GAY TRUTH

Our culture bombards us with sexualized images — Facebook ads, magazines, YouTube clips, television, catalogues, Netflix , and just about every other possible medium. That’s a truth so obvious you can’t miss it. But here’s a not-so-obvious truth: not only does our culture  show  us sex; it also  speaks  to us about sex. Right or wrong, our culture teaches us about sex. The media conducts sex education all the time. Two thousand years ago, the apostle Paul warned, “Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things [for example, sexual immorality, impurity, and covetousness] the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience” ( Ephesians 5:6). Apparently, the culture of Paul’s day was speaking deceitful words concerning sexual immorality, tantalizing and seductive words empty of truth, wisdom, and godliness. What Does the Box Say? What lies does our culture tell us about sex? I once conducted an informal experiment, watching ten ...

Rainbow flag. Symbol of immoral homosexual pride. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) While the Bible does address homosexuality, it does not explicitly mention gay marriage/same-sex marriage. It is clear, however, that the Bible condemns homosexuality as an immoral and unnatural sin. Leviticus 18:22 identifies homosexual sex as an abomination, a detestable sin. Romans 1:26-27 declares homosexual desires and actions to be shameful, unnatural, lustful, and indecent. First Corinthians 6:9 states that homosexuals are unrighteous and will not inherit the kingdom of God. Since both homosexual desires and actions are condemned in the Bible, it is clear that homosexuals “marrying” is not God’s will, and would be, in fact, sinful. Whenever the Bible mentions marriage, it is between a male and a female. The first mention of marriage, Genesis 2:24 , describes it as a man leaving his parents and being united to his wife. In passages that contain instructions regarding marriage, such as 1 Corinthians ...

One of the sweet advantages of insisting that there is no such thing as same-sex “marriage” is that there is therefore also no such thing as same-sex “divorce.” In the days ahead, this will be very good news for many who repent . In the years to come, God will be merciful on thousands of those who have been damaged by the present moral madness of our culture. He will exalt Christ in the conversion of many who have lived in same-sex relationships. More complexities than we can imagine will be presented to us in the church. One of the more difficult scenarios will be what the church should do when, say, two women, who have lived in a so-called married state for some years, are converted to Christ, repent of their sin, and want to join the church. And what if they have children? In this uncharted territory, here is a map with some of the biblical guideposts I foresee. It is not exhaustive. I invite every pastor to pray that God would grant him the great privilege of leading new bel...

Don't like gay marriage ? Don't get one. My gay marriage doesn't change anything about your straight marriage . We're not altering the definition of marriage; we're expanding it. These new rights don't take away yours. So don't try to deny them to us . The startling rise in public approval for gay marriage depends on such simple appeals to intuition. Look at all these happy gay couples. Why not invite them to join the party and get married? It's not like straight couples have done such a good job of commending the institution. Besides, what consenting adults do in the privacy of their bedrooms is their business alone. To our highly individualistic Western culture , only libertarian arguments make any sense, even to many Christians. Personally we might say homosexuality is a sin; but what right do we have to impose our values on anyone else? If they aren't harming anyone else, then who can deny their gay marriages equal protection under the law? ....

Dennis marries Sharon (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) …Instituted by God , Uniting One Man and One Woman Matthew 19:4-6 - “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’ [ Genesis 2:24]? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” Jesus affirms that marriage is for a man and a woman only when questioned over the death of a spouse and a brother replacing the husband. Jesus also affirmed marriage as being between a man and a woman when he spoke on the basis for a divorce and the hardness of people's hearts.  …A Portrait of Christ and His Bride, the Church Ephesians 5:31-32 - “‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’ [Genesis 2:24]. This mystery is profound, and...

Stained glass window of the sacred Heart of Jesus Christ in the former Mosque (Cathedral) of Cordoba, Spain (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Jesus Christ - detail from Deesis mosaic, Hagia Sophia, Istanbul (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) "Be ye therefore followers of God , as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour ." ( Ephesians 5:1-2 ) Incense in Scripture has a variety of rich and meaningful usages, particularly as related to the blood sacrifice . "And thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon: . . . And thou shalt put it before the vail that is by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the testimony, where I will meet with thee" ( Exodus 30:1, 6 ). Without this incense, it was impossible to meet with God in this prescribed way. It was to be offered both morning and evening (vv. 7-8 ). Great care was to be taken in its preparation ...