GAY TRUTH

In the face of the sexual revolution the Christian church in the West now faces a set of challenges that exceeds anything it has experienced, of a similar magnitude, in the past. This is a revolution of ideas—one that is transforming the entire moral structure of meaning and life. These challenges would be vexing enough for any generation. But the contours of our current challenge have to be understood over against the affecting reality for virtually everything on the American landscape, and furthermore in the West. This revolution, like all revolutions, takes few prisoners. In other words, it demands total acceptance of its revolutionary claims and the affirmation of its aims. This is the problem now faced by Christians who are committed to uncompromising faithfulness to the Bible as the Word of God and to the gospel as the only message of salvation. The scale and scope of this challenge are made clear in an argument made by British Theologian Theo Hobson . As Hobson acknowled

In 2002, the synod of the Anglican Diocese of New Westminster authorized its bishop to produce a service for blessing same-sex unions, to be used in any parish of the diocese that requests it. A number of synod members walked out to protest the decision. They declared themselves out of communion with the bishop and the synod, and they appealed to the Archbishop of Canterbury and other Anglican primates and bishops for help. (1) J. I. Packer was one of those who walked out. When asked why he walked out, he answered, “Because this decision, taken in its context, falsifies the gospel of Christ, abandons the authority of Scripture, jeopardizes the salvation of fellow human beings, and betrays the church in its God -appointed role as the bastion and bulwark of divine truth.” In other words, it was Packer’s confidence in the functional, life-directing authority of Scripture that led to this decision. “My primary authority,” wrote Packer, “is a Bible writer named Paul. For many decades n

The homosexuals and lesbians have gained considerable political and social momentum in America .  They have "come out" as the term goes, left their closets, and are knocking on the doors of your homes.  Through TV , radio, newspapers, and magazines, they are preaching their doctrine of tolerance, equality, justice, and love.  They do not want to be perceived as abnormal or dangerous.  They want acceptance and they want you to welcome them with open, loving arms, approving of what they do. In numerous states several bills have been introduced by the pro-homosexual politicians to ensure that the practice of homosexuality is a right protected by law.  Included in these bills are statements affecting employers, renters, and schools.  Churches could possibly be required to hire a quota of homosexuals, and "sensitivity" training courses would be "strongly urged" in various work places.  There is even legislation that would force the state to pick up the ta

Same-sex attraction and gender confusion is a wounding of the human heart by the Fall. It may be physiological, it may be developed; it may manifest itself early on or later, after exposure and/or abuse. If it is physiological and manifests early, this is not validation for homosexual behavior according to the Bible . - God can heal any wound, but that doesn't mean He will. It is possible for a devout Christian to struggle with same-sex attraction . If a church-goer consistently gives in to that attraction, it is likely he is either not a believer or is an immature believer in need of love and support. - Homosexual behavior (to include indulging in same-sex attraction fantasies) is a sin, like many other sexual sins, and is to be avoided by those who wish to follow Christ. But it is not any worse of a sin than any other. - Homosexuality is more difficult than many other sins because of the identity factor. We do not believe one's sexuality is the truest part of an individual.

Christianity and Homosexuality : A Review of Books ( Tim Keller ) Washed and Waiting: Reflections on Christian Faithfulness and Homosexuality by Wesley Hill  Zondervan, 2010 Is God Anti-Gay? Questions Christians Ask by Sam Allberry  The Good Book Co., 2013 The relationship of homosexuality to Christianity is without doubt one of the main subjects of cultural conversation today. If you are a Christian in New York City, it is nearly impossible to talk about your faith without this subject being raised. Although it is not central to the gospel message at the heart of Christianity, right now the cultural moment requires that we be prepared to address this issue whenever we are publicly identified as Christians. A sign of this cultural moment is the wave of new books—from very divergent points of view—that have come out recently treating this topic. People who attend Redeemer will either come across the books themselves, or will have their basic arguments presented to them in shorter

How must the church answer the challenge on homosexual sin which is now supported by the Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd ? To answer that question, we need to think about the speed of the moral revolution that has pushed this question to the forefront of our culture. In less than a generation, homosexuality has gone from being almost universally condemned to being almost fully normalized in the larger society. We are facing a true moral inversion — a system of moral understandings turned upside down. Where homosexuality was even recently condemned by the society, now it is considered a sin to believe that homosexuality is wrong in any way. A new sexual morality has replaced the old, and those who hold to the old morality are considered morally deficient. The new moral authorities have one central demand for the church: get with the new program. This puts the true church, committed to the authority of God ’s Word, in a very difficult cultural position. Put simply, we cannot

It is becoming increasingly clear that homosexuality will be a defining issue for the twenty-first century church, at least here in North America . It seems inevitable that same-sex marriage will soon be legalized across America; it has been the law in Canada for several years now. Meanwhile the acceptance and celebration of homosexuality is becoming a cultural shibboleth, a means of determining who has a voice worth hearing and who does not. In the middle of all this is the Christian church which, since time immemorial, has held that the Bible forbids homosexuality. Is it time, as so many insist, for Christians to take a second look at the Bible, to get with the times, and to embrace homosexuality as a valid lifestyle, a valid expression of love and sexuality? Many Christians feel threatened, like their backs are against the wall, and that this issue represents a major threat to their faith. But is it possible that Christians have been thinking about the issue all wrong? In his

Stained glass at St John the Baptist's Anglican Church http://www.stjohnsashfield.org.au, Ashfield, New South Wales. Illustrates Jesus' description of himself "I am the Good Shepherd" (from the Gospel of John, chapter 10, verse 11). This version of the image shows the detail of his face. The memorial window is also captioned: "To the Glory of God and in Loving Memory of William Wright. Died 6th November, 1932. Aged 70 Yrs." (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) The Supreme Court has now ruled on two monumental marriage cases, and the legal and cultural landscape has changed in this country. The court voted to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act and remand the decision of the Ninth Circuit in the Proposition 8 case, holding that California's Proposition 8 defenders didn't have standing. The Defense of Marriage Act decision used rather sweeping language about equal protection and human dignity as they apply to the recognition of same-sex unions. But w