• Christianity,  Culture

    Amazon bans books on “conversion therapy”

    I am a Christian. I hold to what Christians have always believed about sexuality—that the only legitimate context for sexual activity is between one man and one woman in the covenant of marriage. Any other kind of sexual activity—including the homosexual kind—is against God’s design for His creation and is prohibited by scripture. I also believe that we are all sexual sinners of some sort.  Nevetheless, I affirm that the grace of God in Christ gives both merciful pardon and transforming power, and that this pardon and power enable a follower of Jesus to put to death sinful desires and to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord. I…

  • Christianity

    Dear Media, Please Distinguish Conversion from Conversion Therapy

    In 2016, a terrorist went on a rampage inside an Orlando gay night club named “The Pulse.” Forty-nine people were killed, and 53 others were injured. In the immediate aftermath of the attack, The Pulse nightclub shooting became a rallying point for progressives claiming that an anti-affirming stance leads to this kind of violence against gay people. Two key things have happened in recent days challenging that narrative: First, it was revealed about a month ago that the terrorist did not target The Pulse nightclub because it was a gay bar. The terrorist’s intended target was a Disney park, but he gave up on that plan because of security outside…

  • Christianity

    It’s not conversion therapy; it’s just conversion.

    Last week, Jackie-Hill Perry spoke on the campus of Harvard University for a campus student group called Harvard College Faith and Action (HCFA). For those unfamiliar with Jackie-Hill Perry, she’s a poet and a Christian who was converted to Christ out of lesbianism. She is courageous, bold, and unambiguous about the gospel and what it requires of us. Word got out on Harvard’s campus about the event, and a group of students and professors organized a protest. They demanded that the event be cancelled. When it wasn’t cancelled, some of them showed up to the event and heckled Perry from the crowd. The ruckus among protestors began days before the…

  • News,  Politics

    Banning “Gay Conversion Therapy” in California

    California has passed a law making “gay conversion therapy” illegal for persons under 18 years old. Two judges have ruled on the law this week, and they have come to opposite conclusions. Where do things stand now? A religious liberty organization called Liberty Counsel is filing an emergency appeal to stop the law before it goes into effect on January 1, 2013. Joe Carter has the rest of the story on this case, and I encourage you to read it. I want to highlight here Carter’s remarks about why the case is important. He writes:

  • Christianity,  Politics

    Why have some evangelicals turned against reparative therapy?

    The Atlantic tweeted a link to an article this morning with this statement: “Why did Christian conservatives turn against gay conversion therapy?” It turns out that the article is by Jonathan Merritt, and it describes the shrinking fortunes of reparative therapy. As I mentioned last week, President Obama recently came out publicly against reparative therapy, and now Merritt is explaining how its influence has waned even among evangelicals. It’s a fascinating article, and you can read it here.

  • Christianity,  Politics

    President Obama denounces reparative therapy

    Last night, President Obama released a statement calling for an end to what is sometimes called “conversion” or “reparative” therapy for LGBT youth. Written by Valerie Jarrett on behalf of the President, the statement is a response to a petition that appeared on the WhiteHouse.gov site after the suicide of the transgender teen Josh “Leelah” Alcorn late last year. Among other things, it says that “this Administration supports efforts to ban the use of conversion therapy for minors.” The statement comes out in support of state legislation to outlaw the practice, and it invites the U. S. Congress to send similar legislation to the President for him to sign. The…

  • Christianity,  Politics

    Presidential candidate promises draconian crackdown on religious liberty

    Beto O’Rourke on religious institutions losing tax-exempt status for opposing same-sex marriage: “There can be no reward, no benefit, no tax break for anyone … that denies the full human rights and the full civil rights of every single one of us” #EqualityTownHall pic.twitter.com/0ruxeIao8o — CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) October 11, 2019 At CNN’s “Equality Town Hall,” Beto O’Rourke was asked if churches and other religious institutions should lose tax-exempt status for opposing same-sex marriage. Beto says in no uncertain terms that Christian churches should in fact lose their tax-exempt status unless they endorse gay marriage. This draconian assault on the first amendment is now the mainstream view within the Democratic…

  • Christianity

    Do LGBT people have to choose between following Christ and sexual immorality?

    Julie Rogers is a former evangelical who embraced a lesbian identity while she worked in the chaplain’s office at Wheaton College a few years ago. Since then, she has become an outspoken advocate for the “Christian” gay identity movement. On Saturday, she penned an op-ed for The New York Times that caught my attention. It is worth noting because it gets at the heart of the conflict unfolding among evangelicals about LGBT identities and lifestyles. Rogers writes,

  • Christianity,  Politics

    Gov. Chris Christie’s broadside against religious liberty

    Governor Chris Christie has just made New Jersey the second state to prohibit licensed therapists from trying to change the sexual orientation of gay minors. Like recent legislation in California, the New Jersey law is a disaster at a number of levels. This bill not only prohibits “reparative therapy.” It prohibits any and all attempts by licensed counselors to change a child’s sexual orientation. And there’s more. The bill not only prohibits any and all efforts to change sexual orientation. It also prohibits any and all attempts to change sexual behavior in gay minors!

  • Christianity

    Back to Egypt for Exodus International?

    By now, many readers will already have heard the news that Exodus International is closing-up shop. What was once a leading evangelical ministry to those struggling with homosexuality has now become defunct. This is in no small part due to the influence of its charismatic president, Alan Chambers, whose views have led the organization into a theological cul de sac. Chambers announced the ending of Exodus in connection with an extended public apology to those who have been hurt by Exodus’ years of ministry. His apology, however, has caused much confusion and consternation for evangelicals (like myself) who have been watching this unfold from the outside. Among other things, Chambers…