Monday, June 19, 2006

Splitting Church?

There seems to be a problem in the worldwide Anglican Church (Episcopal Church here in the States). Actually it is a problem that is not to far off from some of the other branches of Christianity. Should the church allow homosexual leadership? Let the bullets fly.

Biblically it cannot be denied that homosexuality is wrong. The counter argument seems to be that God accepts "Just as I am". While I firmly believe God accepts us just as we are, I do not believe He intends for us to stay that way. According to Romans 12:2 we are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. If you can't admit your doing something wrong why do you need a Savior? I won't lie, I'm just as much a sinner as the practicing homosexual, or the alcoholic, or the liar, or the hypocrite, etc... But I am forgiven. I'll admit that I've sinned, and done things I shouldn't have done.

The issue in the Anglican Church right now is something that has caused much debate in the Scouting community; it even resulted in the Save Our Scouts Act of 2005. But this issue is not limited to the Anglican Church, the United Methodist Church in 2000 voted on it, and there are all sorts of homosexual churches springing up and non-homosexual churches that endorse it. Lets take a closer look at the issue.

In the American Baptist Church (ABC) May of this year the Pacific Southwest region voted unanimously to split from the parent demonination because it refused to deal with the acceptance of homosexuality in other regions. The ABC church of West Virginia narrowly rejected spliting. (http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=23275)

In the United Church of Canada after a vote allowing practicing homosexuals into the pulpit they went on to demand the government of Canada recognize same-sex marriage with legislation. (http://www.religioustolerance.org/hom_ucc.htm) By the way some 3.1 million Canadians identify themselves with that Church.

Just this June the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) voted 30-28 keeping a law it has restraining ministers to heterosexual activity inside of marriage. While I'm glad they kept the law the narrowness of the vote disturbs me. (http://www.gay.com/news/article.html?2006/06/19/1).

At any rate it is vital for us in the church to stand strong on the Word, and in a loving caring way reach out to the hurting homosexual community. God loves the homosexual just as much as He loves you and I, but He never loves when we disobey Him.

A little humor

I got this message in an e-mail devotional I get.

Praise The Lord!

There's a little old Christian lady living next door to an atheist.
Every morning the lady comes out onto her front porch and
shouts "Praise the Lord!".

Now the atheist yells back, "There is no God". Yet She does
this every morning with the same result. As time goes on the
lady runs into financial difficulties and has trouble buying food.
So she goes out onto the porch and asks God for help with
groceries, then says "Praise the Lord".

The next morning she goes out onto the porch and there's the
groceries she'd asked for, and, of course she says "Praise the
Lord". The atheist jumps out from behind a bush and says, "Ha,
I bought those groceries - there is no God".

The lady looks at him, smiles and shouts "Praise the Lord,
not only did You provide for me Lord, You made satan pay for
it!!!!".

Wednesday, June 07, 2006

The Battlecry

As you all may have heard about one month ago a group known as Battlecry, (and I am a member of that group), swept across the nation with huge rallies in various cities.

Now it should come as no surprise to anyone that Battlecry has earned some harsh opposition (much of which is because Jerry Falwell supports the movement). Many are frightened at the imagery and lingo Battlecry leaders use. With all the war talk and imagery many are afraid of a militant youth movement. Don't worry, the war Battlecry makes reference to does not involve violent use of any real guns, grenades, tanks, submarines, or Navy Seals. Infact, its a culture war.

Members of Battlecry (such as myself) are tired of the filth corporate America is shoving down on youth. Porn all over the internet, sex the new sign of maturity, the use of drugs glorified all over etc... We are tired of all this corruption.

However, Battlecry does not put enough emphasis on the fact that the solution is Jesus Christ, the solution is resisting the corrupt world, and instead taking our corrupt ways and following Jesus more intensely then we followed the world.

The Apostolic Church was militant, and I don't mean that as in car bombers, and flying planes into towers. I mean that they were uncompromising, unwilling to yield to anything that tainted the Gospel, when they were persecuted they procliamed the Good News all the more. The kind of militant that turns the world upside down, the kind that replaces hate with love, the kind that will do what's right even when its unpopular, the kind that tells the world "God loves you", and shows the way out of the traps that we see in the world today.

I believe Paul explained it best in his letter to the Church at Ephesus: "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high [places]." Ephesians 6:12, KJV.

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