It’s Always About The Science - Until It Isn’t….

 A war has been raging for years in our society regarding homosexuality in all of its forms.  We are assured by apologists that it is normal, that people are born that way.

Let’s assume for the sake of argument that this is so.  People are born homosexual.  Consider, in terms of evolutionary biology, what this means.

The basic tenet of evolutionary biology is natural selection, the so-called survival of the fittest.  The only genetic mutations that are supposed to survive are those that contribute to the propagation and survival of the human species.  Homosexuality in all of its forms does neither.  The lack of desire for the opposite sex goes directly against both the propagation and survival of the human species.  Without some form of outside intervention, homosexuals cannot reproduce on their own; it is a physical impossibility.

No, if it’s about the science, natural selection and survival of the fittest, then only one conclusion is possible: nature has selected the genetic lines of homosexuals to be culled from the human herd, for elimination from the gene pool.

So if your argument is that homosexuality in all its forms is scientifically based, you might want to rethink that argument.

FB Meme: Pastor's "Talk" With Congregation

This meme began floating around recently.

It is wrong.

I feel the need to correct this because there are people in my life who fit into the different categories addressed in this meme. I love you enough to show you what the Bible REALLY says about these issues.

Divorce is not always a sin, and the death penalty under the Old Testament law to which the pastor referred was for adultery, not divorce.

The Old Testament clearly provides for divorce under certain circumstances, and the divorce declaration was to protect the wife from being stoned as an adulteress:

“When a man takes a wife and marries her, if then she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some indecency in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, and she departs out of his house...," Deuteronomy 24:1.

Clearly, the Old Testament does NOT - contrary to what the preacher supposedly tells his congregation - categorically declare divorce to be a sin.

Jesus clearly taught that divorce is PERMISSIBLE in cases of unrepentant adultery: 

"But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery," Matthew 5:32

"And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery," Matthew 19:19.

Divorce for any reason OTHER than adultery, according to Jesus, is sin.

Remarriage after divorce is adultery. Again, Jesus explained this clearly:

"But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery," Matthew 5:32 

"And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery," Matthew 19:19.

But those are the same verses you used to show that divorce is permissible in the event of unrepentant adultery. Yes, that is right. Jesus acknowledged the fact that Moses permitted divorce for immorality, but He then added a qualification that has been overlooked in the vast majority of evangelical circles. The husband who divorced his wife because of her unrepentant immorality was not causing her to become an adulteress; she already was one by virtue of her own immoral behavior. So the mere act of divorce doesn't automatically make one an adulterer/adulteress. On the other hand, the spouse who divorces for reasons OTHER than adultery MAKES their spouse an adulterer.

How?

"But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery," Matthew 5:32 

"And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery," Matthew 19:19.

And He said to them, 'Whoever divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her; and if she herself divorces her husband and marries another man, she is committing adultery,'" Mark 10:11-12.

"Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries one who is divorced from a husband commits adultery," Luke 16:18.

Marrying a divorced person is adultery according to these passages. According to JESUS' teaching, the spouse who divorces for any reason other than adultery causes the divorced spouse to become an adulterer upon their eventual remarriage. The spouse who divorces BECAUSE of adultery does not cause the divorced spouse to become an adulterer, they already are one by virtue of their own behavior.

Paul also teaches this.

"For the married woman is bound by law to her husband while he is living; but if her husband dies, she is released from the law concerning the husband. So then, if while her husband is living she is joined to another man, she shall be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from the law, so that she is not an adulteress though she is joined to another man," Romans 7:2-3.

The spouse who remarries while their "ex" lives is an adulterer.

Even 1 Corinthians 7, home of the infamous - and greatly misunderstood - "escape clause," continues this teaching. People tend to focus on verse 15, the supposed escape clause, and completely ignore verses 10-13 and verse 39:

"To the married I give this charge (not I, but the Lord): the wife should not separate from her husband (but if she does, she should remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband), and the husband should not divorce his wife. 

To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her.  If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him… 

A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord."

Long story short, divorce is not sin if it is carried out in response to unrepentant adultery. Remarriage is forbidden in every circumstance EXCEPT after the death of the spouse. And yes, under the Old Testament law, the penalty for adultery was death. God called it a capital crime.

Now on to the other observation contained in this meme.

The pastor supposedly says, "The Bible doesn't say anything about the consequences of a homosexual lifestyle."

This is a LIE.

First, the Bible DOES declare homosexuality to be sin:

"You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination," Leviticus 18:22

"If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination...," Leviticus 20:13a

This does not refer, as some would have us believe, to temple prostitutes.  God forbids all sexual activity outside of marriage, and the temple worship of Yahweh contained no sexual elements.  This is exactly what it appears to be - a categorical declaration by God that homosexuality is completely outside of His design for sexual relations. 

Second, contrary to the teaching of the pastor in this meme, the same passage that declares adultery to be a sin punishable by death also declares, "If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them," Leviticus 20:13. Obviously, the pastor in the meme is guilty of cherry picking God's Word.

Adultery and homosexuality, under the Old Testament law, are EQUALLY punishable by death.

OK, but that is the Old Testament.

So let's see what the New Testament has to say.

"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.  For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.  For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.  Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.

And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them," Romans 1:18-32.

That's pretty clear. Mankind thinks itself wiser than God, thinks itself capable of changing GOD'S constructs - morally, spiritually, and even PHYSICALLY. God says, "Fine, have it your way - but be aware, there are consequences associated with these choices, chief among them, I WILL GIVE YOU UP TO YOUR OWN CHOICES." Homosexuality is but one of the sins listed in this passage, but it is also called out very specifically. Paul goes on to address the issue of homosexuality in two other passages:

"Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God," 1 Corinthians 6:9-10.

"... understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted," 1 Timothy 9-11.

So contrary to the teaching of the pastor in the meme, the homosexual lifestyle DOES bring consequences. Under the Old Testament law, it was, as was adultery, punishable by death. Under the New Testament, the consequences for homosexuality, as for adultery, include alienation from God, physical and mental ailments ("... receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error..."), and eternal consequences.

The pastor in the meme ends his talk with the observation, "So, we as a church family have to support equality with a smile on our face.  THAT is the true Christian way."

I want to go on the record by saying that we as the church must show genuine Christian love for ALL sinners.  We are called by our Savior to show them the love of Christ.  And as the church, we have not always done a very good job of communicating that love.  That is absolutely true.

But also understand that true love, while accepting the person, created in the image of God, is not acceptance of what the Bible clearly calls sin.  

The Romans 1 passage ends with this warning - and it contradicts the teaching of the preacher in the meme:

"...Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them," Romans 1:32.

The true calling of the church to such individuals, whether homosexual, adulterer, thief, gossip, murder - you name it, is to love that individual enough to show them the truth of God's Word:

"Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself," Galatians 1:1-3.

I want to address one other issue that is not OVERTLY covered in this meme, but it is in the background.

These days, in order to remove the stigma from things that have been traditionally looked at as "sin," psychologists/psychiatrists are working working to re-classify everything.  The Bible teaches that we were created as Man and Woman: "Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, after our likeness',"  So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them," Genesis 1:26-27.  Psychology, in order to remove the stigma from homosexuality, says, "No, gender identity/sexual orientation is what you perceive yourself to be.

God created man and woman with the ability and duty to procreate: "And God blessed them. And God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth," Genesis 1:28.  This is one of the few times that evolution and creation actually sort of agree with each other.  There is neither a creation nor evolutionary imperative for homosexuality as homosexuality does not actually contribute to the continuation of the human race.  Homosexuality relies on artificial means to make procreation possible, and still requires participation of a male or female , as the case may be.  

God established marriage between one man and one woman as the appropriate context in which to continue the human race.  This excludes adultery, homosexuality, premarital relations, simple cohabitation, and pedophelia (yes, psychology is even attempting remove the stigma from pedophilia, http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/06/opinion/pedophilia-a-disorder-not-a-crime.html?_r=0):

"Therefore a man [Hebrew word, 'iysh, meaning, "man" (male)] shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife [Hebrew word, 'ishshah, meaning female counterpart to male (woman/wife)] , and they shall become one flesh," Genesis 2:24.

"He [Jesus]answered, 'Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning [GOD] made them male and female, and said, 'Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate,'" Matthew 19:4-6.

"[Jesus said] But from the beginning of creation, 'God made them male and female.'  'Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.' So they are no longer two but one flesh," Mark 10:6-8.

"Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh," Ephesians 5:31, Apostle Paul.

Phsychology today tells us that adultery and other forms of sexual promiscuity are evolutionary imperatives:

"Evolution isn't influenced by the sanctity of marriage. The only thing that matters in evolution is whether a particular trait increases the likelihood of producing greater numbers of offspring that, in turn, will survive and reproduce as well," Why They Stray: The Evolutionary Advantages Of Infidelity, http://www.psmag.com/health-and-behavior/stray-evolutionary-advantages-infidelity-93443.

Where psychology bends all of the rules to make people feel good about themselves, the Bible has a much simpler explanation: "Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me," Psalm 51:5.  We were born in sin.  We sin because it is our nature to do so; it is natural.  And yet, at some level, we intuitively understand that what we are doing is wrong.  Why?  Because we are made in the image of God, corrupted though that image may be.  With that image comes a basic understanding of good and evil:

"For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them...," Romans 2:14-15.

Why do we feel the need to justify what we do?  Because God's law is hardwired into our conscience.

These are foundational truths of the Bible embraced by Christians.  We do not hide behind them, they are the filter through which we view the world.  And until recent years, they provided order and structure to our society.

Today, everyone is free to do what is right in his own eyes - regardless of the consequences.  And the result is utter chaos.

Love, TRUE LOVE, warns others of the consequences of their choices and actions; it doesn't let them blunder headlong into eternity.  It prays for them.  It speaks with them.  It recognizes that they are created in the image of God, fallen though that image may be, and are to be treated with dignity - something which, admittedly, the church has not always been very good at doing.  It endures being misunderstood.  And it offers hope.

You see, John 3:16-17 is still true:

"For God so loved the world [HIS creation!], that he gave his only Son [Jesus], that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him."

God sent Jesus to die for us, to save us from ourselves and our sins - to give us new life.

THAT is why the church exists - not to condemn individuals, but to let them know that there is hope.  Yes, that involves naming sin.  We name the sin in the hope of seeing the person come to know the new life that is offered through Jesus the Christ:

"Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others... For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.

From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he [God] made him [Jesus] to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God," 2 Corinthians 5:11-21.

God is calling.  He is offering you a new life!  I hope you will accept His offer.   

Time For The Church To Repent….

Amen.

Church, what we see happening today is the result of generations of bad teaching, decisions, and practices where government is concerned - one of which is the practice of dissuading our young people from becoming involved in law and government based on incorrect teaching regarding government and the Christian's place in it.  I cannot tell you how may times during the course of my life I have heard pastors and other Christian leaders tell young people that they have no business as Christians becoming involved in law or government, yet this is CONTRARY to the clear teaching of Romans 13.  Romans 13:1-7 tells us that GOD established and ordained government:

"Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. FOR THERE IS NO AUTHORITY EXCEPT FROM GOD, AND THOSE THAT EXIST HAVE BEEN INSTITUTED BY GOD.  THEREFORE WHOEVER RESISTS THE AUTHORITIES RESISTS WHAT GOD HAS APPOINTED, and those who resist will incur judgment.  For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval,  for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer.  Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience.  For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing.  Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed."

So if GOD has established and ordained government, where did we ever get the idea that Christians have no place in it?  

If GOD established and ordained LAW, where did we ever get the idea that Christians have no business practicing it?  

And if GOD established and ordained government and law, how can you expect the UNREGENERATE to fulfill either in accordance with His expectations as laid out in His Word?  

What we witnessed today is the direct result of pulling God's influence out of the political and legal realms by dissuading, even vilifying, our young people the moment they showed interest in serving in either of these two fields.  MORALITY IS LEGISLATED!  EVERY PIECE OF LEGISLATION THAT BECOMES LAW IS A REFLECTION OF SOMEONE'S MORAL CODE!  And yet, by dissuading our young people from entering these two fields of endeavor, we removed God's ministers who could "… build up the wall and stand in the breach before [Him] for the land, that [He] should not destroy it…" Ezekiel 22:30.

It is time for the Church to repent.

OSHA: Employers MUST Allow "Transgender" Employees To Use Any Restroom They Desire...

It is now official.  OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) now requires the following of employers:

"Gender identity is an intrinsic part of each person’s identity and everyday life. Accordingly, authorities on gender issues counsel that it is essential for employees to be able to work in a manner consistent with how they live the rest of their daily lives, based on their gender identity. Restricting employees to using only restrooms that are not consistent with their gender identity, or segregating them from other workers by requiring them to use gender-neutral or other specific restrooms, singles those employees out and may make them fear for their physical safety. Bathroom restrictions can result in employees avoiding using restrooms entirely while at work, which can lead to potentially serious physical injury or illness."

So it doesn't matter if the other five women using the restroom at the moment a "transgender" individual walks in feel violated, as long as the single "transgender" individual feels accommodated and "safe".

Transgender and restrooms

July 16, 2014, The Day On Which Archie Andrews Will Die...

Today is the day that cultural icon Archie Andrews, of the Archie Comics with which most of us grew up, will be sacrificed on the twin altars of homosexuality and gun control in one issue. 

"Freckle-faced Archie will meet his demise when he intervenes in an assassination attempt on senator Kevin Keller, Archie Comics' first openly gay character, who's pushing for more gun control in Riverdale," Archie Andrews dies...

Betsy DeVos To GOP - If Dave Agema Stays, My Funding Goes….

[Betsy] DeVos, former state GOP chair, told Detroit News columnist Nolan Finley that Agema should resign his position as national Republican Party Committeeman after his latest round of inflammatory remarks about gays and Muslims.

Her rebuke of Republican Party leadership for failure to condemn “intolerance and insensitivity” included the veiled threat of financial reprisals if Agema is not removed from his post somehow.

“The expectation of leaders in a party is to stand up in situations like this,” she told the News. “Failing to do so will have consequences.”http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2014/01/betsy_devos_dave_agema.html#incart_2box

I have one question: after years of demonizing George Soros and Michael Bloomberg for the way they use their personal fortunes to control the platforms and policies of the Democratic Party, how does Betsy DeVos's threat to pull her substantial funding from the Republican Party unless they remove committeeman Dave Agema from his position differ one iota?

Dave Agema, current Republican Party committeman from Michigan, has made public statements recently regarding homosexuality, as well as continuing to publicly raise the alarm regarding increasing encroachments of Islam on our society - statements that the media and DeVos found to be objectionable.

However, the GOP have not taken steps to remove Agema from his position - an indicator that more than a few are in accord with his statements.

Enter Betsy DeVos, former chairperson of the Michigan State GOP.

Armed with her personal fortune, the Amway heiress has decided to force the GOP to bow to her will - and remove Agema from party leadership.

How?

By taking her considerable funding away from them.

I guess she has finally taken the lessons learned from the two arch enemies of the GOP, Soros and Bloomberg, to heart.

So once again I ask, in what way is she any different?

Good Bye, Starbucks...

I have officially joined the nationwide boycott of Starbucks.   To be completely honest, I wasn't aware that such a boycott existed until 12 hours ago.

Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz is on the record that his company firmly backs the "right" of gay "couples" to marry and enjoy all of the benefits accorded to heterosexual couples.

As a Born Again, fundamentalist Christian, I stand firmly behind the Biblical definition of marriage as between one man and one woman until parted by death (yes, I oppose adultery and remarriage after divorce on Biblical grounds as well, but those are discussions for another time).  The Bible clearly teaches this precept:

But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him.  So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh.  And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said,

“This at last is bone of my bones
    and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called Woman,
    because she was taken out of Man.”

Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.  Genesis 2:19 - 24, ESV 

This precept was confirmed by the teachings of both Jesus and Paul in the New Testament:

 He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female,  and said,‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” Matthew 19:4-6, ESV

"But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh.  What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”  Mark 10:6-9, ESV

“Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”  Ephesians 5:31, ESV

 Schultz, however, has taken a political position on this issue that stands in opposition to this Biblical precept.  When a stockholder observed during a recent stockholders' meeting that their returns had diminished 10% in the wake of a nationwide boycott of Starbucks relating to their support for gay marriage, the CEO told him, 

"...it is not an economic decision to me. The lens in which we are making that decision is through the lens of our people. We employ over 200,000 people in this company, and we want to embrace diversity. Of all kinds... You can sell your shares in Starbucks and buy shares in another company. Thank you very much.” howard schultz to pro-Biblical marriage starbucks shareholder

Schultz's declaration was applauded by the other stockholders.

Until such time as Schultz repents of his blatantly unBiblical position, I have officially joined the ranks of those will no longer do business with Starbucks.

The Two Tragedies of 9/11...

Eleven years ago, on the morning of September 11, 2001, four airliners were hijacked by Islamic terrorists in an effort to bring our country to its knees.  Nearly 3,000 people died in the resulting attacks on the twin towers of the World Trade Center in Manhattan, the Pentagon, and an attempted attack on the White House that was stopped by the passengers of United Airlines flight 93.  Despite protests to the contrary, our nation was changed that day as the God-given rights of citizens recognized and protected by our Constitution were scrapped. The terrorists won.  While we may have finally gotten bin Laden, there is nothing to suggest that the freedoms that have been taken from us over the course of the last eleven years are ever going to be restored.  bin Laden may have lost the battle, but in bringing about fundamental changes in our Constitutionally-protected freedoms, he won the war.

On September 11, 2012, a new tragedy is slated to occur.  It is the premier of a new program on NBC entitled, "The New Normal."

This is a "comedy" about a single mom who becomes the surrogate for a same-sex couple.  It is an attempt to mainstream the idea that same-sex couples are like everyone else, and should be just as acceptable as heterosexual couples.  The use of comedy is the sugar coating that is intended to take the edge off that message and make the medicine easier to swallow.

There is, however, nothing "new" or "normal" about the message of this show.

Homosexuality has been around for thousands of years, same-sex couples have been around for thousands of years, and both have historically been viewed as taboo by most cultures across the world, not just the "christian" cultures of the West.

More to the point, it is a violation of God's Word.

The Old Testament has this to say:

"If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them."  Leviticus 20:13

God destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah because of this sin.

"But that was the Old Testament," some say.  "The New Testament has nothing to say about the subject.  Jesus, in particular, never addressed the issue of homosexuality and same-sex marriage.  You can't apply such outdated laws to people who were born this way,  or who are living in committed, loving relationships."

OK.

Let’s assume for the moment that the argument put forward by homosexuals is correct, and they really are born this way.  The assertion today is, if they were born this way, then it is wrong to expect them to change.  They can’t change who they are.

For the sake of discussion, let’s accept that premise.

There is even scripture to back it up.

Psalm 51:5 says, “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.”  Sin is an inbred part of the human condition.  It is part and parcel of who we are by birth and by inclination.  And according to Ephesians 2:8-9 ("For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.") and Titus 3:5 ("he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit"), there is nothing we can do to change our predisposition on our own.

We are predisposed to lie, cheat, gossip, kill, fornicate, adulterate, and steal - just to name a few.  The name of the sin doesn’t matter; it is axiomatic that the predisposition to do such things is part of who we are because of the fallen nature of the human condition.

Using the logic put forward by the homosexual lobby, then, we shouldn’t designate anything as illegal, nor should we expect that people have the ability to change.  After all, the person who engages in these activities, all declared sin by the Bible and held to be violations of the moral codes of society, is simply following the inclination with which they were born.

But we don’t think like that.  We expect people to change their predisposition to conform to societal, and more importantly, moral and Biblical norms.  We expect them to stop stealing, lying, cheating, fornicating, adulterating, or killing.  And we have no problem saying that GOD can change them.  After all, that is why God sent His Son, Jesus, to die for us - to deliver us from our sins (“...the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age…”, Gal. 1:3-4)

Homosexuality, in this respect, is no different than any other predisposition declared by the Bible to be sin.

The Bible clearly teaches that homosexuality is sin.  Leviticus 18:22 says, “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.”  That doesn’t get much clearer.  Oh, but you say, that was the OLD TESTAMENT; we live under the NEW TESTAMENT, and it doesn’t say anything like that.  For me to accept that line of reasoning first requires me to believe that Malachi 3:6 (“For I the Lord do not change...”) and James 1:17 (“...the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.) are wrong, and God’s character is variable and changing.  Since God says His character doesn’t change, I have to reject that line of reasoning.  

So let's see what the New Testament tells us.  

Romans 1 tells us that, because man rejects the revealed Truth of God contained in His Word AND in creation (verses 18-21) and professes himself to be wise according to his own ideological and intellectual constructs - setting himself up as the ultimate measure of truth (verses 22-23) - GOD GAVE HIM UP (verse 24).  What was one of the many results? 

  

“Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.  For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.” (verses 24-27)

Men having intercourse with men and women having intercourse with women.  Today this is known as homosexuality; it used to be known as sodomy.  That is the NEW Testament teaching.  Paul doesn’t stop there, though.  He goes on to say in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, 

“Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.”

Paul explicitly names homosexuality in these verses.  Yes, he lists a whole lot of others as well (remember what we said at the beginning about other sins?), but he specifically names homosexuality.  But wait a minute - I thought all sins were the same!  Paul puts that notion to rest in this chapter as well.  Take a look at verses 13 and 18:

“The body is not meant for sexual immorality...Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body” (verses 13, 18).

Yes, all sins are reprehensible to God, but He takes special exception to sins of a sexual nature - that’s not MY interpretation, those are the explicit words of God through the Apostle Paul!

So let’s go back to where we began.  We are all predisposed to different sins.  In that respect, homosexuality is no different than any other sin.  But just as we expect people to change, to stop practicing all of the other sins we listed previously, so the Bible says there is hope for the homosexual!  Regardless of what is being spouted by psychiatrists and psychologists today, one’s predisposition can be changed.

You see, 1 Corinthians 6 doesn’t leave us in our sin without any recourse or hope of redemption.  Remember verses 9-10, the verses that specifically name homosexuality along with the laundry list of other sins?  They are followed by verse 12:

“And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (bolding added).

The Bible, contrary to politically correct social theory, tells us that, just as it is possible for our predisposition toward all other sins to be changed, so can one’s predisposition toward homosexuality!!!  Is this just my interpretation?  NO!  Read the verses for yourself!

You see, there is no parallel between homosexuality and being African-American, even though this is one of the most prevalent arguments used by the homosexual lobby to garner support.  And an article published by ABC News tells us that there are many African-American pastors - even those who regularly advise the President - who aren’t buying it ("Obama calls pastors to explain gay marriage support; black churches 'conflicted' by president's decision.").  Being black - or yellow, or red - is not a sinful predisposition.  Christ didn’t die to save one from being a different color or ethnicity.  But the Bible tells us that He DID die to save us from our sinful predispositions so that we could live lives that please God.  He saved us to DESTROY our old predispositions so that He can give us NEW ones, predispositions that desire to follow the revealed Truth of God’s Word.  As Paul tells us in Romans 5:6-7,

“Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.  For he that is dead is freed from sin.”

As this debate continues to unfold, there are many who assert that this has nothing to do with religion, or Christianity, or the Bible, that the Bible really doesn’t spend a lot of time addressing it - as if God has to say something many times in order for us to take Him seriously.  And after all, Jesus didn’t say anything about homosexuality.  You’re right.  He didn’t.  When given the perfect opportunity to change or expand the one man/one woman paradigm to include same-sex couples, as recorded in Matthew and Mark, He went right back to the truth given in Genesis 2:23-24, 

“Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”

Is this about hating homosexuals?  No.  This is about loving them by giving them the Truth of God’s Word.  You see, Proverbs 26:28 tells us that ”A lying tongue hates its victims, and a flattering mouth works ruin.”  We don’t accuse the doctor of hating us when he or she gives us truth that we would rather not hear.  We acknowledge that he or she is looking out for our welfare.  If we accept this as true in the context of human wisdom, then how much more true is it when the wisdom we share is of divine origin? 

And in the context of this new show, the Truth tells us that there is nothing "new" or "normal" about same-sex couples raising children together.  It is a tragedy that this show has even been allowed to air.  

Hence, the second tragedy of 9/11.