but I harbor no ill-will for her. It is me I was disgusted with and me I was ashamed of. Disgusted that I could watch that and not do something, ashamed that I have no idea what to do and that I have done so little. I don’t even know what I ought to do. Cry out to God and ask him to intervene? Demand answers from God as to how he can allow this to go on? What do you do, how do you react, when you see someone about to commit murder? I, we, do nothing. We feel disturbed, we feel bad, we feel guilty and ashamed, and we walk away. This atrocity has been going on all around me all of my life and I do so very little about it. I stopped for a moment, felt revulsion, and then went on my way and ate breakfast.

www.challies.com