GAY TRUTH

Author: Russel Moore. Kirsten Powers and Jonathan Merritt wrote an article for the Daily Beast accusing conservative Christians of hypocrisy and unchristian behavior for suggesting that some persons’ consciences won’t allow them to use their creative gifts to help celebrate same-sex weddings . Since I was a key example of this hypocrisy, I’ll respond to that charge. At issue is a response I made, reposted this week over at the Gospel Coalition , helping a Christian wedding photographer think through whether he ought to work for a same-sex wedding. In the photographer’s question, he grapples with the question of how his conscience ought to play in this decision not only as it relates to weddings of people who, for all he knows, might be involved in all sorts of unbiblical behavior. Powers and Merritt suggest if he refuses to photograph one “unbiblical wedding,” he ought to “refuse to photograph them all.” As a matter of fact, they say, to do anything else is to be “seen as a hyp

Today Kirsten Powers and Jonathan Merritt wrote an article for the  Daily Beast accusing conservative Christians of hypocrisy and unchristian behavior for suggesting that some persons’ consciences won’t allow them to use their creative gifts to help celebrate same-sex weddings . Since I was a key example of this hypocrisy, I’ll respond to that charge. At issue is a response I made, reposted this week over at the Gospel Coalition , helping a Christian wedding photographer think through whether he ought to work for a same-sex wedding. In the photographer’s question, he grapples with the question of how his conscience ought to play in this decision not only as it relates to weddings of people who, for all he knows, might be involved in all sorts of unbiblical behavior. Powers and Merritt suggest if he refuses to photograph one “unbiblical wedding,” he ought to “refuse to photograph them all.” As a matter of fact, they say, to do anything else is to be “seen as a hypocrite” and t

Paul the Apostle, Russian icon from first quarter of 18th cen. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) ROMANS 1:26-27 "For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another" (vv. 26-27a). The righteousness that can avail for us before the Lord must come through faith alone, because of the depravity of Jew and Gentile alike (Rom. 1:16-3:20). In due time, the Apostle Paul will tell us that human beings are depraved because they are in Adam (5:12-21), but at this point in his epistle to the Roman church, he is content simply to state the truth of the human condition, particularly the condition of those without access to God's special revelation in Scripture. Human beings have denied the God who is and have knowingly suppressed His truth, leading o the worship of the creature rather than t

An interview can get you into big trouble. Remember General Stanley McChrystal ? He was the commander of all U.S.  forces  in Afghanistan until he gave an interview to  Rolling Stone  magazine in 2010 and criticized his Commander in Chief. Soon thereafter, he was sacked. This time the interview controversy surrounds Phil Robertson, founder of the Duck Commander company and star of A&E’s  Duck Dynasty . Robertson gave an interview to  GQ  (formerly known as  Gentlemen’s Quarterly ), and now he has been put on “indefinite suspension” from the program. Why? Because of controversy over his comments on homosexuality. Phil Robertson is the plainspoken patriarch of the  Duck Dynasty  clan. In the  GQ  interview, published in the January 2014 issue of the magazine, Robertson makes clear that his Christian faith is central to his identity and his life. He speaks of his life before Christ and actively seeks to convert the interviewer, Drew Magary, to faith in Christ. He tells M

In modern cultures, every Christian is faced with the problem of homosexuality. Churches are pulled into the tension, too, because “there is no demilitarized zone in the homosexual debate.” Shrugging isn’t an option. The implications are all around us, in schools, in politics, in denominational tensions, and — maybe most importantly — in determining how the Church lives out her faithful witness to a culture in desperate need of Christ. With the marriage amendment on the Minnesota ballot, and with a growing list of personal questions in my Moleskine notebook , I contacted Dr. Robert Gagnon, a professor of New Testament at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and a man who has for many years bravely addressed homosexuality from a biblical and theological perspective. In 2002 he published the 500-page book The Bible and Homosexual Practice: Texts and Hermeneutics . A decade later his work remains the most thoroughly exegetical and hermeneutical book on homosexuality and the Bible ( John P

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Emily Jehne and Ellie Filler were married in their backyard by some celebrant.  The 26-year-old medical student and 29-year-old teacher were among couples to wed under the ACT's same-sex marriage legislation, holding a brief ceremony in Canberra on Sunday. The couple have been together for almost a decade. The inference of this article is that the 29 years had a lesbian sexual relationship with a sixteen year old. The article does not mention family members who agree or disagree with this long term immoral relationship.  The question is recognizable by whom? Peers? The Apostle Paul condemns homosexuality and in fact identifies lesbianism first as the worst sin, and that God has given them over to their shameful lusts. Romans 1:26 "Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones." The Bible clearly says the wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men an

Homosexual advocate Margaret Mayman a  Wellington liberal minister and her partner of 17 years, Clare Brockett, were married last weekend.  117 homosexual couples have married since Parliament legalised immoral homosexual marriage in April.  "We feel like we are full citizens of New Zealand," she said. "It is definitely something to celebrate."   The question in people's minds regarding homosexuality have not changed, regardless of what a government may ordain and approve, it will always be seen as an affront to the holiness of God.  Theologically a person like this has placed themselves under extreme condemnation according to the Apostle Paul in Romans 1, which lists lesbianism as the worst example of homosexual sin by listing it first in the list of sins where God hands people over to the consequences of their own sin.  But because they claim to be a liberal church, they have no need to adhere to the scripture at all, and can completely ignore,

“ Epaphras , my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends greetings to you, and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit” (Phile. 23-25). - Philemon 23-25 Prime Minister Kevin Rudd bullied a pastor on Australian TV ABC's Q&A quoting slavery is now seen as evil and wrong so should the Apostle Paul 's view on homosexuality because he argues people are simply born that way. He claims it is not a choice but given by God to be celebrated, therefore God is the sinner. As homosexual behavior gains wider acceptance in our culture and the biblical view of love and sex is increasingly marginalized, believers are criticized for not embracing homosexual acts as good and holy, even though most Christians today would never own a slave. How is it possible, unbelievers ask, for believers to have “grown” in their understanding so that they repudiate slavery and yet refuse to grow in their view of sexuality and s

“ Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our beloved fellow worker and Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier, and the church in your house” (Phile. 1–2). -  Philemon 1-3 The Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd refers to New Testament slavery as outdated, wrong and socially incorrect then likens our current rejection of homosexual marriage and homosexuality the  same, namely wrong. Rudd's logic is because the Apostle Paul got it wrong on slavery and we have moved on, then he also got it wrong on homosexuality. But is Rudd correct on the slavery argument? As this is a standard homosexual advocates argument why has he chosen t o use it? Is it true? Kevin Rudd is referring to the  Prison Epistles is the letter to Philemon , which is the shortest of all of Paul’s letters in the New Testament. It comprises only 335 words in the original Greek, and, along with the epistles to Timothy and Titus , it is one of the apostle’s few