Homosexuality and the Church
Five points from Sam Allberry’s book, Is God Anti-Gay?
These are great pastoral notes for churches who want to show grace and love to those who struggle with same-sex attraction. Churches should never become so focused on the biological family and/or cultural ideas of masculinity and femininity that they end up being legalistic and inward focused rather than gospel centered and outward focused. ... Continue Reading
5 Things Not to Do in Your Marriage
Even though earthly romance will always be imperfect, God transforms us with abundant grace and gospel hope as we live life alongside our spouse.
Even the best marriages go through seasons that are not always easy, where it takes real effort to love one another, where the road seems full of ruts, bumps, and potholes. This is one of the truths that it is so important for newly married couples to know ahead of time so they don’t lose... Continue Reading
What if We Just Held Men Accountable for Their Own Behavior?
It’s easier to attack the people who fall prey to the bad guys than it is to attack the bad guys.
I have seen a large preponderance of men and women make excuses for the men who do these things by stating, in no uncertain terms, that the females “deserve” it for being “stupid.” This is a perspective so intellectually and ethically bankrupt that I shudder to consider how prevalent it is. What about holding us... Continue Reading
Nature, Nurture, and Your Nasty Hearty
Each individual is judged by his own heart
It is not that helpful to determine whether the foundation of one’s same-sex passions come from genetic tendencies or environmental pressures. One’s genes, one’s parents, and one’s culture all have great potential to negatively influence an individual. However, for the individual who finds new life in Jesus Christ, he is no longer enslaved to the temptations of the world, the... Continue Reading
Federal Judge: U.S. Constitution Doesn’t Require Redefinition of Marriage
Judge Martin L.C. Feldman upheld Louisiana’s constitutional authority to define marriage as the union of a man and a woman
Just as citizens are free to redefine marriage to include same-sex relationships, so too are citizens free to retain the historic definition of marriage as the union of a man and a woman—as citizens in a majority of states have done. Our federal Constitution is silent on what marriage is. Judges should not insert their... Continue Reading
Pain: God’s Megaphone
The land of Palestine/Israel is no exception to the brokenness of the world
We must trust the Scriptures’ authority, clarity, and sufficiency to not allow either the Palestinian or the Israeli narrative to determine my attitude, my perspective on history, or my view of Jerusalem. Instead, we must believe there is one true narrative for Jerusalem and that is God’s story. We must not love one culture more... Continue Reading
Two More Kirk Ministers Quit In Gay Clergy Row
Both departing Church of Scotland ministers expressed concern over the Church's 'continuing drift' from the Bible.
If accepted, Rev Macleod and Rev MacRae will bring the total number of former Church of Scotland ministers who have joined the Free Church to ten….Their respective resignations mean that the Church of Scotland has only one active full-time parish minister covering Assynt, Wester Ross, Skye, North Uist, Benbecula, South Uist and Harris – an... Continue Reading
9 Habits That Lead to Terrible Decisions
What causes well-meaning people to make poor decisions?
In an effort to understand the root cause of poor decision making, we looked at 360-feedback data from more than 50,000 leaders and compared the behavior of those who were perceived to be making poor decisions with that of the people perceived to be making very good decisions. We did a factor analysis of the... Continue Reading
Reorienting My Cell Phone: From Smart Phone to Flip Phone
I recently downgraded to a flip phone and experienced a renewal of God’s grace
The most powerful event in this episode was when Leeanne looked me in the eye and said, “Allan, did you think I thought you would never sin again?” In her kindness I was reminded that the Christian life isn’t usually about radical change, it’s about the lifelong journey of repentance and faith in Christ. I recently downgraded... Continue Reading
Less than Human: A Review: ‘Freedom from Speech’ by Greg Lukianoff
By losing the freedom to reason with each other over difficult issues, we are becoming, in fact, less than human
Liberals, in general, are motivated fundamentally by empathy. While conservatives take their moral norms from a variety of places, such as traditional values and religion, “progressive morality is largely one-dimensional, driven primarily by the care ethic,” Lukianoff says. And because liberals just want people be happy and comfortable, he argues, they attack speech they deem... Continue Reading