Over the course of at least the past 100 years, the American church as a whole has been entirely unprepared to give an answer to the reasoning, arguments, and objections raised by its enemies. Every Christian should be prepared to defend the faith against attacks (Col. 4:5-6; I Pet. 3:15; Jude 1:3-4). After all, we have been given all the answers (II Tim. 3:16-17; II Pet. 1:3)! Yet, with issues like evolution, abortion, and now homosexuality, Christians have been often malnourished in God’s Word, often to the point of affirming the arguments of Christ’s enemies.
Category: Cultural Matters
Alice Cooper, noted heavy metal shock performer, is a Christian… or so Christians keep telling me. He has a Christian testimony. He’s written songs about God and salvation. He goes to a church that preaches the gospel. He’s gone to Bible conferences, and even played golf with R.C. Sproul. So why doubt him?
As I observe the ongoing uproar being made over the RFRA law, one thing is becoming more and more apparent. Some miraculous act of God notwithstanding, persecution of Christians is going to become a reality in this nation, and it is going to happen soon. I don’t mean verbal persecution, but state-organized, legalized persecution that will cost Christians more than just hurt feelings. Another truth that should be apparent, especially this week as Christians remember the death and resurrection of our Savior, is that any genuine persecution we suffer in His name is a tremendous reason to rejoice in Jesus Christ.
As I wrote a couple years ago, the LGBT movement is one of the definitive battlegrounds of our generation, and Christians must give an answer from a thoroughly Biblical perspective. This fact has been underscored once again by the firestorm erupting across the nation following the passing of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (or RFRA) legislation in Indiana. The narrative from the LGBT community and its supporters insists that this legislation is nothing more than an open door for discrimination against the gay community.
The devastating shooting at Sandy Brook school in Newtown, Connecticut has once again given our nation pause. What was unheard of not so long ago is becoming nearly commonplace. As the nation grasps to understand and interpret a tragedy of this magnitude, ideologies are made evident by the conclusions and answers put forth. Do some of these conclusions have merit, or are the answers merely another trap of our own making?
Now I hear it. Sure, now I hear it. Devestation occurred on November 6th, as Barack Obama gained another 4 year term as President of our beloved United States. This is the one thing that we as a nation, and as Christians, simply could not allow to happen. Not if we wanted to keep our freedoms. Not if we valued our liberty. We had to pull out all the stops to ensure that this would not happen. Yet disaster struck. And now I am reminded from choruses of Christians everywhere that “Jesus is King”.
I didn’t intend to broach this topic again, at least so soon. However, an event recorded in Scripture was recently brought to mind, and its lesson is so pertinent that it bears some examination and contemplation.
In my previous article, I dealt with the subject of situational ethics as exhibited in the political realm and the implications of such philosophies for the Christian. I used the proposition of voting for Mitt Romney as a candidate in the general election to demonstrate situational ethics in action and frame the issue with a real-world scenario. Because my focus was on the Biblical sanction (or lack thereof) of Christians to use pragmatic reasoning, I left many questions unanswered regarding how (or even if) one should vote and the principles that should guide that decision.
Politics has long been known to be a dog-eat-dog venture, and there is typically, at any point and time, ample evidence to back up this maxim. This is certainly showcased once again in the case of Todd Akin, the Missouri Republican candidate for United States Senate who appeared on a local news program and tried to reason his pro-life position in the case of rape.
Few topics are hotter or more controversial right now than that of same sex marriage. From constitutional amendments to city ordinances to presidential declarations, this is a hot button issue almost everywhere in the United States. The irony of it all is that we are debating something that does not even exist.