I can’t tell you how much I appreciate Rick and Kay Warren’s appearance on Piers Morgan’s program last night. They spoke forthrightly and honestly about their son’s suicide, and it was gut-wrenching to watch. They were vulnerable, transparent, and unflinching in their confession that God is good and is in control of their lives.
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SBC Chaplains face a crisis over same-sex marriage
Albert Mohler has a must-read article about the crisis facing evangelical chaplains in the military. The issue has come to a head, and now some are calling for Southern Baptist chaplains to resign their commissions if they will not embrace same-sex marriage. Mohler writes,
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Tom Schreiner on the Dangers of Specialization
Sometimes biblical scholars can be…well…a little snobbish when it comes to systematic theology. And I’m saying this as somebody who is one. Nevertheless, I have observed that many biblical scholars view their work as primarily historical and cooly detached from the theological implications of their work. The irony is that even some Christians regard this detachment as praiseworthy and good. That is why Tom Schreiner’s words in the video above need a wide hearing in our guild. We are far too Gablerian. If you are a biblical scholar, it is no virtue to ignore theology as if our work is purely descriptive. If we would be faithful to our calling…
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Dan Savage launches “Not All Like That”
You may remember Dan Savage as the founder of the “It Gets Better Project”—a website dedicated to telling gay children that homosexual behavior is okay and that their lives will get better as they get older. Today Savage launched a new website called “Not All Like That.” It works the same way as the “It Gets Better” site, except that the message this time is aimed at redefining Christianity.
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Christian baker closes shop under pressure from gay activists
Earlier this year, I wrote about Aaron and Melissa Klein, owners of a bakery called “Sweet Cakes by Melissa” in Greshem, Oregon. They’ve been in the news since January after they refused to provide a cake for a gay wedding of two lesbians. Since then, the story has gone viral, and the Klein’s business has been under siege from protesters and gay activists. Aaron Klein says that gay rights activists have been using “militant, mafia-style tactics” to shut the business down.
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Okay to change a child’s sex but not his gender?
James Kushiner asks an insightful question that exposes the moral confusion of our day. In essence he asks why it should be legal to change a child’s sex but not his gender. The question is provoked by the recent bill signed into law by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. The law prohibits any attempt to change a child’s “gender expression.” That means that if a parent has a young boy who likes to put on dresses and wear make-up, New Jersey law prohibits licensed counselors from helping that boy. Counselors must approve and support whatever gender that child chooses regardless of the child’s sex. This law reveals the rising social…
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Gagging on “the yuck factor”: Some thoughts on a recent controversy
Thabiti Anyabwile ruffled feathers last week with an essay arguing that homosexual behavior ought to induce “moral outrage” (a “gag reflex”). Among other things, he argues that our culture has lost its “moral outrage” concerning homosexuality because people have lost sight of what this conversation is all about—perverted sexual behavior. He argues, therefore, that we need to drop expressions like “gay” and “homosexual” and to use explicit terms that are not cloaked in euphemism. He then gives an object lesson on how we ought to speak, giving a brief but explicit description of what gay sexual behavior actually is. As you can imagine, Thabiti’s post has caused no little controversy…
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Brian Payne: A model of Christ-centered biblical exposition
Brian Payne is a professor of preaching and Christian theology at Boyce College. He’s also a local pastor here in Louisville, and he’s one of the finest Bible expositors on our campus. Every time he steps into the pulpit, he delivers. Last week, he preached in Boyce Chapel on the Joseph narrative from Genesis. It’s a model of verse-by-verse exposition. It’s also a picture of a faithful Christ-centered hermeneutic. I commend it to you. He’s one of the best. You can download it here or listen below. [audio:http://www.sbts.edu/media/audio/BoycePodcast/20130821-boyce-podcast-payne.mp3]
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God as the third rail of rock-n-roll
Back in the days when the earth’s crust was still hardening, I was a big fan of The Smashing Pumpkins. They were in the thick of the grunge scene–which was a whole new departure in rock music and which was all the rage for most of the 1990’s. After the grunge fad faded, the band broke up in 2000. Following a seven year hiatus, they got back together and have been trying to make a comeback. Lead singer Billy Corgan recently sat down for an interview with CNN, and he makes the astonishing claim that God is the “third rail” of rock-n-roll. He also gives a brief and trenchant critique…
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Can you be a Christian homosexual?
Justin Lee (author of Torn) and James White had a “debate” last Spring about the question, “Can you be a Christian homosexual?” James White says no, and Justin Lee says yes. In a candid moment, Lee says that his position on the morality of the question has changed and that he is now more open to consider entering a relationship with a person of the same sex (at about 1:37). AlphaOmega Ministries has made the audio available for free, and you can download it here or listen to it below. [audio:http://aomin.org/podcasts/GayChristianityDebated.mp3]