“. . . and such were some of you” (1 Corinthians 6:11) After two critical posts, it’s time to say something constructive. Even if I can’t agree with the methods of the XXXChurch, I do want to affirm their desire to take the Gospel to every sinner. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is just as much for porn stars and porn addicts as it is for any other sinner on planet earth.
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More on the XXX Church
I have had more than one person object to my last post with something like the following: “You cannot come down on these guys for going to the porn convention because they may not have a struggle with lust like most other men do. Besides, we have to take the Gospel to sinners, and sometimes that may mean going to porn conventions.” I want to respond to those objections with a few thoughts.
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XXX Ministry: In the World or Of the World?
Christianity Today is running an article on a ministry that reaches out to porn stars and porn addicts. The article is “XXXMinistry: Reaching out to the porn industry.”
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R. Albert Mohler on Contraception in Marriage
R. Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, has posted the second of two articles on married couples who refuse to have children. You ought to take a look at both of them. This most recent article is titled “Deliberate Childlessness Revisited,” and the first is titled “Deliberate Childlessness: Moral Rebellion With a New Face.” Mohler admits that he touched a nerve with the first article—which is no surprise given that he maintains that “deliberate childlessness” is a “moral rebellion” against God.
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Interview with Bono in CT
For you rabid U2 fans, I thought you might be interested in an interview with Bono appearing on the Christianity Today website. The interview appears under the title “Bono: Grace over Karma.” Among other things, Bono is able to articulate a fairly clear profession of faith in Christ. “I’m holding out that Jesus took my sins onto the Cross, because I know who I am, and I hope I don’t have to depend on my own religiosity . . . I love the idea of the Sacrificial Lamb. I love the idea that God says: Look, you cretins, there are certain results to the way we are, to selfishness, and…
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Can You Believe in God and Evolution?
In the most recent issue of Time magazine, Al Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, contributes to an article debating the following question: “Can You Believe in God and Evolution?” Mohler argues that, contrary to what many think, creationism and Darwinism are logically incompatible. Here’s an excerpt: “I think it’s interesting that many of evolution’s most ardent academic defenders have moved away from the old claim that evolution is God’s means to bring life into being in its various forms. More of them are saying that a truly informed belief in evolution entails a stance that the material world is all there is and that the natural must…
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My Conviction on All Things Gender
A couple of the commenters on my previous post have asked what my thoughts are on the gender debates. So I am happy to accommodate and to describe my own convictions on this seminal issue. In short, I am a complementarian. That is, I believe that “God has created men and women equal in their essential dignity and human personhood, but different and complementary in function with male headship in the home and believing community, God has created men and women with distinct but complementary roles.” So I affirm that the scriptures teach that all men and women are created in the image of God with equal dignity before God.…
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Moore on the Leftward Drift of Evangelical Feminism
Russell Moore (left) and Molly Marshall (right) My friend Dr. Russell Moore has written a piece for gender-news.com about the leftward drift of the evangelical feminist movement. His essay focuses on the group Christians for Biblical Equality (CBE), and their feature of Molly Marshall in Mutuality magazine. Molly Marshall is the president of Central Baptist Theological Seminary and an outspoken egalitarian advocate. She has often been criticized for holding views that are decidedly non-evangelical (see here for an example). Ironically, she formerly held a professorship at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary where Moore is now the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs. Moore draws attention to the fact that “gender…
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Peter Leithart on Study of Evangelicals
Peter Leithart comments on a recent study of Evangelicals conducted by Berkeley sociologist Manuel Castells. Leithart’s wit is classic: “[The study found that] ‘doctrinal evangelicals’ are ‘less educated, poorer, more influential among housewives, more often residents of the South, significantly more religious, and 100 percent of them consider the Bible to be inerrant.’ Ignore the shockingly patronizing comment about credulous housewives, and ignore the fact that, actually, we don’t know anything of the kind about the educational levels or economic status of evangelicals. That 100 percent figure is what stands out in high comic relief. I’m no sociologist, but it seems to me that if you select a group defined…
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Defending Southern Baptist Calvinists: Tom Ascol Continues His Response
Tom Ascol continues his response to Dr. Steve Lempke’s paper here, here, and here. The substance of Ascol’s response looks good. But I would add that not only are we required to represent our opponents’ views accurately (as Ascol argues), but we must also engage them with a winsome and humble spirit. To that end, I hope that we can have more of an irenic tone in this debate. “The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome e, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition . . .” -2 Timothy 2:24-25