In what is to become a new trend in evangelical television, The American Bible Society has launched an issues based TV Series. Most evangelical religious broadcasting is a preaching/teaching format. With the debut of American Bible Society Presents, a new format sorely needed in evangelical television has begun. You should expect this new trend to quickly grow.
Most other mediums of television broadcasting have had news magazine style shows for years, for whatever reason evangelical organizations have never recognized the importance of this format. Programs like the new ABS show have been need for many years now to compliment the preaching/teaching programs in religious television.
The importance of these shows is not just to counter the secular and liberal bias of most programs in the mainstream media, but to equip believers to engage the culture on issues relevant to our society. Of course believers have always been able to participate in the debate on issues, but often we have been ill prepared to do it with a Christian Worldview and bring biblical principals into the discussion. Christian radio has been the only way believers could get this type of information, and has been invaluable because of it. As excellent as issue based Christian radio programming is, most everyone will agree that the medium of sight and sound that television brings is more powerful in conveying the biblical principals and thinking necessary to engage our culture in a helpful way.
I whole heartedly affirm the importance of the traditional preaching/teaching format of religious broadcasting. I also expect this format to be around for a long time, as it should be. Nonetheless, this new venture by the American Bible Society is a welcomed entry to the issues based news magazine format of broadcasting, and for evangelicals an oasis in the desert of secular humanism currently dominating television.
The article from Christian Post.com can be found here
The American Bible Society Presents web site is:http://www.abspresents.com/
Friday, April 28, 2006
How Should the Church Respond To "The Da Vinci Code"
In a recent article on The DA Vinci Code at Christian Post.com, Tom Hanks was quoted from Entertainment Weekly. Tom Hanks, who stars in the film, said, I think the movie may end up helping churches do their job," Hanks told Entertainment Weekly. "If they put up a sign saying, 'This Wednesday we're discussing the gospel,' 12 people show up. But if the sign says, 'This Wednesday we're discussing The Da Vinci Code,' 800 people show up. Now we must be intellectually honest here, In all probability Mr. Hanks is correct. A sign saying the church will have a discussion on The Da Vinci Code will attract more people than a sign at the same church saying we are going to discuss the gospel.
The question though is should the local church use such a tactic to attract people. In my mind the answer is yes, as long as the centrality of the cross and the veracity of the gospel is resoundingly affirmed. If one the other hand it is a discussion where the principals and the possible truths of The Da Vinci Code are massaged and the gospel is not presented and ardently defended defended then no. Recognizing that "hot topics" in our culture will attract people to our Church and addressing them is not abandoning biblical truth; but that in addressing the issues people, both believers and nonbelievers, are grappling with in their lives and illuminating clear biblical truths and how to apply these biblical truths to their lives is what the church and the preacher are about.
The full article at Christan Post.com.
The question though is should the local church use such a tactic to attract people. In my mind the answer is yes, as long as the centrality of the cross and the veracity of the gospel is resoundingly affirmed. If one the other hand it is a discussion where the principals and the possible truths of The Da Vinci Code are massaged and the gospel is not presented and ardently defended defended then no. Recognizing that "hot topics" in our culture will attract people to our Church and addressing them is not abandoning biblical truth; but that in addressing the issues people, both believers and nonbelievers, are grappling with in their lives and illuminating clear biblical truths and how to apply these biblical truths to their lives is what the church and the preacher are about.
The full article at Christan Post.com.
The power of the US Supreme Court
Do you still believe that 9 individuals wearing black robes cannot thwart the will of the people? Consider some of the facts from a recent article at USA Today on abortion access if Roe v Wade was overturned today. Some of the conclusions of their research and polling:
•Twenty-two state legislatures are likely to impose significant new restrictions on abortion.
•Sixteen state legislatures are likely to continue current access to abortion.
•Twelve states fall into a middle ground between those two categories.
The result, according to this analysis, would be less a patchwork of laws than broad regional divisions that generally reinforce the nation's political split. All but three of the states likely to significantly restrict abortions voted for President Bush in 2004. All but four of the states likely to maintain access to abortion voted for Democrat John Kerry.
In his blog Deeply Divided Over Abortion? USA Today Maps a Post-Roe America, Dr. Albert Mohler said this: If nothing else, this analysis indicates once again that virtually unrestricted access to abortion is the law of the land only because of the unilateral action of the U.S. Supreme Court. The Court usurped the democratic process and acted in a manner that, even thirty years later, still does not reflect the convictions of the American people.
While much still lies ahead in the abortion debate, this clearly highlights the challenges both sides face if access to abortion was given back to the voters.
The USA Today article can be read here
Dr. Mohler's Blog is:
URL: Deeply Divided Over Abortion? USA Today Maps a Post-Roe America
•Twenty-two state legislatures are likely to impose significant new restrictions on abortion.
•Sixteen state legislatures are likely to continue current access to abortion.
•Twelve states fall into a middle ground between those two categories.
The result, according to this analysis, would be less a patchwork of laws than broad regional divisions that generally reinforce the nation's political split. All but three of the states likely to significantly restrict abortions voted for President Bush in 2004. All but four of the states likely to maintain access to abortion voted for Democrat John Kerry.
In his blog Deeply Divided Over Abortion? USA Today Maps a Post-Roe America, Dr. Albert Mohler said this: If nothing else, this analysis indicates once again that virtually unrestricted access to abortion is the law of the land only because of the unilateral action of the U.S. Supreme Court. The Court usurped the democratic process and acted in a manner that, even thirty years later, still does not reflect the convictions of the American people.
While much still lies ahead in the abortion debate, this clearly highlights the challenges both sides face if access to abortion was given back to the voters.
The USA Today article can be read here
Dr. Mohler's Blog is:
URL: Deeply Divided Over Abortion? USA Today Maps a Post-Roe America
The Resurrection and Our Loved Ones
The below text is the Eulogy I delivered at my grandmother's funeral on Saturday April 15, 2006. I have posted in case some of the family members wanted a copy of my remarks. It is a long post.
Piece of Mind
We all have memories of Grandmother. Many of them we share, like her biscuits; they were the best you could ever eat. Also her banana pudding was absolutely the best. Even today I can’t eat banana pudding in a restaurant. I’m afraid I’ll embarrass myself and my family by taking one bite, spiting it out on the table and blurt out, “Good God, that’s awful!”
The memories that all of us who knew Grandmother will carry with us (and most of us will agree are the most profound and long lasting) are the ones where she gave us a piece of her mind, which was any time you talked to her. Do you remember the last time she gave you a piece of her mind? I do, it was on the phone a couple of weeks ago when she had gotten her “peacemaker.” With grandmother you always fell into one of two groups, the person she was aiming her piece of mind at, or the adjacent splatter zone. This particular time I was in the latter group. She was letting me know that, “no matter what them doctors say about an operation, it’s always worse than they let on with ya.”
I began to think about how, that one second after she crossed from this life to the next she had a perfect mind, able to understand all the fullness of the Holy God of all time and space. How she, in one second, knew more about God than all of us in this room can amass in our whole lifetimes together. Then it occurred to me. As often as she gave all of us a piece of her mind, can you imagine how much of a piece of her mind she had saved up in 89 years of living to give God? I also realized that in her perfect mind that all those things she wanted to tell God became irrelevant and not worth saying the moment she had her perfect mind. I don’t think it is fair that God didn’t have to listen to her like all of us did. I have to admit though that it does show the divine brilliance of our creator. Don’t want to listen to Grandmother give you a piece of her mind? No problem, just give her a perfect mind and make it a nonissue.
If that is the end of how we view her death then we have fallen short of a right perspective of this moment in our history. How do we view Penola Smith’s death? There are two very different attitudes we can take. One is expressed by Dylan Thomas in his poem Do Not Go Gently Into That Good Night.
Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Though wise men at their end know dark is right, Because their words had forked no lightning they Do not go gentle into that good night.
Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight, And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way, Do not go gentle into that good night.
Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
And you, my father, there on the sad height, Curse, bless me now with your fierce tears, I pray. Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
The second is expressed by Sarah Edwards. She was the wife of Jonathan Edwards, one of the greatest minds and theologians ever produced by America. He was one of the leaders of the Great Awakening in the early 1700’s and became the President of Princeton College in 1758. He died suddenly only one month after achieving what many would call the greatest achievement of a lifetime, the Presidency of a College when Colleges where few and highly prestigious. On the day he died Sarah Edwards wrote their daughter to tell her of her father’s death. This is what she wrote.
My very dear Child, What shall I say! A holy and good God has covered us with a dark cloud. O that we may kiss the rod and lay our hands upon our mouths! The Lord has done it. He has made me adore his goodness, that we had [your father] so long. But my God lives; and he has my heart. O what a legacy my husband and your father has left us! We are given to God; and there I am and love to be. Your affectionate mother, Sarah Edwards
Grandmother was not a learned woman. She may not have been able to articulate it the way Sarah Edwards did; but Grandmother, given the choice, would have cast her lot with Sarah Edwards and given Dylan Thomas a piece of her mind. The reason she would have stood with Sarah Edwards on her view of death is because she believed in the promise given to all who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ: the promise given by the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Thessalonians.
I Thess. 4:16-18
16For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18Therefore encourage each other with these words.
Jesus had a Friday, but He also had a Sunday. Grandmother had a Thursday, but she’s gonna have a Some Day! Some Day Jesus will return and she will be resurrected just like the Bible promises. How do we know this? Because Jesus promised it himself. In John 11:23-26 he said to Martha when her brother Lazarus had died;
John 11:23-26
23Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."
24Martha answered, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."
25Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; 26and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"
Do you believe this? We all are going to have a One Day. The one day we cross from this life to the next. If you have put your faith in Jesus Christ and His death, burial and resurrection you will also have a Some Day. If not, make today Your Day to put your faith in Christ before it is your One Day.
So where does this faith in Christ leave us with understanding Grandmother’s death? With the understanding this is not the end but only the beginning. We are not separated from her forever, but we will be reunited with her again because of the promise. We will be with her again, but instead of getting a piece of her mind we will join her in singing praise to the Holy God of heaven and earth!
For my devotional each day I read Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon. Spurgeon was one of the greatest preachers of all Christian history. Yesterday this is what I read:
The verse of mediation was Isaiah 3:10 “Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him.” Spurgeon writes, “It is well with the righteous always. If the prophet had said, ‘Say ye to the righteous that it is well with him in his prosperity,’ we would be thankful for so great a blessing. If the verse had been written ‘It is well with him when under persecution,’ we would be thankful for the sustaining assurance because persecution is hard to bear. Since no time is mentioned, however, all time is included. From the beginning of the year to the end of the year, from the first gathering of evening shadows until the morning star shines, in all conditions, and under all circumstances, it will be well with the righteous. He is well fed because he feeds upon the flesh and blood of Jesus. He is well clothed because he wears the righteousness of Christ. He is well housed because he dwells in God. He is well married for his soul is knit in bonds of marriage union to Christ. He is well provided for because the Lord is his Shepherd. He is well endowed for heaven is his inheritance. It is well with the righteous - well upon divine authority. The mouth of God speaks the comforting assurance. Even if ten thousand devils declare our circumstances to be hopeless, we will laugh them all to scorn. Praise God for a faith which enables us to believe God when the circumstances contradict Him. It is at all times well with you, the righteous one. If you cannot see it, believe God’s Word instead of your sight. The one whom God blesses is blessed indeed.”
I’m with Spurgeon. These circumstances say, “Rage, Rage against the dying of the light.” God’s promise says, “We are given to God; and there I am and love to be.” I’m with Sarah Edwards and Grandmother, not Dylan Thomas. By God’s grace and faith in Jesus Christ, we all who have faith in Christ’s work on the cross, will be with her again! And that’s a piece of my mind.
Lutheran Conservatives Fear Contextualization of Scripture
Anyone who considers themself an evangelical welcomes the idea of encouraging others to read the Bible. However, a denominational program geared to reading the Bible and providing resources to understand the Bible begs the question, "Which form of Scriptural interpretation will be used in these resources?"
Conservatives among the Lutheran Church are right to be concerned that the material provided will have a view of scripture that does not match that of Martin Luther and conservative evangelical orthodoxy. Pray for the development of these materials that they reflect an authoritative view of scripture not a modern contextual one.
The full article at Christian Post.com
Conservatives among the Lutheran Church are right to be concerned that the material provided will have a view of scripture that does not match that of Martin Luther and conservative evangelical orthodoxy. Pray for the development of these materials that they reflect an authoritative view of scripture not a modern contextual one.
The full article at Christian Post.com
Deciphering 'The Da Vinci Code'
For Christians in an uproar that the Da Vinci Code will cause a great disaster to occur in the Church, Dr. Mohler's commentary should calm your fears and restore some rational thinking to your minds. The most important thing to always remember when heresy raises its head, (after the Da Vinci Code ebbs away some other heresy will float to the top), is that the truth always wins. Even if the victory of truth must wait until Christ's return, truth will win. Remember do not rest in a temporal perspective, always keep the eternal perspective.
URL: Deciphering 'The Da Vinci Code'
URL: Deciphering 'The Da Vinci Code'
God's Sovereignty & Human Responsibility
In my Sunday School class on Prayer this Lord's Day (4/9/06), we discussed the phrase in the Model prayer, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. (I am leading the class in a verse by verse study of the model prayer Christ gave the disciples in Matt. 6:9-13.) The question becomes is God's will inevitable? Why should we pray for God's will to be done if He is sovereign? This is where the discussion began in class. In short this boils down to the issue of sovereignty and free will. Some individuals try to set this question as “is God sovereign OR do humans have free will?”
The simple answer is that the Bible teaches both. God is sovereign over all things and he has allowed humans to have the freedom to choose good or evil, obedience or disobedience. In Isaiah 14:24, 26-27 we see God is sovereign and His plan for the universe, Satan and sin will come about.
24 The LORD Almighty has sworn,
"Surely, as I have planned, so it will be,
and as I have purposed, so it will stand.
26 This is the plan determined for the whole world;
this is the hand stretched out over all nations.
27 For the LORD Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him?
His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?
This is clearly a biblical mandate for God's sovereignty. At the same time we see passages like Matt 4:17, From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near. This shows an expectation on Christ part that individuals would choose to abandon disobedience and follow God’s laws. In our human logic we see God’s sovereignty and human responsibility as two irreconcilable ideas. However, they are two biblical truths we do not comprehend. In a recent article on Calvinism Dr. Daniel Akin articulated it this way. Is there a tension here? Yes. Is there divine mystery? Absolutely! Many believe this is what Paul felt when, at the end of his magnificent treatment of this subject in Romans 9-11, he concludes with a doxology of praise and says, Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable His judgments and untraceable His ways (Romans 11:33). If you find it a challenge to fathom the depths of this doctrine then you are in good company!
In this same article Dr. Akin quotes Charles Spurgeon on the subject of God’s Sovereignty and human responsibility.
"I see in one place, God presiding over all in providence; and yet I see and I cannot help seeing, that man acts as he pleases, and that God has left his actions to his own will, in a great measure. Now, if I were to declare that man was so free to act, that there was no precedence of God over his actions, I should be driven very near to Atheism; and if, on the other hand, I declare that God so overrules all things, as that man is not free enough to be responsible, I am driven at once into Antinomianism or fatalism. That God predestines, and that man is responsible, are two things that few can see. They are believed to be inconsistent and contradictory; but they are not. It is just the fault of our weak judgment. Two truths cannot be contradictory to each other. If, then, I find taught in one place that everything is fore-ordained, that is true; and if I find in another place that man is responsible for all his actions, that is true; and it is my folly that leads me to imagine that two truths can ever contradict each other. These two truths, I do not believe, can ever be welded into one upon any human anvil, but one they shall be in eternity: they are two lines that are so nearly parallel, that the mind that shall pursue them farthest, will never discover that they converge; but they do converge, and they will meet somewhere in eternity, close to the throne of God, whence all truth doth spring.... You ask me to reconcile the two. I answer, they do not want any reconcilement; I never tried to reconcile them to myself, because I could never see a discrepancy.... Both are true; no two truths can be inconsistent with each other; and what you have to do is to believe them both."
I am with Spurgeon on this.
Dr. Akin’s full article can be found at the site below.
http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=22970
The simple answer is that the Bible teaches both. God is sovereign over all things and he has allowed humans to have the freedom to choose good or evil, obedience or disobedience. In Isaiah 14:24, 26-27 we see God is sovereign and His plan for the universe, Satan and sin will come about.
24 The LORD Almighty has sworn,
"Surely, as I have planned, so it will be,
and as I have purposed, so it will stand.
26 This is the plan determined for the whole world;
this is the hand stretched out over all nations.
27 For the LORD Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him?
His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?
This is clearly a biblical mandate for God's sovereignty. At the same time we see passages like Matt 4:17, From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near. This shows an expectation on Christ part that individuals would choose to abandon disobedience and follow God’s laws. In our human logic we see God’s sovereignty and human responsibility as two irreconcilable ideas. However, they are two biblical truths we do not comprehend. In a recent article on Calvinism Dr. Daniel Akin articulated it this way. Is there a tension here? Yes. Is there divine mystery? Absolutely! Many believe this is what Paul felt when, at the end of his magnificent treatment of this subject in Romans 9-11, he concludes with a doxology of praise and says, Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable His judgments and untraceable His ways (Romans 11:33). If you find it a challenge to fathom the depths of this doctrine then you are in good company!
In this same article Dr. Akin quotes Charles Spurgeon on the subject of God’s Sovereignty and human responsibility.
"I see in one place, God presiding over all in providence; and yet I see and I cannot help seeing, that man acts as he pleases, and that God has left his actions to his own will, in a great measure. Now, if I were to declare that man was so free to act, that there was no precedence of God over his actions, I should be driven very near to Atheism; and if, on the other hand, I declare that God so overrules all things, as that man is not free enough to be responsible, I am driven at once into Antinomianism or fatalism. That God predestines, and that man is responsible, are two things that few can see. They are believed to be inconsistent and contradictory; but they are not. It is just the fault of our weak judgment. Two truths cannot be contradictory to each other. If, then, I find taught in one place that everything is fore-ordained, that is true; and if I find in another place that man is responsible for all his actions, that is true; and it is my folly that leads me to imagine that two truths can ever contradict each other. These two truths, I do not believe, can ever be welded into one upon any human anvil, but one they shall be in eternity: they are two lines that are so nearly parallel, that the mind that shall pursue them farthest, will never discover that they converge; but they do converge, and they will meet somewhere in eternity, close to the throne of God, whence all truth doth spring.... You ask me to reconcile the two. I answer, they do not want any reconcilement; I never tried to reconcile them to myself, because I could never see a discrepancy.... Both are true; no two truths can be inconsistent with each other; and what you have to do is to believe them both."
I am with Spurgeon on this.
Dr. Akin’s full article can be found at the site below.
http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=22970
A Right Perspective on The STEP study on Prayer
In an article published at Baptist Press Dr., Mark Coppenger, Professor of Apologetics at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, makes an articulate case for why the STEP study did not reveal a statical difference in the test subjects. His point is made quite well by asserting God would not cooperate with a study that undignified the Almighty. He says, God’s not a lab animal, subject to clinical trials. Neither is He an automatic secretion which can be triggered by one stimulus or another. He is a person with a sovereign will, with the highest dignity and honor, and experiments can be right undignified.
His closing paragraph gives a stark warning for the believer who would be guilty of the same mistake the researchers did, in the name of piety. I am just as confident that God is not amused at calls to perform healing feats on cue, and that He will ignore and resist the ringmasters, whether they wear lab coats or preacher garb.
The full article can be found at the web site listed below.
http://www.bpnews.org/bpcolumn.asp?ID=2202
His closing paragraph gives a stark warning for the believer who would be guilty of the same mistake the researchers did, in the name of piety. I am just as confident that God is not amused at calls to perform healing feats on cue, and that He will ignore and resist the ringmasters, whether they wear lab coats or preacher garb.
The full article can be found at the web site listed below.
http://www.bpnews.org/bpcolumn.asp?ID=2202
The Importance of Honest Friends
At the Together for the Gospel Blog, Mark Dever has posted an excellent mini editorial about the importance of having people around us, that are willing to tell us when we are wrong. This is especially critical for individuals in position of leadership. He uses an instance from the history of Henry the VIII. In Mark's own words, "Too many leaders end up in the pitiful position of having no one around them to give them honest feedback, advice, correction, instruction, because we in our self-protective pride don't seek it out, and even punish it when it is given."
I am reminded of Proverbs 28:23 (NIV) "He who rebukes a man will in the end gain more favor than he who has a flattering tongue." If a friend is telling you something you need to hear that is hard to accept, listen and thank God for a friend like this. If you have a friend that needs to hear a gentle rebuke. Loving do so.
Here is the complete blog by Mark Deaver.
http://blog.togetherforthegospel.org/2006/04/pitying_henry_v.html
I am reminded of Proverbs 28:23 (NIV) "He who rebukes a man will in the end gain more favor than he who has a flattering tongue." If a friend is telling you something you need to hear that is hard to accept, listen and thank God for a friend like this. If you have a friend that needs to hear a gentle rebuke. Loving do so.
Here is the complete blog by Mark Deaver.
http://blog.togetherforthegospel.org/2006/04/pitying_henry_v.html
Same-Sex 'Marriage' Lands Before U.S. Appeals Court
The quick rise of this individual case in the US Appeals Court is an interesting case. What makes this case particularly interesting is that many of the organizations working for legalization of same-sex unions are not in favor of this case. Their concern? That the US Supreme Court would outlaw same-sex unions federally at this time.
Of particular interest in this is how the judges seem to offer the individual plaintiffs an out to work with the national groups, but they rejected it! From the article;
Thomas and Judge Ferdinand Fernandez suggested the case may be premature, saying a state court of appeals in San Francisco is already weighing a lawsuit brought by gays and lesbians challenging California's prohibition against same-sex marriage. Gilbert, however, said he wanted a definitive ruling on whether federal laws and the 49 states that do not permit same-sex marriage are violating the U.S. Constitution's equal protection guarantee.
While the proponents of same-sex unions are not optimistic of a Supreme Court ruling at this time, those of us holding to the traditional and biblical form of marriage should not take their assessment for granted. We should continue to espouse the traditional model of marriage and encourage our elected officials to do the same.
URL: http://www.christianpost.com/article/society/2375/section/same-sex.marriage.lands.before.us.appeals.court/1.htm
Of particular interest in this is how the judges seem to offer the individual plaintiffs an out to work with the national groups, but they rejected it! From the article;
Thomas and Judge Ferdinand Fernandez suggested the case may be premature, saying a state court of appeals in San Francisco is already weighing a lawsuit brought by gays and lesbians challenging California's prohibition against same-sex marriage. Gilbert, however, said he wanted a definitive ruling on whether federal laws and the 49 states that do not permit same-sex marriage are violating the U.S. Constitution's equal protection guarantee.
While the proponents of same-sex unions are not optimistic of a Supreme Court ruling at this time, those of us holding to the traditional and biblical form of marriage should not take their assessment for granted. We should continue to espouse the traditional model of marriage and encourage our elected officials to do the same.
URL: http://www.christianpost.com/article/society/2375/section/same-sex.marriage.lands.before.us.appeals.court/1.htm
Conservative Methodists Protest Lesbian Speaker
The United Methodist Church Leadership find themselves at odds, again, with some of their membership over the leadership's attitude toward homosexuality. The crux of the conflict is that despite UMC church teaching against homosexuality, the UMC leadership seems ambivalent towards gays or lesbians participating in official denominational events.
Specifically in this case a lesbian musician has been invited to be the keynote speaker at the domination's Womens Assembly. A group of evangelical women, called the Renew Network, within the denomination are protesting this openly homosexual speaker at the conference.
The response from the UMC leadership? From the article; "Jan Love, chief executive of the United Methodist Women’s Division, is supporting Saliers’ invitation. 'I wasn't unmindful of'' Saliers' sexuality,' Love told San Jose Mercury News. `But it's not the basis on which she was chosen. Nor will it be a basis on which we discriminate.'''
I have to admit you can't adhere to the stated Church teaching against homosexuality and have such an indifferent attitude about the sexual orientation of your keynote speaker at a Womens Assembly.
Specifically in this case a lesbian musician has been invited to be the keynote speaker at the domination's Womens Assembly. A group of evangelical women, called the Renew Network, within the denomination are protesting this openly homosexual speaker at the conference.
The response from the UMC leadership? From the article; "Jan Love, chief executive of the United Methodist Women’s Division, is supporting Saliers’ invitation. 'I wasn't unmindful of'' Saliers' sexuality,' Love told San Jose Mercury News. `But it's not the basis on which she was chosen. Nor will it be a basis on which we discriminate.'''
I have to admit you can't adhere to the stated Church teaching against homosexuality and have such an indifferent attitude about the sexual orientation of your keynote speaker at a Womens Assembly.
The full article at Christian post.com
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