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…
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On the ethics of sexual attraction (same-sex and otherwise)
The Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society has just published an article that I have been working on for a little over a year. Even though the piece is titled “Is Homosexual Orientation Sinful?,” it’s really just an extended treatment of the ethics of sexual attraction. My contention is that the Bible speaks a clear word about our experience of sexual attraction be it heterosexual, homosexual, or otherwise. Whenever we desire something that God forbids, we are experiencing an “attraction” that is sinful and that God would have us to repent of.
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Reflecting on the Indiana RFRA and a final question for the cultured despisers of religion
Our news cycle moves so fast that to bring up the Indiana RFRA law might already seem like yesterday’s news. Some readers already feel like saying, “C’mon, man. That is so last week.” Nevertheless, before the country moves on to its next diversion, I think it would be good for us to think about the meaning of last week’s dust-up over religious liberty. For starters, last week was more than a “dust-up” to those of us who belong to the religious minority known as evangelicalism. It wasn’t the apocalypse. Nor was it even worthy to be mentioned in the same breath as what happened to our brothers and sisters in…
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What Jesus’ Resurrection Tells Us about Our Own
Today is Easter—resurrection day. I recently delivered a message at my church on this very theme from 2 Corinthians 4:16-5:8. It’s about about what happens to us after we die. You can download it here or listen below: People commonly misunderstand what happens to us after we die because they misunderstand the resurrection. They think that our after our bodies die, our spirits go to heaven forever. That is not what the Bible teaches. It’s one thing not to understand what eternal life means. It’s another thing to know what it means and then to deny that it means we will be resurrected. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15 that if…
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He is still risen!
(Source: Igniter Media)
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“Boycott Indiana” social-media mob closes Christian-owned pizza shop
I would have thought this was an April Fool’s joke if I hadn’t seen it on Rod Dreher’s site. But this is no joke. A small town pizza shop owned by Christians in Indiana is having to close its doors because of threats from the #BoycottIndiana crowd. Why? You’re not going to believe this. A local news station went trolling local businesses to see if any of them agreed with Indiana’s new Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA). The reporters found the Memories Pizza shop and interviewed the owner and his daughter (see video above). The owner and his daughter said that they would serve anyone who came into their pizza…
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Gov. Mike Pence’s Dilemma. . . and ours
I watched Gov. Mike Pence’s press conference this morning with great interest. He is trying to face down an enormous backlash against Indiana’s recent Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), which has been mischaracterized nationally as a license to discriminate against gay people. Nevertheless, he called a press conference and announced his intention to consider a legislative “fix” or “clarification” of the RFRA law. He did not explain what that legislative “fix” might consist of, but he said that something is coming. I like Gov. Pence, and I think that he has been trying to fight the good fight. But he has gotten himself into a dilemma that has no good…
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Media freak-out lands on “Hardball with Chris Matthews”
Kudos to Russell Moore for fighting the good fight in a tough venue. Moore completely outmatched the activist that he was paired to debate. Still, what strikes me about this conversation is that it is clear that Chris Matthews has no idea what the Indiana bill says. After 5 days of national debate, he still doesn’t have a basic working knowledge of this law. Not only that, he apparently is unaware of the bakers, florists, photographers, etc. who have been at the center of this debate for years now. How can he not know the basics by now?
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The media freak-out hits CNBC, and Ryan Anderson answers the bell
Ryan does a great job explaining the real intent of the law. Again, the other talking heads are unable to hear the argument. Don’t miss his article at The Daily Signal from earlier today: “Apple CEO Tim Cook Is Wrong About Indiana Religious Freedom Law.”
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The media freak-out hits “Morning Joe”
John McCormack and Joe Scarborough are the only voices of sanity at this discussion (see above). The other talking heads are a perfect illustration of the irrational “media freak-out” that is the real story here. For more on that, read Rod Dreher’s remarks in my earlier post. Very troubling.